Ukraine: Zelensky in Donbass where Kiev says it is progressing to Severodonetsk

KIEV - Ukraine said Sunday that it had retaken “half” of Severodonetsk and was making progress in this key Donbass city under intensive fire from Russian forces, at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the front line in this region to support his soldiers there. In Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian army assures that it is doing better than standing up and that it is regaining ground. “Half of the city is under the control of our defenders,” the governor of the Luhansk region, Sergiy Gaidai, assured in an interview broadcast on social media, adding that they are “making progress.” Citing communications intercepted by the Russian command, he added, he should expect an intensification of the Russian offensive to take over the city “before June 10.” Kiev, which was returning to a semblance of normal life, was hit by several Russian strikes at dawn on Sunday, the first since the end of April. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to hit new targets if Westerners supply long-range missiles to Ukraine.

In Bonn, a world in crisis again at the edge of the climate

Strengthening the fight against global warming and its devastating effects, concretizing and expanding aid to the most vulnerable: representatives of nearly 200 countries are meeting in Bonn starting Monday to give impetus to the next climate conference in November in Egypt. Six months after COP26 in Glasgow, which reaffirmed the ambition - currently unattainable - of containing warming to 1.5degC while we are already at 1.1degC since humanity began to burn gas and oil industrially at the end of the 19th century, this “intermediate session” of climate negotiations wants to preserve the fragile progress of the Scottish conference. Since then, the world has been shaken by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its repercussions on the energy and food markets.

Surprise at the end of the jubilee: Elizabeth II on the Buckingham balcony

Largely absent from her Platinum Jubilee due to her declining health, but “determined” to continue serving her subjects, Elizabeth II made a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the last day of celebrations that felt like a change of era. The 96-year-old monarch, who has difficulty walking, stayed away from the main festivities organized for her 70-year reign, a record longevity. She attended neither the religious ceremony on Friday, nor at her beloved horse races on Saturday, nor the giant concert in front of her palace, and did not speak to the public. “I am deeply touched that so many people took to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee,” the monarch said in a message made public by Buckingham Palace and signed by her own hand.

IN SHORT

The body of journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, killed by a shrapnel during a bombing in eastern Ukraine on Monday, will be repatriated to France on Wednesday, BFMTV announced during a program paying tribute to him.

The IAEA Board of Governors opens Monday in Vienna with a draft Western resolution admonishing Iran, against a backdrop of stalemate in negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Another 7,000 households, out of the nearly 20,000 affected, remained without power at the end of the afternoon the day after the violent storms that crossed France, caused one death and fifteen injuries and caused significant agricultural damage.

Rafael Nadal pushed the limits again by winning his fourteenth title at Roland-Garros and a record 22nd Grand Slam trophy at the expense of Norway's Casper Ruud (N.8), who swept 6-3, 6-0.

The dream was as crazy as the ending was cruel for Ukraine, defeated (1-0) with an own goal by Wales in the play-off final for the 2022 World Cup.