Russia bombs Kyiv
At least five missiles hit Kyiv early yesterday, the first Russian strike in the Ukrainian capital in more than a month. Russia said the missiles destroyed tanks and armored vehicles delivered by Ukraine’s Eastern European allies. At least one person was injured, officials said.
The attack, after 100 days of war, came when Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would hit targets it had avoided if Western countries began supplying longer-range missiles to Ukraine. Follow the latest updates from the war.
The United States has warned that the Kremlin is trying to profit from the bombing and looting of grain production in Ukraine by selling stolen grain to drought-stricken countries in Africa. These countries are potentially facing a difficult choice between the displeasure of a powerful Western ally and the rejection of cheap food at a time when wheat prices are rising and hundreds of thousands are starving.
East: Fighting continued to rage around the disputed city of Severodonetsk. Powerful explosions were heard in and around Kramatorsk, the capital of Ukraine-controlled areas of the Donetsk region.
For the British, Jubilee offers a short break
Millions of Britons have celebrated a joyous four-day tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and her 70-year rule. Still, the brief sweet pleasures of the long weekend in late spring dispelled the national sentiment, which has deteriorated sharply as the country faces political rifts and concerns about stagflation, the double whammy of recession and inflation.
A long-running scandal surrounding parties disrupting the blockade of 10 Downing Street is threatening to boil: Whistles on Friday drowned out cries as Boris Johnson, the prime minister, entered St. Paul’s Cathedral in thanksgiving service for the Queen. He could face a no-confidence vote this week, according to British media reports.
Even if Johnson survives the vote, some predict he will face misery as the country copes with rising food and fuel prices. The International Monetary Fund estimated last month that consumer prices would jump 13 percent this year and next. Other forecasters said a recession was imminent.
Anniversary appearance: The queen, dressed in green, appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace yesterday – one of two similar appearances during the celebration – after missing most of the celebrations due to walking problems. At a concert the night before, she stole the show with a pre-recorded sequence with the Paddington bear, voiced by actor Ben Wishow.
Biden’s “bad options” for lowering oil prices
President Biden’s planned meeting this summer with Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s heir to the throne, is just the latest sign that oil has regained its foothold in geopolitics.
Biden has few tools to reduce pump costs, especially when Russia, one of the world’s largest energy producers, waged an unprovoked war against a smaller neighbor. Two other oil-producing countries that could boost production – Iran and Venezuela – have been largely excluded from the global market by Western sanctions.
The United States is the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, but accounts for only about 12 percent of global oil supplies. The price of oil may still rise or fall depending on world events. And when fuel prices rise, consumers may turn against presidents who don’t seem to want to or can’t take them down.
Analysis: “The president has to try,” said Bill Richardson, energy secretary in the Clinton administration. “Unfortunately, there are only bad options. And any alternatives are probably worse than asking the Saudis to increase production.
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ARTS AND IDEAS
Rewriting the history of New York art
Many art lovers can easily remember the work of the sculptor Louise Bourgeois – emerging figures, in turn pneumatic or spindle; spiders and their derivatives; blind black eyes as tall as a child.
But Bourgeois also made more than 100 paintings in his first decade in New York, many of which are unknown even to her biggest fans. Nearly half of these paintings are already on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, Roberta Smith told The Times. Approximately one-third have not been shown for decades, if ever.
The paintings are mostly self-portraits and increasingly haunted by sculptures. Others are an expression of maternal anxiety and loneliness. “And some of Bourgeois’s paintings refer, intentionally or not, to greater horrors than she does – a woman who desperately wants to be an artist,” Roberta wrote.
Bourgeois’s radiant work violates the popular notion of New York painting in the 1940s as a predominantly male endeavor, she wrote: “They strongly reflect her conviction that she has something to say and her own way of saying it.”
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That’s all for today’s briefing. Thank you for joining me. – Natasha
PS First Person, a podcast of the Times Opinion, made Vulture’s list of the most anticipated summer shows.
The latest episode of “The Daily” is about Haiti’s debts to France.
You can contact Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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