Russian attacks on Ukraine’s ports.
Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine’s ports
Days after Russia renounced a multinational deal that had allowed desperately needed grain to make it to the world market, two Ukrainian ports that are critical to the world’s food supply were struck by aerial assaults, and at least 19 people were injured. The U.N. secretary general, António Guterres, strongly condemned the attacks.
Separately, the White House warned that the Kremlin has mined sea routes and may be setting the stage for attacks on commercial transport ships. The waters where Russia is said to have placed the mines are in an area already mined by Ukraine to deter an amphibious assault.
The goal, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said at a news briefing, may be to implicate Ukraine should a civilian ship in the Black Sea be damaged in the coming days. “We believe that this is rather a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea, and then blame them on Ukraine,” he said.
Response: Ships heading to Russian ports or to ports in occupied Ukraine, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said, will now be considered to be carrying “military cargo, with all the corresponding risks.”Warnings about more heat in August
Last month was the warmest June since global temperature record-keeping began in 1850, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said yesterday. The agency warned that August may also see unusually hot temperatures across almost all of the U.S.
The first two weeks of July were also most likely the Earth’s warmest on human record, for any time of year, according to the E.U.’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Successive heat waves in southern Europe over the past week have forced those who can afford it to seek shelter in air-conditioned homes and offices or at seaside retreats. But for many seniors, heat has become the new Covid, reinforcing their isolation and pushing governments and social services to take extraordinary steps to try to protect them.
Viva la siesta: Spain’s sacred afternoon break was once mocked as lazy. But as temperatures rise, countries like Germany are taking another look.
For more: Traveling to Europe? Here’s what to know about the heat wave.Britain’s Conservatives lose 2 of 3 seats in by-elections
Voters in three British electoral seats yesterday went to the polls to select replacements for a trio of lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party who have quit Parliament, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
