ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including Canada, Australia, Norway and the UK sanctioning far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers, Gaza’s death toll nearing 55,000 as Israeli forces kill another 54 Palestinians amid an ongoing genocide, and US President Donald Trump saying the National Guard will stay in Los Angeles "until there’s no danger.”

TOP STORIES

• Canada, along with Australia, Norway, and UK, sanctions far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers

Canada, jointly with Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the UK, issued sanctions and other measures against two far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers "for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank."

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s national security minister and finance minister respectively, “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights," said the joint statement, stressing that "extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous."

Calling Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's actions unacceptable, the statement noted that the allies "have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity."

• Gaza death toll close to 55,000 as Israel kills 54 Palestinians amid ongoing genocide

At least 54,981 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, said the Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said that 54 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours while 305 people were injured, taking the total number of injuries in the Israeli onslaught to 126,920.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads, as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

• Trump says National Guard will stay in Los Angeles 'until there’s no danger,' but says violence has stopped

US President Donald Trump maintained that his controversial deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles remains open-ended despite the ongoing objections of California's governor even while suggesting that his actions have already "stopped the violence" there.

Trump decided to deploy the National Guard over the week, defying objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who have warned that the action only serves to inflame tensions caused by the president's mass deportation raids.

Roughly 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 US Marines have been deployed under Trump's orders.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Trade talks between China and the US continued for a second day in the UK, in hopes of resolving longstanding tariff disputes between the world's two largest economies.
• The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Moscow and Kyiv completed the second round of the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) under an agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this month.
• The death toll from a school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz has risen to 10, including seven students, one teacher, and the suspected gunman, according to local police.
• The European Union proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia, particularly targeting oil exports and the banking sector, as Moscow's war on Ukraine continues.
• More than 300 UK Foreign Office staff who expressed concern about potential British complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza were told they could resign if they fundamentally disagreed with government policy.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it is his responsibility to lead negotiations with Russia on territorial matters, stressing that Ukraine’s sovereignty is not up for discussion by intermediaries.
• At least two police officers and five civilians were killed in 17 bomb and car bomb attacks that struck the Cauca and Valle del Cauca regions in southwestern Colombia, officials said, adding that 36 people were injured, with 22 being taken to various hospitals and clinics.
• The World Food Program (WFP) called on the international community to urgently boost support for Sudan, where a civil war has continued since 2023, warning that famine is looming in several areas and basic humanitarian operations are on the brink due to severe funding shortfalls.
• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared an overnight curfew in the heart of the city in a bid to prevent another night of clashes between protesters opposed to US President Donald Trump's ongoing immigration raids and security forces.
• Nine people were confirmed dead while three school children survived after heavy floods swept away a minibus in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province.
• The Trump administration is planning to send up to 9,000 undocumented migrants to the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as early as this week.
• Forty-one Israeli soldiers announced that they will not continue their military service, describing the ongoing genocide in Gaza as a war fought to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political survival rather than to secure Israel or rescue hostages.
• The US Senate’s top Democrat decried President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard in response to immigration protests in Los Angeles, California.

SPORTS

• Man City boss Pep Guardiola expresses solidarity with children of Gaza

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed solidarity with the children of Gaza, voicing profound concern over Israel's genocidal war in the enclave that has claimed more than 54,000 lives since October 2023 and rendered the territory uninhabitable.

Guardiola received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester in a ceremony in recognition of his contributions to the city both on and off the pitch.

During his acceptance speech, he said it is deeply painful to witness what is happening in Gaza, that it hurts his whole body, and emphasized that it’s not about ideology.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• China, US agree on plan to ease trade tensions after talks in London

China and the US have agreed on a framework and implementation plan after two days of trade talks in the UK, said China’s top trade envoy Li Chenggang.

“The two sides agreed, in principle, the framework for implementing the consensus of the two heads of state in their firm call on the 5th of June, as well as the consensus of the meeting in Geneva,” Li told journalists in London.

He said both sides will report back to their leaders on the talks and the framework reached in the UK.

• IMF pays 1st official visit to Syria since 2009

Officials from the International Monetary Fund visited Syria's capital Damascus on June 1-5 to assess economic and financial conditions and discuss with authorities their economic policy and capacity-building priorities to support the recovery of the country’s economy.

The visit marked the first official visit of IMF staff to Syria since 2009 – before the country’s 13-year civil war – according to a statement by the Fund.

"Amidst enormous challenges, the Syrian authorities are determined to rehabilitate Syria’s economy. In the near term, it is critical to restore public confidence and macro-economic stability through the pursuit of sound fiscal and monetary policies and create conditions for the private sector to lead Syria’s development and growth," the IMF said.