Morning Briefing: Aug. 1, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday with, including, a Russian missile attack on Ukraine, meeting between the Taliban and a US delegation, and delay of vote for Sweden’s NATO bid in Hungarian parliament.

TOP STORIES

• Russian missiles kill 6, injure dozens in Ukraine

Russia continued its missile strikes on Ukraine, killing at least six people and injuring 69 on Monday as it hit the city of Kryvyi Rih in southeastern Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.

The fatalities include a child, said the presidential office. The missile strike had hit a high-rise building and an educational institution.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the ‘terror will not frighten us or break us’ as Russian officials have yet to comment on the strikes.

• US officials meet Taliban leaders in Qatar

A delegation of US officials met Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar in a first official meeting since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan almost two years ago.

According to the State Department, the US officials urged Afghanistan’s rulers "to reverse policies responsible for the deteriorating human rights situation.”

US officials took note of recent data indicating declining inflation, growth of merchandise exports and imports in Afghanistan in 2023.

Acknowledging that there has been a decrease in large-scale terrorist attacks against Afghan civilians, the delegation urged for the release of its citizens.

• Vote on Sweden’s NATO bid delayed in Hungarian parliament

A vote in Hungary’s parliament to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO was adjourned due to the absence of ruling party lawmakers, local media reported Monday.

The move was postponed after members of the ruling party, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, did not attend the meeting.

Addressing the session, opposition lawmakers criticized ruling party members over their absence at the session, added the report.

Last week, Hungary said it would back Türkiye's decision on Sweden's bid to join NATO.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Ex-US President Donald Trump said Monday that he expects to be indicted by a federal grand jury "any day now" on charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

• Denmark said Monday it has noted the latest declaration by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) following a recent string of public desecrations of the Quran, saying it will continue close dialogue with the group’s member states.

• At least two persons were killed and 15 others injured as people tried to stop a procession by a rightwing Hindu organization in the northern Indian state of Haryana on Monday, police said.

• Türkiye will exert maximum effort to advocate for a set of principles and actively monitor their application in countries where anti-Islamic hate crimes occur, Turkish diplomatic sources said Monday.

• The death toll from Sunday's suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan has risen to 54, with eight critically wounded people succumbing to their injuries on Monday.

• A Senegalese court in the capital Dakar on Monday ordered the detention of opposition leader and presidential hopeful Ousmane Sonko, his lawyer said.

• A brightly illuminated 'X' sign was removed Monday morning from the former Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, after complaints from people in the neighborhood.

SPORTS

• 'The time has come': Uruguayan defender Diego Godin retires

Uruguayan defender Diego Godin on Monday announced his retirement, ending a 20-year football career at age 37.

The veteran defender played for major European clubs including Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Villarreal.

Godin holds the record for the most Uruguay appearances with 161 games. He has netted eight times for the national team.

• Morocco’s Benzina becomes 1st hijabi player at FIFA Women's World Cup

Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina became the first football player to wear a hijab in a FIFA Women's World Cup match.

Atlas Lionesses' Benzina, 25, the only hijabi athlete in the Women's World Cup, played against South Korea. Morocco won 1-0 in a Group H match in Australia's Adelaide.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• Eurozone annual inflation at 5.3% in July

The annual inflation rate was at 5.3% in the euro area, easing from 5.5% in June, according to Eurostat on Monday.

The statistical office's preliminary figures showed that food, alcohol, and tobacco posted the highest rate with 10.8%, down from 11.6%. Services with 5.6%, and non-energy industrial goods with 5% followed

• Ukraine receives $1.25B in US grant

Ukraine on Monday said it received a grant worth $1.25 billion from the US through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund of the World Bank.

In 2023, the country already received a fund worth $8.45 billion from the US, and $20.4 billion since the beginning of the war in February 2022.

The grant was provided as part of the Public Expenditures of Administrative Capacity Endurance (PEACE) project, which aims to help Ukraine with social and humanitarian expenditures.