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The largest wildfire in the US torched more dry forest landscape in Oregon on Sunday, one of dozens of major blazes burning across the west as critically dangerous fire weather loomed in the coming days. The destructive Bootleg Fire just north of the California border grew to more than 476 sq miles (1,210 sq km). It is one of at least 70 large wildfires are burning across the US west and nearby states.
Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say. They are on a list of some 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO Group, leaked to major news outlets. NSO denies any wrongdoing.
New coronavirus cases rose in all 50 states on Sunday for the fourth day in a row on a rolling seven-day average, an ominous run not seen since the spring 2020 surge. The weekly rolling average for cases in the United States has nearly tripled in the last month. The pace of deaths also is up sharply – 24.7% from its low point two weeks ago.
A Tokyo court on Monday doled out the first sentences in Japan related to Carlos Ghosn’s arrest and escape, imprisoning U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor for two years and his son Peter for one year and eight months for helping the former Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) chairman flee to Lebanon in 2019. Prosecutors said the Taylors received $1.3 million for expenses and as payment, with another $500,000 for legal fees.
An alternate on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team tested positive on Monday for the coronavirus just days before the Tokyo Olympics was set to begin, according to American Olympic officials. The gymnast, who authorities did not publicly identify, tested positive while training for the games in Narita, about 35 miles east of Tokyo, according to city officials. She is between the age of 10 and 19.