Morning Briefing: June 3, 2023

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including a terrible train crash in India, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration and protests in Senegal following opposition leader’s jail sentence.

TOP STORIES

• Death toll tops 280 in massive Indian train crash

The death toll surged past 280 in a train accident involving three trains in eastern India, with 900 injured, according to officials.

The accident occurred in the Balasore district of Odisha state late Friday and a massive rescue operation was launched.

Indian Railway spokesman Amitabh Sharma told Anadolu late Friday that a passenger train derailed and its cars fell on the opposite track.

• Turkish President Erdogan to take oath of office to begin new term

High-level officials from 78 countries will attend Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s swearing-in ceremony on Saturday.

The inauguration ceremony at the presidential complex will be attended by 21 heads of state, 13 prime ministers, as well as parliamentary and ministerial-level representatives, and representatives of international organizations, including the Organization of Turkic States, NATO and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

US President Joe Biden announced a presidential delegation will attend the ceremony.

• Regional blocs condemn violence in Senegal amid protests

The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned violence that erupted in Senegal after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “corrupting youth.”

Police used tear gas late Thursday to disperse the deadly protests that erupted in the national capital of Dakar and other towns after Sonko, president of the PASTEF-Patriots party, was sentenced.

The government was prompted to suspend social media networks to control and maintain law and order in the West African country.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Israeli forces have killed 112 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank since the beginning of 2023, the UN said.

• The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned the violence that erupted in Senegal after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for corrupting youth.

• Dame Elan Closs Stephens was named acting chair of Britain’s BBC, the government announced.

• Britain’s National Health Service welcomed promising results of a study that is “the first step in testing a new way to identify cancer as quickly as possible.”

• Moody’s announced that it lowered Belarus’ credit ratings to “C” from “Ca” as sanctions bite the country amid its involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

• Two US Republican lawmakers unveiled a draft bill to provide a clearer regulatory framework regarding cryptocurrencies.

• The US lashed out at Russia and China for remaining silent in the face of North Korea’s growing weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.

• The Israeli agent who drowned last Sunday in a boat accident in Italy was part of a mission targeting Iranian weapons, according to Israeli media.

• Russia takes into account Armenia’s position on the conflict in Ukraine, but continues to develop relations with it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

• The UN Security Council urged Sudan’s warring parties to immediately cease hostilities and establish a permanent cease-fire.

• Cities across the US began taking part in a Wear Orange campaign to recognize victims and survivors of gun violence, a chronic problem that continues to plague the country.

• A coalition of dozens of advocacy groups demanded that the White House apologize to a Muslim American mayor who was disinvited from an Eid ceremony moments before it was to begin.

SPORTS

• Sergio Ramos will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, the French Ligue 1 champions announced.

• American third-seed Jessica Pegula, a 2022 quarterfinalist in Paris, was eliminated from the 2023 French Open.

• The world’s top-seed Carlos Alcaraz advanced at Roland Garros after he beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2 to reach round 4 of the tournament.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• BRICS foreign ministers gather in South Africa

A meeting of foreign ministers of BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — countries was held in Cape Town, South Africa.

The ministers addressed regional and global issues, the UN Security Council reform, protection of multilateralism, security, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, climate, energy security, and mutual cooperation.

Unilateral international sanctions’ violation of international law and their effects on the world economy were also discussed.

• Moscow says Kyiv’s refusal to extend gas transit deal with Russia will hit EU

Kyiv’s refusal to extend the agreement on gas transit with Russia after 2024 will hit the EU and Ukraine in the first turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said.

“In case of non-extension of the transit agreement after 2024, Ukraine will strike at the EU countries that buy Russian gas, and at the same time, shoot itself in the foot, will lose the dividends from transit,” Galuzin told state-run news agency TASS.

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