Daily Briefing

A damning report into Boris Johnson's behavior says he willfully misled parliament on several occasions, India and Pakistan brace for Cyclone Biparjoy, and China's economy slows in May.

Plus, Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr will lead a special FIFA anti-racism committee.

By Edson Caldas

Today's Top News

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he runs near his home in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville

AROUND THE WORLD

Britain's Boris Johnson should be excluded from parliament for willfully misleading lawmakers over rule-breaking COVID lockdown parties, a committee said in a report the former leader described as "rubbish". It also accused him of being "complicit in a campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation". Here are the main findings from the report and a timeline of the "partygate" scandal.
Rescuers scoured seas off Greece this morning in a search operation, as hopes dwindled of finding survivors of a shipwreck that killed at least 78 migrants in one of Europe's deadliest such disasters in recent years. Correspondent Karolina Tagaris told the Reuters World News podcast what we know about the situation aboard the fishing boat.
Authorities in India and Pakistan have evacuated more than 150,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas in the path of cyclone Biparjoy, set to whirl in from the Arabian Sea and make landfall by tonight. These are the key details regarding its landfall and the preventive measures.
Kosovo has tightened controls on its border with Serbia following the arrest of three of its policemen by Serbian forces, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said as he demanded the immediate release of the detainees. Both Belgrade and Pristina gave different locations of the arrest, with each accusing the other side of crossing the border illegally.

WAR IN UKRAINE

NATO members are racing to complete a plan to provide long-term support to Ukraine, but are wrestling with how best to assure the country's security until it can join the alliance, according to US and European officials. There is agreement that it cannot join the alliance while fighting is still underway against Russia.
Russian missiles hit two industrial facilities in the central Ukrainian city Kryvyi Rih in the early hours of today, city mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said, with an drone attack also reported in Odesa. Vilku said three rockets hit industrial enterprises "that had nothing to do with the military," injuring one 38-year-old man.

Business & Markets

China's economy stumbled in May with industrial output and retail sales growth missing forecasts, adding to expectations that Beijing will need to do more to shore up a shaky post-COVID recovery. Industrial output grew 3.5% from a year earlier, while retail sales - a key gauge of consumer confidence - rose 12.7%.
In more news from China, Bill Gates is set to meet President Xi Jinping on Friday during his visit to the country, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Several foreign CEOs, including Elon Musk, have visited China since it reopened early this year but most have met with government ministers.
Alphabet is cautioning employees about how they use chatbots, including its own Bard, at the same time as it markets the program around the world, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Google parent has advised employees not to enter its confidential materials into AI chatbots, citing long-standing policy on safeguarding information.
The European Central Bank is all but certain to raise borrowing costs to their highest level in 22 years later today and leave the door open to more hikes, extending its fight against high inflation. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the US Federal Reserve broke a string of 10 successive rate hikes on Wednesday.
New Zealand slipped into recession as the economy shrank in the first quarter, reducing the risk the central bank would need to hike interest rates further but creating a new headwind for the government's re-election hopes. GDP matched analysts' expectations of a 0.1% contraction in the March quarter.

Graphics: How the train crash in eastern India unfolded

On the evening of June 2, the Coromandel Express passenger train was moving at 128 kph (80 mph), heading for the southern city of Chennai, when it approached Bahanaga Bazar station in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. What followed was India's deadliest rail crash in more than two decades as the train careened into a stationary goods train resulting in a three train collision and derailment killing 288 people and injuring more than a thousand.

These graphics show the poorest passengers packed into carriages bore the brunt of the train crash.

And Finally...

Vinicius Junior reacts during a match in Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr will lead a special FIFA anti-racism committee made up of players who will suggest stricter punishments for discriminatory behavior, president Gianni Infantino told Reuters. Brazil forward Vinicius was racially abused by fans when Madrid played Valencia in May, the 10th such incident involving the 22-year-old that LaLiga has reported to prosecutors this season.

Read more here: Vinicius Jr to lead new anti-racism committee - FIFA

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