list 2 of 3Dangerous summers: How heatwaves and wildfires change life across Europelist 3 of 3South Korea has hottest day on record amid extreme weather globallyend of listThe Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the death toll from the heatwave has risen to 19, including 13 people aged 80 or above.
A record-breaking heatwave stretching across East Asia is straining animals, health systems and people.Three lions at a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke, as record-breaking temperatures in East Asia haveprompted South Korea’s president to declare a national disaster.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told officials at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to ensure support for those worst affected by the heat and inspect power systems as air conditioning demand surges.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why are the Washington wildfires so severe?list 2 of 3Dangerous summers: How heatwaves and wildfires change life across Europelist 3 of 3South Korea has hottest day on record amid extreme weather globallyend of listThe Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the death toll from the heatwave has risen to 19, including 13 people aged 80 or above. Since May 15, 2,025 people have suffered heat-related illnesses nationwide, according to data from the weather agency.“An even greater concern is that abnormal weather conditions make it highly likely that extreme weather will continue for a considerable period,” said Lee, who wants a major redesign of the disaster response system to cope with the hazardous conditions.South Korea’s heat record has been broken three times over the past week, with the latest all-time high set at 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the city of Yangsan on Sunday, the highest measured in 122 years of weather observations, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.The heat is not confined to South Korea. Across the border in North Korea, state media said heat advisories covering much of the country would stay in place through the week, as water parks in Pyongyang drew large crowds. Because North Korea does not have media freedom, the casualties there from the heatwave are unknown.Pedestrians stand under a shade shelter at Gangnam district in Seoul on August 4, 2026, as a scorching heatwave continues to grip South Korea. (AFP)Record heat across East AsiaIn Japan, nearly 18,600 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke between July 20 and 26, with 45 of them pronounced dead on arrival, according to the country’s fire and disaster management agency. Parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new designation “cruelly hot day”.At Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo’s largest zoo, a three-year-old female lion called Mugi died last Tuesday, another called Ichigo died on Friday aged 11, and a third lioness called Luena died on Sunday aged 15.“According to our veterinarian, the cause of the deaths is suspected to be heatstroke,” a zoo spokeswoman said.“Even though lions are thought to be resistant to heat, zookeepers have been strengthening countermeasures to cope with Japan’s summer heat in recent years. Heat here comes with high humidity that is different from heat with dry air in Africa.”Eleven-year-old female lion Ichigo, one of three lions in Tama Zoological Park that died recently due to suspected heat-related illness, in Tokyo, Japan, in this handout photo taken on June 1, 2024 released by Tokyo Zoological Park Society, and obtained by Reuters on August 4, 2026 [Tokyo Zoological Park Society/Handout via Reuters]Scientists say climate change driven by human activity is making heatwaves and other extreme weather events more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense.In Europe, extreme heat and strong winds are causing wildfires and forcing evacuations in Greece, with Spain and France also on high alert for new blazes. Extreme heat was also recorded in the United States, increasing wildfire risks.The United Nations weather agency warned on Friday that a strong El Nino is expected to intensify, starting this month. It warned that the phenomenon is likely to increase above-normal temperatures globally and significantly shift rainfall patterns.El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern in which warmer-than-usual waters in the Pacific Ocean
Farah Larrieux stands in her backyard in South Florida on July 27. Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ hide caption toggle caption Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ The sun had yet to touch the horizon when Farah Larrieux returned to her South Florida home at 6 a.m. Dark circles smudged the thin skin under her eyes as she pulled large trash and recycling bins to the curb. A headache banged on the left side of her skull. The Haitian immigrant had just finished her last overnight shift at a hotel on that Monday morning. She is among the 300,000 Haitians in the U.S. losing the legal status that has allowed them to live and work in the United States. Temporary protected status (TPS) was first granted to Haitians after Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake, because conditions in that country were considered too dangerous for them to return. But last month, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end those protections. The ruling has left TPS holders bracing for an uncertain future. It has also rattled South Florida's Haitian community, where Larrieux lives and where Haitian immigrants work across the region's health care, hospitality, construction and service industries. In a statement to NPR, the Department of Homeland Security defended its decision to terminate TPS for Haitians, saying, "conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to support the return of Haitian nationals." The agency also said that TPS "was never intended to be a de facto asylum program" and that "temporary protections cannot become permanent by default." Larrieux has lived in the U.S. for roughly two decades. She said she hasn't been able to sleep. Sitting at a table in her small living room, she glanced at the plaques and awards recognizing her years of service in the community. She had run out of wall space to hang them, so they spilled across the table. "I can tell you that I feel empty," she said. "Like I'm living a nightmare." Her refrigerator and cupboards are stocked with food because she fears leaving home and being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A sheet of white paper covers the small glass panel in her front door because she's afraid ICE could show up at her home. She has memorized her attorney's phone number in case she's detained. A sheet of paper covers a window in the front door of Larrieux's home because she's afraid Immigration and Customs Enforcement could show up at her home. Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ hide caption toggle caption Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ Larrieux works two jobs, including running her own communications business. She has paused both and plans to live off her savings while applying for asylum. She fears that returning to Haiti would amount to a death sentence because she has publicly criticized the country's government. Larrieux sits at her computer in her South Florida home. Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ hide caption toggle caption Reshma Kirpalani for NPR/ "If I don't get mistreated by ICE at the detention center, I may be killed in Haiti," said Larrieux. "My blood will be on Trump's hands." Anguish replaced anger as she considered this possibility. Tears traced the terrain of her face, curving around the high mountains of her cheekbones, pooling at her chin. "They always treat us like we're nothing," said Larrieux, her voice shaking. "Our life has no value." Her fears echo those of many across Florida, home to roughly 500,000 people of Haitian descent. There are 158,000 Haitian TPS holders in South Florida, according to a recent fact sheet from FWD.us, UndocuBlack Network and the Haitian Bridge Alliance. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava warned that ending TPS would ripple far beyond the regional Haitian community. At a news conference last week, she said Haitian TPS holders have become an integral part of South Florida's businesses and communities. "The termination of temporary protected status for Haitians is a heartbreaking and unnecessary decision," Levine Cava told
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The battle by firefighters in France to bring under control a large wildfire raging in forests south of the country's capital is entering its second day. The Fontainebleau forest blaze, described by officials as "virulent" and of "exceptional scale", partially closed the country's main north-south highway. Interior minister Laurent Nunez has indicated the blaze may have been deliberately set, after officials said the fire had raced across 800 hectares in the forest about 40 miles (60km) south-east of Paris.The Paris region is suffering through its third heatwave this year during a summer in which temperature records have been broken in several countries across Europe. It is the first time firefighting planes had been sent up from the normally drier and hotter south of the country to tackle fires in the Paris region, Eric Brocardi, of France's national federation of firefighters, said.Two firefighting helicopters and an observation aircraft had also been deployed, he added, according to French news agency Agence France-Presse."The aim is to save lives and property," he was quoted as saying. Nunez suggested on Monday that authorities are exploring the possibility that the fire was started intentionally. "There were about 10 fire ignition points within a perimeter of 1,000 meters, which suggests that it could have been deliberately set," he said in a statement reported by the AFP news agency.
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