Morning Briefing: June 15, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Saturday including NATO's agreement on a plan to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine, Kyiv rejecting Russia's peace proposal offered by Putin, and a new threat for the upcoming US election.

TOP STORIES

• NATO agrees on plan to coordinate security assistance, training for Ukraine

NATO's top official said the defense ministers of alliance members have agreed on a plan to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine.

Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels that these efforts do not make NATO a party to the conflict, but will enhance the alliance’s support to Ukraine "to uphold its right to self-defense."

His remarks came at a closing news conference of the two-day NATO defense ministers meeting, the last ministerial meeting before a NATO summit in Washington next month.

• Ukraine rejects Russia's peace proposal offered by Putin

Ukraine rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace offer within hours, claiming there are no new "peace proposals" from Moscow.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote X: "There are no new 'peace proposals' from Russia," and that the Russian leadership has inadequately assessed realities.

Earlier in the day, Putin said at a meeting with Foreign Ministry employees in Moscow that Russia is making "another concrete, real peace proposal" to Kyiv.

• US elections: How serious of a threat is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been all the talk since the advent of the AI language model ChatGPT, which brought the technology into the mainstream.

The possibility of AI replacing human jobs one day has led to ever-rising anxiety in the workforce around the world. Nevertheless, it is not just the average Joe's job that might be at stake -- AI may well be instrumental in dethroning US President Joe Biden, or keeping him in the Oval Office, considering the unprecedented speed at which the technology is advancing.

AI-based manipulation methods and deepfakes, which are footage or content that looks or sounds convincing enough to fool at least some voters, pose a substantial threat, experts told Anadolu.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A Russian journalist was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack, according to Russian authorities.
  
  
• NATO’s European allies will boost their military spending for a fair burden-sharing on both sides of the Atlantic, said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
  
  
• The Israeli army proposed concluding its military offensive in Rafah and redirecting efforts toward a new offensive in southern Lebanon.
  
  
• At least 37,266 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip since October, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave.
  
  
• The Turkish president met with his UAE counterpart in Italy as part of the G7 leaders summit.
  
  
• Russian President Vladimir Putin, for the first time, outlined Russia's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine and starting peace talks.
  
  
• The US State Department imposed sanctions on an Israeli group for disrupting humanitarian aid to the civilians in the Gaza Strip.
  
  
• High temperatures affecting Mexico have resulted in the deaths of 125 people nationwide so far this year, according to the Health Ministry.
  
  
• The armed wing of the Hamas resistance group announced more attacks against Israeli soldiers across the Gaza Strip, claiming to have killed and injured several.
  
  
• More than 2 million Muslims from all around the world began the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
• A Chinese journalist known for promoting the feminist #MeToo movement in the country was sentenced to up to five years, according to her support group.
  
  
• The Yemeni Houthi group struck a cargo ship with two anti-ship cruise missiles in the Gulf of Aden, said US Central Command.
  
  
• Yemen's Houthi group said it carried out attacks on three ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in the last 24 hours.

SPORTS

• Group F: Portugal chasing their 2nd trophy; Ukraine seeking premier trophy, Türkiye fighting for first final

Portugal will begin chasing their second trophy next week, while Ukraine are seeking their premier trophy and Türkiye will fight for their first final in Group F of the 2024 UEFA European Championship.

Georgia, the surprise team of the competition, will seek to make their mark in their first European Championship finals.

The player with the most appearances and the highest number of goals in the history of the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo, will likely be the center of attention in group matches, but Türkiye are also a force to be reckoned with given their acclaimed performance at EURO 2008.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Tesla shareholders reinstate Elon Musk’s $56 billion compensation package

Tesla shareholders voted to grant Elon Musk’s $56 billion compensation package for 2018, despite a US judge's order in January to rescind it.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, 77% of the electric carmaker's shareholders voted in favor of reinstating Musk's pay package.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick from the state of Delaware found the package "improperly granted" by the company's board in January, saying that members of the board "lacked independence" from Musk.

• Japan's central bank leaves rates unchanged as expected

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) unanimously left interest rates unchanged but indicated it may start reducing government bond purchases

The short-term interest rate was kept at between 0% and 0.1% at its June meeting, as widely expected.

But the bank said it might reduce its purchases of Japanese government bonds after its July meeting.