June 23, 2023

*) US says Titan submersible 'imploded', killing all five on board A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, US authorities have said, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. US Coast Guard officials said during a news conference that they've notified the families of the crew of the Titan, which had been missing since Sunday. The sliver of hope that remained for finding the five men alive was wiped away early Thursday, when the submersible's 96-hour supply of oxygen was expected to run out and the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters. *) Biden defends Xi 'dictator' remark in new rebuff of China as he fetes Modi President Joe Biden has defended his harsh public comments on China, including calling President Xi Jinping a "dictator", saying his words would have no negative impact on US-China relations and that he still expects to meet with Xi sometime soon. Asked about his appraisal of Xi during a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Modi in the East Room, Biden said it "is just not something I'm going to change very much." The remarks, which drew a formal protest from China, opened a new rift just days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that was meant as a step toward stabilising ties and improving communications. *)Türkiye lambastes illegal Israeli settlers for Quran desecration Türkiye has condemned the ripping up of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, by Israeli settlers who vandalised a mosque in the town of Urif in the occupied West Bank. "We condemn the attack perpetrated by a group of Jewish settlers on our holy book, the Quran, by entering a mosque in the town of Urif, located in the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We expect the perpetrators of this