Morning Briefing: June 7, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including, the latest on a dam collapse, a meeting between US China officials, and Turkish citizens to build Century of Türkiye.

TOP STORIES

• Russia, Ukraine blame each other for collapse of dam

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over destruction of significant Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine.

Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia during a UN meeting accused Ukraine of intentionally blowing up the dam to gain military advantage. He also criticized the West for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya said this was a terrorist act against their critical infrastructure.

Floodwaters have risen as a result of the attack, putting thousands of people at risk.

• Blinken, Saudi Crown Prince meet in Jeddah

In a latest bid to heal strained relations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said that Blinken appreciated Saudi Arabia’s leadership in hosting the D-ISIS Ministerial.

The continuation of joint counter-terrorism efforts, as well as Yemen's prosperity and security, were discussed.

Blinken is scheduled to attend a ministerial meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on Wednesday.

• ‘We will build Century of Türkiye together’: President Erdogan

All 85 million Turkish citizens will together build "Century of Türkiye," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday after the first meeting of his new cabinet in Ankara.

"We will implement two concepts – stability, and trusts. We will build the Century of Türkiye with stability and confidence," Erdogan said.

Türkiye went to the polls on May 28 for a presidential runoff after no candidate secured more than 50% on May 14. Erdogan won the race with 52.18% of the vote.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Over 280,000 protesters took to the streets across France on the 14th day of mobilization against the government's pension reform, the French Interior Ministry said.

• Heavy rains in Haiti caused rivers to overflow and mudslides, leaving at least 51 people dead and displacing thousands, the Civil Protection Directorate said on Tuesday.

• China has urged the US, UK, and Australia to shelve their nuclear submarine cooperation, calling it an "act of nuclear proliferation.”

• Kuwaiti voters headed to polls on Tuesday to elect a new parliament for the third time in three years, according to state news agency KUNA.

• Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced that he will resign next week to focus on securing the presidential nomination from the ruling party for elections in 2024.

• Senegal is closing all of its consulates abroad following attacks on its diplomatic and consular missions in a number of cities amid domestic political tensions.

• EU agencies recommend that vaccines be updated to target the current dominant COVID-19 variants “target XBB strains,” a subgroup of omicron variants, which have become dominant in Europe and other parts of the world.

• Britain's Prince Harry appeared in court over phone-hacking case in UK, hearing evidence against British tabloids for unlawful actions

SPORTS

• Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz secure French Open semifinals spots

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz moved to French Open semifinals after defeating their opponents on Tuesday.

World No. 1 Alcaraz of Spain eliminated Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets (6-2, 6-1, 7-6), while world No. 3 Djokovic beat Russia's Karen Khachanov 3-1 (4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4).

• Real Madrid star Benzema joins Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad

Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad confirmed Tuesday that it signed French star Karim Benzema to a three-year contract.

The French striker joined Real Madrid in 2009 after leaving Olympique Lyon, where he won four French Ligue 1 titles.

Benzema also won the 2022 men's Ballon d'Or.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• Boeing discovers new defect found on 787 Dreamliner aircraft

Boeing said Tuesday that a new defect has been discovered on its 787 Dreamliner commercial aircraft line, related to a fitting on the horizontal stabilizer.

The company said the defect is not an immediate safety issue and aircraft in service may continue to operate

• Annual inflation in Netherlands surges to 6.1% in May

The Netherlands' annual inflation rate rose to 6.1% in May from 5.2% in April, official figures showed on Tuesday.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), excluding energy prices, the annual inflation was at 7.9% in May, up from 7.8% in April.