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With the ruins of Bakhmut, Ukraine shifted its focus
Ukraine has tacitly admitted that Russia has captured Bakhmut: A Ukrainian official said today that Russian forces are involved in the “mopping up” operation to remove the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in the city – even as Kyiv seeks to shift the focus from apparent losses to the battle for the outskirts of the city.
The new comments signal a change in how Ukraine describes the war’s deadliest campaign. For months, even as their hold on Bakhmut has shrunk to a few blocks, Ukraine will insist on a fierce battle to keep Russia from taking the city. Officials now appear to admit that the focus is shifting from defending Bakhmut to making it harder for Russia to hold on.
But Bakhmut himself was destroyed. Drone footage obtained by The Times shows the once peaceful city, known for its sparkling salt mines and wine, reduced to ashes.
“When the Russians declared victory in the ruins, it was clear that the city was gone,” said our colleague Marc Santora, who reported from the Bakhmut region last week. “At the same time, a different kind of battle is going on all over the city – this is for the high ground that the Russian troops took during the winter.”
In a statement, China’s Cyberspace Administration said Micron’s products posed “relatively serious cyber security issues” that could threaten national security.
Background: The move, which took place on Sunday, is the latest step in the ongoing technology war between the US and China. Many analysts viewed it as retaliation for Washington’s efforts to cut off China’s access to high-end chips.
Analysis: The ban created a space in the market that Chinese chipmakers could fill. It can also be a wedge between the US and its allies, which companies can make billions of dollars if they step up and take the business that Micron can lose.
Top Mexican officials targeted by spyware
While investigating abuses by the armed forces, Alejandro Encinas, the government’s secretary for human rights, was targeted by Pegasus, the world’s most notorious spyware, report colleagues Natalie Kitroeff and Ronen Bergman.
While there is no evidence of who hacked Encinas’ phone, the military is the only entity in Mexico with access to the spyware, according to five people familiar with the contract.
The spyware attack in Encinas, which had not been reported before, seriously undermined President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s promise to stop what he called “illegal” spies in the past.
Context: Mexico has long been rocked by spying scandals. But this is the first confirmed case of a senior member of the administration being monitored by Pegasus in more than a decade using the country’s spy tools.
LATEST NEWS
Asia Pacific
For the past 16 years, South Korean poet Hwang In-suk has been feeding cats on his nightly walks through Seoul, coaxing the animals — his favorite muses — from their gentle hiding places. psst.
Hwang says her nightly cat-feeding routine has allowed her to discover “a world I would never have met,” and tells of her work, which explores the loneliness and impermanence of the South Korean capital.
ART and IDEAS
Rice in danger
Half a human being eats. And climate change is devastating.
In China, extreme rains have reduced rice yields over the past 20 years. In Pakistan, heat and floods have damaged crops. And in California, drought has led to many farmers destroying their fields.
Farmers have to be creative, moving the planting calendar or releasing their fields deliberately in areas with less water. Plant breeders are also using ancient wheat varieties to create new seeds that can withstand high temperatures, salty soils and other climate hazards.
“We are in a different time,” said the climate expert. “It’s a question of producing more with less.”
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
What to cook
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