Monday Briefing: Ukraine will get F-16s

Plus, Spain claims its first World Cup

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 21, 2023 By Jonathan Wolfe Good morning. We're covering the donation of F-16s to Ukraine and the crash of Russia's moon lander. Plus: Coping with the summer British tourist invasion in Spain. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at an air base in the Netherlands yesterday.Rob Engelaar/EPA, via Shutterstock Ukraine will get F-16s The Netherlands and Denmark said yesterday that they would donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine — the first countries to do so — in what its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said was a breakthrough in his nation's quest to acquire the aircraft. The jets, considered imperative in countering Russia, would enhance Kyiv's ground-launched air defenses and could deter Moscow by erasing its aerial superiority. Zelensky said that the Netherlands would donate 42 jets once Ukrainian pilots and engineers had been trained. The move comes as U.S. officials said that almost half a million Ukrainian and Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the 18 months since Russia invaded Ukraine. That staggering total includes about 120,000 Russian military deaths and 70,000 Ukrainian troop deaths. The figures remain rough estimates, U.S. officials said, because Moscow is believed to routinely undercount its casualties, and Kyiv, which launched its counteroffensive in June, does not disclose official figures. What is known is that the slaughter intensified this year in eastern Ukraine and has continued at a steady clip. Elsewhere in the war: Ukrainian commanders are buoyed to be on the offensive. Despite tough fighting and heavy casualties, they say their forces are in better shape now than just months ago. Also, a Russian missile slammed into the main square of Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 100, officials said. It was Russia's first space launch to the moon's surface since the 1970s.Roscosmos, via Agence France-Press — Getty Images Russia's lunar lander crashes A Russian robotic spacecraft that was headed to the lunar surface has crashed into the moon, Russia's space agency said yesterday, a day after it lost contact with the vehicle. The Luna-25 lander, Russia's first space launch to the moon's surface since the 1970s, entered lunar orbit last Wednesday and was supposed to land as early as today. But an unexplained "emergency situation" occurred, and contact with the lander was lost. Attempts to re-establish communications failed, and Luna-25 "ceased its existence as a result of a collision with the lunar surface," Roscosmos said. Context: The crash is the latest setback in spaceflight for a country that during the Cold War became the first nation, as the Soviet Union, to put a satellite, a man and then a woman in orbit. It has been quite a year for Spain, from mutiny to ecstasy.Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Spain claims its first Women's World Cup Spain should not have been in contention for the title. The country's finest players spent most of the last year on strike. A dozen of them were not invited to the World Cup tournament as a consequence. The squad that did play was held together by an uneasy truce. But Spain is now champion of the world, sweeping past England, the favorite, to win the final by a single goal, 1-0, a testament to an enduring truth of soccer and of sports, my colleague Rory Smith writes, that "talent can conquer absolutely anything." For more: The final was a fortifying message to the many girls in both countries who have increasingly been taking up the sport: Women, too, can elevate a nation to the summit of world soccer. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Around the World Johanna Alarcon for The New York Times Ecuador held presidential elections yesterday. Homicide rates are at record levels in the country, making security the leading issue for most voters. An earthquake rattled Los Angeles as a tropical storm flooded parts Southern California and the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Egypt pardoned Ahmed Douma, a prominent figure in the country's Arab Spring revolution, after nearly a decade in prison, his lawyer and state news media said. A British nurse was found guilty in the deaths of seven newborns and the attempted murders of six others. Bernardo Arévalo, an anticorruption crusader, appeared headed to a landslide victory in a runoff election for Guatemala's presidency, a stunning rebuke to the conservative political establishment in Central America's most populous nation. U.S. News Max Whittaker for The New York Times A fight over water on the day of the Lahaina fire has shifted the long-running debate over how the resource is allocated in Hawaii. Donald Trump, who is the clear front-runner for next year's Republican presidential nomination, is planning to sit out the party's first debate on Wednesday. Two men who have accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children can resume their lawsuits against companies he owned, an appeals court ruled. A Morning Read Mohamed Sadek for The New York Times Haptic suits, which were developed in part to offer deaf people a better way to experience music, are becoming more accessible. The devices have been around for decades, but a new version of the technology from the company Music: Not Impossible is unique. Its suits turn individual notes of music into specific vibrations, allowing people to feel up to 24 instruments or vocal elements. SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC The start of the Saudi Pro League: On the ground for the opening week of games. Formula 1: The ongoing drama over a crash in 2008, and the circuit's new ice man. ARTS AND IDEAS Samuel Aranda for The New York Times Spain's British tourist invasion Tourism accounts for more than 10 percent of Spain's annual gross domestic product, the European Commission reports, and the United Kingdom provides the largest chunk of that windfall. More than 18 million British people — about one-quarter of the total population — visited Spain in 2019, according to U.K. government statistics. The annual swarm is both a financial boon and a curse. Young British travelers are notorious for drinking a lot and spending little (although many tipple in moderation and spend plenty). Local reaction to the hard-partying herd in tourist towns like Magaluf, on the Spanish island Mallorca, is split between come hithers (from hotel and bar owners) and go yons (from residents). Spanish officials broach the topic of low-end British tourism diplomatically, aware that if young people abandon places like Magaluf, the economic consequences would be severe. Subscribe Today We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas. Make this peach galette. It's sweet and flaky and topped with a wonderful chile kick. Watch "Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead," an irreverent zombie horror film, and four other terrifying delights. Read one of these nine new books that our critics and editors loved. Listen to one of these 10 gems by the Pretenders, selected by The Amplifier. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Thanks for joining me. — Jonathan You can reach Jonathan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018