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Daily Briefing

Moscow claims its forces thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive, the US Navy has releases a video of what it called an "unsafe interaction" in the Taiwan Strait, and India begins official investigation into its deadliest rail crash in over two decades.

Plus, Japanese train in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off.

By Kate Turton

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Today's Top News

A Ukrainian serviceman looks on near the Ukraine-Russia border, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

WAR IN UKRAINE

Russia said its forces had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of troops while Ukraine accused Moscow of spreading lies.
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the settlement of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut, calling it a "disgrace". Is this the start of Ukraine's counter-offensive? Mike Collett-White talks about what we know on the Reuters World News podcast.

US NEWS

The US scrambled F-16 fighter jets in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft with an unresponsive pilot that violated airspace around Washington D.C. and later crashed into the mountains of Virginia, officials said. No survivors were found at the crash site, Virginia state police said.
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, U.N. ambassador under former President Donald Trump, attacked her ex-boss and 2024 rival Ron DeSantis over their refusal to say whether they want Ukraine to win its war against Russia.
Hollywood's major studios reached a tentative labor agreement with the union representing film and television directors, likely averting a work stoppage that would have piled pressure on media companies to settle with striking writers.

ELSEWHERE

India's official investigation into its deadliest rail crash in over two decades began, after preliminary findings pointed to signal failure as the likely cause for a collision that killed at least 275 people and injured 1,200.
The U.N. said it was "alarmed" by detentions in Hong Kong linked to the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, while China said the financial hub was moving from "chaos" to prosperity.
The US Navy has released a video of what it called an "unsafe interaction" in the Taiwan Strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer in the sensitive waterway, a risky incident amid deteriorating Sino-US ties.

Business & Markets

France has rolled out the red carpet for electric vehicle battery makers. This includes offering generous subsidies thanks to a relaxation of EU state aid rules for green energy projects - along with some personal lobbying by French President Emmanuel Macron. Read more car news in the Auto File newsletter.
Oil prices were up $1 a barrel after top global exporter Saudi Arabia pledged to cut production by another 1 million barrels per day from July, counteracting the macroeconomic headwinds that have depressed markets.
Investors got more gloomy on prospects for the euro zone economy in June, dragged down by negative expectations for Germany, Europe's biggest economy, a survey showed.
A strong US economy is giving an unexpected boost to the dollar, frustrating bearish investors betting on its decline. The dollar is up 2.5% from its recent low against a basket of currencies and stands near its highest level since March.
AstraZeneca's lung cancer therapy, Tagrisso, cut the risk of death by more than half in patients with a certain form of lung cancer who were diagnosed early enough to have their tumor surgically removed, trial data showed.
South African private sector economic activity contracted for a third consecutive month in May as rolling power cuts and inflationary pressures continued to weigh on business, a survey showed.

Analysis: A crowded 2024 Republican race helps clear the way for a Trump nomination

Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder//File Photo

A growing number of contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination could clear the way for a Donald Trump victory while throwing up roadblocks for his main rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, party members and strategists said.

Republicans who fear Trump is too polarizing a figure to beat Democratic President Joe Biden in 2024 worry that if too many candidates jump into the party's contest, they will splinter the anti-Trump vote. That would allow the former president to clinch the nomination, just as he did in similar circumstances in 2016.

Read our analysis: A crowded 2024 Republican race helps clear the way for a Trump nomination

And Finally...

A student practices smiling with a mirror at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, Japan, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

In one of Keiko Kawano's recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths upward with their fingers: they were practicing how to smile.

It's not something most people would think to pay for but Kawano's services as a smile instructor are seeing a surge in demand in Japan, where mask-wearing was near universal during the pandemic.

Read more here: Japanese get trained in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off

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