Ukraine's president expects Russian attacks to intensify with EU summit this week

The Reuters Daily Briefing Monday, June 20, 2022 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. The far-right sends shockwaves through France, China's oil imports from Russia soar, and a blow to LGBTQ rights in Japan Today's biggest stories A woman walks past destroyed structures at a local market following recent shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, June 19, 2022 RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy predicted Russia will escalate its attacks this week as European Union leaders consider whether to back his country's bid to join the bloc and Russia presses its campaign to win control of east Ukraine. "Obviously, this week we should expect from Russia an intensification of its hostile activities," Zelenskiy said in a nightly video address. "We are preparing. We are ready." Russian-backed separatist forces in Ukraine said they had taken a village beside the main southern road towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, over which Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting for weeks. Four months into the Russian invasion, Lilya, a 22-year-old mother from the eastern city of Bakhmut, decided the time has come to leave the beleaguered region. We spoke to Ukrainians fleeing besieged areas. Ukraine’s parliament voted through two laws which will place severe restrictions on Russian books and music as Kyiv seeks to break many remaining cultural ties between the two countries. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now French President Emmanuel Macron poses for a selfie after voting during the final round of the country's parliamentary elections, in Le Touquet, June 19, 2022 WORLD French President Emmanuel Macron faced the prospect of having to seek support from parliamentary rivals in order to salvage his economic reform agenda, after voters punished his centrist alliance in a legislative election. The far-right scored a historic success, increasing its number of lawmakers almost tenfold and cementing the party's rise from fringe status to the mainstream opposition. Leftist Gustavo Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement, who has vowed profound social and economic change, won Colombia's presidency, the first progressive to do so in the country's history. His election has left investors on edge. Authorities in flood-hit Bangladesh and northeastern India scrambled to provide aid to more than nine million people marooned after the heaviest rains in years killed at least 54 people across both South Asian nations. A Japanese court ruled the country's ban on same-sex marriage was not unconstitutional, dealing a setback to LGBTQ rights activists in the only Group of Seven nation that does not allow people of the same gender to marry. China has carried out a land-based missile interception test that "achieved its expected purpose", the Defense Ministry said, describing it as defensive and not aimed at any country. U.S. The U.S. House panel investigating the January 2021 attack on the Capitol will present evidence this week that former President Donald Trump was involved in a failed bid to submit slates of fake electors to overturn the 2020 election, a key lawmaker said. Republicans in Texas formally rejected President Joe Biden's election in 2020 as illegitimate and voted in a state-wide convention that wrapped up this weekend on a party platform that calls homosexuality an "abnormal lifestyle choice." Lawmakers remain far apart on the most important gun safety issues now under debate in Congress, a Republican senator said, casting doubts on hopes that the United States could pass the first federal gun legislation in decades. With street parties, the trumpets and drums of marching bands, speeches and a few political rallies, people across the United States marked Juneteenth this weekend, a jubilee commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of Black Americans. But Juneteenth merchandise turned off some shoppers. Yellowstone National Park will partly reopen on Wednesday after record flooding and rockslides following a burst of heavy rains that led the park to be closed for the first time in 34 years. BUSINESS & MARKETS China's crude oil imports from Russia soared 55% from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as the top supplier, as refiners cashed in on discounted supplies amid sanctions on Moscow. A series of surprise actions by some of the world’s largest central banks fretting about runaway inflation has left bond investors battered. Now, a growing chorus of investors is calling on policymakers to move fast to end the uncertainty. A plunge in shares in Italian banks, sparked by rising government bond yields, has reawakened memories of the 2011-12 debt crisis and rekindled concerns over lenders' vulnerability to sovereign risks. Low-cost airline easyJet said it was cutting more flights in the busy summer period to help manage problems including shortages of ground staff and flight caps at London Gatwick and Amsterdam. Europe's summer of discontent is revealing a travel sector labor crisis. French food giant Danone is cutting the variety of products it sells to retailers to reduce costs, a top executive told Reuters, meaning yogurt fans may in future miss out on the exact flavor or pot-size they're used to. BREAKINGVIEWS Agenda-setting insight from the international commentary brand of Reuters Read Yawen Chen on how China's current jobs crisis could be its worst, Una Galani on how expensive capital will slow the green transition, and Aimee Donnellan on why battered online retailers need a new fashion model Quote of the day "If we move much lower from here, I think it could be a total shitstorm" Adam Farthing of crypto liquidity provider B2C2 Crypto industry gripped by anxiety Video of the day A 'diamond' glass bridge opens in Georgia A new footbridge across Georgia's Dashbashi Canyon is set to become a magnet for tourists. And finally… Fitzpatrick's magical moment seals U.S. Open win England's Matt Fitzpatrick delivered a shot for the ages when he needed it most, finding the green from a fairway bunker at the last hole to win the U.S. Open and claim his first career major title. More from Reuters Sustainable Business The Great Reboot Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews Thanks for spending part of your day with us. You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036