The Economist Morning Briefing

President Joe Biden promised that the federal government would protect women travelling for abortions  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A ban in India of nineteen types of single-use plastic, including plastic cups and cutlery, came into force  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

America's Supreme Court limited the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions by power plants, complicating government efforts to mitigate climate change.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

NATO declared Russia to be its “most significant and direct threat”, with Jens Stoltenberg promising that Ukraine could continue counting on NATO assistance to face the Russian invasion for “as long as it takes”.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Finland and Sweden secured the support of Turkey for their bids to join NATO, according to a statement by Finland's president.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

NATO will increase the number of troops on “high alert” from 40,000 to 300,000 to better protect the Baltic states on the alliance's eastern flank.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russian missiles hit a kindergarten and an apartment block in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Joe Biden, America's president, condemned the strikes as “barbarism”.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A day after calling the Supreme Court's vote to overturn Roe v Wade “a tragic error”, President Joe Biden upped his rhetoric.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia warned that there would be “negative consequences” for the European Union accepting Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership to the bloc  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Norway's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate from 0.75% to 1.25% in order to contain rising inflation  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia said that a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery close to the border with Ukraine was caused by an attack from two drones.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Moscow threatened to punish Lithuania with actions that would have a “serious impact” after the Baltic state blocked the transport of some goods to and from Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, across its own territory.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Israel's prime minister, Naftali Bennett, and foreign minister, Yair Lapid, agreed to dissolve parliament, triggering new elections.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has lost his parliamentary majority according to near-final results in elections to the 577-seat National Assembly.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia is seeking to take full control of the city of Severodonetsk by bringing in troops from other battle zones, said the governor of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would oversee a major training programme for Ukrainian armed forces fighting Russian troops in Ukraine  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Bank of England increased interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, and forecasted a steep decline in GDP growth.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The European Central Bank said it would speed up work on a new tool to tackle fragmentation in the euro zone.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

American bond yields remained high and stockmarkets braced ahead of a meeting of the Federal Reserve.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is fighting to keep his parliamentary majority after the first round of voting in legislative elections on June 12th.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A bipartisan group of American senators agreed a deal on gun control.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

China would “not hesitate to start a war” if anyone tried to split Taiwan from the mainland, China's defence minister told Lloyd Austin, his American counterpart.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The head of the UN's humanitarian office, OCHA, said that Sri Lanka could be on the brink of a “full-blown humanitarian emergency”  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Three men, two British and one Moroccan, captured by pro-Russian forces in a disputed part of Ukraine were handed a death sentence.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The governor of Luhansk said Ukrainian forces now controlled only the outskirts of Severodonetsk.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that a “stalemate is not an option” in the war against Russia, and that Ukraine had to reclaim “full control” over its entire territory.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Boris Johnson, Britain's prime minister, survived a vote of no-confidence.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Vladimir Putin said if the West supplied Ukraine with longer-range missiles Russia would strike targets it has so far avoided.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ukraine claims to have recaptured one-fifth of the city of Severodonetsk, even as Russia intensifies its attack with reinforcements.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

American prosecutors charged Peter Navarro with contempt of Congress for failing to comply with its probe of the Capitol riot  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia accused America of “intentionally adding fuel to the fire” by promising to send precision-guided rocket systems to Ukraine as part of a new $700m military aid package.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ukraine will begin to prosecute 80 suspected Russian war criminals of the 600 it has identified, according to the country's prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The EU agreed to a partial ban on Russian oil, exempting oil delivered by pipeline in a compromise to satisfy Hungary.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Police in Jerusalem fired stun grenades at Palestinians protesting against the "flag march" of right-wing Jewish nationalists.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In an 80-minute phone call with Vladimir Putin France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, urged the Russian president to enter “serious direct negotiations” with Volodymyr Zelensky, his Ukrainian counterpart.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Donald Trump attempting to halt the New York attorney-general's probe into alleged fraud at his real-estate business  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia shells eastern Ukraine, Republicans punt on gun control, and more  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Texas gunman shared plans on Facebook, deteriorating conditions in Sievierodonetsk, and more  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

School massacre in Texas, US Treasury department blocks Russia from paying down debt, and more  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The White House insisted that America's policy on Taiwan “has not changed” after President Joe Biden said that America's armed forces would step in to defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Australia's new PM in Tokyo and no concessions from Ukraine  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fighting intensifies in Donbas “hell” and America approves $40bn for Ukraine  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Markets plummet and Europe plans to eschew Russian energy  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An unclear fate for Mariupol's defenders and Northern Ireland protocol under threat  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Azovstal abandoned and North Korea's army mobilised against covid-19  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sweden's NATO decision and grim economic data from China  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia to cut off Finland's electricity and Georgian region plans Russia referendum  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ukrainian aid stalls in the Senate and Russia reacts to Finland's NATO plans  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kherson talks of annexation and the Senate rejects abortion safeguards  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

US warns of prolonged war and shoot-on-sight ordered in Sri Lanka  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Another bruising day for markets and more American aid for Ukraine  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.