Morning Briefing: June 2, 2024

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Qatar, Egypt and US's joint statement on cease-fire proposal pushed by US President Joe Biden, French President Macron's call for an end to the Gaza war and his appreciation for the US proposal, and Chinese and Japanese defense chiefs discussing regional "security concerns" and tensions in Taiwan Strait.

TOP STORIES

• Qatar, Egypt, and US call on Israel, Hamas to finalize cease-fire proposal pushed by Biden

In a joint statement, Gaza cease-fire mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the US called on both Israel and Hamas to finalize an agreement embodying the principles just outlined by the US for a lasting cease-fire.

“As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, Qatar, the United States, and Egypt jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement on Saturday, citing Biden’s Friday night address on the proposed deal.

“These principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” added the statement.

• French president calls for end to Gaza war, welcomes US proposal on cease-fire

France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for an end to the Gaza war and expressed his support for US President Joe Biden’s cease-fire proposal “for durable peace.”

“The war in Gaza must end. We support the US proposal for a durable peace. Just as we are working with our partners in the region on peace and security for all,” said Macron on X in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.

“The release of the hostages, a permanent ceasefire to work towards peace and progress on the two-state solution,” he added.

• Chinese, Japanese defense chiefs discuss regional 'security concerns,' tensions in Taiwan Strait

Japanese and Chinese defense ministers met in Singapore on Saturday to discuss "many security concerns," including rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, where Beijing claims the Senkaku Islands, which Tokyo controls.

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun met for the first time since June last year on the sidelines of the annual Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Kihara said there are "many security concerns" for the two major Asian powers such as a row over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and increased joint military activities by China and Russia around Japan.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• An Israeli security delegation will head Sunday to Cairo to discuss the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza with the aim of delivering humanitarian aid to the enclave, the Israeli broadcasting authority claimed Saturday.
  
• Pro-Palestinian students are setting up tents again at New York’s Columbia University, which spearheaded university protests in support of Palestine this spring.
• The United Arab Emirates announced the dispatch of a new aid shipment to the Gaza Strip, which has been facing a severe humanitarian crisis since Israel launched a war on the enclave last October.
• Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Saturday that Cairo supports “every effort” to end the Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement.
• At least three civilians were killed Saturday, including two children, in an attack by Syrian regime forces in western Aleppo, according to local sources.
• Former South African President Jacob Zuma night urged the Electoral Commission on Saturday not to declare Wednesday's election results as yet as more than two dozen political parties have disputed the outcome.
  
• Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets Saturday across Europe, joining a wave of protests in support of Palestine amid the Israel onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
• Japan seeks to collaborate with like-minded nations to counter any unilateral attempts to change the regional status quo through force.
• Russia’s space agency said its Progress Ms-27 cargo spacecraft had successfully docked at the International Space Station.
• At least 33 Red Crescent employees have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel started its deadly war on the besieged enclave nearly eight months ago.
• Belgium denounced efforts by the Israeli Knesset to brand the UN agency for Palestinian refugees a "terrorist" group and strip it of its diplomatic immunity.
  
• A major fire burned down hundreds of shelters, shops, and other facilities in refugee camps on the southeastern coast of Bangladesh, leaving 1,200 Rohingya shelterless.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he arrived in Singapore "to hear the voice of the Asia-Pacific" ahead of an international conference on Ukraine, scheduled for June in Switzerland.
  
• Most of the exit polls Saturday hinted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance winning in the country's seven-phased general elections.
• Two thermal power plants were damaged in a Russian overnight attack, the Ukrainian energy holding DTEK said on Saturday.
• The Yemeni Houthi group launched a combination of anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones above the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Africa's largest refinery in Nigeria starts jet fuel exports to Europe

In a bid to expand the continental oil market, Africa's largest independent refiner is exporting its first jet fuel to Europe, Nigerian media reported Saturday.

A total of 45,000 metric tons of jet fuel is being transported by British Petroleum from the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria's business hub, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands aboard the Doric Breeze, said local media, quoting a report from S&P Global Commodity Insights.

SPORTS

• Real Madrid win 2024 UEFA Champions League trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund 2 - 0 in final

  Real Madrid won the 2024 UEFA Champions League trophy Saturday by blanking Borussia Dortmund 2 - 0 in the final.

  Spanish defender Dani Carvajal and Brazilian attacker Vinicius Jr. scored for Los Merengues in the 74th and 83rd minutes, respectively, at Wembley Stadium.

  Dortmund's German striker Niclas Fullkrug missed a chance for the lead by aiming his shot at the crossbar in the 23rd minute.

• Fenerbahce start official negotiations with Jose Mourinho

Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce have begun official negotiations with Manager Jose Mourinho, the Istanbul team announced on the Turkish Public Disclosure Platform.

The Yellow Canaries are rumored to be planning for the Portuguese coach to replace former Manager Ismail Kartal, with whom they parted ways on Friday.

According to the global sports media, the 61-year-old is on the verge of signing a two-year contract with the Turkish club.