Good morning. We talk about Ukraine’s strategic dilemma in the east, the harrowing political crisis in Israel and new details about a deadly fire in Bangladesh.
A difficult choice in eastern Ukraine
As the Ukrainian military fights to maintain defensive positions in the Donbas region in the face of relentless Russian bombardment, its military leaders face an impossible choice.
On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky called Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk “dead cities,” almost without civilians. Withdrawing troops from frontline cities would save lives: Moscow has surrounded Sievierodonetsk from three sides.
But Sievierodonetsk is Ukraine’s last stand in the entire Luhansk region, which is part of the Donbas. And Zelensky said Russia could launch “constant missile strikes on the center of Ukraine” if it took control of the Donbas. That could make future attempts to retake territory even more expensive. Here are live updates.
Toll: Ukraine said more than 40,000 of its civilians have been killed or injured since the start of the war and about three million are living under Russian occupation.
Mariupol: The fate of the Russian-occupied city is close to the Ukrainian leaders. After vowing to fight, about 2,500 fighters were eventually forced to surrender to Russian custody. Dozens died. Now the sewers are not working, corpses are rotting in the street and tens of thousands have no access to clean water.
Artillery: Powerful Western weapon systems may already be taking effect in the Black Sea: The Ukrainian navy said Russian warships withdrew more than 70 miles from shore after Harpoon anti-ship missile systems arrived from Denmark.
Israeli government in crisis again
The Israeli parliament voted against the application of Israeli civil rights to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, a move that could overthrow the fragile coalition government.
Monday’s decision undermined the bipartisan justice system that controls the 61 percent of the West Bank under direct Israeli control. There, Israelis live under civil law, while Palestinians generally live under military law.
Israel first maintained the bipartisan system after its occupation of the West Bank in 1967, and lawmakers have easily extended it every half-decade since then. The system is at the heart of allegations that Israel maintains an apartheid system in the West Bank.
Details: The vote failed due to dissent from left-wing and Arab lawmakers in the coalition — as well as right-wing opposition lawmakers who support Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister on trial for corruption, who see an opportunity to tear apart the current government.
Analysis: If some lawmakers don’t change course by the end of June, the move could topple Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government. Analysts say a Netanyahu government would be one of the most right-wing in Israeli history.
What’s next: Officials and legal experts said failing to extend the legislation would cause “chaos” and disrupt daily life in the West Bank.
Details emerge from Bangladesh explosion
Firefighters were unaware there were chemical barrels in a container depot in Bangladesh when they responded to a fire this weekend, an official said.
The chemicals set off a series of powerful explosions. Nine firefighters were among the at least 41 dead. Hundreds of other people suffered burns. In the depot were clothes ready for export and barrels filled with hydrogen peroxide, which is often used to bleach and dye textiles.
“When our first team arrived here to put out the fire, the authority did not tell them about the chemical it contained,” said a national fire service official. “If they had said that sooner, there wouldn’t have been so many deaths.”
Background: Bangladesh has suffered several mass fires and industrial disasters in recent years, many of which are related to its garment factories, which account for 80 percent of the country’s exports.
Industry: Human rights and labor organizations have long been concerned about working conditions and safety measures in garment factories.
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War between Russia and Ukraine: important developments
ART AND IDEAS
How To Browse, Online
Due to some measures, the book business is doing better than ever. Last year, readers bought nearly 827 million printed books, an increase of about 10 percent from 2020, and a record since NPD BookScan began tracking 20 years ago.
But publishing has a persistent problem: As book buyers have migrated online, it has become more difficult to sell books by new or lesser-known authors.
Several apps have tried to mimic the serendipity of walking into a bookstore and browsing the shelves. A new app, Tertulia, which debuted this week, takes a different approach.
Rather than relying on surveys or trying to hype older titles, Tertulia uses a mix of artificial intelligence and human curation to distil online chatter about books and point readers to those that fuel discussion. It’s an attempt to emulate the word-of-mouth recommendations that once drove sales in brick-and-mortar stores.
“If Tertulia can bring forth the average discourse on books,” said essayist and novelist Sloane Crosley, who tested the app, “long may they reign.”