Deadly US southwest heatwave will expand to cover much of America as warnings issued
A deadly heatwave simmering in the US southwest since spring is expected to spread to several other states, with multiple heat warnings being issued.
The heatwave, which has led to extreme temperatures such as 45.5C (114F) which was recorded in Arizona’s capital Phoenix on Sunday, is forecast to expand into central and eastern parts of the country for the last week of July.
The US National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories across 13 states including parts of California, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, as well as the southern tip of Florida.
Currently, temperatures are fluctuating between the high 30s and early 40s in the country’s southwestern regions.
At least four tourists in the southwest are believed to have died due to heat since the beginning of June, the National Park Service reported.
Some cities have braced themselves for the sweltering conditions including Phoenix where people from the city’s heat response programme prepared heat relief kits, manned hydration stations and distributed water bottles to the homeless.
A Salvation Army volunteer gives water to a man in Phoenix. Pic: AP
A woman sells water in Las Vegas during an excessive heat warning
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, there have been at least 12 heat-related deaths since the warm months began in April. Further deaths were under investigation to establish whether they were heat-related, according to a county report.
In California’s Death Valley, which is no stranger to very high temperatures, a 71-year-old man collapsed and died last Tuesday in 49.4C (121F) heat.
The tourist hotspot which marks the lowest point in the US, holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, at 56.7C (131.1F).
On Sunday, Salt Lake City in Utah recorded a temperature of 40C (104F), federal forecasters said.
Death Valley. Pic: AP
A concentrated sphere of heat, known as a “heat dome,” has powered the excessively high temperatures.
El Nino is another factor. This weather cycle brings warm water from the Pacific Ocean to the US western coast, and it could contribute to other extreme events like droughts and cyclones across the world.
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US hit by scorching temperatures
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The heat expansion is set to occur as the world recorded its hottest ever June since records began.
For the first time ever, Earth’s average air temperature was more than 1.5C hotter than before industrial times, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
That the United States chose to hold talks with Russia about Ukraine without Ukraine sums up the power imbalance that is upending security assumptions for the whole of Europe.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has consistently warned that Kyiv must have a seat at the negotiating table for any discussions about ending Vladimir Putin‘s war to have a chance of success. His European allies also want to have a voice.
Yet these requests were ignored by Donald Trump and his strongman approach to diplomacy, with the president instead dispatching his top diplomat and two other senior envoys to meet Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
(L-R) The US delegation in Riyadh included Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz. Pic: Reuters
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Mr Zelenskyy, apparently by chance, had been due to embark on a pre-planned trip to the kingdom later that same day.
However, he decided to delay the visit to avoid the appearance of giving any kind of legitimacy to the bilateral encounter between Moscow and Washington.
Unfortunately for Kyiv, beyond noisy protest, it has very limited options when it comes to channelling the disruptive force of the Trump White House in its favour.
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The Ukrainian military remains hugely reliant on US weapons to fight Russia’s invasion and Mr Zelenskyy has made clear he would want an American element in any international security force that might be agreed upon to monitor a ceasefire – even though this is a role the US appears reluctant to fill and the Kremlin has said would be “unacceptable”.
It means Mr Trump has significant leverage over his Ukrainian counterpart which he will surely use to try to force through negotiations even on terms less favourable to Kyiv.
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The US has already reportedly tried to make Ukraine sign away a large portion of its natural resources to pay for US support – an uncomfortable offer that Mr Zelenskyy has so far declined but an indication of the new transactional approach to US foreign policy.
Mr Trump has repeatedly vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – even claiming during the US election campaign that he would do this within 24 hours.
But he never spelled out how.
The past week, however, has offered an indication of the direction of travel and it does not look good for Ukraine.
From unilaterally picking up the phone to Vladimir Putin to sanctioning such a high-level meeting with the Russians in Riyadh, the only currency that seems to matter to the White House is power and right now both Kyiv and its European partners are looking all too weak.
The Duchess of Sussex has relaunched her lifestyle brand under a new name – and shared a rare picture of her daughter Lilibet.
Posting to her recently-created Instagram account, Meghan said she was “thrilled” to be changing the name of her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand to As Ever – a project which she “poured my heart into”.
As Ever’s website features an image of Lilibet running outside with her mother, surrounded by nature.
Meghan shares a rare picture of her daughter as she rebrands. Pic: As Ever
In the Instagram video post, Meghan, who married Prince Harry in 2018, says in the caption that As Ever “means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always’.
“If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me.
“This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish – food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday.”
Her Netflix show With Love, Meghan – which the streamer says “reimagines the genre of lifestyle” – launches in two weeks.
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The former Suits star returned to Instagram after four years on 1 January, when she appeared in a black and white video as she ran along a beach and wrote “2025” in the sand.
She followed it up the next day with the trailer for the upcoming Netflix show, with the message: “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it.”
The launch of the show was delayed due to the devastating LA wildfires in January.
“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said at the time in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix.
Meghan’s latest post before her video announcing As Ever was on Valentine’s Day, when she posted a picture of her and Harry kissing and said: “My love, I will eat burgers & fries and fish & chips with you forever. Thank you for you.”
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