Manbij roadmap

Turkey and the US have drawn up a roadmap that will allow people forced out of Manbij by the YPG to return home.

Turkey’s foreign minister outlined the plan after meetings in Washington, and said it should take less than six months to implement.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said they agreed the first step is to rid the northern Syrian region of the terror group.

Ankara and Washington have been at loggerheads over US support for the SDF, a Syrian opposition group dominated by the YPG, which is linked to the PKK terrorist organisation.

Raqqa's destruction

Staying in Syria - Amnesty International says it's possible that the US-led coalition's operation last year to drive Daesh out of its de facto capital Raqqa may have broken international law.

US air strikes and fighting on the ground caused massive destruction of the city, laying waste to entire districts.

Amnesty says the US-led coalition failed to take proper precautions to protect civilians.

The battle for Raqqa was spearheaded by the US-backed SDF, the same group that is causing problems in Manbij.

Qatar blockade

Exactly a year ago today, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt launched a blockade of Qatar.

They accused their neighbour of supporting terrorists, being too close to Iran and destabilising the region.

But due to support from Turkey and Qatar deepening its relationship with Iran, the tiny but cash-rich Gulf state has so far weathered the storm.

Qatar says the blockade is a politically motivated attempt to undermine its sovereignty.

And as the crisis enters its second year, no resolution is in sight.

Guatemala volcano

The death toll in the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano has risen to at least 69.

Burning ash and mud that engulfed villages on the volcano's flanks since Sunday has left many victims unrecognisable.

A lack of electricity in the most heavily hit zone is also creating havoc for search and rescue teams, with the crisis far from over.

World Environment Day

And finally,

It's World Environment Day and the UN is mulling a global call to ban plastic bags. But they're only part of the problem.

The UN says just 9 percent of the 9 billion tonnes of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled. And it's become a global nightmare of rubbish and environmental destruction, not only on land, but at sea.

The only good news is that the UN says many countries are trying to do the right thing. But the obstacles to ending plastic pollution are enormous, and much more needs to be done.

Manbij roadmap

Turkey and the US have drawn up a roadmap that will allow people forced out of Manbij by the YPG to return home.

Turkey’s foreign minister outlined the plan after meetings in Washington, and said it should take less than six months to implement.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said they agreed the first step is to rid the northern Syrian region of the terror group.

Ankara and Washington have been at loggerheads over US support for the SDF, a Syrian opposition group dominated by the YPG, which is linked to the PKK terrorist organisation.

Raqqa's destruction

Staying in Syria - Amnesty International says it's possible that the US-led coalition's operation last year to drive Daesh out of its de facto capital Raqqa may have broken international law.

US air strikes and fighting on the ground caused massive destruction of the city, laying waste to entire districts.

Amnesty says the US-led coalition failed to take proper precautions to protect civilians.

The battle for Raqqa was spearheaded by the US-backed SDF, the same group that is causing problems in Manbij.

Qatar blockade

Exactly a year ago today, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt launched a blockade of Qatar.

They accused their neighbour of supporting terrorists, being too close to Iran and destabilising the region.

But due to support from Turkey and Qatar deepening its relationship with Iran, the tiny but cash-rich Gulf state has so far weathered the storm.

Qatar says the blockade is a politically motivated attempt to undermine its sovereignty.

And as the crisis enters its second year, no resolution is in sight.

Guatemala volcano

The death toll in the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano has risen to at least 69.

Burning ash and mud that engulfed villages on the volcano's flanks since Sunday has left many victims unrecognisable.

A lack of electricity in the most heavily hit zone is also creating havoc for search and rescue teams, with the crisis far from over.

World Environment Day

And finally,

It's World Environment Day and the UN is mulling a global call to ban plastic bags. But they're only part of the problem.

The UN says just 9 percent of the 9 billion tonnes of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled. And it's become a global nightmare of rubbish and environmental destruction, not only on land, but at sea.

The only good news is that the UN says many countries are trying to do the right thing. But the obstacles to ending plastic pollution are enormous, and much more needs to be done.

Guatemala volcano

At least 25 people have been killed and nearly 300 injured in the most violent eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano in over four decades.

The volcano's name means "fire" in English.

It spewed an 8-kilometre stream of red hot lava and belched smoke and ash that rained onto the capital Guatamala City and nearby regions.

Officials say they have evacuated over 3,000 people so far as the eruptions continue.

Kabul blast

At least eight people were killed in an explosion that hit near a gathering of clerics in the Afghan capital on Monday.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which was carried out by a suicide bomber.

The clerics had issued a religious decree condemning suicide attacks as a sin against God.

Jordan protests

Speculation is mounting in Jordan that King Abdullah will ask Prime Minister Hani Mulki to step down.

The king was reported to be meeting Mulki on Monday as anti-austerity protests looked to enter a fifth day.

The protests are the biggest to hit the kingdom in years. People are angry at government tax increases recommended by the IMF to cut rising public debt.

Tianamen anniversary

June 4 is the 29th anniversary of the Chinese government's crackdown on nationwide pro-democratisation protests.

The 1989 crackdown after weeks of student and worker-led demonstrations killed hundreds if not thousands, with the biggest protests on Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing.

On the eve of the anniversary, mothers of victims and the US both called for China to come clean about the death toll and open up the incident to public discussion.

Avoiding chemo

And finally,

Good news for women. A new study suggests less of a need for chemotherapy to combat breast cancer.

US researchers found that some 70 percent of women with early-stage breast cancer and an intermediate risk of cancer recurrence can safely skip chemotherapy after their tumors have been removed.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. It causes over half a million deaths each year, with almost 2 million new cases reported every year.

Guatemala volcano

At least 25 people have been killed and nearly 300 injured in the most violent eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano in over four decades.

The volcano's name means "fire" in English.

It spewed an 8-kilometre stream of red hot lava and belched smoke and ash that rained onto the capital Guatamala City and nearby regions.

Officials say they have evacuated over 3,000 people so far as the eruptions continue.

Kabul blast

At least eight people were killed in an explosion that hit near a gathering of clerics in the Afghan capital on Monday.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which was carried out by a suicide bomber.

The clerics had issued a religious decree condemning suicide attacks as a sin against God.

Jordan protests

Speculation is mounting in Jordan that King Abdullah will ask Prime Minister Hani Mulki to step down.

The king was reported to be meeting Mulki on Monday as anti-austerity protests looked to enter a fifth day.

The protests are the biggest to hit the kingdom in years. People are angry at government tax increases recommended by the IMF to cut rising public debt.

Tianamen anniversary

June 4 is the 29th anniversary of the Chinese government's crackdown on nationwide pro-democratisation protests.

The 1989 crackdown after weeks of student and worker-led demonstrations killed hundreds if not thousands, with the biggest protests on Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing.

On the eve of the anniversary, mothers of victims and the US both called for China to come clean about the death toll and open up the incident to public discussion.

Avoiding chemo

And finally,

Good news for women. A new study suggests less of a need for chemotherapy to combat breast cancer.

US researchers found that some 70 percent of women with early-stage breast cancer and an intermediate risk of cancer recurrence can safely skip chemotherapy after their tumors have been removed.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. It causes over half a million deaths each year, with almost 2 million new cases reported every year.

US tariffs

Fears of a trade war among the world's largest economies looms large as major US allies announced retaliation against steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect on Friday.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

Canada and Mexico have already hit back, and the EU is expected to follow suit.

USA-DPRK

A top aide to Kim Jong-un visits Washington on Friday to hand a letter from the North Korean leader to President Donald Trump.

Kim Yong-chol is the highest-ranking DPRK official to visit the US in 18 years. He's there as both sides scramble to salvage the on-again off-again Kim-Trump summit.

If it does go ahead, it’s expected to be in Singapore, with ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons top of the agenda.

Gaza protests

Palestinian Right of Return protests on the Gaza-Israel border are expected to continue today.

Organisers say the demonstrations will go ahead despite an upsurge in violence earlier this week followed by an unofficial ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli military.

Israeli troops have so far killed at least 115 Palestinians and wounded more than 13,000 people, including 3,600 by live ammunition, since the rolling protests began on March 30.

Spanish PM

Socialist Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain's prime minister on Friday, after outgoing leader Mariano Rajoy lost a parliamentary confidence vote.

The vote was triggered by a long-running corruption trial involving members of Rajoy's centre-right People's Party.

Sanchez is Spain's seventh prime minister since the country returned to democracy in the late 1970s following the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Spelling bee

And finally,

Karthik Nemmani of McKinney, Texas, has won the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking home a $40,000 cash prize.

The 14-year-old went head-to-head with fellow Texan 12-year old Naysa Modi before winning with the word "koinonia," which means ‘fellowship of believers’. We all knew that, didn't we!?

Modi had already misspelled "bewusstseinslage," which, apparently, is a ‘state of consciousness’ or ‘a feeling devoid of sensory components’.

We're not sure, and please don't ever ask us to spell it.

US tariffs

Fears of a trade war among the world's largest economies looms large as major US allies announced retaliation against steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect on Friday.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

Canada and Mexico have already hit back, and the EU is expected to follow suit.

USA-DPRK

A top aide to Kim Jong-un visits Washington on Friday to hand a letter from the North Korean leader to President Donald Trump.

Kim Yong-chol is the highest-ranking DPRK official to visit the US in 18 years. He's there as both sides scramble to salvage the on-again off-again Kim-Trump summit.

If it does go ahead, it’s expected to be in Singapore, with ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons top of the agenda.

Gaza protests

Palestinian Right of Return protests on the Gaza-Israel border are expected to continue today.

Organisers say the demonstrations will go ahead despite an upsurge in violence earlier this week followed by an unofficial ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli military.

Israeli troops have so far killed at least 115 Palestinians and wounded more than 13,000 people, including 3,600 by live ammunition, since the rolling protests began on March 30.

Spanish PM

Socialist Pedro Sanchez took over as Spain's prime minister on Friday, after outgoing leader Mariano Rajoy lost a parliamentary confidence vote.

The vote was triggered by a long-running corruption trial involving members of Rajoy's centre-right People's Party.

Sanchez is Spain's seventh prime minister since the country returned to democracy in the late 1970s following the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Spelling bee

And finally,

Karthik Nemmani of McKinney, Texas, has won the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking home a $40,000 cash prize.

The 14-year-old went head-to-head with fellow Texan 12-year old Naysa Modi before winning with the word "koinonia," which means ‘fellowship of believers’. We all knew that, didn't we!?

Modi had already misspelled "bewusstseinslage," which, apparently, is a ‘state of consciousness’ or ‘a feeling devoid of sensory components’.

We're not sure, and please don't ever ask us to spell it.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, May 31st.

USA-DPRK

Kim Jong-un's so-called "right-hand man" -- Kim Yong-chol -- is in the US, meeting top officials as the two sides attempt to revive a summit meeting between North Korea's leader and President Donald Trump.

Trump cancelled the summit last week, but now appears to have changed his mind.

Whether the meeting goes ahead is one thing. Whether it achieves anything is another. But the stakes are high, with freeing the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons the ultimate goal.

Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has shocked the football world, announcing he is leaving the newly crowned European champions.

"I think it’s the moment, both for me, the team and the club," the former French superstar said. "I had to do this for everyone."

Zidane won nine major honours at Real, but the 45-year-old’s crowning glory came last Saturday as he lifted the European Cup as coach for an unprecedented third staight time.

Nipah virus

An outbreak of the brain-damaging Nipah virus has killed at least 15 people in India.

So far seventeen cases have been reported, all of them in Kerala state.

However several other Indian states are testing people who've reported Nipah-like symptoms in the past few days.

Weinstein indicted

A grand jury in the US has indicted Harvey Weinstein on rape and sex crime charges, as prosecutors try to bring the disgraced Hollywood mogul to trial for alleged sex crimes.

The 66-year-old was initially charged last week in what was hailed as a landmark for the #MeToo movement. The charges came nearly eight months after his career imploded in a blaze of accusations of misconduct.

Weinstein's lawyer says he denies the allegations and intends to plead not guilty.

Resurrected journalist

And finally,

Fake news now has to deal with fake deaths.

"Murdered" anti-Kremlin journalist Arkady Babchenko appeared alive and well at a press conference -- called to discuss his death.

Ukraine says it faked Babchenko's death to expose an alleged Russian plot to kill him. Moscow dismissed the claims as propaganda.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders denounced the ruse as a "pathetic stunt," warning of the dangers of playing with the truth.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, May 31st.

USA-DPRK

Kim Jong-un's so-called "right-hand man" -- Kim Yong-chol -- is in the US, meeting top officials as the two sides attempt to revive a summit meeting between North Korea's leader and President Donald Trump.

Trump cancelled the summit last week, but now appears to have changed his mind.

Whether the meeting goes ahead is one thing. Whether it achieves anything is another. But the stakes are high, with freeing the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons the ultimate goal.

Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has shocked the football world, announcing he is leaving the newly crowned European champions.

"I think it’s the moment, both for me, the team and the club," the former French superstar said. "I had to do this for everyone."

Zidane won nine major honours at Real, but the 45-year-old’s crowning glory came last Saturday as he lifted the European Cup as coach for an unprecedented third staight time.

Nipah virus

An outbreak of the brain-damaging Nipah virus has killed at least 15 people in India.

So far seventeen cases have been reported, all of them in Kerala state.

However several other Indian states are testing people who've reported Nipah-like symptoms in the past few days.

Weinstein indicted

A grand jury in the US has indicted Harvey Weinstein on rape and sex crime charges, as prosecutors try to bring the disgraced Hollywood mogul to trial for alleged sex crimes.

The 66-year-old was initially charged last week in what was hailed as a landmark for the #MeToo movement. The charges came nearly eight months after his career imploded in a blaze of accusations of misconduct.

Weinstein's lawyer says he denies the allegations and intends to plead not guilty.

Resurrected journalist

And finally,

Fake news now has to deal with fake deaths.

"Murdered" anti-Kremlin journalist Arkady Babchenko appeared alive and well at a press conference -- called to discuss his death.

Ukraine says it faked Babchenko's death to expose an alleged Russian plot to kill him. Moscow dismissed the claims as propaganda.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders denounced the ruse as a "pathetic stunt," warning of the dangers of playing with the truth.

Israel Hamas

Israel says it hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip overnight. The raids followed a mortar barrage on Tuesday fired from Gaza.

Early on Wednesday, Gaza's governing Hamas says it agreed a ceasefire with the Israeli military, but Israel denies this.

The upsurge in violence in the region follows weeks of mass Palestinian protests along the Gaza border with Israel.

Israeli forces have killed over 120 demonstrators demanding the right to return to their homes in what is Israel today.

Kabul attack

Militants launched a suicide and armed assault on the interior ministy in Kabul on Wednesday. It was the latest in a series of attacks by anti-government forces in the Afghan capital.

The Kabul chief of police later said fighting ended after about an hour, with all the assailants killed by security forces.

There was no immediate word on casualties, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Taliban and Daesh attacks in Kabul this year have killed and wounded hundreds of people.

Snap elections?

Last-ditch efforts to form a government in Italy show little sign of succeeding with a snap election now looking likely.

Former IMF official Carlo Cottarelli met President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday for informal talks. But the prime minister-designate has so far been unable to form a government.

Instead, major parties are calling for fresh elections, possibly in July.

The chaos in Italy is spilling into Europe and global markets, as investors fear a new vote could become a de facto referendum on the euro.

Kashmir ceasefire

Pakistan and India have agreed to restore a 2003 ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region, after several soldiers and civilians died this month in an uptick in violence.

The agreement was reached during a phone call between the Pakistan and Indian militaries.

The two countries were partitioned in 1947 and have been fighting over Kashmir ever since.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers from both sides have been killed and wounded in clashes along the Line of Control separating the two sides.

Journalist murdered

And finally,

A prominent Russian journalist has been shot dead in the capital of Ukraine - Kiev.

Arkady Babchenko moved to Ukraine last year after receiving death threats in Russia over a Facebook post, in which he criticised the Russian government.

Police have suggested his murder was due to what they called his 'professional activities.'

Ukraine's foreign minister has suggested Moscow was behind his death, but also said it was too early to be sure.

Israel Hamas

Israel says it hit dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip overnight. The raids followed a mortar barrage on Tuesday fired from Gaza.

Early on Wednesday, Gaza's governing Hamas says it agreed a ceasefire with the Israeli military, but Israel denies this.

The upsurge in violence in the region follows weeks of mass Palestinian protests along the Gaza border with Israel.

Israeli forces have killed over 120 demonstrators demanding the right to return to their homes in what is Israel today.

Kabul attack

Militants launched a suicide and armed assault on the interior ministy in Kabul on Wednesday. It was the latest in a series of attacks by anti-government forces in the Afghan capital.

The Kabul chief of police later said fighting ended after about an hour, with all the assailants killed by security forces.

There was no immediate word on casualties, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Taliban and Daesh attacks in Kabul this year have killed and wounded hundreds of people.

Snap elections?

Last-ditch efforts to form a government in Italy show little sign of succeeding with a snap election now looking likely.

Former IMF official Carlo Cottarelli met President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday for informal talks. But the prime minister-designate has so far been unable to form a government.

Instead, major parties are calling for fresh elections, possibly in July.

The chaos in Italy is spilling into Europe and global markets, as investors fear a new vote could become a de facto referendum on the euro.

Kashmir ceasefire

Pakistan and India have agreed to restore a 2003 ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region, after several soldiers and civilians died this month in an uptick in violence.

The agreement was reached during a phone call between the Pakistan and Indian militaries.

The two countries were partitioned in 1947 and have been fighting over Kashmir ever since.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers from both sides have been killed and wounded in clashes along the Line of Control separating the two sides.

Journalist murdered

And finally,

A prominent Russian journalist has been shot dead in the capital of Ukraine - Kiev.

Arkady Babchenko moved to Ukraine last year after receiving death threats in Russia over a Facebook post, in which he criticised the Russian government.

Police have suggested his murder was due to what they called his 'professional activities.'

Ukraine's foreign minister has suggested Moscow was behind his death, but also said it was too early to be sure.