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Daily Briefing

Rescuers race to find the missing Titanic sub after hearing undersea sounds, China lashes back after Biden labels Xi a "dictator", and the UK's stubborn inflation fails to fall.

Plus, archaeologists discover an ancient Maya city in the jungles of southern Mexico.

By Edson Caldas

Today's Top News

The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, dives in an undated photograph. OceanGate Expeditions/Handout via REUTERS

MISSING TITANIC SUB

Search teams detected underwater sounds while scanning the North Atlantic for a submersible that vanished during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic. Search operations were diverted to the area where the sounds seemed to originate as the clock ticked down to the last 24 hours of the craft's presumed oxygen supply.
A friend of one of the passengers said that "every single minute" feels like hours. Rescuers face major obstacles both in finding the Titan and in saving the five people aboard, according to experts. We take a look at what we know about who is on the missing sub and the challenges of recovering it.

US DIPLOMACY

China hit back after US President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a "dictator", saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation, in an unexpected spat following efforts by both sides to lower tensions. Listen to Ryan Woo in Beijing describe the Chinese foreign ministry's reaction and what it might mean for Sino-US relations.
Biden welcomes India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, for talks that the White House sees as bolstering "one of the defining partnerships of our age," despite ongoing concerns about human rights. Washington wants India to be a counterweight to China while Modi is seeking to raise the influence that his country has on the world stage.

AROUND THE WORLD

Ukrainian troops are reinforcing positions in areas of the southern front line after having "partial success" fighting Russian forces, a military spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Britain, the US and the European Union pledged billions of dollars more help to rebuild Ukraine.
Heavy clashes broke out between rival military factions in Sudan as a 72-hour ceasefire expired, witnesses said. Shortly before the truce ended fighting was reported in all three of the cities that make up the wider capital around the confluence of the Nile: Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman.
Japan plans to "aggressively" push for women's participation in society, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said after an annual report showed the country was struggling to narrow the gender gap. The World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked Japan 125th out of 146 countries.

Business & Markets

British inflation defied expectations that it would slow and held at 8.7% in May, putting yet more pressure on the Bank of England a day before it is forecast to raise interest rates for the 13th time in a row. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast that the annual consumer price inflation rate would drop to 8.4%.
The US plans to levy new restrictions to cut off finances to Myanmar's military junta, according to sources with knowledge of the matter and Thai news outlets. Western nations have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on the country's military leaders since they seized power in a coup in 2021.
China unveiled a 520 billion yuan ($72.3 billion) package to boost sales of electric vehicles and other green cars over the next four years. The package comes as softening sales have raised concern over economic growth which is losing momentum after a brisk start to the year.
In more EV news, automakers are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China as mined graphite demand for electric vehicle batteries outpaces other uses. For more on the world of automotive technology, sign up to the Auto File newsletter.
Record plane orders by India's top two carriers have dominated the headlines about the Paris Airshow. Analysis: The deals show the country's untapped potential for air travel and its rise as an aviation superpower, but recent airline failures and rows over regulations suggest progress may not be smooth.

The Wider Image: This father-daughter duo left Texas to go on providing abortions

Dr. Alan Braid and his daughter and clinic manager Andrea Gallegos set up an exam room in Carbondale, Illinois, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The day Alan Braid opened his abortion clinic for business in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last August, he looked out at a waiting room full of patients fresh off trips from Texas, some with suitcases in tow. Several months later, Dr. Braid's daughter Andrea Gallegos drew a similar crowd to the opening of their abortion clinic in Carbondale, Illinois.

The father-daughter duo had their lives disrupted when on June 24, 2022, a year ago this week, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped away a nationwide right to abortion.

See the full photo essay here.

And Finally...

A view shows a part of a stone from an altar. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History/Handout via REUTERS

A previously unknown ancient Maya city has been discovered in the jungles of southern Mexico, the country's anthropology institute said, adding it was likely an important center more than a thousand years ago. The city includes large pyramid-like buildings, stone columns, three plazas with "imposing buildings" and other structures arranged in almost-concentric circle.

Read more here: Ancient Maya city discovered in Mexican jungle

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