US and Saudi hold talks in Riyadh

The talks come amid warming ties between the two countries that have had disagreements on a host of issues. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following US and Saudi hold talks in Riyadh [US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Saudi officials at the King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 7, 2023.] Credit: Ahmed Yosri/Pool Photo via AP US-Saudi Arabia US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Saudi Arabia for talks. A US official said he had an "open, candid" conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a [wide range of bilateral issues](, including the situations in Yemen and Sudan. The talks come amid warming relations between the two countries that have had disagreements on a host of matters, including Iran, regional security, oil prices and human rights. Meanwhile, as Riyadh covets a better image on the international stage, in the world of sports, the PGA Tour has agreed to end its feud with Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf, with the two groups [merging parts of their operations](. The Vatican Pope Francis will be [hospitalized for several days]( after undergoing intestinal surgery under general anesthesia. He’s had a packed schedule as of late even though he’s been facing health issues recently. The 86-year-old pontiff also suffers from sciatica nerve pain and has been using a wheelchair and walker for more than a year due to strained ligaments in his knee. The Vatican recently confirmed a [busy travel schedule]( for the pope in August, including visits to Portugal and Mongolia. Canada Ongoing wildfires in Canada are continuing to [affect air quality]( across parts of the United States. The effects of hundreds of blazes burning across the western Canadian provinces to Quebec are being felt as far away as New York City and New England. Authorities in some US cities have issued alerts amid hazy conditions and smoke. People are also being urged to [stay indoors or wear masks]( when outside. Vulnerable groups include children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [A boat carrying 180 Rohingya refugees vanished. A frantic phone call helped untangle the mystery.]( [Jamal Hussein’s boat in the storm.]( Credit: Peter Hamlin/AP illustration Last year, an estimated 3,500 Rohingya Muslims boarded wooden boats and set off from Bangladesh, across hundreds of miles of dangerous waters in the Bay of Bengal, in search of starting new lives in Malaysia or Indonesia. Hundreds of them never made it. [Listen to the story]( 🎧 done by The World with exclusive content obtained by The Associated Press. [Investigation begins into India’s deadly train crash]( [People wait outside a mortuary for news of their relatives missing in Friday's train accident in Balasore, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Bhubaneswar, in the eastern state of Odisha, India, June 6, 2023.]( Credit: Rafiq Maqbool/AP ​​​​​​​On Sunday, rescue workers pulled the last survivor from the devastating crash in eastern Odisha state that has left at least 275 dead and more than a thousand injured. Relatives are now on the scene [trying to locate loved ones]( and train services on the line have resumed. Investigators are pinpointing what caused one of the deadliest crashes in India's history. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A 100-year-old World War II veteran who fought in the historic D-Day invasion is now a [viral sensation on TikTok](. Jake Larson, affectionately known online as “Papa Jake,” became famous for sharing “[Stories from a WW2 Vet.”]( He has amassed over 600,000 followers. Larson spent the week attending various demonstrations for D-Day’s 79th anniversary, memorializing the assault that freed France and Western Europe from Nazi control and meeting several of his fans along the way. [World War II veterans Jake Larson attends a ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control, at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2023.] Credit: Thomas Padilla/AP In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.