*)Hong Kong democracy activist freed from jail
Democracy activist Joshua Wong was released from prison after serving five weeks for contempt of court.

Wong, who became the face of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, vowed to join mass protests demanding that the city’s China-backed leader, Carrie Lam, steps down.

His release comes a day after organisers of the protest said almost two million black-clad people joined Sunday's march to government offices.

*)Saudi Arabia blames Iran for tanker attacks
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused arch-rival Iran of attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week.

Mohammed bin Salman said his country wouldn’t hesitate to deal with any threat but doesn’t favour war with Iran.

State Secretary Mike Pompeo says the US also doesn’t want war but will take any action to ensure vital shipping lanes in the Middle East are safe.

*)Hunt for cause of massive South America power outage begins
Authorities are still in the dark about why an interconnected grid collapsed, leaving millions powerless in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

South America’s grid connects many of the region’s largest countries.

Argentinian President Macri promised a thorough investigation into the outage, the results of which will come in 10 to 15 days.

*)Two candidates spar in Istanbul mayoral rerun debate
All eyes in Istanbul were glued to the television for a debate between the two mayoral candidates ahead of a rerun vote.

People’s Alliance candidate Binali Yildirim and National Alliance candidate Ekrem Imamoglu sparred in the first election debate in almost two decades.

Guided by the moderator’s strict rules, Imamoglu and Yildirim detailed their projects and set out questions for each other.

And finally,

*)India beat Pakistan to maintain perfect World Cup record
For such an intense rivalry, it was a lopsided contest when India and Pakistan faced off at the Cricket World Cup.

India extended its record to 7-0 against Pakistan, watched by a capacity crowd at Old Trafford and an estimated TV audience of around one billion.

India started ominously with Rohit Sharma scoring 140 from 113 deliveries and skipper Virat Kohli contributing 77 in a total of 336-5.

*)US accuses Iran of taking mine off tanker; Iran denies involvement

We start in the Gulf of Oman, where an attack on two oil tankers drove up oil prices and raised concerns of a fresh US-Iran flare-up

The US military released a video saying it shows Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing a mine from the Japanese-owned oil tanker.

*)Iran has denied involvement.

It’s not clear what befell the tankers, both of which experienced explosions, forcing crews to abandon ship.

*)Johnson tops first-round vote for British PM

Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson came on top in the first-round vote for a leader to replace Prime Minister Theresa May.

Johnson secured 114 votes, way ahead of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

The outcome could determine the conditions under which Britain will exit the European Union on October 31.

*)New Zealand mosque shooter pleads not guilty

Brenton Tarrant, the self-confessed white supremacist who gunned down 51 people at Christchurch mosque, has pleaded not guilty.

His lawyer entered not guilty pleas to terrorism, murder and attempted murder charges.

A judge has set his trial for next May.

*)Yemen rebel drones intercepted in new airport attack – coalition

Saudi Arabia said its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Military spokesman Colonel Turki al Maliki said the drones targeted Abha regional airport and the city of Khamis Mushait.

A similar attack on Wednesday on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport wounded 26 people.

*)Raptors top Warriors for 1st NBA title

And finally,

The Toronto Raptors have entered basketball history books.

They defeated two-time defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, 114-110 to claim their first ever NBA title.

Jubilant Raptors fans flooded downtown Toronto for a night of celebration.

*)Attacks violate reported Russia-Turkey ceasefire in Idlib

We begin in Syria where Turkey’s defense ministry says a Turkish observation post in Idlib province was attacked.

The shells fired from areas under the Syrian regime come after Russian media reported Turkey and Russia brokered a complete ceasefire in Idlib.

But intensive shelling by Russian-backed regime forces continued to target Idlib and Hama countrysides after midnight, according to a war monitor.

*)Two oil tankers struck in Gulf of Oman

Two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were reportedly attacked, with one adrift and on fire.

All crew members were safely evacuated and the US Navy is assisting the tankers targeted.

The possible attack comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and a high-stakes visit by Japan’s prime minister to Iran.

*)PM meets Iran supreme leader

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the last day of his unprecedented visit.

Abe earlier warned of unintended clashes in the Middle East after meeting Iranian President Hasan Rouhani.

Tensions have escalated in the Mideast with Iran apparently poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal after the US quit the agreement last year.

*)Ebola kills second patient in Uganda - health official

A 50-year-old woman who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official said.

This is the second fatality since the virus spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The woman was the grandmother of a five-year-old boy died of Ebola after crossing into Uganda with his family from the DRC.

Turkish artist goes viral with misery-comfort contrast images

And finally,

Powerful collages by Turkish artist Ugur Gallenkus have taken the internet by storm.

The juxtaposed photos show misery in war-torn countries with the comforts of the West.

He first started the project in 2016 in reaction to the photo of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian refugee who was found drowned on a Turkish beach.

Gallenkus hopes he will raise awareness of a "parallel world".

*)Protests against extradition bill paralyse Hong Kong
A massive protest forced the Hong Kong government to delay a debate on a controversial extradition bill.
Thousands of protesters took over a major downtown road and tussled with the police outside the government HQ.
The bill would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, heightening fears of greater Chinese control on the semi-autonomous territory.
*)UN Security Council condemns violence in Sudan
The United Nations Security Council has called for an immediate halt to the violence against civilians in Sudan and a resolution to the crisis.
Ethiopia’s Sudan envoy said protest leaders and the ruling generals agreed to resume talks on a handover of power to civilians.
The military council also agreed to release political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, special envoy Mahmoud Dirir said.
*)Russia frees investigative journalist Golunov
Russain authorities dropped drug charges against investigative journalist Ivan Golunov in a rare U-turn in the face of public anger.
Golunov’s supporters said he was framed for his reporting and threatened to stage a mass protest in Moscow.
Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence and the police officers involved were under investigation.
*)Ankara slams US House resolution on Turkey
Turkey slammed a US House of Representatives’ resolution outlining concerns over the relationship between Ankara and Washington.
The resolution condemned Turkey’s decision to acquire the Russian S-400 air defence system.
Turkey has said it was the United States’ refusal to sell its Patriot missile systems to Ankara that led it to seek other sellers.

*)Notre-Dame to celebrate first mass since fire
And finally,
The Notre-Dame Cathedral will host its first mass this weekend since a fire ravaged the Paris landmark two months ago.
Only 20 people are expected to take part, including priests and canons from the cathedral.
The event will be broadcasted live so as to allow Christians from all over France to participate.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Gunmen massacre at least 95 people in Mali, and Semenya makes the preliminary squad for South Africa.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, June 11th.

Gunmen massacre at least 95 people in Mali

Nearly 100 people were killed in an attack on a central Mali village, authorities said on Monday.

The massacre, targeting the Dogon community, bore the hallmarks of tit-for-tat ethnic attacks seen recently in Mali.

It comes less than three months after nearly 160 members of the Fulani ethnic community were slaughtered by a group identified as Dogon.

Syrian regime, Russian fire kills 25 civilians in Idlib

Air strikes and rocket fire by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia killed 25 people in Idlib.

War-monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven children were among the dead.

The demilitarised zone has been under deadly regime bombardment since April 30 and more than 360 civilians have been killed, the Observatory said.

Top US envoy heads to Sudan

A top US diplomat will head to Sudan this week to urge an end to a bloody crackdown on protesters demanding civilian rule.

Last week’s assault on a sit-in left dozens dead and abruptly ended talks between the ruling military and protesters on who will rule Sudan.

But Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed’s mediations could help break the deadlock.

An opposition alliance said it is ready to nominate members of a transitional council and an economist to head a government.

Court gives three life in prison in Kashmir rape case

An Indian court sentenced three men to life in prison over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in India-administered Kashmir.

The girl, who was from a Muslim nomadic community, was sexually assaulted in a temple for weeks before being tortured to death last year.

Three policemen accused of destruction of evidence in the case were given five years in prison.

Semenya in preliminary South Africa world championship team

And finally,

Olympic champion Caster Semenya has been included in South Africa’s preliminary team for this year’s world championship in Doha.

Semenya is fighting a ruling that female athletes with elevated testosterone have to take hormone suppressors to compete in certain events.

Her inclusion in the team is dependent on the outcome of her appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World ... For more, head to TRTWorld.com.

*)Four killed on first day of ‘civil disobedience’ in Sudan
A doctors’ committee linked to the protests in Sudan said four people were killed on Sunday as troops moved to quell a civil disobedience campaign.
Opposition groups had called a general strike for the start of the workweek, demanding justice and civilian rule.
Talks between protest leaders and military rulers broke down after security forces raided a sit-in, killing dozens last week.

*)Hong Kong leader signals extradition bill will go forward
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said her government will go ahead with the amendments to extradition laws despite a massive protest against them.
Thousands of people marched through Hong Kong on Sunday in what appeared to be the largest protest there in several years.
The proposed legislation allows extraditions to the Chinese mainland, heightening fears of China's reach in the semi-autonomous territory.

*)Incumbent Tokayev wins Kazakh presidential vote
Kazakhstan elected ex-President Nazarbayev’s hand-picked successor Kassym Jomart-Tokayev amid a police crackdown on opposition protesters.
The interior ministry said around 500 people were detained during the demonstrations.
The protesters claim the vote was an orchestrated handover of power from a longtime president to his chosen successor.

*)Iceland greets Turkey’s national football team with racism
“Racist”, “rude”, “disrespectful” and “offensive”. This is how players and fans described Iceland airport officials’ treatment of Turkey’s football team.
The team is in Iceland to play a Euro 2020 qualifying fixture.
The players said they were held at the airport for three hours and the entourage’s bags were searched.

And finally,
*)Nadal adds to his record with 12th title
Rafael Nadal added to his record with a 12th French Open title by beating Dominic Thiem.
Only one man in recent history, Bjorn Borg with six, has even half as many Roland Garros titles as Nadal.
Thiem, meanwhile, is still seeking his first Grand Slam title.

*)AU suspends Sudan until civilian-led authority established

The African Union has suspended Sudan until the country’s return to civilian rule.

The ruling military’s brutal crackdown on a sit-in in Khartoum killed more than 100 people, a doctors’ group said.

Protesters who have vowed to continue a campaign of civil disobedience demand a transition to civilian power and justice for the deaths.

*)British PM May quits, kicking off succession race

It is British Prime Minister Theresa May’s official last day in office today.

Her resignation kicks off the Conservative Party leadership race.

May will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen, a successor who will try where she failed to deliver Brexit which is scheduled for October 31.

*)Mexico says national guard to deploy to southern border

Mexico will deploy 6,000 guards to its border with Guatemala in a bid to stem illegal immigration, which has drawn US President Trump’s ire.

The Mexican foreign minister said talks with the United States about migration will continue on Friday.

If the two countries fail to reach an agreement, a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican goods entering the US will go into effect on Monday.

*)UAE probe of tanker attacks points to 'state actor'

Attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf point to a state actor, the UAE told the UNSC, sharing initial findings.

The May 12 attacks had targeted two Saudi tankers, an Emirati vessel and a Norwegian tanker.

The incident added to heightened tensions between Saudi ally US and Iran.

*)Women's World Cup begins in France

And finally,

The spotlight is on women's football as the eighth Women's World Cup in France begins and runs until July 7.

More than 950,000 tickets have now been sold for the tournament.

The opening match between the hosts and South Korea will be played in Paris in front of a sell-out crowd.