Morning Briefing: April 11, 2024

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday, including the death toll in Israeli airstrikes on a Hamas leader's family rising to seven, multiple people being shot in the city of Philadelphia during an event marking Eid al-Fitr and a Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashing over the Black Sea.

TOP STORIES

• Death toll in Israeli airstrike on Hamas leader’s family rises to 7

The death toll from an Israeli airstrike Wednesday on family members of the head of Hamas’s political bureau rose to seven, with another grandchild dying as a result of the attack.

The airstrike targeted a car in which members of the Haniyeh family were traveling in the Al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza City as they were on their way to a celebration on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, killing three of his sons and four of his grandchildren, according to a statement released by the resistance group.

The statement said Haniyeh's family members lost their lives in a "treacherous and cowardly" attack.

• Multiple people shot at event in US city of Philadelphia marking end of Ramadan

Multiple people were shot Wednesday at a gathering in the northeastern US city of Philadelphia marking the end of Ramadan, police said.

The shooting happened at the end of an event that was attended by around 1,000 people celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a holiday that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said three people were shot and five are in custody after two factions inside the park exchanged gunfire.

• Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashes over Black Sea

A Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashed over the Black Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

"On April 10 around 06:00 Moscow time (GMT0300) while performing a planned flight over the waters of the Black Sea in area of the western coast of Crimea, a Mi-24 helicopter crashed. The preliminary cause of the crash – equipment failure," the ministry said.

The fate of the crew remains unknown and rescuers are working at the site of the incident.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Describing last week's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus as a "mistake," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel "will be punished" for it.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that Spain is “ready to recognize the Palestinian state.”
• Tel Aviv is considering a proposal by the US CIA director to release 900 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas, with the condition that they be deported to another country and not be allowed to return to their homes in the Gaza Strip, local media reported.
• A hacker group claimed to have breached the Israeli Defense Ministry's computers and obtained sensitive information.
• The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that UK officials and representatives of IT and law firms were blacklisted in response to an analogous move by London.
• At least 122 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, pushing the death toll since last October to 33,482, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
• Russia on Wednesday insisted on the "urgent" implementation of last month’s UN resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the first time that a serving or former leader of the self-governed island has met with China’s top leadership in nine years, state media reported.
• The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the much-contested Migration and Asylum Pact.
• A prominent political officer of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was fatally shot in the sensitive Oromia region, local media reported Wednesday.
• An Azerbaijani soldier was injured on Wednesday by gunfire from along the border in Armenia.
• German airline Lufthansa announced Wednesday that it is suspending flights to the Iranian capital Tehran for security reasons.
• World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced Wednesday that another of its workers was gravely injured in a separate Israeli airstrike in Gaza on April 1.
• US Central Forces Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla will visit Israel on Thursday to discuss the coordination of defense plans against a possible attack by Iran and its proxies, according to a report.
• Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Wednesday that he is taking on the role of a mediator between the Venezuelan government and opposition to achieve "political peace" ahead of presidential elections on July 28.

SPORTS

• Barcelona beat Paris Saint-Germain on road in 5-goal thriller

Barcelona defeated Paris Saint-Germain in a five-goal thriller in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday.

Barcelona broke the deadlock with Raphinha in the 37th minute, but Paris Saint-Germain leveled the game with Ousmane Dembele in the 48th minute at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

The Parisians took the lead when Vitinha scored a 51st-minute goal.

• Spanish tennis player Cortes suspended for 15 years over match-fixing

Aaron Cortes has been suspended from tennis for 15 years after an anti-corruption investigation uncovered match-fixing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Wednesday.

Following a thorough investigation, Cortes, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 955 in 2017, admitted to 35 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program in 2016- 2018, including match-fixing and betting on matches, the agency said in a statement.

It added that Cortes has been fined $75,000, of which $56,250 is suspended.

• BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US stocks close lower after inflation figures

Major stock exchanges in the US closed lower Wednesday after consumer inflation figures for March came in higher than estimates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 422 points, or 1.09%, to end the day at 38,461. The S&P 500 fell 49 points, or 0.95%, to 5,160.

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, lost 136 points, or 0.84%, to 16,170.

​​​​​​​

• Latin America, Caribbean economies expected to grow at slowest rate in world

Economies in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region are expected to grow at the lowest rate among the regions of the world in 2024, the World Bank said Wednesday.

The LAC region is forecast to see its gross domestic product expand by 1.6%, followed by 2.7% and 2.6% for 2025 and 2026, respectively.

The World Bank said that although the region has made significant progress in economic stabilization in recent decades, growth has stalled and it is undermining progress.