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Daily Briefing

"It's like an apocalypse." This is how a Lahaina resident described the wildfires ripping across Hawaii's Maui island. We also look at Biden's decision to ban certain US tech investments in China and how Europe is cracking down on 'direct action' climate protests.

Plus, these graphics show how fentanyl replaced heroin and hooked America.

By Edson Caldas

Today's Top News

Smoke billows as wildfires driven by high winds destroy a large part of the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. Dustin Johnson/Handout via REUTERS

ENVIRONMENT

At least 36 people have died after wildfires, fanned by winds from a faraway hurricane, devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui island. Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off, with only one highway open and thousands to evacuate.
South Korea authorities evacuated more than 10,000 people and closed schools in flood-hit areas as tropical storm Khanun swept over the peninsula, having pounded southern Japan over the past week. Khanun made landfall on the southeast coast, and was heading towards the South Korean capital Seoul.
Determined to prevent climate protests from strengthening further, states in Germany and national authorities in France are invoking legal powers often used against organized crime and extremist groups to wiretap and track activists. The Reuters World News podcast dives into the story with Riham Alkousaa.

AROUND THE WORLD

The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocked the country, where rising drug-related violence is a major concern for voters. Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed during an evening campaign event in northern Quito.
Niger's junta named a new government overnight, forcing its agenda before a summit of regional leaders who have demanded that they end their military takeover. West African heads of state meeting in Nigeria aim to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders have refused to stand down.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un replaced the military's top general and called for more preparations for the possibility of war, a boost in weapons production, and expansion of military drills. Kim made the comments at a meeting which discussed plans for countermeasures to deter North Korea's enemies.
Germany and Ukraine have agreed on the supply of additional Patriot air defense missile systems to Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his latest evening address. Ground-based air defense systems such as Raytheon's Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles.

Business & Markets

Markets are laser-focused on US inflation. The consumer price index for July is expected to have increased 0.2%, after a similar rise in the previous month. In the 12 months through July, the CPI is estimated to have climbed 3.3%, after rising 3.0% in the previous month.
President Joe Biden's move to prohibit some US technology investments in China is expected to keep investors on the sidelines, concerned that tougher measures are ahead as tensions simmer between the world's two biggest economies. Meanwhile, Britain is weighing how to respond to Biden's decision.
The European Central Bank is on the back foot again and for once it's down to Germany. The country has been hit by a toxic mix of weak trading with China, a slump in its manufacturing and construction sectors and even some existential questions about a business model predicated on cheap fuel from Russia.
British homeware discount chain Wilko has collapsed into administration, a form of creditor protection that puts its 12,000 jobs in danger. The retailer, which sells everything from hardware goods to cleaning products and toys, trades from about 400 stores and has an annual turnover of 1.2 billion pounds ($1.53 billion).
New data on the heart benefit of an obesity drug from Novo Nordisk increases the chances of a pay-off for it and Eli Lilly, which have spent a record amount on US lobbying to win government backing for the drugs, analysts and experts said. For news on the industry, sign up to the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter.

Graphics: Fentanyl is fast, cheap and deadly

A deadly dose of fentanyl, about 2 mg, is barely visible next to a penny. Small but lucrative quantities are easily hidden in cars crossing the US-Mexico border. Reuters obtained and analyzed ten years' worth of border seizures data to show how fentanyl transformed drug trafficking.

And Finally...

Afghan women draw on paper in an art studio in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara

At home in northern Afghanistan, 19-year old Khushi draws a self-portrait - a figure enveloped by a blue burqa inside a cage. The former university student once attended classes in law and political science. But she sank into depression since the Taliban closed tertiary institutions to women, requiring psychiatric treatment where she was recommended art therapy classes.

Read more here: Art therapy offers relief to Afghan women struggling with mental health

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