Morning Briefing: Sept. 12, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA)- Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including North Korea’s Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia, devastating floods in Libya killing thousands, and US rejection of presidential election in the Karabakh region.

TOP STORIES

• North Korea’s Kim reaches Russia for talks with Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday to meet President Vladimir Putin, according to media reports.

Onboard a special train, Kim reached the Russian border city of Khasan, and was on his way to the far eastern city of Ussuriysk.

The US had claimed secretive talks between Russia and North Korea were in progress about Pyongyang supplying Kremlin with munitions for its war in Ukraine.

The North Korean leader last visited Russia in 2019.

• At least 2,000 killed, thousands missing in floods in Libya

Heavy floods after a deadly storm in eastern Libya swept entire neighborhoods, killing at least 2,000 people and leaving thousands missing.

Storm Daniel ravaged eastern Libya including the city of Derna over the weekend.

Libya's top authority urged friendly countries and international aid groups to provide aid to the flood-stricken area. The country also announced three days of national mourning.

• US doesn’t recognize presidential election in Karabakh region

The US said it does not recognize the results of a presidential election held by Armenians in territories of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region.

State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller told a press briefing that the US does not recognize Karabakh as "an independent and sovereign state…’

Washington will continue to support efforts by Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve outstanding issues through direct dialogue, he added.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye is not contingent on Sweden's potential accession to NATO, but some members of the US Congress perceive a connection between the two issues, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

• Death toll from a strong earthquake in Morocco has risen to 2,854, the country’s Interior Ministry said. Around 2,562 others are injured.

• Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held talks on bilateral relations with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki during an official visit to the Horn of Africa country.

• About 100,000 children have been affected by earthquake in Morocco, according to UNICEF.

• The Biden administration is said to have granted a waiver to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds in exchange for the release of five American detainees.

• American explorer Mark Dickey rescued from a cave in southern Türkiye after falling ill last week, according to the Turkish Caving Federation (TUMAF).

• China’s Premier Li Qiang told US President Joe Biden at the G-20 summit in India that the two countries “should step up exchanges."

SPORTS

• Olympique Lyon sack head coach over poor performance

French football club Olympique Lyon dismissed their head coach Laurent Blanc due to their poor performance in the domestic league.

In a statement, Olympique Lyon said the club and Blanc "mutually" decided to part ways.

Blanc, a former France and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) head coach, was hired by Olympique Lyon in October 2022.

• Portugal hammer Luxembourg 9-0 in EURO quals

Portugal, minus Cristiano Ronaldo, thrashed Luxembourg 9-0 in a UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying group match to secure a record victory.

Group J leaders Portugal have won all six of their matches to have 18 points. They scored 24 goals but conceded none.

Portuguese players Goncalo Inacio, Goncalo Ramos and Diogo Jota scored twice each.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Around 42M people in EU struggled with energy poverty in 2022: Eurostat

Nearly one-tenth of the EU population, or 42 million people, struggled with energy poverty in 2022, according to the bloc's statistical authority.

"In 2022, 9.3% of the EU population declared that they were not able to keep their home adequately warm," Eurostat said.

Compared to a year earlier, the figure rose by 2.4 percentage points due to high energy prices.

• Fitch sees positive shift in Türkiye's outlook amid policy reforms

Fitch Ratings revised its outlook for Türkiye from "negative" to "stable" and affirmed its “B“ ratings.

The credit ratings agency in its assessment released Friday cited a return to a more conventional policy direction as the primary driver, according to Erich Arispe Morales, a senior director in Fitch Ratings' sovereigns group.

In an interview with Anadolu, Morales shared insights into Türkiye's economic outlook, highlighting several key factors that have led to a more positive assessment.