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August 17: Wildfires Near Germany’s Border and Gaza Talks
Wildfires near Germany’s border
Wildfires are forcing evacuations around the German-Belgian border, with residents of Monschau in Germany’s Eifel region among those moved as a large blaze in eastern Belgium threatened to spread. Firefighters are working in difficult terrain and heavy smoke. In France, authorities say a separate major fire has stabilised, but an exceptionally hot summer has left wide areas of Europe dangerously dry.
In tech and security
Researchers say an Akira ransomware affiliate broke into a company through a SonicWall VPN that lacked multi-factor authentication, stole credentials and data, and used Safe Mode to try to disable security tools. The encryption attempt failed after the system ran out of virtual memory, but the stolen files still leave the victim vulnerable to extortion. The attackers’ mistake is not a security strategy, and the same approach could work elsewhere.
In the Middle East
Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after talks with Hamas on the next phase of President Trump’s Gaza plan. Hamas endorsed that stage two weeks ago, while Netanyahu has withheld backing, insisting that any agreement must ensure Hamas is genuinely disarmed.
Separately, the USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln after a 265-day deployment. The Lincoln’s roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are due to rotate home amid scrutiny of the strain created by extended deployments.
In India
At least seven Hindu devotees were killed in a crowd crush during a religious observance at a Shiva temple in eastern India. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the crush.
Water pressure in the U.S. Southwest
Lake Powell stands about 30 feet above the level at which Glen Canyon Dam can no longer generate hydropower. The reservoir’s continued decline raises risks not only for electricity generation, but for water supplies serving roughly 40 million people across the Colorado River basin.
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