In what is set to be a landmark agreement for gender equality, the EU is to vote on legislation where companies will face mandatory quotas to ensure women have at least 40 percent of seats on corporate boards. Annette Young talks to Carlien Scheele from the European Institute for Gender Studies on what it means for businesses across the European bloc. Also as the Taliban continues to ban schooling for girls aged over 11, we meet the Afghan people risking all to ensure girls receive an education. Plus the story of Viola Smith, the first female professional jazz drummer who fought for greater recognition of women in the industry.

The German government is planning to expand the powers of its antitrust authorities. The move comes after recent measures to compensate for rising gasoline prices have turned into a profit windfall for oil companies.

The European Union has reached a deal on anti-monkeypox vaccines, with first jabs expected to arrive within weeks. The agreement was made through a new bloc-wide authority formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Already-strained global gas supplies have been shaken once again. An LNG terminal in Texas will remain offline for longer than expected after a fire last week, while Russia's Gazprom has said it's cutting supplies to Europe by some 40 percent. Also in the show: investors look ahead to a possible 0.75% interest rate hike as the US Federal Reserve tries to rein in spiralling inflation, and farmers in Ukraine worry about this year's harvest.

Navalny's lawyer went to visit him in prison, but was told by guards that "there is no such convict here." Russian authorities have not said where they have taken the opposition leader.

"What a special moment," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said after signing the gas memorandum. Europe is looking for alternate sources of energy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, decried Russia's attacks during their joint trip to Ukraine.

An Italian energy firm says the Russian company is slashing its deliveries by 50%. France's gas operator says it has not received any natural gas from Russia via its pipeline from Germany for more than a month.

The executive body of the European Union has recommended that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status. Kyiv has sought candidate status since 2014.

The Cypriot government says the vast majority of migrants enter the island's breakaway north via Turkey and then seek asylum in the EU-backed south. Arrivals doubled to about 10,000 in the first five months of this year.

The European Commission has recommended candidate status for Ukraine. Just over three months after being invaded by Russia, Kyiv has cleared the first hurdle on the road to membership.

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief has called for Russia to end its blockade of Ukrainian ports. His comments come ahead of a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers.