Russia increases attacks on civilian areas
Officially, the Russian military has halted the operation to occupy the territory of Ukraine. But in recent days it has intensifying chaotic attacks on civilian areas, with attacks by fighters, artillery, and rockets. The people and soldiers of Ukraine were extremely scared, panicked and died because of the attacks.
In the previous 24 hours, Russian air strikes killed at least eight civilians, Ukrainian officials said. In eastern Donetsk province, at least 10 cities and towns have been affected and two people have been killed, bringing the civilian death toll in the province to nearly 600 since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Although its forces are severely dwindling, Russia has not yet been able to finish its assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western analysts believe that soon, Russian President Vladimir Putin will order a new offensive to conquer the rest of Ukraine in Donetsk.
Can quote: Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s leader, scoffed at the idea that Russian attacks have lessened. “Many people have talked about ‘pause’ in the actions of the occupiers in Donbas and other parts of Ukraine,” he said. “Thirty-four airstrikes by Russian planes over the past day are the answer to everyone who came up with this ‘pause’.”
Going deeper: After each attack on a civilian target, Russia denies or abdicates responsibility. The Times reviewed some of the deadliest strikes and Russia explained to them.
Competitors for Success Boris Johnson
The candidates fighting to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and British prime minister reflect the country’s rich diversity, with six of whom have recent ancestry from outside Europe. Four out of 11 are women.
In terms of policy proposals, however, they are more homogenous: Nearly all have promised tax cuts, most support legislation to renew an agreement with the EU on trade in Northern Ireland, and many will continue to deport some migrants to Rwanda.
Under the new rules passed yesterday, lawmakers will sift through the list of candidates in successive rounds of voting, starting tomorrow, with the support of the necessary 20 lawmakers. to run in that first contest and close next week with a two-man shortlist. One candidate will win from a vote by Tory members in early September.
The unified, right-wing nature of the candidates’ proposals reflects the Conservative Party constituency. The party’s focus has tilted to the right in the fierce battles over Brexit. Johnson has purged many more centrist lawmakers, such as former Cabinet Secretary Rory Stewart.
Can quote: Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics and public policy at Kings College London, said: “There is a strange disparity with reality on the part of all of them. “They’ve just come out of this fantasy land, talking about tax cuts.”
How Elon Musk Ruined Twitter
When Elon Musk tried to back out of a $44 billion deal to buy back Twitter, he inevitably make the social media company worse than when he said he would buy it. He has eroded trust in Twitter, dropped employee morale, spooked potential advertisers, highlighted the company’s financial difficulties and spread misinformation about how it works. motion.
The precarious situation shows why Twitter will sue Musk as soon as this week to force close the deal. The court battle is likely to be lengthy and enormous, involving months of costly litigation and high-stakes negotiations by elite lawyers. Twitter may win, but if it loses, Musk can walk away by paying a breakup fee.
In a letter to Musk’s attorneys on Sunday, Twitter’s lawyers said the move to terminate his contract was “invalid and wrong” and that Musk “willfully, knowingly, knowingly and serious breach” of the company’s acquisition agreement. Twitter will continue to provide information to Mr. Musk and work to close the transaction, the letter added.
Increase and decrease: Shares of Twitter yesterday fell more than 11% to one of their lowest points since 2020 as investors predicted the upcoming regulatory battle. Since Twitter accepted Musk’s buyback offer, on April 25, its shares have lost more than a third of their value. as investors increasingly doubt that the deal will be carried out on agreed terms.
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Antico Setificio Fiorentino, or Antique Florentine Silk Factory, uses looms from the 18th and 19th centuries, and has been producing precious textiles since 1786. Step inside the large, dilapidated wooden doors of the garment factory and Go back in time to a more lavish era.
ARTS AND IDEAS
The bookstore is thriving
Call it a plot twist: More than 300 independent bookstores have opened in the United States over the past few years, a “welcome resurgence after an initial pandemic slump.” Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth Harris write in The Times. Many store owners are people of color, making the book business – which is predominantly white – more diverse.
The rapid growth of physical bookstores is especially surprising at a time when brick-and-mortar stores face stiff competition from Amazon and other online retailers. Many bookstore owners are also facing new uncertainties from a dire outlook for the overall economy.
“People are really looking for a community where they get real recommendations from real people,” says Nyshell Lawrence, a bookseller in Lansing, Mich.. “We don’t just rely on algorithms.”
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That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for joining me. – Natasha
PS Francis X. Clines, a journalist for The Times who has covered New York City politics, the fall of the Soviet Union and troubles in Northern Ireland, among many other topics, died on Sunday at age 84.
The latest episode of “The Daily“It’s about abortion law.
You can contact Natasha and the team at riefing@nytimes.com.
