Morning Briefing: June 2, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including a disastrous economic crisis being averted in the US, deadly protests rocking Senegal, and calls for fresh elections in Kosovo.

TOP STORIES

• Debt ceiling bill heads to Biden after being passed by US Senate

The US Senate passed a bill on the debt ceiling, suspending a cap on the federal government's borrowing limit, and averting a disastrous economic crisis before the June 5 deadline.

The bill now awaits US President Joe Biden’s signature before it can be made into a law to raise the limit on the $31.4 trillion debt.

The bill is a result of a bipartisan deal between Democrat Biden and Republican House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy.

• Violent protests erupt in Senegal after opposition leader sentenced

Clashes broke out between protesters and police in Senegal’s capital Dakar after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “corrupting the youth.”

Police used tear gas to disperse Sonko's supporters, as a university turned into a battlefield where demonstrators pelted the police with stones. Several vehicles were also torched.

In other parts of the city, groups of young people attacked public property, burnt tires and set up barricades on the streets.

• EU official urges fresh elections in Kosovo

Fresh elections in northern Kosovo should be held which ensure the participation of ethnic Serbs, the EU's foreign policy chief said, warning that failure in doing so will have serious consequences.

Josep Borrell's remarks came after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani along with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Tensions have gripped Kosovo as ethnic Serbs are protesting the election of Albanian mayors in the country's northern municipalities.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The US announced retaliatory actions following Russia's exit from the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty earlier this year, including withholding data and suspension of visas to Russian inspectors.

• A new anti-terrorism law went into force in Sweden, as Türkiye called upon the Nordic country to fulfill its commitments in order to become a NATO member.

• The leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, France and Germany, and head of the European Council held an informal meeting in Bulboaca, Moldova to discuss the normalization process between Yerevan and Baku. They had gathered in the Moldovan town for the second summit of the European Political Community.

• Police in Canada said they have shut down “Chinese police stations,” which served as bases to launch intimidation against Chinese Canadians, in the provinces of British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario.

• President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil will remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war conflict.

• The Zimbabwean parliament passed a controversial Patriotic Bill that criminalizes any citizen who meets foreign diplomats or foreign government functionaries in terms of association, assembly, and speech.

• Turkish archaeologists in Istanbul unearthed a fragment of the statue of Pan, which is known in ancient Greek mythology as the shepherd and the god of herds.

• US President Joe Biden fell on stage after handing out diplomas at the Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony. The video of the incident went viral online.

• Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II married Saudi heiress and architect Rajwa Al Saif in a wedding in Amman attended by global royalty, including Prince William and his wife.

• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his address at the European Political Community summit in Moldova, called for a “clear” decision on the country's membership in NATO at its July summit in Vilnius.

SPORTS

• Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain exit confirmed

Lionel Messi is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain, and Saturday's match against Clermont will be his last at the French club, manager Christophe Galtier confirmed.

The Argentine is rumored to have received a formal offer to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal next season.

• Iga Swiatek qualifies for the third round of French Open

Defending champion Iga Swiatek, who is also the world No. 1 in women's tennis, qualified for the third round in the 2023 French Open (Roland Garros).

The Polish player, who won the French Open in 2020 and 2022, beat her US opponent Claire Liu in sets of 6-4, 6-0 in a second-round match at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• Elon Musk reclaims title of world’s richest person

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, regained the title of the world's richest person, surpassing the French luxury fashion powerhouse LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Musk's wealth surged 40.3% this year to $192 billion, thanks to a 24% hike in shares of the electric carmaker in May.

• Global air travel at 90.5% of pre-virus levels in April

World air traffic reached 90.5% of its pre-coronavirus levels this April thanks to the ongoing strong recovery in travel demand, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Air traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs – surged 45.8% from a year ago in April.