An out-of-control blaze burning in northern Washington state exploded in size, crossed the Canadian border and set off a cascade of evacuations over the weekend.

The so-called Eagle Bluff Fire has burned thousands of acres on both sides of the border and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes since it ignited Saturday in Washington’s Okanogan County.

Evacuations were ordered on Saturday for more than 700 properties in the Canadian town of Osoyoos, British Columbia, after the fire crossed the border. By Monday, that number fell to 192 properties after firefighters made progress fighting the fire, with an additional 2,635 properties in the area under an evacuation alert to be ready to evacuate should conditions change.

There are no active evacuation orders for the Eagle Pass Fire in the US, but at least three structures had burned in Okanogan County, Washington, and portions of the county were under a Level 2 evacuation notice – “Be Ready to Evacuate” – according to fire officials.

The fire exploded in size due to dry, warm and breezy conditions and has burned through more than 10,000 acres. At least 3,500 acres have burned in Canada alone. The fire remains completely uncontained in both countries, according to Washington and Canadian fire officials.

Wind gusts are expected to ease over the area by midweek, which could lend a helping hand to firefighters.

The Eagle Bluff Fire is one in a series of large fires that ignited across the Western US in July. At least 64 large fires are currently burning across nine states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, including the York Fire, which continues to rage in Southern California’s Mojave National Preserve. Still uncontained, that fire has already burned 77,000 acres in California and is closing in on the Nevada border. Weather conditions gave firefighters a slight boost on Sunday night as some rainfall moved through the area and helped slow down fire activity.

The United States’ fire season has been pacing below average in terms of acres burned so far this year. As of July 31, 1.1 million acres have burned across the US in 2023, according to the National Interagency Fire Center – well below the 5.7 million acres that had burned to-date in 2022.

The US wildfire season may pick up pace as August arrives. Much of the Pacific Northwest is dry and hot, which is expected to continue through the summer, leaving room for increasingly dry fuels and easy wildfire spread.

While the US wildfire season has started out slow, that is not the case for Canada, which is in the middle of its worst fire season on record. Hundreds of fires burning across Canada have spread several rounds of hazardous smoke across much of the northern tier of the US this summer.

As of July 26, more than 30 million acres of Canadian land – an area roughly the size of Mississippi – have been scorched by wildfires so far in 2023, according to Environment Canada.

At least three firefighters have died this summer battling Canada’s wildfires, including a blaze in British Columbia known as the Donnie Creek Fire which claimed the life of a firefighter last week.

“I am heartbroken that another firefighter was lost protecting our communities and our province during this devastating wildfire season,” Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests said in a statement on Saturday.

Before this year, the worst wildfire season in Canada in terms of acres burned occurred in 1989 when more than 18 million acres were scorched, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Record-long extreme heat streaks are finally coming to an end, but despite the signs of relief, the dangerous heat isn’t going away completely. The relentless heat dome driving the deadly heat wave will meander across the southern tier of the US this week, bringing more record-breaking temperatures.

The numbers so far this summer have been jaw-dropping: In El Paso, Texas, the high temperature topped 100 degrees for a record-breaking 44 straight days; in Miami, the heat index stayed above 100 degrees for 46 consecutive days; and in Phoenix, temperatures have been at or above 110 degrees for 31 consecutive days.

All of those streaks will have ended by Monday if Phoenix hits its closer-to-average forecast high of 108 degrees.

It’s been so hot for so long the average temperature for Phoenix for the month of July set a record at 103 degrees, shattering the previous one by 4 degrees. It goes to show this heat has been exceptional even for one of the nation’s hottest cities.

“It’s been a year of abnormalities and streaks, so it’s just a testament to just how strange this year has been,” said Ryan Worley, meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Phoenix.

Why temperatures have been so hot

Phoenix has yet to join other parts of the state with measurable monsoon rain, something that the city is desperately counting on to cool temperatures down. If Phoenix receives rainfall Monday, it would be the third latest monsoon rainfall on record.

The city will get a slight “break” from the heat Monday and Tuesday as the threat of monsoon rains rolls through, but highs will be back up above 110 degrees by midweek, possibly making it to 116 degrees by the weekend.

Meanwhile, with little rain for relief, more than 40 million people across the Deep South and Southern Plains are still under heat alerts. More than 140 potential high temperature records could fall again this week, as the oppressive heat shows no signs of backing down across the country’s midsection.

It is especially true in Dallas. The city could experience its hottest days of the year this week, with highs potentially topping 110 degrees on Tuesday.

High temperatures will stay in the triple digits all the way through the weekend, at times running as much as 10 degrees above normal.

Little Rock, Arkansas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Houston will feel as hot as 110 degrees or higher Monday and much of the week, with no relief in sight. Unfortunately, there is no real chance of cooler temperatures for some of the hottest locations for the foreseeable future, as this dome of high pressure responsible for the extreme heat won’t budge.

The flight seemed too good to be true.

When Martina Jones got the text with the details, she scrutinized them for several minutes.

It was a $279 round-trip flight departing from either Washington D.C. or New York City, flying to Nairobi, Kenya.

“But it was also very weird, I thought it might be a scam.”

It was November 2014, the day after Martina’s 29th birthday. The flight was scheduled for the following March. After weighing up the options and doing some research, Martina decided to bite the bullet and buy the ticket. Then she sent the deal round her various group chats, encouraging more of her friends to sign up.

Martina fell in love with travel during her stint studying abroad in London. After graduating college, she taught English in South Korea and then backpacked around Southeast Asia.

“I’m a traveler, through and through,” says Martina. “It gives me life.”

In 2014, several years into her New Jersey-based sales job, Martina was feeling a little disillusioned and bored by work. But she kept herself motivated by counting down the days until her next trip.

Across the Hudson River in New York City, Leslie Johnson, 33, also received a text from a friend with the Nairobi flight details.

Like Martina, Leslie was skeptical – the price seemed too good to be true. And to get the deal, you had to follow a series of random links – it really did seem like a potential con.

But the friend who’d forwarded the deal to Leslie was a seasoned flyer. They’d found the details via a travel group for Black travelers. Leslie – who “traveled a bit here and there, but not too crazy, just enough to get one or two passport stamps a year” – trusted their judgment, so decided to go for it.

His confirmation email didn’t arrive for a couple days. Leslie spent that waiting period still slightly convinced he’d been scammed.

Finally, the details came through.

“Then I knew it was good,” Leslie recalls.

March rolled around. The first leg of the flight, from the US to Amsterdam, was uneventful. In Amsterdam, Martina attempted to amend her booking so she could sit with her friends – she was traveling with five others and they were all at the back of the plane, while she was sitting on her own at the front.

The gate agent advised Martina to ask her fellow passengers if they’d mind moving. But when Martina asked, no one would budge, so she settled down to her textbooks instead – Martina was studying for the GMAT, a business school admissions test, and figured she could use the long flight time to get in some study.

By chance, Leslie was also separated from his friend on this leg of the flight. And by coincidence, he was seated directly in front of Martina.

He was immediately struck by Martina and intrigued by her. He’d also studied for the GMAT in the past, so once the airplane had taken off from Schiphol Airport, Leslie plucked up the courage to speak to Martina, using the test and the textbook as an entryway.

From there, the conversation never let up.

“We talked the entire flight,” says Martina. “We had a really good conversation.”

We talked the entire flight. We had a really good conversation.

Martina Jones Johnson

Throughout the hours-long chat, Martina remained sat in her seat while Leslie knelt backwards on his, looking back at her. There was a seat next to Martina, but Leslie didn’t want to overstep any boundaries by inviting himself to sit there.

As the aircraft made its way south, Leslie and Martina spoke about jobs, travel, their interests and their lives, and realized they lived a seven-minute drive from each other, on opposite sides of the Hudson River.

Almost every key topic was covered, but the two danced around the topic of their respective relationship statuses.

“In the back of my head, I’m thinking,’If he’s single, we’re going to date.’ But I didn’t know if he was single,” recalls Martina.

Before they landed in Nairobi, Martina asked Leslie for his phone number – but in the context of networking. Leslie had been talking about a friend who worked in TV production and Martina was interested in getting into that world.

“And then we went our separate ways,” she says.

While nothing obviously romantic had happened, Martina disembarked the plane with that same feeling of certainty: “We’re going to be together.”

There was something in the way they spoke to each other. Something about the way they looked at each other. But most of all, it was the ease Martina felt in his company.

A couple of her friends spotted the connection too.

“Oh, he’s cute. I saw you,” said one of them, nudging Martina as they disembarked the plane.

A restaurant reunion

Over the next week, Martina and Leslie enjoyed their respective adventures in and around Nairobi. They both thought about one another from time to time, but mostly focused on enjoying their travels.

“Then, on the very last day – or his last day, I was staying a day longer – we ended up at the same restaurant,” says Martina.

It was a seafood restaurant – Martina’s favorite, but far from Leslie’s first choice. He hates seafood and when his friend suggested it, he’d considered vetoing the idea, but then decided he didn’t want to “be that person.”

So he ended up, against the odds, at a restaurant where he couldn’t eat almost anything on the menu. And then he spotted Martina and he forgot all about the food.

She saw him too. They didn’t meet each other’s gaze. Instead, they both stole glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking.

“I was excited to see him,” says Martina. “But I was also playing it very cool.”

Leslie got up several times and walked by Martina’s table, hoping she might spot him and speak to him.

“I went to the restroom. Didn’t think she caught my attention. So I end up going back like two or three more times and still didn’t make any kind of eye contact with her,” he says.

But, then, coincidentally, Leslie and Martina both ended up leaving the restaurant at the same time.

The restaurant was in a hotel, so the two ended up standing in the lobby together, both with their friends in tow, chatting for a bit. It was, says Martina, “a little awkward.”

But she still left with that same thought: “If he’s single, we’re going to have a moment.”

“It’s weird, because it was just a matter-of-fact feeling,” says Martina today. “It wasn’t necessarily like, ‘Oh, I just met this guy – I’m so excited!’ It was just a very calm, matter-of-fact: ‘We just had a great conversation. He seems like a great person. And if he’s single, that’s it. We’re going to date.’”

Leslie was single. Just before he flew to Nairobi, he’d deleted the dating apps he’d been using off and on for the past couple of years.

“I live in New York City,” he thought. “There’s no way I can’t meet someone in person.”

On past travels, he’d daydreamed about meeting someone at the airplane gate, or boarding the airplane and catching someone’s eye. But he’d never thought it would actually happen.

And when it did actually happen, it just felt natural.

“Everything just kind of seemed like it was meant to be, or just was happening for a reason,” says Leslie.

Everything just kind of seemed like it was meant to be, or just was happening for a reason.

Leslie Johnson

A few days later, once Martina and Leslie were both home in the US, Martina sent him a text.

“How’s jet lag treating you?” she wrote.

From there, they messaged back and forth for a day or two, comparing what they’d each got up to in Nairobi. Then Leslie invited Martina to dinner.

He picked out a South African restaurant in Midtown.

Martina lived right on the edge of New Jersey and could usually get into New York City within 10 minutes. But that day, the traffic was terrible.

In stationary traffic, Martina sat behind the wheel, fretting Leslie would think she’d stood him up and just leave. She called him to explain and apologize.

Leslie told her not to worry. He wasn’t going anywhere. An hour and a half later, Martina arrived.

“When she walked up, I remember thinking she was even cuter than I remembered,” says Leslie. “When we first met I believe her hair was straight. And at that time it was really curly and I was like, ‘Oh this is really cute.’”

Martina and Leslie settled quickly back into the easy conversation they’d enjoyed on the plane.

And then, at the end of the night, they realized they were both flying out of Newark Airport the next day. The Easter weekend was approaching, and they were both traveling to visit their families  – Martina was heading back to Ohio and Leslie to Michigan.

“So the very next day, we met up at the airport before our flight,” says Martina. “I always say our second date was at the airport.”

Over the next few days, Martina and Leslie texted non-stop. Three dates turned into four and then five and then they quickly lost count.

“We were constantly in touch,” says Leslie.

“It was very easy,” says Martina. “There were no gray areas. We liked each other, and we hung out, we spent time together.”

A month or so later, Leslie went to San Francisco for a work trip and Martina joined him for part of the time. It was their first trip together, and was shortly followed by their second – a weekend away with Martina’s friends at a beach house in Delaware.

Martina was also busy planning her next big adventure – a trip to Costa Rica in November to coincide with her 30th birthday. She’d invited her closest friends to join her. Only weeks after meeting Leslie, she invited him too.

The trip was still months away, and the relationship was still new. It was a little intimidating, but Leslie tried not to worry about this. He knew he wanted things to work out, and wanted to be there.

“I’m an overthinker,” he says. “And the more I overthink, the more I stop making moves. I told myself not to overthink this.”

There were a couple of bumps in the road – by the summer, Martina was getting frustrated at Leslie’s hesitation to label the relationship. This conversation came to a head in July, three months or so after they’d got together.

But after this — their first proper argument – Martina and Leslie confirmed that, yes, they were in a relationship. And yes, they both wanted to see where it went next. And yes, they couldn’t wait.

Traveling together

Travel quickly became a cornerstone of Leslie and Martina’s relationship.

“We really enjoyed each other and we traveled a lot,” says Leslie. “So that was cool for both of us to have someone to travel with.”

Martina was the more adventurous of the two, so she encouraged Leslie to get outside of his comfort zone.

The couple realized they traveled well together, with good “synergy,” as they put it.

“In a lot of different ways, it just all seemed to work, just seemed like the perfect situation. perfect match for us,” says Leslie.

Around a year and a half after their airplane meeting, in December 2016, Leslie and Martina traveled to London together. It was a city that meant a lot to both of them – Martina studied there, while Leslie has family in the UK.

Leslie figured London was the perfect location for a proposal. Leslie and Martina had spoken about marriage and both saw it as the next step, so the proposal wouldn’t be a surprise, but Leslie wanted to surprise Martina in the moment.

He enlisted the help of his London-based cousins, asking if they could also get a bunch of their friends on board.

Leslie arranged that he and Martina would walk by Tower Bridge, a famous London landmark, just as night fell. Once there, they’d be approached by a series of seemingly random strangers, who were actually friends of his cousins on a mission.

Each stranger handed Martina a rose and a piece of paper with a letter printed on it. The first two interactions just seemed random and Martina assumed the strangers were trying to get her to buy the roses.

Then, people started coming thick and fast and soon the letters spelled out a question: “Will you marry me?”

“And once the last person came, I got on my knee and asked her,” says Leslie.

Martina was both overwhelmed and delighted.

“I was so, so happy. It was an incredible feeling. It was just amazing,” she says. “And what made it even more special to me is that it was in London.

“London is where I got my first passport stamp and really opened up my mind and my heart, and is where I truly fell in love with travel.

“So then to go back to the very first place where it started – and now I’m getting proposed to by the man that I met on a plane – it was really special.”

Martina and Leslie say their wedding day in Columbus, Ohio was “really beautiful.” The theme was “love at first flight,” with this slogan emblazoned on the invites and the menus, and the couple gave guests luggage tags as party favors. Martina Jones became Martina Jones Johnson.

Traveling today

Cut to today and travel remains a big part of Martina and Leslie’s lives. They chronicle their adventures on their Instagram account That Couple Who Travels, aiming to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

“I’m so appreciative of the community that we’ve built and the opportunities that we’re able to have from it,” says Martina.

Martina and Leslie’s account includes destination guides, flight reviews and recommendations of Black-owned businesses, as well as photographs of the couple on their incredible adventures across the globe.

“I do love being a representation of a healthy Black relationship,” says Martina. “I think more people need to see that.”

This is important to Martina and Leslie not only in the context of Instagram.

Martina recalls a recent group trip where she and Leslie found themselves entirely in the company of older White couples.

“These people aren’t around young Black couples. But we just loved each other, we just had such a good time with each other, sharing our different experiences and bonding over travel,” she says.

“And that’s what it’s all about. I think that’s how the world gets better. Love is what kills hate and it’s what makes fears go away when you have those relationships with people.”

I love to travel. I traveled and I met the love of my life. So, find that thing that you love and you don’t know what breadcrumbs that will lead you to.

Martina Jones Johnson

Looking back on the not-actually-a-scam flight, and their fortuitous meeting, leads Leslie to conclude “you just never know what’s out there.

“I met someone who lived not too far away from me, but I met them on a plane – thousands or whatever miles away from home,” he says.

As for Martina, she finds herself reflecting on something her best friend said to her long before Leslie came into her life:

“Do what you love, and it will lead you to everything else.”

For Martina, this turned out to be true.

“I love to travel. I traveled and I met the love of my life. So, find that thing that you love and you don’t know what breadcrumbs that will lead you to. It might lead you to the love of your life. It might lead you to your purpose – you just don’t know, but we all have unique desires and things that we are passionate about,” says Martina. “Don’t ignore it. Don’t wait for someone else to go with you. Just do what you love and see what happens.”

UNESCO has recommended that one of the most popular and fragile tourist destinations in Italy be added to its heritage danger list.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is calling on the Italian government to “ensure the utmost dedication” to address “long-standing problems” in Venice, which has been grappling for years with too many tourists and the effects of climate change.

Venice is one of 1,157 places currently designated a World Heritage Site, which have “outstanding universal value” because of their cultural or natural offerings.

The recommendation to put Venice on the World Heritage in Danger list was made by UNESCO and advisory body experts in its provisional agenda ahead of the 45th session of the agency’s World Heritage Committee, which is scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September.

The draft resolution argues that there has not been a “significant level of progress in addressing the persistent and complex issues related in particular to mass tourism, development projects and climate change.”

The draft resolution stated that these issues are causing “deterioration and damage to building structures and urban areas, degrading the cultural and social identity of the property and threatening the integrity of its cultural, environmental and landscape attributes and values.”

Weather and tourism issues in Venice

Venice has been coping with a veritable seesaw of weather-related problems in recent years.

Back in February of this year, the city was in the grips of a drought so bad that it was impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to pass through some canals. In November 2019, flooding was so bad that historical treasures and buildings were endangered.

Overtourism in Venice has been an ongoing issue, and UNESCO noted some of the efforts in place to combat that, such as the ban on large ships from entering the San Marco Basin – Giudecca Canal. Still, the report said “the effects of the continuing deterioration due to human intervention, including continuing development, the impacts of climate change and mass tourism threaten to cause irreversible changes to the OUV [outstanding universal value]” of Venice.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to say if he would abide by any potential Supreme Court ruling striking down his controversial judicial reform law, as Israelis agonize over a looming showdown between their government and the court.

“What you’re talking about is a situation, or potential situation, where in American terms, the United States’ Supreme Court would take a constitutional amendment and say that it’s unconstitutional, Netanyahu said. “That’s the kind of the kind of spiral that you’re talking about, and I hope we don’t get to that.”

The so-called “reasonableness” law is an amendment to one of Israel’s Basic Laws, which exist in place of a formal constitution. It passed the Knesset on Monday despite six months of protests and rare public criticism from the White House. It is the first stage in a wider package of measures that critics say will undermine democracy in Israel by weakening the judiciary’s ability to hold politicians in check.

The Supreme Court has said that it will hear appeals against the law in September.

Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel’s opposition National Unity party warned that if Netanyahu ignored an adverse ruling from the country’s top court, it would amount to a coup.

“In a democratic country, a prime minister respects and acts according to court rulings, no matter how much he disagrees with them,” Gantz said on Twitter. “There is no room for interpretation and gray areas – clear and smooth.”

“If Netanyahu, like any elected official, does not follow the court’s ruling, he will carry out a regime coup d’état that will change the nature of the regime in Israel, something that will negate his legitimacy to hold office.”

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in an attempt to clarify his position on Friday, but cautioned there was no precedent for the Supreme Court blocking a Basic Law.

“Israeli governments always respect the court’s decisions and the court has always considered itself subject to basic laws to which it attributes the status of a constitution,” the statement read. “Like the majority of Israeli citizens, Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that it is necessary to continue to maintain these two principles together.” The statement accused the opposition of distorting his words.

US President Joe Biden has been unusually outspoken about the judicial overhaul proposal, suggesting it amounts to an erosion of democratic institutions and could undermine US-Israel relations.

Asked if he was expecting consequences from the United States for the bill’s passing, Netanyahu stressed that relations remained strong between the Biden White House and his government – the most far right and religious in Israel’s history.

“Look, we’re both interested in blocking Iran. We’re both interested in advancing peace. This is the reason I came back to serving for the sixth time as Israel’s Prime Minister. I think those goals are achievable, and they’re going to be achieved together between Israel and the United States. I think that will strengthen our alliances. not weaken,” he said.

Netanyahu also pointed to debate in the US over its own Supreme Court. “You have an internal debate in the United States right now, about the powers of the Supreme Court about whether it’s abusing its power, whether you should curtail it,” he said.

“Does that make the American democracy not a democracy? Does that make that debate unworthy? Does that make that that issue, a symbol of the fact that you’re moving to some dictatorship personally?” he said.

Israel’s new law strips the Supreme Court of the ability to reject some government decisions on the basis of the “reasonableness” standard. It was the first of the government’s major judicial reforms to be passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

The country has no upper chamber of the parliament, but it has a relatively strong Supreme Court. Netanyahu and his supporters argue the court has become too powerful, and that their overhaul would rebalance powers between the judiciary, lawmakers and the government.

“We don’t want a subservient court. We want an independent court, not an all powerful court and that’s the correction that we’re doing,” Netanyahu told Blitzer.

Netanyahu acknowledged however that the bill had sparked “a big debate.”

“I don’t want to minimize it. I also don’t want to minimize the concerns that people have, because many of them have been caught in this spiral of fear,” he said, adding “Israel is going to remain a democracy.”

Opponents say the Supreme Court is the only check on the power of the government and the Knesset, and warn that the reforms would erode Israeli democracy by granting Netanyahu and his government almost unfettered powers.

Critics have also accused Netanyahu of pushing the overhaul forward to protect himself from his own corruption trial, where he faces charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust – which he has denied.

Would the new law be used to fire the attorney general, currently overseeing the trial? “I can tell you that this is not going to happen because it needs the heads of all the coalition to agree to it and they’re not going to agree to it. It’s not happening,” he predicted.

Thousands of Israeli army reservists – the backbone of the Israeli military – are threatening not to show up for work over the new legislation, but Netanyahu appeared unfazed by the threat. “Yes, there is a big debate, but, and some of the former generals are leading an effort against this reform – That’s okay. It’s a legitimate thing,” he said.

“But in a democracy, the day that… former generals can force … democratically elected officials to stop legislation on this or that matter, I would say that’s the that’s the day that Israel really stopped being a democracy,” he said.

That said, he does not want to “minimize the concerns that people have because many of them have been caught in this spiral of fear,” he added. “Israel is going to remain a democracy. There are checks and balances.”

Moldova has summoned the Russian ambassador in Chisinau after a media report surfaced alleging the embassy installed spying devices on its rooftop, according to the Moldovan foreign ministry.

It comes after the Insider media outlet and Moldova’s Jurnal TV reported this week after a joint investigation that 28 satellite dishes and other communication devices had been installed on the Russian embassy’s rooftop and a neighboring residential building used by embassy’s staff.

The Moldovan foreign ministry “in close coordination with other competent institutions, is analyzing the nature and extent of these espionage actions, including the activity of the persons mentioned in the investigation, in order to respond appropriately and promptly to the situation,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We consider absolutely unacceptable any acts of espionage and foreign interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova, which represent a direct challenge to the sovereignty and national security of our state,” it added.

Moscow’s ambassador in Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov was summoned on Tuesday “to provide clarifications and explanations on the situation,” the ministry said.

“Depending on further developments, the Moldovan authorities will consider several options for a response,” it concluded.

Japan provided one of the performances of the Women’s World Cup so far to stun Spain 4-0 in Wellington on Monday.

A first-half brace from Hinata Miyazawa either side of a deflected shot from Riko Ueki had Japan 3-0 ahead by the 40th minute as its tactic of catching Spain on the counterattack paid dividends in this Group C match

Despite Spanish pressure and possession, Japan further extended the lead through a late Mina Tanaka goal to close out an impressive win.

By topping the group Japan will now face Norway in the last 16 round of the tournament on Saturday. Spain will play Switzerland on the same day.

Meanwhile in Hamilton, Zambia earned its first ever Women’s World Cup victory thanks to a 3-1 win over Costa Rica.

Lushomo Mweemba scored the country’s first ever goal at the tournament through a delightful volley directly from a corner before Barbra Banda doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Banda’s penalty was the 1,000th Women’s World Cup goal.

Although an error from Zambia goalkeeper Catherine Musonda gave Costa Rica a route back into the game, with Melissa Herrera scoring, Zambia secured a famous victory with Racheal Kundananji wrapping up the evening in fine fashion with her late goal in added time.

Group C wrapped up

Prior to Monday’s game, both Japan and Spain had already booked their slots in the tournament’s knockout stages, with this match to decide who would top Group C.

Japan might have made five changes to the team that had beaten Costa Rica in its previous game, but the Asian side’s impressive tactical discipline and energetic defending restricted any clear openings for Spain, despite the European team dominating possession.

Japan looked dangerous on the counterattack and in the 12th minute, Miyazawa capitalized on a beautifully weighted pass from Jun Endo to race through on goal, slotting the ball past Misa Rodríguez in goal as Spain conceded for the first time at this year’s tournament.

Ueki doubled the Nadeshiko’s lead on the half-hour mark, once again punishing La Roja in a swift counterattack with her deflected effort evading a despairing Rodríguez.

The counterattacking strategy continued to pay dividends for Japan with Miyazawa expertly finishing a few minutes before halftime.

And sespite Spanish pressure, it was Japan who got the next goal, Tanaka adding a fourth to further embarrass the European team.

Japan’s last 16 meeting against Norway in the next round of the tournament will see the 2011 world champion – the Asian side beat the US Women’s National Team in that final – take on the 1995 world champion.

Costa Rica and Zambia entered Monday’s game knowing that although both sides’ qualification hopes had gone, the possibility of a first ever Women’s World Cup win was up for grabs.

Mweemba’s exquisite volley in the opening five minutes had the Copper Queens well on their way before Banda – having been fouled in the box by Katherine Alvarado – further extending Zambia’s lead.

Costa Rica ramped up the pressure after the interval and found a route back into the game thanks to a mistake from Musonda, allowing Herrera to score Costa Rica’s first goal at this year’s tournament.

Herrera thought she had brought Costa Rica level when she scored in the 69th minute, only for the offside flag to rule out her effort.

In added time, Kundananji capped off a memorable evening for Zambia, placing the ball past the Costa Rican goalkeeper to send the Zambia fans wild in celebration as their team completed this historic victory.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward suffered facial fractures after being hit by a 91mph pitch on Saturday, his team said.

The 29-year-old was taken off the field in the fifth inning of the 6-1 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre after being hit on the head by Alek Manoah’s pitch.

Taylor was taken to hospital for further testing, the team said, and discharged later in the day.

“He’s expected to need surgery, and manager Phil Nevin said there’s no timetable for his return,” the team said on its website.

“That’s probably the worst feeling ever,” Manoah said, per Reuters. “Definitely want to pray for him and his family. That’s the last thing you want to do, no matter the situation, no matter the team, no matter anything. I feel really bad about it.”

Ward was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, leaving the Angels without Ward, Mike Trout (fractured left hamate bone), Anthony Rendon (bruised left leg), Zach Neto (back) and Brandon Drury (left shoulder contusion) for the three-game series against Atlanta Braves starting Monday.

American cyclist Magnus White, hailed as a “rising star” of the sport, has died in a training accident in Boulder, Colorado, at the age of 17, USA Cycling announced on Sunday.

The governing body said that White was preparing to compete in the cross-country discipline at the junior Mountain Bike World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, when he was struck by a vehicle.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time,” USA Cycling said in a statement. “We ride for Magnus.”

White specialized in off-road cycling and competed for the US team at the Cyclocross World Championships in 2022 and 2023. He started racing at a national level at the age of 10, according to USA Cycling.

This year was the first time he had earned a place in the Mountain Bike World Championships team. He was due to compete in Glasgow on August 10.

“White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling,” the USA Cycling statement added.

“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”

Running from August 3 to August 13, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships will be hosted in Glasgow and across Scotland.

The road trip-meets-camping experience afforded by camper van travel is having a moment.

Interest in these compact recreational vehicles, typically outfitted with home-away-from-home comforts like sleeping spaces and kitchenettes, has surged in recent years, bolstered by social media streams flooded with images and videos depicting idealized, nature-immersive #vanlife travel scenes.

Plus, at the pandemic’s height, such self-contained vans – a sort of hotel room on wheels – were perceived to offer a means of travel that cut away at health risks.

Yet, for the nature-loving travelers who tend to gravitate toward these outdoor adventure-ready vans, there’s a crisis of conscience at play, given that the oversize, gas-guzzling vehicles are known for spewing out carbon emissions, as a worsening global climate crisis unfolds.

Just as movement toward electric vehicles (EVs) has swept the automobile industry—with fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engines being increasingly replaced by battery-powered electric motors—the dawn of a new electrified camper van age is emerging, as well.

“We are indeed starting to see some momentum from the RV [recreational vehicle] industry towards designing and building electric camper vans,” says Kraig Becker, digital editor at RV.com/RV Magazine, citing such projects in the works from big brands like Winnebago and Volkswagen. Those will soon join a niche contingent of DIY custom electric camper van conversions that are already on the market.

Becker says that consumer demand for these electrified camper vans is being driven largely by younger generations who are “looking for a more eco-friendly way to go camping.”

Peter Grunert, coordinating author of Lonely Planet’s new book “Electric Vehicle Road Trips—Europe,” concurs that the vehicles appeal to travelers with eco-sensibility.

“Given that EV camper vans produce zero emissions at the tailpipe, they also allow a sense of environmental consciousness that will be especially appreciated when passing through fragile natural habitats or urban areas,” he says.

Becker says that while barriers like underdeveloped charging infrastructure and limited EV driving range remain, customers are further drawn in by the fact that an electric camper van “is quieter than a gas-powered model, and makes it easier to camp off-grid.”

Other customers, like Montreal-based Nicolas Moreau, 35, who recently traveled through Quebec with his family in an electric camper van rental from Bromont Campervan, says he was most motivated by the savings at the pump.

Indeed, high and fluctuating global gas prices, particularly in European destinations, can tack on considerable expense to any road trip vacation. Recharging a camper van with electricity, rather than fueling up a gas tank, can translate to significant savings on travel costs.

Currently, the Quebec region is one of just a handful of North American destinations where electric camper vans are available. Europe has more, though still limited, inventory.

Camper van rental agencies like Europe-based Goboony and Outdoorsy in the U.S. each offer some electric camper vans for rent. Or, these six pioneering electric camper van rental companies around the globe each promise the benefits of a camper van vacation—all-in-one appeal, nature immersion, and the freedom of unbound travel—minus the hefty carbon footprint.

Quebec, Canada: Bromont Campervan

The Company: Starting this summer, camper van rental company Bromont Campervan, based in Bromont, Canada (an hour outside of Montreal), is offering two electric van rentals. The company aims to convert its entire 14-van fleet to electric by 2025.

The Vans: Bromont rents two converted Ford E-Transit vans on a weekly basis, configured for either two or four passengers. Vans feature appointments like a retractable bed, kitchenette, toilet/shower, fridge, and four-season insulation.

The Journey: Try a weeklong, 450-mile road trip from Quebec City, catching nearby Quebec-region attractions like towering Montmorency Falls, the glacial valley at Jacques-Cartier National Park, or bucolic Ile d’Orleans.

Norway: Norway Overland

The Company: Norway is leading the world in EV ownership and charging infrastructure, with the camper van rental options to match, including several such companies based in Bergen, the Lofoten islands, and beyond.

For something especially unique, check out Norway Overland, which launched this year in the village of Tonstad and rents out fully electric overland pickups fitted with camper shells. They’re well-suited to more rugged off-roading in the Norwegian wilderness, famed for its mountains, fjords, and glaciers.

The Vans: While not exactly vans, Norway Overland rents two Maxus T90 pickups, topped with truck-bed campers. Each vehicle, outfitted with a roof tent for sleeping, shower/toilet, kitchen area, and assorted camping gear, can accommodate up to five passengers.

The Journey: Norway Overland recommends a 380-mile, weeklong journey round-trip from the city of Stavanger, which takes in several fjords, top hiking spots (like to the Pulpit Rock cliff), traditional Norwegian towns (like those in the Setesdal valley), and interior highland scenery.

England: Wild Drives

The Company: Founded in early 2022, Brighton-based Wild Drives offers two upscale, fully converted electric camper vans for outings in the English countryside.

The Vans: The company rents out a converted, two-passenger VW ID Buzz cargo van, as well as a four-passenger Citroen e-Dispatch, each touting sustainably-sourced bamboo finishings, natural fiber insulation, and solar panels, along with kitchenettes and seating/sleeping space.

The Journey: Wild Drives has designed a 155-mile, 7-day itinerary round-trip from England’s hopping Brighton Beach, with loads of suggestions on best charging points, eco-friendly campsites, and nature-immersive attractions and activities, including a sustainable wine tasting, foraging excursion, and stop-off at prehistoric Stonehenge.

California, United States: Simple Campers

The Company: Rental company Simple Campers, based just north of San Francisco, has taken hold of the world’s very first batch of rentable Grounded electric camper vans. The Grounded brand, a Detroit-based start-up helmed by former engineers from Tesla and SpaceX, has been garnering buzz for its vans’ highly customizable modular interiors and comparative affordability; Grounded says more rental camper vans will be available across the U.S. in months to come.

The Vans: Simple Campers now offers a trio of two-passenger Grounded G1 camper vans, which are based on converted Ford E-Transits and inspired by Scandinavian design. Features include solar panels, queen-sized bed, outdoor shower, toilet, fully outfitted kitchen, and various app-based controls (like remote start for heating or air conditioning).

The Journey: Simple Campers recommends heading up California’s Pacific coastline along famed road-trip route Highway 1, just miles away, with nearby highlights like Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay. Dip into the Russian River Valley, loaded with Sonoma’s top wineries, before spinning back down to the company’s base in Mill Valley, on a roughly 220-mile journey, best done over three days.

Scotland: eDub Trips

The Company: Pioneering electric camper van rental company eDub Trips launched way back in 2013, when it began converting classic 1970s Volkswagen camper vans from standard engines to electric motors. The two-van company (with plans for a third underway for 2024) is based out of England, but launched service in Scotland this year.

The Vans: Book a five-passenger 1979 Volkswagen T2 electric camper van out of Glenfinnan, Scotland, complete with two double beds, kitchenette, and ample storage space.

The Journey: The company suggests exploring the Scottish countryside round-trip from Fort William on a 5-day, 340-mile trip that includes stops in Glenfinnan (chockfull of Harry Potter film scenes, including its famed viaduct), a car ferry to the Isle of Skye, a boat trip on Loch Ness, and more. Bonus: Daily distances on this route are short enough that no additional charging stops would be required beyond the overnight campsite plug-in.

Washington State, United States: PacWesty

The Company: Five-year-old adventure camper van company PacWesty, based on Bainbridge Island in Washington State (under 10 miles from Seattle), launched its zero-emissions initiative with a trio of electric vehicles in 2019. (The company shop is additionally electrifying four VW Westfalia vans, anticipated for 2024 delivery to Bainbridge Island and the company’s new outpost in Palm Springs, California.)

The Vans: PacWesty currently has two four-passenger converted Ram ProMaster 1500s on offer, pop-top models which come with two sleeping areas (an upper tent bunk and convertible sofa bed), kitchenettes, and lots of storage. For longer trips, try their newest two-passenger, off-road-ready Rivian R1T electric pickup truck, tricked out with a rooftop tent and camping kit.

The Journey: PacWesty recommends a 405-mile, 10-day journey round-trip from Bainbridge Island that strings together several nature-immersive stops along Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, including mountains (hike Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park), beaches (swim at Rialto Beach), lakes, waterfalls, rain forests, and hot springs.