Ukraine’s ‘very difficult fight’
For a third straight day, Ukraine did not claim to have retaken any settlements in its counteroffensive, but said its forces were attacking Russian defenses in many areas along the front line.
Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels that Ukraine was making steady progress, even if there were no rapid gains.
“This is a very difficult fight,” he said. “It’s a very violent fight, and it will likely take a considerable amount of time at a high cost.”
Ukraine has notched successes in the first week and a half of its counteroffensive to drive Russian forces from southern Ukraine. It has yet to commit the bulk of its reserves, including troops trained in Europe and equipped with weaponry from NATO countries, meaning it can bring still more force to bear.
Accused Chinese agents on trial in the U.S.
An American private detective and two Chinese citizens are accused of playing crucial roles in Operation Fox Hunt, a global effort by China to control its diaspora, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
The case in New York City is the first federal trial in the U.S. related to Operation Fox Hunt. Beijing has set up dozens of police outposts around the world as part of this operation, including in Japan, Britain, the Netherlands and France, according to state media accounts and public statements published in China.
The three men are accused of stalking and harassing Xu Jin, who was once a Chinese official, and his family in suburban New Jersey starting in late 2016. Lawyers for the three men contend that their clients were unaware that the effort to find Xu was being directed by Beijing.
China has played down the role of the police outposts, but our colleague Karen Zraick, who covered the trial, told us that the prosecution painted a very different picture: “Beijing went to very elaborate lengths to surveil people that it considered fugitives, the prosecutors said, even flying in government officials to direct day-to-day activities,” she said.
What’s next: The jury is considering the case after a two-week trial. The three men face counts including acting as a foreign agent without notifying the attorney general and conspiring to do so, as well as interstate stalking.
Inquiry in Thailand targets leading political candidate
Thailand’s Election Commission is investigating Pita Limjaroenrat, whose party won the most seats last month, to determine if he violated election rules, which means he could be disqualified from becoming prime minister. Activists say the case is part of a broader effort to roll back the results of the vote and further erode democracy in Thailand.
The elections in May delivered a stinging rebuke to the military junta that has ruled Thailand for nearly a decade and handed Pita’s Move Forward Party a decisive victory, but his fate as an elected leader remains unclear.
The investigation, announced last week, centers on Pita’s shares of iTV, which was once a media company and is now focused on advertising. Thai law prohibits parliamentary candidates from owning media shares; Pita said he inherited them from his father. If he is found guilty, Pita could face up to 10 years in prison and a 20-year ban on voting.
What’s next: A Senate committee on Tuesday will review the order to investigate him and the case could go to the Constitutional Court if lawmakers refuse to back Pita’s bid for prime minister.
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Around the World
The number of Bangladeshis in New York City has nearly tripled over the last decade to more than 100,000. A photographer spent more than two years in “Little Bangladesh” in Brooklyn, which has become a beacon for newcomers to find apartments, jobs and friends.
See his photos, and learn about how people there embrace tradition while adapting to new trends.
Lives lived: Glenda Jackson won two Oscars and then became a member of the British Parliament. She died at 87.
Test cricket’s last stand
The Ashes series, a century-old rivalry between England and Australia, is the most venerable showcase for a version of cricket that is losing ground to faster, richer rivals.
The series, which begins today in England, consists of five so-called Test matches, each of which lasts for up to five days, a contest of skill and endurance that is considered to be cricket at its purest and highest level.
The problem is: Most of the world doesn’t seem to have time for it anymore. The lucrative Indian Premier League, for instance, plays Twenty20 cricket — a much faster and increasingly more popular three-hour version of the game. And the league isn’t alone among major organizations in the sport that have shifted focus. That’s causing consternation among the establishment, who fear it could change the game for good.
