June 15, Tuesday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline read by Mr. Yamaguchi Hiroaki

1.Key economic indicators show that China’s zero-COVID policy continued to weigh heavily on both consumption and production in the country in May. The National Bureau of Statistics say China’s retail sales last month fell 6.7 percent from a year earlier, marking a decrease for the third straight month.
2.Ukrainian leaders are pleading for outside help to repel Russian attacks that have cut off escape routes in a key eastern city. NATO leaders will soon meet to discuss how they can help. Russian troops have pushed deep into Severodonetsk, forcing hundreds to shelter in a chemical plant. They are calling on the Ukrainians to surrender. Local officials say constant bombardments mean mass escape is now impossible.
3.Prosecutors and police in Ukraine are investigating suspected war crimes that Russian troops are alleged to have committed in towns near the capital Kyiv. The troops previously occupied those towns.