Good morning. We’re covering Ukraine’s intensified attacks and possible poisonings in Afghanistan. |
 | | Initial reports showed movements of larger units, which could show that Kyiv had deployed its NATO-trained forces. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times |
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Has the counteroffensive begun? |
Ukraine intensified attacks on Russian positions along many sections of the front line yesterday. U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the surge in attacks could indicate that Ukraine had begun an expected counteroffensive, which could be its best shot at regaining territory and coming to any peace negotiations with a strong hand. |
The officials based their assessment in part on information from military satellites, which detected an uptick in action from Ukrainian positions. Ukraine has long said it would make no formal announcement about the start of its counteroffensive. |
Russia also said that a major operation had begun at five locations along the front in one eastern region, Donetsk, but that it had repelled them. Bloggers affiliated with the Russian military reported that Ukraine’s forces had advanced in some areas and had taken a village in Donetsk, but the claims could not be corroborated. |
U.S. military analysts said they believed that Ukrainian units were making an initial push to determine the positions and strength of Russia’s forces, a traditional tactic that Americans had been training Ukrainian forces to use. |
Strategy: Attacks were reported to take place to the east of where analysts had expected the counteroffensive to begin. But even starting in that area would allow Ukraine to keep the same goal: to head south toward the Sea of Azov and cut off the “land bridge” connecting Crimea to Russia. |
The stakes: If the counteroffensive is successful, Kyiv could secure longer-term commitments of military aid from the West. Victories also could strengthen President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hand in any peace talks with Russia. Failure or a lack of major progress could complicate Ukraine’s path forward and lead some Western officials to question the war strategy. |
 | | People looked at damaged coaches from a train at the site of the train collision.Adnan Abidi/Reuters |
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Trains restart near crash site in India |
Rail lines reopened at the Bahanaga Bazar rail station, where at least 275 people were killed in a catastrophic crash on Friday. The resumption of service could ease disruptions and help more families reach the area and identify their loved ones. There are still more than 100 unclaimed bodies. |
Questions continue to swirl about who was responsible for the three-way accident. (These graphics show how the disaster unfolded.) Officials are focused on an electronic signal’s malfunctioning, but they have not ruled out sabotage. They are also looking into whether negligence played a role, but they have not identified any suspects. |
Reaction: Opposition politicians called for the resignation of the railway minister and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of not doing enough to ensure rail safety. |
Modi’s focus: India spent almost $30 billion on the rail system during the past fiscal year, more than 15 percent than it did the year before. But most of Modi’s initiatives have been aimed at improving speed and comfort — not basic safety. The amount spent on track maintenance and other safety measures has been falling. |
 | | The suggestion that someone had tried to poison schoolgirls rattled young girls and their parents.Samiullah Popal/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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Possible poisonings in Afghanistan |
On Saturday, 63 students and staff members in the northern Sar-i-Pul Province became sick shortly after arriving at school, officials and parents said. The next day, 26 more students and staff members at a nearby school reported similar symptoms. |
The cases come at a precarious time for Afghan women and girls. Restrictions on education have become a flashpoint since the Taliban seized power in 2021. They are emblematic of the government’s policies toward women, which have effectively erased them from public life. The Taliban has barred girls from attending school above sixth grade; most of these students were 6 to 12 years old. |
History: The U.N. investigated similar cases between 2012 and 2016 and found no trace of chemical gas or poison, The Wall Street Journal reported. The U.N. concluded that the symptoms were the result of mass psychogenic illness, a form of social panic. |
In Iran: Earlier this year, hundreds of schoolgirls were hospitalized after what officials said could have been deliberate attempts to stop them from attending school. The Interior Minister blamed stress and anxiety for some of their symptoms. |
For more: On “The Daily,” three Afghan women talk about how life changed under the Taliban. |
 | | Jacinda Ardern considered declining the title, but said she accepted it as a way to show gratitude.Gabriel Monnet/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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- Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, was awarded the title of dame for her service to the country.
- A Hong Kong Court overturned a ruling against an investigative journalist, a rare victory for the news media there.
- Australian officials freed Kathleen Folbigg, who was convicted of killing her children in 2003. Scientists now say that they probably died from natural causes.
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 | | “Even if they shoot me, I won’t go back,” said Rasha, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon.Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times |
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- U.S. authorities accused Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, of lying to regulators and mishandling customer funds.
- Twitter’s U.S. ad sales dropped by 59 percent, possibly because advertisers are worried about a rise in hate speech and pornography on the site.
- Apple introduced a $3,500 virtual reality headset.
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 | | One vendor said wants his food to reach Filipino Americans “from Millennials to Gen Z, as well as their parents — the titos and the titas, the real cooks in our families.”Adam Amengual for The New York Times |
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A tiny pop-up market in Los Angeles is trying to become a hub for the city’s Filipino community. Its creators imagine it as an intergenerational space where new Filipino businesses can experiment, connect with their audience and expand. |
 | | Belinda Jiao/Getty Images |
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Prince Harry vs. the tabloids |
Harry’s lawyers say that the Mirror used private investigators to illegally obtain information about him, in part by intercepting voice mail messages. The publisher apologized and admitted to unlawfully getting information on Harry in one instance, but denies the hacking charges. |
 | | David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. |
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In “Past Lives,” a wistful what-if story, two childhood friends from Seoul pass through each other’s lives across decades and continents. |
In “August Blue,” a new novel by Deborah Levy, a pianist refashions herself amid personal and global crises. |
Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Mushrooms and such (five letters). |
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Amelia |
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