Good morning. We're covering a possible advance by Ukraine's army as well as the Munich auto show. |
Plus: Autumn's best new albums. |
 | | A Ukrainian tank near the village of Robotyne last month.Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters |
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Ukraine attempts to break through |
Ukrainian forces are battling to break through a Russian defense line in Ukraine's south near the village of Verbove, military analysts said. The push comes a week after Ukrainian forces said they had retaken the village of Robotyne, the first of several tiers of formidable defenses that Russia has built in the region. |
The Black Bird Group, a volunteer organization that analyzes satellite imagery and social media content from the battlefield, said that Ukrainian soldiers had cleared obstacles to reach Russian infantry fighting positions on the outskirts of Verbove. Whether they had secured territory wasn't clear, analysts said. |
Ukrainian military officials refrained from making any sweeping claims. Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Army in the south, told national television that the Russian trenches and dugouts near Verbove were "not as strong" as at the first line of defense, but he said Russian minefields would complicate Ukraine's push forward. |
Takeaway: The retaking of Robotyne is a significant moment in Ukraine's counteroffensive and its efforts to sever Moscow's supply lines to occupied Crimea. Ukraine's push from Robotyne east to Verbove is aimed at widening the breach, which would allow Ukrainian forces to bring in more equipment and personnel to support their advance south. |
 | | I.A.A. Mobility, an auto show in Munich.Angelika Warmuth/Reuters |
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China dominates at Munich car show |
German automakers are falling behind in the global race to produce more electric vehicles, as the Chinese car industry has rapidly transformed into a battery-powered juggernaut. |
At I.A.A. Mobility, a massive auto show in Munich, newcomers from China stole the show this week, at a precarious time for the German auto industry. In June, production shrank by 3.5 percent compared with the previous month, weighing on the country's overall industrial production. Overall growth was flat from April to June. |
The doldrums extend beyond automakers. Economic output in Germany is stagnating, weighed down by the high cost of energy and raw materials, a lingering effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. |
Analysis: "I think the Europeans are just pretty much petrified of how the Chinese will perform in Europe," said Matthias Schmidt, an independent analyst of the electric-car market based in Berlin. |
 | | Rising water in Volos, Greece, on Tuesday. Anastasia Kareka/Eurokinissi, via Reuters |
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Flooding in Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey |
Torrential rain unleashed major floods in central Greece, submerging streets and wreaking widespread damage, just as firefighters were containing enormous wildfires in the country. One man died, and at least one person was missing. |
In neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey, at least six more died in flooding, and four people remained missing as of last night. |
 | | Bandar Al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Palace, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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 | | Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters |
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- A plan by Kenya to send forces to Haiti, as a security crisis there spirals out of control, is facing pushback. Above, people sheltered from gang violence at an outdoor arena in Port-au-Prince, the capital.
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- Hong Kong's top court ruled that the city's government must have a framework to legally recognize same-sex partnerships, delivering a partial victory to L.G.B.T.Q. activists.
- President Biden will nominate Jacob Lew, a former Treasury Secretary, as his next ambassador to Israel.
- Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, received 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
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 | | Illustration by Sean Dong |
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For most Americans, the new economics of higher education make going to college a risky bet: Millennials with college degrees are earning a good bit more than those without, but they aren't accumulating any more wealth. |
 | | Don Arnold/Getty Images |
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After a summer dominated by blockbuster tours by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, the music business gets back to the business of releasing albums this fall. Here are three to look out for. (Read our full list.) |
"Tension," by Kylie Minogue. For decades, the Australian pop star, above, has been making dance floor manna. "Padam Padam," a gay nightclub anthem released this year ahead of her new album, is one of her best. (Sept. 22.) |
"Javelin," by Sufjan Stevens. Love — physical, divine, longed-for, embattled, cherished — is the subject of this album, whose songs start out folky but rarely stay that way. Working alone at his home studio, Stevens orchestrated them all by himself, playing nearly every instrument. (Oct. 6.) |
"The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light," by The Streets. Mike Skinner, British rap's great literalist, returns with a new album that adheres to keen-eyed storytelling while nodding to various stripes of U.K. club culture. Look out for a clubland-themed murder mystery film of the same name. (Oct. 20.) |
 | | Julia Gartland for The New York Times |
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That's it for today's briefing. Thanks for joining me. — Natasha |
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