Good morning.
The human-caused climate crisis is undeniably to blame for the deadly heatwaves that have struck Europe and the US in recent weeks, scientists have shown.
Both would have been virtually impossible without the global heating driven by burning fossil fuels, their analysis found. Another searing heatwave, in China, was made 50 times more likely by the climate crisis.
The results make it crystal clear that human-caused global heating is already destroying lives and livelihoods across the world, making the need to cut emissions ever more urgent. Such brutal heatwaves are no longer rare, the scientists said, and will worsen as emissions continue to rise. If the world heats by 2C, they will happen every two to five years.
A report by leading climate scientists in March, endorsed by the world’s governments, said: “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.” The latest analysis demonstrated how rapidly that window is closing.
How did the scientists analyse the data? The new analysis by the World Weather Attribution group used peer-reviewed methods to quantify the impact of the climate crisis on the recent heatwaves. They used weather data up to 18 July and computer models to compare today’s climate, with 1.2C of global heating, with the cooler climate of the late 1800s.
What did the analysis show? The study found the heatwaves in Europe and the US were, as an absolute minimum, made 950 and 4,400 times more likely by global heating – making it virtually certain that they were the result of human-caused emissions. In China, the heatwave was made 50 times more likely.
Oregon hospital mourns guard shot dead while defending maternity ward
A community in the US state of Oregon is mourning a hospital security guard who was shot to death while protecting a maternity ward from an intruder over the weekend.
The slain guard, 44-year-old Bobby Smallwood, started out handling administrative and computer-related tasks when he first joined Portland’s Legacy Health network last year, according to a profile of him published by the news website oregonlive.com. But staffers at the hospital network often called Smallwood to help out with security because he was 6ft 5in tall and weighed 270lbs.
Eventually, he was persuaded to work full-time as a guard rather than in administration, said his parents, Walter and Tammy Smallwood.
Though Smallwood usually worked at another of the network’s hospitals, he was covering a shift at the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center when a gun-wielding man arrived at about 11am on Saturday. Smallwood – who was unarmed – died after being shot in the chest as he stood between the intruder and staff and patients in the hallway of a maternity ward, his parents were reportedly told.
Was anyone else hurt? No one else at the hospital was killed, but another staffer was wounded. Police later shot the intruder to death after he purportedly fled from the hospital, was found in the nearby city of Gresham and was about to be arrested, authorities said.
Ukraine claims small advances in south as US reportedly to send $400m more in aid
The Ukrainian military yesterday reported making small advances against Russian forces in parts of southern Ukraine.
Andriy Kovaliov, a spokesperson for the armed forces general staff, said Ukrainian troops had moved forward in the direction of the south-eastern village of Staromayorske, near settlements recaptured by Ukraine last month in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian troops were reinforcing the positions they had taken, and Russian forces were mounting strong resistance, he said, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, AP reports, citing US officials, that the Biden administration is sending up to $400m in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a variety of munitions for advanced air defence systems and a number of small, surveillance Hornet drones, as attacks in the war escalated to include strikes in Moscow and Crimea.
The package includes an array of ammunition – ranging from missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System to Stingers and Javelins. The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine, often within days.
What else is happening in Ukraine? The Russian ministry of defence has claimed that it destroyed two unmanned Ukrainian boats which were engaged in an attack on one of its Black Sea fleet patrol ships. In a statement, the ministry said: “Tonight, the armed forces of Ukraine made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the patrol ship Sergey Kotov of the Black Sea fleet, which performs the tasks of controlling navigation in the south-western part of the Black Sea, with two sea-going guided unmanned boats.”
In other news …
A woman in Alabama has confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of the interstate. Carlee Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, provided a statement to police yesterday saying there was no kidnapping.
The Israeli military has said it shot and killed three alleged Palestinian gunmen in the northern occupied West Bank, the latest bloodshed in one of the most violent stretches of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years. Israeli security forces said they opened fire at Palestinian militants who had shot at them from a car.
Barack Obama’s personal chef died while paddleboarding near the ex-president’s home on Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend, Massachusetts state police said. Authorities recovered the body of Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia, from the Edgartown Great Pond on Monday, police confirmed.
Elon Musk has faced a hiccup in his drive to rebrand Twitter as X after police stopped workers removing the old name from the sign at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. Workers were seen yesterday removing the first letters of the word Twitter before the local police department stopped them from continuing the “unauthorised work”.
Doctors across Israel are set to strike today in protest against the passing of a key part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, after thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv yesterday night. The protests have been sparked by the judicial overhaul bill, which abolishes the “reasonableness” clause that allows Israel’s unelected supreme court to overrule government decisions.
Stat of the day: Al-Hilal submit world-record €300m bid for Kylian Mbappé
The Saudi Arabian soccer club Al-Hilal have submitted a world-record bid for the French player Kylian Mbappé, understood to be worth €300m, and are willing to pay the forward €200m for a one-season stay if that is what it takes to get the deal done. Paris Saint-Germain left Mbappé out of the squad for their pre-season tour of Japan, determined to sell him unless he signs a new contract. PSG will accept Al-Hilal’s offer but there have been no talks between Al-Hilal and Mbappé, and PSG remain convinced the 24-year-old has agreed terms to join Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer. Al-Hilal will try to tempt Mbappé with a world-record €200m-a-year salary and his income could get closer to €700m a year with commercial arrangements and image rights.
Don’t miss this: ‘You need the glamour of a big opening’ – US actors’ strike starts to bite on red carpet
Margot Robbie’s global tour of Barbie outfits didn’t reach New York. A screening of Mattel’s doll-inspired would-be mega-franchise stood in place of a premiere. With the actors on strike, it was a stiff in PR terms, but one that went unnoticed amid the year-long, $100m (£80m), all-pink marketing drive leading up to the film’s $155m US opening weekend. While the Barbie juggernaut sailed over the effects of the strike on its opening weekend, other films may not be so lucky. “It’s incredibly damaging for everybody in terms of the big epics,” says the London-based PR agent Mark Borkowski.
Already many non-union workers in the creative fields, from set designers to stylists and hair and makeup artists, are feeling the effects of the production shutdown. For trades that typically work alongside actors and writers, the situation is complex. “We’re allowed to do non-union and commercials, but everyone is so worried,” says the New York hairstylist Alesha Oak, who had been working on a Ryan Murphy production until the strike.
Climate check: ‘No one wants to be right about this’ – climate scientists’ horror and exasperation as global predictions play out
“What is playing out all over the world right now is entirely consistent with what scientists expect,” writes Dr Joëlle Gergis, senior lecturer in climate science Fenner School of Environment and Society, associate investigator ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes at the Australian National University. “No one wants to be right about this. But if I’m honest, I am stunned by the ferocity of the impacts we are currently experiencing. I am really dreading the devastation I know this El Niño will bring. As the situation deteriorates, it makes me wonder how I can be most helpful at a time like this. Do I keep trying to pursue my research career or devote even more of my time to warning the public? The pressure and anxiety of working through an escalating crisis is taking its toll on many of us.”
Last Thing: From Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga – Tony Bennett’s greatest duets
The death of Tony Bennett, one of the most beloved singers of all time, leaves behind a stacked discography of some of the greatest covers in the Great American Songbook, writes Rob LeDonne. But while Bennett was no doubt a towering artist on his own, his expansive career was expertly accented by a penchant for collaboration. Whether through his two massively successful Duets albums, which featured Bennett alongside a host of artists, or through his award-winning partnerships with everyone from Lady Gaga to Diana Krall as well as a spate of one-offs, Bennett clearly relished sharing the stage with mentors, mentees and contemporaries alike. Sifting through a seven-decade discography, here are a few of some of the icon’s best duets throughout a gold-standard career.
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