In the news today: At summer's halfway point, extreme weather still persists; why Crimea is so coveted by Russia and Ukraine; and how the US-Iran conflict may be worsening. Also, the first supermoon in August will be visible tonight. |
A traditional gate is seen inundated by flood waters in the Miaofengshan area on the outskirts of Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) |
It’s been a record hot and extreme summer, and it’s not over |
At about summer’s halfway point, the records and extremes are unprecedented. Killer heat. Deadly floods. Smoke from wildfires. And there’s no relief in sight. Read more. |
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Why the Crimean Peninsula is coveted by both Ukraine and Russia |
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Crimean Peninsula acts as both a playground and a battleground, with drone attacks and bombs seeking to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory. Crimea’s unique position in the Black Sea makes it a strategically important asset for whoever controls it. Read more.
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Crimea was home to Turkic-speaking Tatars when the Russian empire first annexed it in the 18th century. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred it to Ukraine in 1954 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the unification of Moscow and Kyiv. But that symbolic move backfired in 1991 when the USSR collapsed and the peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine. Russia, however, kept its Black Sea Fleet at the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was quick and his popularity soared. Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine, said Kyiv had invested some $100 billion into the peninsula between 1991 and 2014. It also has become part of Ukraine’s identity as well.
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Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict |
Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight. Read more.
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Washington has been seeing once again that while it’s easy to get into the Middle East militarily, it’s difficult to ever get fully out — particularly as Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. There is no sign that diplomacy will revive the deal soon, as Iran resumes harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
For hard-liners in Tehran’s theocracy, the move projects power to surrounding nations. It also serves as a warning to the U.S. and allies that the Islamic Republic has the means to retaliate, particularly as American sanctions result in the seizure of ships carrying Iranian crude oil.
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For the U.S., keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping remains a priority to ensure global energy prices don’t spike, particularly as Russia’s war on Ukraine pressures markets. Gulf Arab nations need the waterway to get their oil to market and worry about Iran’s intentions in the wider region. Those fears have cemented the longtime American presence in the Persian Gulf.
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On August 1, 2007: The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour, killing 13 people. (AP Photo/Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jim Gehrz)
A look at what else happened in history on August 1 |
A 'Full Buck' supermoon rises over St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, on the North East coast of England, July 2, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) |
Two supermoons will appear in August
August is offering a celestial double feature: a pair of supermoons, culminating in a rare blue moon. The sturgeon moon will grace the evening sky tonight, followed by an even closer glimpse of a blue moon Aug. 30. |
WATCH: San Diego Zoo welcomes 4 baby capybaras Four capybaras, the world’s largest rodent, have been born at the San Diego Zoo. |
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