Ukraine says it has seized 1,000 sq km of Russia as Putin vows ‘worthy response’ | First Thing

Good morning.

Ukraine’s top commander says the army has seized 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russia’s bordering Kursk region a week into its surprise incursion, while the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has promised a “worthy response” to the attack.

“We continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Kursk region. Currently, we control about 1,000 sq km of the territory of the Russian Federation,” Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a video published on Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Telegram account, but provided little other detail.

Russia’s acting regional governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, said 121,000 people had fled the region since the start of the fighting and estimated that Kyiv’s forces had advanced through an area 12km deep and 40km wide – about half of the size that Syrskyi claimed. Neither sides’ claims have been independently verified.

• How did Ukraine explain the incursion? As defensive. Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russia had used the Kursk region to launch many strikes.

• What weapons is it using in Kursk – and why does this matter? It’s unclear what weapons Ukraine is using, but some western countries are concerned that using their arms within Russia could drag Nato into war with Moscow.

Trump revisits divisive talking points in rambling interview with Musk

Donald Trump met billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for an unfocused and divisive interview that was beset with technical difficulties and weird comments.

The interview on X, which is owned by Musk, began more than 40 minutes late and included Trump telling the story of the failed assassination attempt against him, despite having previously said he would only share the tale once, at the Republican convention last month. He at times appeared to speak with a lisp .

Trump moved on to discuss his anti-immigration views, speaking about the “rough people” attempting to enter the US through its border with Mexico. Research has found no connection between immigration and raised levels of crime. The former president then attacked Kamala Harris, before bizarrely complimenting the vice-president as looking “beautiful” in a sketch on the cover of Time magazine, and comparing her to his wife, Melania.

• What do the polls say now? It looks like Harris is starting to edge ahead. The Decision Desk HQ and the Hill’s national polling average gives Harris a 0.3% lead over Trump, who had a 3.3% advantage over Joe Biden before Biden dropped out.

Nancy Pelosi rebukes former Australian PM Paul Keating over ‘stupid statement’ on Taiwan

The former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the former Australian prime minister Paul Keating have sparred over Taiwan , after the Democrat accused Keating of making a “stupid statement” about the territory.

Keating struck back on Tuesday, accusing Pelosi of “very nearly” triggering a military confrontation between the US and China over her “recklessly indulgent” visit to Taiwan in 2022.

The spat began after ABC published an excerpt of an upcoming interview with Pelosi in which she admonished Keating for describing Taiwan as “Chinese real estate”. He responded by attacking Pelosi for visiting Taiwan in 2022 – the first visit to the territory by a speaker of the US House of Representatives in a quarter of a century.

• What is Australia’s stance on Taiwan? Formally, it “acknowledges the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China” – but the two maintain relations on an “unofficial basis”.

In other news …

• New York City has constructed a pioneering electric-powered complex with hundreds of eco-friendly “passive” apartments, which use about half the energy of comparable homes.

• The lives of tens of thousands of displaced people could be at risk in South Sudan as record rains are expected in Bentiu, where UN troops are working to bolster flood defenses.

• A 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding southern California region on Monday afternoon, but no major damage or injuries were immediately reported.

Stat of the day: Domestic violence reports in Ukraine rose by 20% between 2022 and 2023

Police registered more than 291,000 reports of domestic violence across Ukraine in 2023 – a 20% rise on the previous year, when the Russian invasion began, according to Ukraine’s internal affairs ministry. Experts expect this to increase further this year, pointing to intensified stress factors during war, while they said many women feel less able to complain when domestic violence involves war veterans.

Don’t miss this: How comedians are telling true stories of trauma after Baby Reindeer

Exploring trauma has always been a part of many shows at the Edinburgh festival fringe. But after Baby Reindeer, performers are considering how to navigate the benefits and perils in sharing toxic personal experiences. “Once something goes public, it’s not yours any more and a portrayal of you then exists in everyone’s mind,” said the author Darren McGarvey.

Climate check: Greek firefighters continue to battle deadly wildfires near Athens

Greek firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have reached Athens’s suburbs, with one person confirmed dead and evacuation orders in place for some areas. Meteorologists believe 2024 will be the hottest Greek summer on record and conditions have been exacerbated by a prolonged drought.

Last Thing: Why you, too, should avoid airplane fights

Jet lag and confined space mean tensions can rise quickly where elevated altitudes are involved. Or so learned the Guardian’s Zoe Williams , who found herself in the midst of an airplane altercation that began while she was telling the story of another in-flight argument: “They talk about the fight-or-flight cortisol response; fight- on -flight is a whole new level.”

Sign up

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now .

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com