Good morning. We’re covering NATO’s debate over Ukraine and Japan’s fatal floods. |
 | | President Volodymyr Zelensky with his wife, center, and other leaders at the NATO summit yesterday.Pool photo by Ludovic Marin |
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Ukraine will be invited to join NATO when ‘conditions are met’ |
Yesterday, at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO leaders agreed to invite Ukraine to join — but remained vague on how and when. The leaders said that Ukraine would be invited to join “when allies agree and conditions are met,” and they pledged regular reviews of its progress toward standards on democracy and military integration. |
The response meant that President Biden, who said before the summit that Ukraine was not ready for membership, and like-minded allies had prevailed over Poland and Baltic nations, who wanted a formal invitation for Ukraine as soon as the war ends. |
To better understand the debate, I spoke with Steven Erlanger, our chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe. |
Why won’t Ukraine get into NATO right now? |
Steven: Ukraine is at war with a nuclear-armed Russia, which is right next door. NATO’s collective defense promise, the famous Article V, would mean that every NATO member is obligated to fight for Ukraine. |
That’s not just “give them weapons” but actually “fight for Ukraine.” And nobody wants to do that. |
What is the argument in favor of offering NATO membership? |
Some are saying: “We owe them a European future. If our promise that Russia will not win the war means something, then NATO should take this huge political step and give Ukraine a firm commitment to membership.” |
 | | The Chikugo River in Tachiarai, Japan, on Monday.Harumi Ozawa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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Japan’s south hit by ‘heaviest rain ever’ |
The top forecaster at the Japan Meteorological Agency said that part of Kyushu, the country’s southernmost main island, had endured its “heaviest rain ever experienced” on Monday. At least six people died. Three more are missing. |
The rains had stopped by yesterday, but officials warned residents to remain alert for floods and landslides, which the island is prone to because of its mountainous terrain. In recent years, rains have killed hundreds of people there. Here’s a video of the recent destruction. |
Across southwestern Japan, the rains have washed away homes, flooded hospitals and disrupted mobile phone services, officials said. Officials warned of strong winds and lightning today and tomorrow. |
In India: The death toll from landslides and floods in the north rose to at least 49. Bridges and buildings were washed away, officials said. |
In the U.S.: At least 117 people in the state of Vermont were rescued from flooded cars and homes yesterday, and authorities were trying to use helicopters to get to those who could not be reached by boat. My colleague David Gelles, whose home was affected by the rain, wrote that these once-shocking climate are now commonplace. |
 | | Protesters at Ben Gurion Airport yesterday.Tsafrir Abayov/Associated Press |
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Protests erupt again in Israel |
Tens of thousands of demonstrators blocked the road outside Israel’s main airport and caused widespread disruptions after the right-wing governing coalition pushed forward with plans to limit the power of the Supreme Court. The rallies stretched out to at least 20 towns and cities. Police arrested at least 71 people. |
The intensity of the protests did not rise to the levels of unrest seen in March, when top trade unions shut down large parts of the economy to protest the government’s efforts to curb judicial power. But after a three-month hiatus, during which the government and opposition failed to reach a compromise, this fresh wave of outrage showed that the debate is far from over. |
Details: By a majority of 64 to 56, lawmakers gave provisional support to a bill that would reduce the ways that the court can overrule elected officials. If it passes two further votes in the coming weeks, it could prevent the court from using the legal standard of “reasonableness” to counter the government. |
- A volcano in Iceland began erupting. There were no immediate risks, officials said, and air travel is uninterrupted.
- Humanitarian aid to Syria is in peril after two U.N. Security Council vetoes effectively cut off a vital lifeline to about 4.1 million people in opposition-held territories.
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 | | A rally in March during the International Transgender Day of Visibility in Tokyo.Yuichi Yamazaki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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 | | “We do what we need to do to keep the lights on,” the Duchess of Rutland said.Alice Zoo for The New York Times |
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It costs a lot to keep Belvoir Castle running — and on the right side of British tax agents. So Emma Watkins, the Duchess of Rutland, brokered film deals, started selling branded clothing and alcohol, wrote a tell-all autobiography and renovated her home in the English countryside. |
She also started a podcast, “Duchess,” where she interviews other duchesses about what sometimes looks more like a job than a fairy tale. |
 | | Eric Helgas for The New York Times |
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Everybody loses some strands of hair: Healthy people typically shed about 50 to 100 a day. |
But if you notice yourself losing more than that, you might have telogen effluvium, or excessive hair shedding. It’s hard to know the exact cause, but stress is often a contributing factor. |
Luckily, though, normal growth usually returns a few months after a stressful event like Covid-19, a pregnancy or the death of a loved one. One doctor recommended taking a daily multivitamin with vitamin D and vitamin B12, but avoiding over-the-counter hair loss supplements. |
 | | Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson. |
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For a quick mango kulfi, use canned mangos and sweetened condensed milk. |
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Amelia |
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