Por Daria Tarasova-Markina, Svitlana Vlasova y Lauren Kent, CNN

Nikopol, en el sur de Ucrania, rara vez aparece en los titulares, eclipsada por las amenazas a la central nuclear de Zaporiyia, ocupada y situada justo al otro lado del río.

Sin embargo, según las autoridades locales, esta ciudad, en la primera línea de la invasión rusa a gran escala, ha sido atacada casi a diario desde que comenzó la guerra.

Su proximidad a posiciones militares rusas situadas a tan solo tres kilómetros de distancia, en la otra orilla del río Dniéper, significa que los civiles se enfrentan a un mayor riesgo de ataques por parte de drones rusos de corto alcance.

“En realidad, nos hemos acostumbrado un poco al peligro, aunque la sensación de miedo nunca desaparece del todo”, declaró Oleksandr Varytsev, poeta que también dirige una organización benéfica local que proporciona comidas calientes a personas mayores y discapacitadas.

“Da mucho miedo, y si me da miedo a mí, imagínense cómo se sienten los ancianos cuando vienen a nuestro centro de voluntarios”, agregó.

Un video escalofriante publicado por las autoridades en junio mostraba un pequeño dron ruso atacando a una anciana en silla de ruedas. La agresión acabó con la vida de tres personas, entre ellas la mujer de 87 años y su hijo. En abril, otras cuatro personas murieron en un ataque con dron contra un autobús urbano.

Estos son solo dos ejemplos de drones rusos FPV (vista en primera persona) que atacan a civiles en lugar de objetivos militares, un fenómeno que también se observa en las ciudades fronterizas de Jersón y Kramatorsk.

Rusia ha afirmado repetidamente que su objetivo son las amenazas de las Fuerzas Armadas ucranianas en Nikopol, a pesar de las pruebas que demuestran lo contrario.

Según Varytsev, en los últimos meses, los avistamientos de drones en Nikopol han aumentado de dos o tres al día a unos tres por hora, tanto de día como de noche.

La constante amenaza de los drones ha obligado a los civiles de esta zona a cambiar sus hábitos cotidianos para evitar convertirse en víctimas de lo que ellos llaman el “safari humano” de Rusia.

Intentan no permanecer en espacios públicos como las paradas de autobús. Las escuelas y los jardines de infancia han cerrado, y los servicios civiles como el servicio postal nacional ucraniano y los autobuses urbanos también se suspenden habitualmente.

“La gente tiene miedo de caminar por la calle, pero se está adaptando a la nueva realidad”, comentó Varytsev. “Mantenemos la cabeza en alto todo el tiempo, ya no miramos al suelo”.

Antes de la invasión a gran escala, Nikopol tenía alrededor de 100.000 habitantes y era conocida principalmente por las fresas que cultivaba para el mercado ucraniano. Hoy en día, las autoridades locales estiman que la mitad de la población ha emigrado.

“La ciudad se está vaciando ante nuestros ojos. La situación es muy peligrosa y cada día hay más ataques”, declaró Oleksii Kirillov, quien ha trabajado en el transporte de mercancías en Nikopol durante más de dos décadas.

Desde que comenzó la guerra, se ha centrado más en facilitar las evacuaciones que en su negocio de transporte, añadió.

En los últimos cuatro años, ha aprendido a distinguir entre drones de combate y drones de reconocimiento, que se mueven más lentamente. Y aunque el miedo se ha atenuado, nunca ha desaparecido. “Solo los tontos no tienen miedo”.

Nikopol está cada vez más cubierta de redes de pesca aéreas que pueden atrapar drones FPV, una nueva

By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walked alongside the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, some of the black-clad mourners surrounding him chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.”

Not far from that site, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.”

The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions for months: that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals while the new supreme leader remains largely invisible for fear of his life – or, as some have suggested, because he is incapacitated.

The hardline factions that attended the funeral in large numbers believe that instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing, Iranian officials have surrendered by signing an agreement that defies the orders of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor. But Khamenei has remained hidden from public view, neither addressing the nation directly nor visibly asserting his authority, even as officials negotiate or govern in his name.

Hardliners have accused Iran’s visible leadership – those running and representing the country as Khamenei remains in hiding – of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament, defying his orders in negotiations and attempting to disperse the nightly street rallies that had become a potent power base for fundamentalists.

“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” Mahmoud Nabavian, an outspoken radical lawmaker, asked on X days before Khamenei’s funeral.

“In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup,” he wrote days later.

In Mojtaba’s absence, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Araghchi have become the most visible faces in charge of post-war Iran. Without access to the new supreme leader, hardliners who are unhappy with their performance have instead accused them of plotting a coup, Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran expert and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN.

“Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba,” Azizi said.

‘Us, the blade and your throat’

Despite widespread calls for wartime unity across Iran, the weeklong grand funeral f

By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walked alongside the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, some of the black-clad mourners surrounding him chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.”

Not far from that site, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.”

The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions for months: that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals while the new supreme leader remains largely invisible for fear of his life – or, as some have suggested, because he is incapacitated.

The hardline factions that attended the funeral in large numbers believe that instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing, Iranian officials have surrendered by signing an agreement that defies the orders of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor. But Khamenei has remained hidden from public view, neither addressing the nation directly nor visibly asserting his authority, even as officials negotiate or govern in his name.

Hardliners have accused Iran’s visible leadership – those running and representing the country as Khamenei remains in hiding – of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament, defying his orders in negotiations and attempting to disperse the nightly street rallies that had become a potent power base for fundamentalists.

“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” Mahmoud Nabavian, an outspoken radical lawmaker, asked on X days before Khamenei’s funeral.

“In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup,” he wrote days later.

In Mojtaba’s absence, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Araghchi have become the most visible faces in charge of post-war Iran. Without access to the new supreme leader, hardliners who are unhappy with their performance have instead accused them of plotting a coup, Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran expert and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN.

“Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba,” Azizi said.

‘Us, the blade and your throat’

Despite widespread calls for wartime unity across Iran, the weeklong grand funeral f

* WHAT…Dangerous rip currents and breaking waves due to
elevated surf expected.

* WHERE…San Luis Obispo County Beaches and Santa Barbara
County Central Coast Beaches.

* WHEN…From Sunday afternoon through Tuesday evening.

* IMPACTS…There is an increased risk of ocean drowning. Rip
currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can
wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats
nearshore.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Highest surf will be focused across south
facing beaches due to a southerly swell produced by Tropical
Storm Elida.
Remain out of the water due to hazardous swimming conditions, or
stay near occupied lifeguard towers. Rock jetties can be deadly
in such conditions, stay off the rocks.

The post Beach Hazards Statement issued July 18 at 1:24AM PDT until July 21 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Dalia Faheid, Alea Motwane, Dakota Smith, Kate Petersen, CNN

(CNN) — Erin Cotton didn’t notice the smoke until her eyes started to water and her two children complained they felt itchy.

“That’s when I remembered what I felt like during the Palisades Fire,” said Cotton, a Washington, DC, mother of a 5- and 1-year-old who lived in California as one of the most destructive wildfires in state history raged last year.

Cotton is one of more than 100 million people across the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic breathing in dangerous air brought by thick, choking plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada.

Smoke put a damper on outdoor summer events across over a dozen states under air quality alerts. Events ranging from a baby parade in Flint, Michigan, to a rock concert in Herndon, Virginia, and the America’s Mile marathon in Pittsburgh were canceled Friday as smoke lingered. Businesses have also suffered during a busy season: Amusement parks like Kennywood and Sandcastle Water Park in Pennsylvania were shuttered due to the poor air quality.

Highly anticipated sporting events like the Cleveland Guardians game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the RowFest National Championships in Michigan were called off or postponed.

But one question looms as thick as the smoke itself: Will the air pollution be a problem for the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon in New York City?

The good news: The heaviest smoke could clear out of the region ahead of the final. The bad news: Some less dense, thinner smoke plumes could move into the area.

DC resident Abigail Nguyen planned to watch the World Cup on the National Mall with thousands of other soccer fans. Now she says she’ll just watch it with her roommates at home.

“I can’t really get the full effect and energy of the crowd, which is so sad, because we should be celebrating this summer event instead of being holed up inside,” she said.

Residents from Minnesota to Washington, DC, told CNN the noxious air has disrupted their lives, seeping into everything from their health and leisure to their businesses and family life.

Officials in a handful of states most impacted advised residents to stay indoors and to wear masks if they need to leave their homes.

For some, the shutdowns and masking guidance brought flashbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic about six years ago. Others like Cotton were reminded of past natural disasters, leaving them wary of stepping outside.

Communities across parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast will face poor air quality until Saturday afternoon, when a storm system arrives to help clear the air.

Officials warn about dangerous air

Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit had some of the worst air quality in the country Friday morning, but dangerous levels of pollution stretched into southern Ohio and West Virginia.

“Chicago is currently experiencing its worst air quality in recorded history,” the mayor’s office said in a social media post Thursday evening. “Please stay indoors, and if you must go outdoors, use a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask for your safety.”

The Detroit Health Department is offering free masks to residents and encouraging everyone to stay inside. In Philadelphia, “everyone is likely to experience health effects from being exposed” to smoke in the air, officials warned in a news release Fr