Morning Briefing: May 8, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including Syria’s return to the Arab League, updates from the Ukraine war, and the rising death toll as floods and landslides ravage DR Congo.

TOP STORIES

• Syria back in Arab League fold after 12 years

Over a decade after being expelled for the Bashar al-Assad regime’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests, Syria’s membership in the influential Arab League has been reinstated.

Foreign ministers from the 22-member group voted for Syria’s return at a meeting in Cairo, ahead of the upcoming Annual Arab League summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on May 19.

Syria was removed from the pan-Arab body in 2011. Its reinstatement comes amid the Assad regime’s growing outreach with Arab countries.

• Ukraine war: Wagner ‘promised’ weapons, Türkiye snubs US proposal

After threatening to pull his forces from Bakhmut, the Wagner Group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Moscow has “promised” him more weapons. Prigozhin said he received assurances from the Russian Defense Ministry after his tirade against Moscow days earlier.

Another Ukraine-related development came in Türkiye. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed the country rejected a US proposal for Ankara to send its S-400 missile system – which it bought from Russia – to Ukraine.

He said the suggestion was unacceptable and against Turkish sovereignty.

• DR Congo floods death toll hits 300

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 300 people in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rescue efforts are underway for missing people, while hundreds injured are being treated. Non-governmental organizations and authorities have called for emergency assistance.

Heavy rainfall last week caused rivers to flood, destroying hundreds of homes and wreaking destruction. The death toll could rise over the coming days as search operations continue in various areas.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• With Türkiye’s elections less than a week away, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a massive rally in Istanbul, which he said drew at least 1.7 million people.
  
  
• US President Joe Biden has urged Congress to pass a bill banning assault weapons after eight people were killed in Texas, the latest mass shooting in the country.

• UK group Republic condemned the arrest of anti-monarchy protesters during the coronation of King Charles as a “direct attack on democracy.”

• Rayyanah Barwani, Saudi Arabia’s first woman astronaut, will embark on a 10-day space mission on May 21, according to NASA.

• A driver was arrested after he ran over pedestrians at a bus stop in Texas, killing seven people. The incident took place outside a shelter for homeless people and migrants.
  
  
• Slovakia’s caretaker Prime Minster Eduard Heger quit the government amid a political crisis. The country will now be run by a technocrat government headed by a senior official of its central bank.
  
  
• Israeli forces bulldozed an EU-funded school in the occupied West Bank, claiming it did not have a building permit. The move has drawn severe criticism from the bloc.

• A fire caused by a short-circuit inside a gold mine in Peru killed 27 miners. The incident is Peru’s deadliest mining accident in over two decades.

SPORTS

• Arsenal see off Newcastle to keep title race alive

Arsenal kept their title hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United.

A Martin Odegaard strike and an own goal by Newcastle defender Fabian Schar gave the Gunners a crucial victory.

Arsenal are now on 81 points, just one behind Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola’s men have a game in hand.

• Verstappen wins F1 Miami Grand Prix

Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix, making a remarkable sprint from ninth position to beat Red Bull teammate and pole-sitter Sergio Perez.

Verstappen took the lead with 10 laps to go at the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Miami International Autodrome.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• China’s power consumption to rise by 6%

A 6% rise in electricity consumption in 2023 has been predicted by the country’s electricity council.

In its report, the council said power consumption will pick up about 6% year-on-year to reach 9.15 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) and will surge in the second quarter.

• 80% of Japanese against tax hike to support defense spending

A majority of Japanese are against an increase in taxes to support defense expenditures, a poll by the local media reveals.

Although concerned by potential military action by China against Taiwan, 80% of respondents said that they are not in favor of hikes in taxes to finance the country’s defense spending.