Friday Briefing – The New York Times

Dozens of migrants believed to have died off Cape Verde
More than 60 individuals are believed to have died after a ship carrying them from Senegal capsized within the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Verde, the authorities mentioned this week. A Spanish fisherman discovered the boat floating about 150 miles north of Sal, one of many islands that make up Cape Verde, in keeping with the nation’s nationwide police.
The boat capsized after leaving Fass Boye, a fishing village about 90 miles north of Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on July 10. Thirty-eight folks survived the accident, together with 4 kids, a spokeswoman for the U.N. migration company mentioned, including that seven folks had been confirmed useless and 56 others have been nonetheless lacking and presumed useless.
Smugglers have been piling migrants into poorly constructed or overcrowded boats to make the crossing to Europe from their residence international locations in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. Many of the migrants take immense dangers to flee struggle and poverty at residence, whereas European international locations search to dam the migrants earlier than they attain their shores.
Context: At least 778 migrants died alongside the West African path to Spain throughout the first half of the yr, in keeping with the Spanish migrant advocacy group Walking Borders.
Ukraine’s case of ecocide in opposition to Russia
Droves of harbor porpoises are washing up useless on the shores of the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officers say their plight speaks to the savage toll that Russia’s struggle is taking over marine life and on the surroundings extra broadly — one thing they need to doc for prosecution.
Currently, 4 particular acts — genocide, crimes in opposition to humanity, aggression and struggle crimes — are acknowledged as worldwide crimes. Ukraine want to add a fifth: ecocide. It is getting down to construct its case in opposition to Russia, conducting autopsies of the useless porpoises whereas additionally investigating tens of 1000’s of registered Russian struggle crimes.
Quotable: “The environment is often called the silent victim of war,” mentioned Maksym Popov, an adviser to the prosecutor common of Ukraine, who’s particularly targeted on environmental points. Ukraine is making an attempt to alter that, since “the environment has no citizenship, no borders,” he mentioned.
In different information from the struggle:
Maui officers defend their response to the fireplace
Emergency officers in Maui have defended their determination to not use outside alert sirens final week to warn locals of the fireplace because it headed towards the city of Lahaina, saying that the sirens are supposed for tsunamis and would have despatched residents to the hills and towards the flames. So far, 111 folks have been confirmed useless, however solely 5 have been publicly recognized.
The devastation from the wildfire in Maui, the deadliest within the U.S. in additional than a century, reveals the issues in Hawaii’s efforts to adapt to local weather change: The state has left large areas of land coated in extremely flammable invasive grasses; didn’t undertake wildfire-resistant building requirements; and shut down dams, decreasing the island’s skill to retailer water.
In Canada: As a wildfire barreled towards Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, town’s complete inhabitants of about 20,000 folks was ordered to evacuate by Friday afternoon.
THE LATEST NEWS
Around the World
The British singer Lily Allen, now sober, has a brand new life in New York and a brand new string to her bow: performing. She is at present enjoying a lead position in a West End revival of “The Pillowman,” running on the Duke of York’s Theater by way of Sept. 2.
“I still get to play with the human experience,” she mentioned of this profession transition, “but I don’t have to put my heart on my sleeve as much.”
Lives Lived
The British broadcaster Michael Parkinson, identified for his interviews with a whole bunch of the world’s most well-known actors, musicians, athletes and politicians, has died at 88.
SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC
Mason Greenwood’s second probability: His Manchester United return.
“The Lionesses”: Building England’s women’s soccer team as a brand.
Projecting the U.S. Ryder Cup group: Which golfers will safe the final few spots?
From The Times: Vlatko Andonovski, the pinnacle coach of the U.S. women’s soccer group, has resigned, ending a comparatively tumultuous tenure.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Forever chemical compounds
PFAS — chemical compounds present in numerous shopper merchandise — have been discovered to wreck rodents’ immune programs. Yet they lurk in a lot of what we eat, drink and use, and scientists are solely starting to know how they’re impacting our health — and what to do about them.
“I’ve heard some people say, ‘Well, if everybody is exposed to PFAS, how come we aren’t all dead?’” mentioned Jamie DeWitt, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology on the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. In truth, she mentioned, “People truly are dying.”
That’s it for right now’s briefing. And a observe: I’m on trip subsequent week. You’ll be in my colleagues’ succesful palms.
Thanks for becoming a member of me, and see you subsequent time. — Natasha
You can attain Natasha and the group at briefing@nytimes.com.
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