An onslaught of heat waves – across the Southern United States, as well as much of Europe and the Middle East – has raised average global temperatures to historic highs. Prolonged exposure to the sweltering heat can be a potential health risk for anyone, especially those who do outdoor work.
But medical experts say older adults are uniquely vulnerable. In the heat wave that spread across Europe in the summer of 2022, people aged 65 and older accounted for about 90 percent of heat deaths.
For many seniors, the past month of heat has essentially become a new Covid, lingering like an indiscriminate plague and forcing many to choose between potentially deadly conditions or complete isolation. Governments in southern Europe are now trying to take extraordinary steps.
Even in a place like Germany – where the Spanish nap has been derided as a sign of laziness – afternoon breaks are being reconsidered.
A signature moment for women’s soccer
The Women’s World Cup kicked off today with New Zealand, one of the co-hosts of this year’s tournament, winning their first match in front of the biggest crowd ever to see a women’s soccer game in the country. The other co-host, Australia, also won.
It was a fitting start to showcase the amazing growth of the sport. The United States has won the last two World Cups, but with the largest field in the tournament’s history, expectations have changed. England, France, Spain, Canada and Brazil are contenders, and Australia could be a top team once their star, Sam Kerr, returns from injury.
The month-long tournament is also a step forward for Vietnam, whose players were long shunned before qualifying for their first World Cup. Vietnam will play the USA tomorrow night at 9:00 PM Eastern, the opener for both squads.
As our chief soccer correspondent, Rory Smith, put it, the Americans – led by veterans Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe – could be brought down by their own success:
“Either the United States emerges in Sydney next month as world champion for an unprecedented third time, or it finds its crown removed and placed on the head of one of its many challengers.” Rory said. “That’s a testament to the work that Rapinoe and the rest of her generation have done.”
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Ukraine retaliates due to Black Sea threat
Just a day after officials in Moscow warned that they would consider any ship bound for Ukraine hostile, the Ukrainians responded with their own threat: Any ship headed for Russian-controlled territory would now be considered a potential military vessel.
The warnings of distress raised fears that the war could escalate and even more seriously disrupt commercial shipping in the Black Sea. Further complicating the situation, Russia has launched attacks on Ukrainian port cities, including strikes in Odesa and Mykolaiv today. A White House official has warned that Russia may expand its attacks to include merchant ships.
In Ukraine, families of children with cancer face the double suffering of a life-threatening disease and the war.
Did the police miss a clue in the Gilgo Beach serial killings?
When Long Island authorities announced last week that they had arrested a 59-year-old architect they believed killed several women, it was the result of more than a decade of investigative work.
But the investigation also raised a disturbing question: Could the authorities have solved the case years earlier?
My colleagues reported today that after a new police commissioner took over last year, it took his task force just six weeks to uncover crucial evidence in the sprawling case file, which had been buried in the files since almost the beginning.
More top news
Getting fit doesn’t have to feel bad
Casey Johnston built a social media following going against the typical Instagram aesthetic. She doesn’t promise the secret to washboard abs and she doesn’t try to prove that you too can have a slim waist.
Instead, her goal is to demystify weight training and show that better fitness can be a positive journey. Johnston himself once looked at getting in shape through the lens of eating less and getting lean. After she discovered weightlifting, she found a way to better balance her physical and mental well-being.
Mayan city, finally discovered
Deep in the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatan, researchers have used airborne lasers to uncover ancient man-made structures – pyramids, palaces, ball courts – in an area previously unmarked on maps. What they found, they said, were the remains of a Mayan city that was densely populated well over 1,000 years ago.
“I’m often asked why no one has gone there,” said the chief archaeologist, “and I say, ‘Well, it’s probably because you have to be a little crazy to go there'”.
A smoking rite of passage
Coming of age can be marked by a first kiss, first car or first job. In a place like Dearborn, Mich., it’s just as likely to be marked by one’s first hookah. That’s because the city is home to one of the country’s largest Arab-American communities, where hookah smoking is often considered a cultural touchstone.
Hookah lounges are seen as alternatives to bars for customers who abstain for religious reasons and as a hot spot for Arab-American life. Some of them are sophisticated, giving off “halal nightclub” vibes, said one 25-year-old, though the typical one is relaxed. “Looks like a dining hall and banquet hall had a baby.”
Have a herd evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. – Matthew
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