Morning Briefing: April 13, 2024

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Saturday, including US President Joe Biden's warning to Iran against attacking Israel amid an expected retaliation for a consulate bombing, journalists being injured in an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in central Gaza Strip and the UN being "very worried" about potential escalation amid the Iran-Israel rift.

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• Biden warns Iran against attacking Israel amid expected retaliation for consulate bombing

US President Joe Biden warned Iran against attacking Israel amid expectations that Tehran will soon carry out a reprisal for the bombing of its consulate in Syria earlier this month.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help to defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed," Biden told reporters as he concluded virtual remarks to a civil rights group.

Israel is on high alert amid Iran's public vow to attack Israeli targets in retaliation for the April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic facility in the Syrian capital. The strike killed at least seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two top generals.

• Journalists injured in Israeli attack on refugee camp in central Gaza Strip

Several journalists were injured Friday in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Medical sources told Anadolu that among the injured was photojournalist Sami Shehadeh whose right foot was amputated and he sustained various wounds throughout his body.

A correspondent for the Türkiye’s public broadcaster, TRT Arabi, was slightly injured in the attack, said sources at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

They said another journalist, Muhammad Al-Sawalhi, was injured after shrapnel hit his right hand in another Israeli artillery shelling in the area.

At least 140 journalists have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, according to data from the Gaza government media office.

• UN ‘very worried’ over potential escalation amid Iran-Israel rift

The UN expressed worry about heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.

"It's something he (Secretary-General Antonio Guterres) is following very closely. We're very worried about a potential escalation in a situation that seems to be escalating on a daily basis," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Noting that the UN does not have "inside information on any potential military activities by any of the parties in the region," on behalf of the UN, Dujarric urged Tehran "to avoid any escalation and to work towards de-escalation of the tensions."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• France urged its citizens to refrain "absolutely from traveling" to Iran, Lebanon, Israel or Palestinian territories in the coming days because of risks of a military escalation, according to its Foreign Ministry.
• The UK advised its citizens to avoid travel to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories because of the “possibility of an attack on Israeli territory from Iran,” said its Foreign Office.
• Austrian Airlines announced that it would halt all flights from Vienna to Tehran until April 18 because of increasing tensions in the region, according to the Austrian newspaper, Kurier.
• Canada advised its citizens to avoid “all travel” to Israel and the West Bank regions due to the “heightened risk of attack on Israeli territory.”
• The US and the UK introduced new measures aimed at disrupting Russia's income generated from exporting metals.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will pay the price for its oppression in Gaza.
• Iran's threat to carry out a retaliatory attack on Israel in reprisal for the bombing of its consulate in Syria is "very credible," according to the White House.
• The UN urged a "transparent and credible" investigation into the Israeli attack on a team from TRT Arabi, the Arabic television channel of the Turkish public broadcaster, TRT, in Gaza.
• A barrage of rockets was launched from southern Lebanon toward Galilee in northern Israel, said an Israeli media outlet.
• Russia said it carried out a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
• At least 89 more Palestinians were killed and 120 injured in the last 24 hours as Israel continues its onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the territory's Health Ministry said.
• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant met US Central Command head Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla at the Hatzor Airbase in Israel to discuss readiness for a possible Iranian attack on Israel, the ministry said in a statement.
• Norway’s Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol resigned after she was stripped of her master's thesis in Health Management by a Norwegian university, according to media reports.
• Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli died in Florence, the company founded by Cavalli announced. He was 83.

SPORTS

• Formula 1 announces 2025 calendar

Formula 1 unveiled its 2025 calendar on its website.

The 2025 season, which will see 24 races, will start with the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, and will end Dec. 7 in Abu Dhabi.

F1 said next year's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will be run in April as Ramadan will be observed throughout March.

• English Premier League clubs spent more than half a billion dollars on football agents

In the 12 months to February, English Premier League clubs shelled out more than a half billion dollars -- £409.5 million ($509.8 million) -- on football agents and intermediaries, the English Football Association confirmed.

In a report, the FA said Chelsea led spending on agents' fees as the Blues paid a cool £75.1 million ($93.4 million).

Last August, Chelsea signed Brighton's Ecuadoran midfielder Moises Caicedo for a British-record fee of £115 million on an eight-year contract, Sky Sports reported. The fee could raise Chelsea's payments for agents in this period.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Kristalina Georgieva selected for 2nd term as IMF managing director

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) selected Kristalina Georgieva to serve a second five-year term as managing director, starting Oct. 1.

"In taking this decision, the Board commended Ms. Georgieva’s strong and agile leadership during her term, navigating a series of major global shocks," it said in a statement.

Georgieva was the only candidate in a leadership search.

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• Argentina's annual inflation climbs to record of nearly 288%

Argentina's annual consumer inflation in March climbed to a record high of nearly 288%, according to data.

The consumer price index (CPI) in March jumped 11% from the previous month, following a gain of 13.2% in February.

The CPI saw an increase of 51.6% in the first quarter, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses wrote on X.