👋 Jambo!*
Welcome to Tuesday, where Volodymyr Zelensky vows to respond to Russia’s large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, at least 23 die as monsoon floods submerge Bangladesh, and Lake Tahoe sees its first August snow in 20 years. Meanwhile, in Spanish magazine La Marea, Juan F. Samaniego analyzes the drastic effects of climate change on summertime cultural heritage events.
[*Swahili - Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“Fire and ashes” make the front page of Brazilian daily Estado de Minas, as wildfires spread through the region and smoke cloaks Brasilia and Sao Paulo. The Brazilian environment minister has declared the country “at war” with the blaze, “the worst since 2010” according to the newspaper, “with almost 80% more outbreaks than the 10-year average.” Flights have been grounded and schools closed in the areas affected. Three people have been arrested amid an investigation on the fire’s cause.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Russian overnight strikes kill four, damage energy facilities in Ukraine. Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks targeting several Ukrainian regions, killing at least four people and injuring more than a dozen. This comes a day after it carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine’s power grid. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that Kyiv will respond to the attack. "We will undoubtedly respond to Russia for this and all other attacks. Crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished," Zelensky said in a post on social media. Follow our international coverage of the Ukraine-Russia war here.
• Israeli attacks on Gaza kill at least 20 people Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the United Nations said it has been forced to pause aid operations in Gaza after Israel ordered mass evacuation of Deir el-Balah, where the UN had based its operations center after relocating from Rafah.
• Emmanuel Macron rules out leftist PM as political crisis continues. The French president has said he will not agree to a government led by the left-wing New Popular Front alliance (NFP), which won the most seats in last month's snap legislative election. In response, the NFP, which put forward the relatively unknown civil servant Lucie Castets as its candidate for prime minister, called for street protests and Macron's impeachment. New talks are underway on Tuesday.
• Japan says Chinese spy plane violated its airspace for the first time. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary called the breach "utterly unacceptable" and summoned a Chinese embassy official in Tokyo in protest. Meanwhile, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi as the two countries try to stabilize relations.
• More than 60 have died in northeast Sudan dam collapse. Dozens of people have been reported killed after a dam burst in northeastern Sudan amid heavy rainfall. The country’s Health Ministry initially said in a statement late on Sunday that the Arbaat Dam north of Port Sudan had collapsed, killing four people in the floodwaters. The UN has said that the waters wiped out at least 20 villages. And up to 200 people are still missing, according to one responder.
• Australia introduces cap on international students. The move, announced on Tuesday, comes as the country aims to reduce overall migration to pre-pandemic levels. One of the biggest international student markets in the world, Australia will limit the number of new enrollments to 270,000 for 2025. Each higher education institution will be given an individual restriction, the government said. Read more about what attracts students to Australia in this piece, translated from Italian.
• Lake Tahoe sees first August snowfall since 2004. Just days before, the lake on the border between California and Nevada was bright and sunny at the holiday destination. The unseasonal snowfall comes several months before the local ski season is set to start, on Nov. 27 — although some resorts have announced they may tentatively open in August.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
How climate change is crashing Spain’s summer fiestas
Increasingly extreme temperatures are forcing virtually every aspect of society to adapt. In Spanish magazine La Marea, Juan F. Samaniego shows how the cultural heritage sector is no exception, as scorching heat is forcing summertime cultural events and festivals (from concerts to Spain's traditional castell human towers) to accommodate the new climate reality.
🌡️ With climate change and rising temperatures, it is becoming more and more common for people to experience extreme heat at cultural and artistic events, such as music festivals. Last year, pop star Taylor Swift canceled a show in Rio de Janeiro after a member of the audience died of heat exhaustion on the first night of her tour in the Brazilian city. Those organizing festivals and other popular parties are now beginning to consider that perhaps it is time to adapt to the new climate context and avoid the days and hours with the highest temperatures.
🇪🇸 A new study by researchers at the Rovira i Virgili University studies the impact of climate change on Spain’s traditional celebrations, evidencing the increase in temperature and humidity since 1951. It then focused on how castellers (the people that form Spain’s traditional castells, or human towers) perceive the impact of changes in climate conditions — and reflect on the possible adaptation strategies with them.
🔥 Beyond castells, extreme temperatures – day or night – are already a common element of music festivals and street parties on Iberian Peninsula and Spanish islands. And even other cultural events such as the Camino de Santiago are considering measures to adapt to climate change.
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📣 VERBATIM
“If we save the Pacific, we also save ourselves.”
— United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gueterres warned of an “unimaginable” climate catastrophe during his visit to Tonga on Tuesday. The UN chief was speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Nuku’alofa and issued a powerful warning in his speech: “Rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making [...] The world must act and answer the S.O.S. before it is too late,” he said. The forum, which will last until Aug. 30, will revolve around the effect of climate change on the Pacific’s communities.
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
A family stands at the front gate of their flooded house in Chittagong, Bangladesh. At least 23 people have died and an estimated 5.27 million people are stranded and in need of urgent assistance after monsoon floods submerged vast areas of the South Asian country. Rescue teams, supported by the army, the navy and the air force, are helping the stranded families as floodwaters start to recede. — Photo: Muhammad Amdad Hossain/ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
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• Imane Khelif's Olympic Lessons On Gender Shaming, Pride And Politics — DARAJ
• Don’t Ask AI to Make Life-and-Death Decisions — UNDARK
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Chloé Touchard
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