The Weekend - Whats Up Photo I: Portugal - A wildfire is reflected in a stream at Penela, Coimbra, on Sunday. Photo II: France - The National Assembly in Paris Photo III: UK - Emergency services workers inside the burned-out Grenfell Tower building on Sunday Photo IV: USA - Koepka posed for a picture with his girlfriend Jena Sims while holding the trophy -------------- Portugal - Raging forest fires kill at least 62 in Portugal PEDROGAO GRANDE, PORTUGAL—A raging forest fire in central Portugal killed at least 62 people as they desperately tried to flee, charring cars and trucks as it swept over roads. The disaster — the worst tragedy Portugal has experienced in decades — shook the nation, with the president declaring that the country’s pain “knows no end.” Almost 24 hours after the deaths Saturday night, fires were still churning across the forested hillsides of central Portugal. Police and firefighters were searching charred areas of the forest and isolated homes, looking for more bodies. A huge wall of thick smoke and bright red flames towered over the tops of trees in the forested Pedrogao Grande area, 150 kilometres northeast of Lisbon where a lightning strike was believed to have sparked the blaze Saturday. Investigators found a tree that was hit during a “dry thunderstorm,” the head of the national judicial police said. Dry thunderstorms are frequent when falling water evaporates before reaching the ground because of high temperatures. Portugal is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months and temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius hit the area in recent days. ----------- France - Macron's party wins clear parliamentary majority With nearly all votes counted, his La République en Marche, alongside its MoDem allies, won more than 300 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly. The record-low turnout, about 43 percent The winning margin is lower than some expected, with turnout down from 2012. The party was formed just over a year ago, and half of its candidates have little or no political experience. The result has swept aside all of the mainstream parties and gives the 39-year-old president a strong mandate in parliament to pursue his pro-EU, business-friendly reform plans. -------------- UK - London police say that the number of dead or missing in the high-rise apartment building fire is now 79. Police Commander Stuart Cundy gave the new figure during a statement outside Scotland Yard on Monday. The previous figure given was 58. "As of this morning, I'm afraid to say there are now 79 people that we believe are either dead or missing and I sadly have to presume are dead," he said. Cundy said the new number may change as the investigation continues. He said that the search and recovery operation in the 24-story Grenfell Tower continues, and it has been incredibly distressing for families. - Two British officials said Sunday that new exterior cladding used in a renovation of Grenfell Tower may have been banned under UK building regulations. - Up to 600 people lived in the 24-storey building although officials don't know exactly how many were in it when the fire broke out early Wednesday. Officials say they may never have a precise death toll or be able to identify all of the victims. - The public housing block was home to a wide variety of nationalities, including many originally from the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. The mixture reflected London's stature as a magnet for people trying to make a fresh start. The first officially confirmed victim was a 23-year-old Syrian refugee whose grieving parents said he had come to Britain with ambitions to forge a new life. -------------- Sports USA Brooks Koepka captures 1st major title at U.S. Open American grabs control with 3 straight birdies on back 9 - With athleticism and power, and four straight putts over the back nine that allowed him to pull away, Koepka capped off his hardscrabble journey around the world and found stardom at home as the U.S. Open champion. He closed with a 5-under 67, only realizing after his par on the final hole that a birdie would have set yet another U.S. Open record in a week filled with them. Koepka finished at 16-under 272, matching the lowest score to par first set by Rory McIlroy six years ago at Congressional. Tied for the lead with six holes to play, Koepka holed an 8-foot par putt on the 13th hole that gave him confidence with his stroke and momentum to pour in birdies on the next three holes to turn the final hour into a celebration of another young star in golf. Notes - Brooks Koepka, USA, Current ranking: 5 - 1,534 points - 17 events - 1 win - USD $4,464,771. - This week alone, nine players reached at least 10 under and seven finished there. - The week ended with 31 players under par, breaking the U.S. Open record of 28 players at Medinah in 1990. There were 133 sub-par rounds, nine more than the previous record in that 1990 U.S. Open. -- Steven H MacDowall Why not take a moment and sign up to the Thursday File, my blog www.thursdayfile.com