The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided not to add the Great Barrier Reef to its list of sites “in danger,” despite overwhelming scientific evidence that suggests it’s at risk of another mass bleaching this coming summer – and scientists are questioning why.

At its meeting in Paris on Monday, the committee said the Australian government had made “significant progress” but the reef remains under “serious threat” from climate change and pollution.

The committee added that “sustained action to implement the priority recommendations of the mission is essential in order to improve (its) long-term resilience,” and asked the government to report back with an update by February 1 – at the height of the Australian summer.

But scientists say there’s little prospect of radical improvement just six months from now, especially as climate forecasters say the arrival of El Niño, a natural climate fluctuation which typically has a warming impact, will likely make oceans even hotter.

“Current global emissions policies put us on track for about 2.7 degrees (Celsius). So, with our current policies and current emissions, we’re very clearly on track to see at least a 99% decline in global coral reefs, and if that doesn’t scream the reef’s in danger, then I’m not sure what will,” said Reid.

Covering nearly 133,000 square miles (345,000 square kilometers), the Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish and 411 species of hard corals. It contributes billions of dollars to the Australian economy each year, and is promoted heavily to foreign tourists as one of the country’s – and the world’s – greatest natural wonders.

Since the World Heritage Committee first raised the possibility of an “in danger” rating in 2021, successive Australian governments have been working hard to convince the committee that they are diligent custodians.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek told reporters Tuesday she made no apology for lobbying UNESCO to keep the Great Barrier Reef off the “in danger” list.

“Lobbying is about telling the truth about what we’re doing,” said Plibersek, listing off the Labor government’s major environmental policies since coming to power in 2022, including spending millions of dollars on improving water quality and reef management, as well as measures to reduce planet-heating pollution including setting emissions targets and electrifying homes.

‘Some recovery’ but more work needed

Under the previous government, the Great Barrier Reef suffered severe mass bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020, caused by hotter ocean temperatures as the world continues to burn planet-heating fossil fuels.

Another bleaching event in 2022 – the first during a La Niña event, El Niño’s counterpart, which tends to have a cooling influence – raised serious concerns about its outlook and the country’s management plans.

In Monday’s draft decision, the committee said the reef had experienced “some recovery” since the last bleaching event and that populations of a number of key species were increasing or stable.

The committee also noted its “appreciation” for the government’s recent actions, but said more needed to be done to improve water quality and to “strengthen the Reef 2050 Plan to include clear government commitments to reduce greenhouse emissions.”

Plibersek said the government was well aware more work needed to be done, to protect not only the reef but the thousands of Australians whose jobs rely on it.

“No-one needs to tell Australia to look after the reef today. No-one takes protecting the reef more seriously. I am pleased that’s been acknowledged by the international community,” Plibersek said.

But scientists pointed out that the reef’s outlook is unlikely to improve between now and February 1, the deadline for the government to issue another progress update.

“The UNESCO update on the Great Barrier has kicked the can down the road – delaying the next assessment on listing the Reef as “in danger” by another year,” said Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, in a written statement.

On Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the arrival of El Niño was “likely in the coming weeks,” though the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the World Meteorological Organization have already announced its arrival.

“As El Niño conditions strengthen once more, it’s very likely we’ll see another mass bleaching event next summer, just after the report is written,” Hughes said.

David Booth, professor of Marine Ecology at UTS and president of the Australian Coral Reef Society, pointed out the apparent contradiction between the government’s stated efforts to protect the reef and its recent approval for new fossil fuel projects.

According to the Australia Institute’s Coal Mine Tracker, the government has approved three new coal mines or expansions since coming to power in May 2022.

“Will the Federal Government finally face up to reality and stop all coal and gas production and export – especially new gas developments such as the Adani field? It is almost too late to save the Reef, along with its huge tourism and fishing industries,” said Booth in a statement.

Jodie Rummer, a professor of Marine Biology at James Cook University, said the “in danger” listing was “irrelevant,” and the world needs to face up to the severe threat that accelerated climate change poses to the Great Barrier Reef and others worldwide.

“That’s what’s going to make the single biggest difference in how these extreme events these marine heat waves will be faced both now and into the future.”

Is there any food more globally glorified than pizza?

The ultimate comfort food that traces its roots to Naples, Italy, has been adapted by cultures all over the world. Italians have even devised a series of lists of the best pizzas outside of Italy.

And it’s precisely pizza’s versatility that makes it so universally beloved, says Fabio Errante, an Italian ​​pizzaiolo (pizza maker) and author of “Fabioulous Pizza.” Errante says he’s cooked more than 300,000 pizzas in his lifetime

Nino Coniglio, a ​​pizzaiolo and owner of Brooklyn Pizza Crew and Williamsburg Pizza in New York City, agrees that pizza’s adaptability is what makes it so popular.

It can be made with a near endless variety of toppings, he says, allowing individuals to create a pizza that’s just to their liking.

“Additionally, pizza is a social food that can be shared with friends and family, making it a perfect dish for gatherings and parties,” Coniglio says.

Pizza is also a comfort food that brings people together and evokes feelings of happiness and joy, he adds.

Can you relate?

Read on for some of the world’s most legendary pizza styles to try in Italy and beyond, plus versions of the concept of a crust with toppings that hail from other parts of the world.

Neapolitan pizza

Pizza is a comfort food to Neapolitans, says Naples, Italy, native Enzo Algarme, co-founder of Pupatella, a Neapolitan pizzeria with several locations in Virginia. “Pizza has brought people together for generations,” he says, and in Naples there’s a pizza shop in every neighborhood. “Italians cook all sorts of things at home, but pizza is the one thing Italians go out to eat,” Algarme says.

The Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’ is officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), founded in Naples in 1984 to “promote and protect in Italy and worldwide the true Neapolitan pizza,” according to its website, maintains that true Neapolitan pizza must be garnished with peeled tomato crushed by hand, sliced fresh tomato, buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte (traditional mozzarella), fresh basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil.

The dough must be made using just water, salt, yeast and flour, according to the AVPN, and the pizza must always be baked in a wood-burning oven. Another hallmark of real Neapolitan pizza is the raised edges of its crust, called cornicione.

Roman pizza

There are two styles of pizza in Rome, says Henry Cunningham of The Roman Food Tour, which visits famous pizzerias among other iconic eateries during tours in Rome’s Prati and Trastevere neighborhoods. “Whole round pizza, called pizza tonda, and the rectangular pizza, al taglio, which means pizza by the slice.”

Pizza fans flock from all over the world to Pizzarium in Prati, owned by famed baker Gabriele Bonci, one of Italy’s most famous pizzaioli (and a star in the Netflix series, “Chef’s Table: Pizza”), to try the pizza al taglio, Cunningham says. Specify the type and how much you want (choosing from seasonal toppings such as zucchini flowers and artichokes), and your slice will be cut with scissors before your eyes and priced according to its weight.

Pizza tonda is “paper thin and the edge is super crispy and not raised at all, although some bubbles are accepted,” according to Errante. Olive oil in the dough adds to the crispiness of the finished crust. And the dough is usually prepared using a rolling pin, he says, “in order to blow all the gas pockets in the dough that otherwise would make the pizza puff up while baking.”

“Whatever you do, don’t dream of asking for it with pineapple,” says Tatyana Serraino, a guide with The Roman Food Tour who says that’s considered a cardinal sin.

Pizza fritta

Pizza in Italy also comes in a deep-fried variety, known as pizza fritta. A popular street food in Naples for pizza-lovers who don’t mind straying from true Neapolitan pizza, fried pizza gained popularity post-World War II, when supplies (including pizza-making staples such as mozzarella and wood to fire the ovens) were hard to come by.

The solution was to fry the pizza dough, with ricotta and pork fat tucked inside, for a puffier and more substantial effect.

“The curious fact is that it doesn’t look like pizza at all,” says Errante about pizza fritta. “The dough is usually stretched similarly to a regular pizza base, then all the ingredients your heart desires go in the middle of that base.”

Sometimes it comes as a rounded pocket, folded and sealed, that looks much like a deep-fried version of a calzone, he says.

Sicilian pizza

As its name implies, Sicilian pizza traces its origins to Sicily, off the southern tip of mainland Italy. When it made its way overseas, including to the United States, many characteristics of the original version stayed with it, says Errante.

Wherever you find Sicilian pizza in Sicily (including the capital, Palermo, where it’s called sfincione palermitano), it’s usually topped with strongly flavored ingredients that might include olives, anchovies or capers, he says. “But the common denominator is that this is a thick, soft pizza with a crispy bottom, and it’s baked in a tray,” Errante says. The thick crust is similar to focaccia.

Wood-fired pizza

Pizza restaurants often differentiate their product by promoting the fact that their pies are cooked in a wood-fired oven. And standard wood-fired pizzas – prepared in an oven using hardwoods that might include oak, beech or ash – can be found all over the world.

But wood-fired pizza is not actually a specific style, says Errante. “The name only refers to the fuel used in the oven, as opposed to electricity or gas,” he says. A pizzaiolo considers the heat-giving properties of different woods (hardwoods burn slower than softwoods such as spruce and pine) when determining which type to use in the oven.

“People like to think that wood gives some smokiness quality to the pizza,” Errante says. “But that’s a wrong assumption as the pizza stays in the oven too little to be affected in any way.”

But crisp, wood-fired crust certainly has its fans.

Detroit-style pizza

“Detroit-style pizza is one of the most trending styles of pizza in the United States right now,” says Derek Gaughan of Pala Pizza, a website about outdoor pizza ovens and homemade pizza.

It’s a thick-crust pan pizza with toppings that spread all the way to the edges and two large stripes of sauce on top, he says. “The unique aspect is that it’s cooked in heavy duty steel or aluminum pans with tall walls,” Gaughan says. “As the pizza bakes, the cheese on the edge melts against the hot pan, creating a crispy edge.” The dough, he says, is “essentially focaccia, with a thick yet airy interior and a crispy golden brown exterior.”

Another hallmark of Detroit pizza is its sauce application, which is always ladled on top of the cheese instead of under it, he says (although it’s up to the chef whether the sauce goes on before or after baking). And while Detroit pizza is having a moment, don’t overlook other Midwest favorites, too, including St. Louis pizza, known for its cracker-thin crust, and Columbus-style pizza, which similarly takes its toppings all the way to the edge of the circular pie.

New Haven-style pizza

Locals around New Haven, Connecticut, call their twist on the Neapolitan pizza “apizza” (pronounced ah-beetz). It’s a nickname inspired by the dialect of Italian spoken in Naples that was brought to the area by early immigrants.

Thin and crispy, New Haven-style pizza is cooked in scorching hot brick pizza ovens traditionally fired by coal that give the crust its signature charred effect (just don’t call it burned).

Among the beloved places to dig into it in New Haven are Sally’s Apizza, which has been around since 1938, and Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana, in business since 1925 and known for its original white clam pie, made with mozzarella, garlic, oregano and generous lashings of littleneck clams.

Chicago deep dish pizza

Despite Chicago deep dish pizza being the variety most people associate with the city, Chicago-style pizza actually covers several different styles, including stuffed pizza and “Chicago thin,” says Steve Dolinsky, author of “The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide.” In addition to deep dish pizza, he says, there’s also deep pan pizza (the latter has a thicker, “breadier” dough).

True markers of Chicago deep dish pizza are its biscuit-like dough, says Dolinsky, as well as the way the dough is pressed up along the sides of the pan and sinks lower in the middle of the pizza. “Slices of mozzarella are placed on top of the dough to cover it and protect it from the sauce, and on top of that go the toppings–typically raw sausage, pinched and pressed onto the pie,” he says.

The tomato sauce comes next, followed by dried oregano and grated pecorino cheese. Chicago deep dish pizza was invented in 1943 at the restaurant currently known as Pizzeria Uno, Dolinsky says, and some of the best places to sample it in Chicago include My Pi and Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.

Cuban pizza

Popularized by members of the Cuban diaspora in Miami, Cuban pizza differs from typical American-style pizzas in its liberal application of not only mozzarella but Gouda cheese (the latter was once an imported staple on the island).

Rather than getting piled on top of the pie, the toppings for Cuban pizza are baked right into it. With several locations in Miami, Rey Pizza offers Cuban pizza varieties that include chorizo, picadillo (ground beef) and platano (plantain).

Tarte flambée

While not what we’d traditionally call pizza, this flatbread-style tart from eastern France’s Alsace region is made with a yeast-free dough that emerges from the oven with a pizza-like crust that’s thin and crispy. Also called flammekueche, it’s also widely enjoyed at home and in restaurants in parts of neighboring Germany.

Traditional toppings for tarte flambée include fromage blanc (a fresh, spreadable cheese), crème fraîche, lardons (smoked bacon) and onions.

Catalan coca

An essential recipe from the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain and the Balearic Islands, this Spanish twist on pizza is typically made without sauce or cheese. Flour, salt, water, yeast and extra virgin olive oil are used to make Catalan coca’s oval-shaped base.

Traditional toppings include heaps of caramelized onions and roasted vegetables, such as red peppers and spinach. Variations on the theme might add sausage, eggplant, olive and salted cod, among other ingredients. There are sweet versions of coca (the word refers to the pie’s crust), too.

Lahmacun

Found everywhere from the alleys of Istanbul and Yerevan to the streets of Berlin and Hamburg (home to many Turkish immigrants), Lahmacun is Turkey’s answer to pizza and is also a popular fast food in neighboring Armenia. Its exact origins are difficult to ascertain, and versions of it are widely enjoyed across the Middle East.

The large, thin, flatbread-style dish is easy to fold and stuff into your mouth and comes topped with ground meat, typically beef or lamb. Classic garnishes include parsley, lemon, onion and tomato. When in Turkey, also look for pide – another pizza-like dish shaped like a canoe, with its ends pinched together, that has a thicker and softer crust than lahmacun.

Khachapuri

Georgia’s famous khachapuri, similarly beloved and claimed by Armenians, is another boat-shaped thing of beauty akin to pizza. Leavened dough rises to billowing effect and is then filled with cheese and runny eggs, cracked and dropped on top – all the better for ripping off the edges of the crust and dipping them straight into the pie’s gooey middle.

In Georgia, khachapuri is typically made using a mix of imeruli (a fresh curd cheese made from cow’s milk) and sulguni (a sour and salty cheese that can be made from cow, buffalo or goat milk). Mozzarella, ricotta and feta can be substituted if you can’t get your hands on those.

New York slice pizza

Back in the largely Italian-influenced pizza realm of New York City, you can find all kinds of savory pie. But the most iconic is New York slice pizza, a grab-and-go style cooked in a gas oven typically cut from 18 and 22-inch circular pies (depending on who you ask) that serves as an ideal snack in the quick-paced urban environment.

Sauce preparations can vary and some chefs put semolina on the underside of the crust, says Ciro Verde, a master pizzaiola at Coco Pazzeria who was born in Astoria, Queens, and spent his summers in Naples, Italy.

“New York slice pizza uses a low-moisture and low-fat mozzarella that’s dry, almost more of a provolone,” Verde says. He recommends trying authentic New York slice pizza at Amore Pizzeria in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens (for a whole pie, try the Italo-Americano New York style pepperoni pizza at Coco Pazzeria).

Coniglio contends that New York slice pizza is “supposed to be crispy, must be at least 22 inches and has to be cut into eight slices.”

When it comes to how to eat it, however, he’s more flexible.

“Do whatever you want, but you’re not a true New Yorker if you’re not folding it and walking down the street with a slice,” he says.

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.”

White is survived by his parents, Jill and Michael, and his brother, Eero. A GoFundMe set up by family friends in his memory surpassed $60,000 on Monday.

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

Damar Hamlin took another step in his comeback as he donned pads for a Buffalo Bills practice for the first time since his cardiac arrest.

The Bills put on the pads Monday for the first time during training camp as they prepare for the upcoming NFL season. In padded practice, NFL players can tackle and get physical with each other, whereas in other practices they run no-contact drills.

Hamlin told reporters it felt “amazing” to return to the field for the padded practice.

“In football, you can’t hit that field with … hesitation,” he said. “You’re putting yourself in more danger by doing that. I made the choice to play. I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say it crosses my mind, being a little scared, here and there. My strength is rooted in my faith, and my faith is stronger than any fear.”

On January 2, the 25-year-old Bills safety went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and appearing to be hit with a helmet in his chest during the first quarter of the Bills’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Doctors and trainers performed CPR on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation. He was on a ventilator for days and spent over a week in the hospital.

Speaking to reporters after the Monday practice, Hamlin described his cardiac arrest as “a super big hurdle, as you can imagine. I pretty much lost my life playing this sport.”

He also expressed his support for LeBron James’ 18-year-old son Bronny James, who suffered cardiac arrest during a basketball game last week. “I wanted to let him know I’ll be there for whatever he needs on his journey as far as his recovery and getting back to his sport if that’s what he chooses to do,” he said.

Hamlin was cleared to resume football activities after it was determined his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations (or abnormal heartbeats).

He participated in his first full practice since the health emergency on June 6. At the time, the team’s manager said live contact and tackling would be some of the next goals in his recovery.

Last week, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Hamlin would be a “full go” at the team’s training camp and the Bills would go at his cadence.

“It’s great,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said in an interview with NFL Network. He said he was “super proud” of Hamlin and gave him “a big hug this morning.”

“The mental toughness that this young man’s been through, from almost losing his life to now he’s playing in day 1 of pads,” he said.

Since his on-field scare, Hamlin has supported initiatives for CPR training and advocated for more widespread access to automated external defibrillators, lifesaving devices that can be used in cases of cardiac arrest like his, in schools.

Hamlin said after the padded practice his “goal is just one day at a time.”

“My mindset right now is being ready for the Buffalo Bills whenever they need me,” he added.

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) will be looking to book its place in the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup against Portugal on Tuesday.

The team’s final group stage game takes place at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, and kicks off at 3 a.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. local time).

How to watch

In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel. You can also stream matches by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.

Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.

A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.

USWNT looking to seal qualification vs. Portugal

With Portugal making its first-ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup, the USWNT is the strong favorite ahead of the game, though progression from the group is by no means guaranteed for the four-time champion.

A 1-1 draw against the Netherlands last week thanks to Lindsey Horan’s second-half equalizer means that Vlatko Andonovski’s side will reach the knockout round with a win or a draw against Portugal.

A defeat, along with a win or a draw for the Netherlands against Vietnam, would see the USWNT eliminated from the competition at the group stage for the first time ever.

The Americans could still progress with a defeat against Portugal, a scenario that would require Vietnam to beat the Netherlands and the US to retain its advantageous goal difference over the Netherlands.

The head-to-head between the USWNT and Portugal makes for positive reading for the defending champion, which has won all 10 of the previous meetings without ever conceding a goal.

“When you’re at the top, you’re always looking to get better,” US forward Megan Rapinoe said ahead of the final group stage game.

“There are always things we can work on – tactical things, technical mistakes, game plan or scout areas where we can be better.”

Group E’s other match – Netherlands vs. Vietnam

Vietnam is already out of the tournament but will face a Netherlands side looking to secure its place in the last 16.

The Dutch gave a great account of themselves against the USWNT in their last fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and the team needs to equal or better Portugal’s result to qualify for the knockout round.

The Oranje will come up against tournament debutant Vietnam which is still waiting for its first goal at the Women’s World Cup.

Getting out of the group stage was always going to be tough for the Asian side given the competition, but Vietnam has not rolled over against its far more experienced opposition so far this tournament.

Group D – England vs. China, Denmark vs. Haiti

Meanwhile, England needs just a point against China to finish top of Group D.

The reigning European champion has won both of its games so far, but performances have not looked very convincing, especially given England was one of the pre-tournament favorites to lift the trophy.

It will look to improve against China, a team which can still qualify for the last 16 if it betters Denmark’s result on Tuesday.

The Danes, level on points with China but ahead on head-to-head after beating the Steel Roses, will play Haiti in a bid to qualify from the group.

Despite losing both of its games, Haiti can still finish runner-up in Group D should it beat Denmark and England wins.

If China and Denmark win or England and Haiti are victorious, three teams will be level on points. Qualification would be decided by goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head.

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.

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.

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.”