Morning Briefing: June 3, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including a report by an NGO that 80 Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israel since Oct. 7, Ukraine’s president thanking the US defense secretary for granting permission to strike Russia with US weapons, Russia claiming that it took control of Umanske village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and South Korea mulling countermeasures after North Korea allegedly sent 720 more trash-carrying balloons.

TOP STORIES

• 80 Palestinian journalists detained by Israel since Oct. 7: NGO

Israel has detained 80 Palestinian journalists since the start of its onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 last year, a local nongovernmental organization said.

Some 49 journalists remain in Israeli custody, including four women reporters, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement.

“The occupation authorities escalated their policy of arresting journalists, alongside threats, physical assaults and ongoing legal proceedings,” it added.

• Ukraine’s Zelenskyy thanks US defense chief for permission to strike Russia with US weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore for Washington’s recent decision to allow Kyiv to use American weapons against Russia.

“The Head of State expressed gratitude for the adoption of an important decision by the US Presidential Administration to allow limited strikes with American weapons on the territory of Russia to effectively counter Russia's attempts to expand the combat zone,” said a Ukrainian presidential statement following bilateral talks between Zelenskyy and Austin.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference in Prague that his country approved Ukraine’s request to use US-supplied weapons to conduct strikes in Russian territory on the condition that these strikes will be limited to the border areas of Kharkiv, where Russian forces entered in early May and have since advanced.

• Russia claims it took control of Umanske village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Russia claimed that its troops took control of the village of Umanske in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said the village, located about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the city of Pokrovsk, one of the most active sections of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, was captured by units of the “center group of troops.”

The statement claimed that Russian troops took “more advantageous positions” and defeated Ukrainian troops near the settlements of Urozhaine, Staromaiorske and Vodyane, also located in Donetsk.

• South Korea mulling countermeasures after North Korea allegedly sent 720 more trash-carrying balloons

South Korea said it is considering countermeasures after North Korea allegedly sent around 720 more balloons carrying trash across the border and continued to jam GPS signals for five straight days, the country’s military said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected 720 balloons that floated across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas and fell in different parts of the country between 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday local time, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

The balloons, like the previous ones, carried a variety of trash, including cigarette butts, paper and plastic bags.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least 10 people have died and five others are missing from severe flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka due to heavy rainfall.
• Former US President Donald Trump has joined TikTok, the popular short video platform, despite his attempts to ban the app during his presidency.
• Delegates from Egypt, Israel and the US concluded their discussions on the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, with Cairo insisting on Israeli withdrawal from the terminal to reopen it.
• Nearly 100 million Mexicans are heading to the polls in what is being dubbed the biggest election in the nation’s history as they choose their next president and reshape Mexico’s political landscape.
• At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting two houses in Gaza City.
• At least 33 poll personnel died due to a heat wave during the last phase of India’s general elections.
• Iraq welcomed a Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.
• The Israeli army detained at least 10 Palestinians from areas across the occupied West Bank.
• Qatar condemned Israel's attempt to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and classify it as a "terrorist organization.”
• More than 120 bodies of Palestinians were recovered from the rubble two days after Israeli forces left the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
• Seven people were injured when an apartment building collapsed in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, with two people still trapped under the rubble, a local governor said.
• US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its forces destroyed Yemeni Houthi targets in the Red Sea.

SPORTS

• Jose Mourinho unveiled as Fenerbahce's new head coach

Renowned head coach Jose Mourinho met the fans of his new team, Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce.

The Portuguese head coach signed an official contract with the Yellow Canaries in front of fans at Ulker Stadium with club president Ali Koc and then signed a Fenerbahce jersey with several fans selected from the crowd.

Koc described him as a living legend, one of the five best managers alive, and said they set as their first goal to win the Super Lig championship.

• Real Madrid and Germany’s midfield maestro Toni Kroos decides to bow out after EURO 2024

Toni Kroos, the German 2014 FIFA World Cup champion and world-class midfielder known for his pinpoint passing, crossing skills and creativity, will end his illustrious career this summer after competing in the UEFA EURO 2024 on home soil.

Kroos, 34, whose career is full of titles, confirmed this month that he will soon leave the sport.

The German star has won numerous titles during his time at Bayern Munich and a decade-long stint at Real Madrid.