Morning Briefing: June 8, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday, including, the aftermath of the Ukraine dam attack, worsening air quality in New York, and talks between Swedish and Turkish officials.

TOP STORIES

• Ukraine dam attack worsening disaster, says UN

Disaster from the destruction of the Kakhovka dam will probably worsen, warned a UN team that assessed the effects of the collapse of the dam.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that water levels continue to rise as villages and towns are being flooded. About 1,500 people left their homes after they were flooded, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Ukraine and Russia have traded barbs over the damage to the major dam in southern Ukraine.

• Canada's wildfire smoke shrouds New York City

Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada enveloped the US's largest city of New York on Wednesday, as millions of residents were instructed to stay indoors and limit outdoor exposure.

Thick, yellow smoke blanketed the city after the air quality index hit 218 a night earlier before moderating slightly to 174 on Wednesday morning.

Canada has been battling wildfires since the beginning of May, with more than 400 active fires, according to authorities. Over 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

• Concrete steps needed for progress on Stockholm's NATO bid, Türkiye tells Sweden

The foreign ministers of Türkiye and Sweden agreed to hold more talks after a permanent joint mechanism meeting between the two countries.

Türkiye's Hakan Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom in a phone call that concrete steps are needed to make progress on Sweden's bid to join NATO.

Though Türkiye approved Finland's NATO membership after it applied with Sweden, it is waiting for Stockholm to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed last June in Madrid to address Ankara's security concerns.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Former US President Donald Trump was notified that he is the target of an ongoing investigation regarding his handling of classified information while out of office, according to a report.

• The EU and Türkiye must boost contacts at all levels with a concrete and positive agenda for Türkiye's full EU membership, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel.

• China warned that if the EU decides to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei, it would be a "brazen" violation of the EU's claims of free trade and fair competition.

• The US' largest advocacy group for Muslims, CAIR, urged leaders of Congress to cancel Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address in June.

• Pope Francis underwent surgery in his abdomen to remove a hernia and emerged from the three-hour procedure with "no complications," said doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

• Kenya's Shakahola forest, where mass graves connected to a starvation cult were found, will be transformed into a national memorial, said the government, as the death toll climbs to 251.

• The first meeting of the Pakistan-China-Iran trilateral consultation on counterterrorism and security was held in Beijing, said China's Foreign Ministry.

• Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell 31% from January to May compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the National Institute for Space Research.

SPORTS

• Lionel Messi to join MLS club Inter Miami

Lionel Messi will join Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, the US team confirmed in a Twitter video.

The 35-year-old 2022 FIFA World Cup winner joined Paris Saint-German in 2021 and will leave the French powerhouse when his contract expires on June 30.

On Saturday, Messi, Ballon d'Or winner, played his final game with PSG as he bid farewell to the club.

• West Ham United win Europa Conference League final

England's West Ham United won the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League title after beating Italy's Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague.

West Ham's English forward Jarrod Bowen latched on to a through ball to score the winner in the 90th minute, making it 2-1. Lucas Paqueta made the assist. Bowen, 26, was named the player of the match.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• Bank of Canada raises interest rates by 25 basis points

The Bank of Canada hiked interest rates by 25 basis points, as the central bank continues its policy of quantitative tightening.

"Globally, consumer price inflation is coming down, largely reflecting lower energy prices compared to a year ago, but underlying inflation remains stubbornly high," the bank said in a statement.

• Tech firms laid off 200,000 workers this year: Tracker

Technology firms laid off around 200,000 workers in the first five months of 2023 due to risks of a global recession caused by higher interest rates and falling ad revenues, according to data compiled by Anadolu from website tracking layoffs.

Most of the layoffs came at US tech companies, such as Google's parent Alphabet, followed by Meta, formerly known as Facebook, Microsoft, and e-commerce firm Amazon.