Category: NYTimes

Ukraine’s forces have made significant gains around the city of Bakhmut, reclaiming ground that it took Russian forces months to seize. Kyiv’s forces have advanced two kilometers in some directions, and have recaptured 20 square kilometers to the north and south of Bakhmut. Russian forces are counterattacking in some areas, and are regrouping around the Berkhovskoye reservoir to increase their line of defense. Ukrainian commanders are preparing for a wider counteroffensive, and are expecting a difficult fight ahead. The battle for Bakhmut is fluid, and the outcome of the conflict remains uncertain.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has issued a warning against the long-term use of artificial sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. According to the W.H.O., these alternatives to sugar do not reduce body fat in either adults or children, and could even increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality in adults. Examples of artificial sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia. Nutrition research is constantly evolving and the W.H.O. recommendation is based on a review of available evidence. The International Sweeteners Association has called the W.H.O.’s recommendation a disservice to consumers, but the W.H.O. has urged people to reduce the sweetness of their diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.

Oxford University has become the latest institution to distance itself from the Sackler family, removing their name from several of its buildings and staff positions. The family has been linked to the opioid crisis in the United States, and other institutions such as the Louvre in Paris, Tate museums in London, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art have also distanced themselves from the family. Oxford said it had received donations from the Sacklers and related trusts that ranged from 10 to 15 million pounds since 1993. The university will keep donations it received from the Sackler family and their trusts “for their intended educational purposes”, and the Sackler name will remain on the Clarendon Arch and the Ashmolean Museum’s donor board.

Ukraine has received a new tranche of weapons from Germany, France, Italy, and Britain, signaling that Western officials believe Kyiv’s forces could reclaim significant swaths of territory. The package includes tanks, drones, air defense systems, and other arms and ammunition. The most significant commitment came from Germany, which announced it would send Ukraine 30 additional Leopard tanks and 20 armored fighting vehicles, 16 air defense systems, more than 200 drones and a slew of other arms and ammunition. The long-range Storm Shadow missiles and drones that Britain pledged are of particular threat to the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol and other sites in and near Crimea. The new weapons may help Ukraine in its counteroffensive against Russia and give them more leverage in any peace negotiations.

Amid swirling rumors about the health of Belarusian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, state news media released photos of him on Monday. The Kremlin ally had not been seen since last week when he attended events celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Ukrainian officials and media had been feeding speculation that he was seriously ill. Russia’s tightly controlled news media reported that Mr. Lukashenko was unwell, citing Konstantin Zatulin, a senior Russian legislator who works closely with Belarus. Belta, the official Belarusian news agency, said that Mr. Lukashenko visited an air force command post and published what it said were photos of the leader that day. The intense secrecy of closed countries like Belarus and Russia allows wild rumors about their leaders to take flight, making it difficult to explain the deaths of apparently healthy officials.

In South Korea, the birth rate is the lowest in the world, and many young couples are choosing not to have children due to the rising costs of child care and housing, job scarcity, and growing anxiety about the future. To make matters worse, hundreds of public establishments across the country have designated themselves as “no-kids zones”, banning children from entering.

Recently, a lawmaker took her toddler to the National Assembly and called on the government to outlaw the policy. She argued that getting rid of no-kids zones and creating a society more accepting of children would help the country overcome its low birthrate.

Public opinion on child-free zones suggests that most South Koreans support them. Supporters of the policy say that children can be a disturbance to customers, and that the zones help prevent accidents and property damage as well as injuries to young children.

However, the push to get rid of no-kids zones is gaining momentum. Last week, the health and welfare safety committee on Jeju Island deliberated an ordinance that would abolish no-kids zones island wide. If it passes, it will be the first law of its kind in South Korea.

It remains to be seen whether the government will take action to make it easier for families to have children. But for now, it is clear that South Korea needs to create a more family-friendly environment if it wants to increase its birthrate.

At least six people have been killed in a devastating fire that broke out overnight Tuesday in a hostel in Wellington, New Zealand. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and 11 people remain unaccounted for. The hostel had no sprinklers and the fire alarm did not go off automatically. More than 50 residents were accounted for, and five more were rescued from the roof of the four-story building. Four people were hospitalized, one of whom was in serious condition. The hostel’s residents included workers at a nearby hospital, people who had recently been homeless, and New Zealanders who had been deported from Australia. The blaze was a “once in a decade” event for the city, said Nick Pyatt, the fire and emergency district manager for Wellington. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.

After a decade of being shunned by many Arab nations, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is set to attend the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday. The move marks a major turnaround for many Arab states, who cut ties with al-Assad as he brutally suppressed an anti-government uprising that morphed into a civil war. Saudi Arabia, the regional political heavyweight, has recently gotten on board with the effort to restore Syria’s membership in the Arab League. The goals vary from country to country, but for Saudi officials they include countering the influence of Iran and blocking the trade of captagon, an illicit amphetamine, across Syria’s borders and into the kingdom. The summit is expected to offer Arab solutions to Arab problems and provide a platform for Syria to work together with its Arab brothers.

This Monday, elPeriodico, an investigative daily in Guatemala, published its final edition after more than 26 years. Its executive editor is in jail and some of its reporters are in exile. The newspaper’s demise follows the jailing of its publisher after he was accused by the government of financial crimes and the freezing of its assets as part of the case. This is the latest setback for Guatemala’s increasingly brittle democracy, as President Alejandro Giammattei steers the country toward greater repression, targeting critics, including the news media, opposition politicians and the judiciary.

ElPeriodico was founded during a more hopeful, if uncertain, time, not long before the signing of peace accords in December 1996. The agreement put an end to a civil war in the Central American country, which had lasted 36 years and left hundreds of thousands dead or disappeared.

Since Mr. Giammattei took office in 2020, elPeriodico had published scores of investigative articles focused on government corruption within his administration, including within the prosecutor’s office and the country’s high court.

The shuttering of elPeriodico is a horrible sign for independent journalism in Guatemala and in Central America. It is a reminder of how press freedom is eroding in the region and how strongmen learn from each other to put journalists under pressure.

The closing of elPeriodico is a blow to a nation’s democracy and a reminder of the importance of free thought and expression. We must continue to fight for freedom and democracy in Guatemala and around the world.

The war in Sudan has caused a new wave of violence in the western region of Darfur, sending tens of thousands of people fleeing to neighboring Chad. An estimated 60,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad since the beginning of the war in April, with 90 percent of them being children and women. The conflict has been fueled by the power vacuum in Darfur, with militias exploiting the situation to loot households and kill civilians. In response, some civilians have begun arming themselves and non-Arab groups have retaliated against militias.

The influx of refugees is increasing pressure on Chad, a landlocked, vast Central African country that is already home to more than 400,000 refugees from Darfur. Aid workers and Chadian officials now expect that a pause in the fighting in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, could push tens of thousands to flee to Chad.

The United Nations’ Refugee Agency is providing aid to the refugees, but the situation is dire. Most families have fled with little more than a few cooking supplies, sheets and mats, and many say they cannot return to Sudan due to the lack of security. With the rainy season looming, aid agencies are struggling to provide aid to the swelling number of refugees.