Morning Briefing: Aug.10, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start Saturday, including all 62 passengers killed in a plane crash in Brazil; a UN report saying 205 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 and Russia declaring a state of emergency in the Kursk region amid continued clashes with Ukraine.

TOP STORIES

• All 62 people killed in plane crash in Sao Paulo, Brazil

All 62 passengers and crew were killed in a commercial airliner crash in the Brazilian state of Sao Paolo, authorities announced.

A total of 58 passengers and four crew died when the Voepass flight 2283 went down near a home in Vinhedo, northwest of the state capital, according to Osmir Cruz, the city's secretary of security. Nobody on the ground was injured, added Cruz.

The aircraft, a light ATR-72-500 with a capacity of 68, crashed in the Capela neighborhood at around 1.28 p.m. local time, media outlets reported.

• 205 aid workers killed in Gaza since Oct. 7: UN agency

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced that 205 humanitarian aid workers have been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

The agency reported that Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in “civilian casualties, displacement of people and the destruction of residential structures and public infrastructure.”

“As of 7 August, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 205,” it said.

• Russia declares state of emergency in Kursk region amid continued clashes with Ukraine

Russia declared a federal state of emergency in the Kursk region, where clashes with Ukrainian troops have raged for four days.

The Emergency Ministry announced the decision following a meeting of the government commission for the prevention and elimination of emergency situations.

"The discussion included the situation in the Kursk region due to the attack by Ukrainian armed forces. A federal response level has been established in the region," it said in a statement.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• India is awaiting the release of 69 nationals recruited into the Russian army to fight in Ukraine, according to the foreign minister.
• The US State Department determined that alleged human rights abuses by a unit of the Israeli army had been "effectively remediated," allowing the unit to continue receiving military assistance from Washington.
• Two people in southern Lebanon were killed in an Israeli airstrike, including at least one member of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
• Canada updated its travel advisory for the UK amid far-right riots across the UK in recent weeks.
• A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off northern New Zealand, according to the US Geological Survey.
• Tunisia's president vowed that his country would not tolerate irregular migration.
• Jordan condemned Israel's decision to revoke the accreditation of Norwegian diplomats dealing with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
• The Japanese stand firmly with the people of Palestine, so the refusal to not invite Palestinian officials to a ceremony commemorating the American atomic bombing of Hiroshima was due to “outside pressure,” according to the Palestinian envoy to Japan.
• At least 10 Palestinians, including children, were killed and others wounded in Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
• Türkiye's Foreign Ministry praised Egypt, Qatar and the US for their mediation efforts in securing a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, urging Israel to respond positively to the Palestinians' commitment to peace.
• At least 41 people have been convicted in France for Olympics-related crimes since the start of the Games in Paris, according to media reports.
• A total of 11 civilians were killed in an attack by Iranian-backed groups allied with the Bashar al-Assad regime in the Deir ez-Zor province of eastern Syria.
• Iraq urged “positive engagement” with a cease-fire initiative put forward by Egypt, Qatar and the US for the war in Gaza, expressing hope that it would lead to stability in the region.
• At least five Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, a region designated by Israel as a “humanitarian safe zone.”
• A court in Berlin dismissed a Palestinian motion to stop German arms exports to Israel, according to media reports.
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rejected recent a statement by mediators, including the US, Qatar and Egypt, which called for the resumption of negotiations next week on a cease-fire in Gaza.
• Hezbollah announced that fighters carried out a drone attack on an Israeli army command base in northern Israel.
• Air India suspended flights to and from Israel, according to a spokesman.
• The Pentagon said the Ukrainian military’s attacks on Kursk, Russia have not escalated tensions in the region, saying instead that curbing tensions is the responsibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Lebanon declared its support for the joint initiative of the US, Egypt and Qatar aimed at establishing a cease-fire in Gaza.
• Five rockets were fired from Lebanon and landed in open areas in the northern Israeli settlement of Metula, Israeli media reported.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of striking a supermarket and a post office in the settlement of Kostyantynivka, which killed four people and injured 24 others.
• US and UK forces have carried out three airstrikes on the Al Hudaydah province in western Yemen, according to the Houthis.
• Japan's historic port city of Nagasaki solemnly observed a moment of silence to mark the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb it suffered by the US during World War II.

SPORTS

• Barcelona sign Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo

Spanish LaLiga powerhouse, Barcelona, announced that they signed Spanish attacking midfielder Dani Olmo.

The 26-year-old will sign a contract with Barca for the next six seasons, until 30 June 2030, with a buyout clause of €500 million ($546 million), according to a statement.

Olmo, who is a product of Barcelona youth academy, La Masia, joined Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in 2014.

• US to take on France in men's Olympic basketball final

The US will take on France in the men's Olympic basketball final on Saturday.

A LeBron James-led Team USA, the oldest men's Olympic basketball squad in US history, eliminated Serbia with a narrow 95-91 win in a semifinal match Thursday in the Paris Games at Bercy Arena.

It was anybody's game until the last period when the US gained the upper hand with minutes to play.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

IMF chief praises Ukraine for implementing economic reform program

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised Ukrainian authorities for implementing an economic reform program.

The program, supported by the IMF, aims to sustain economic and financial stability during a time of exceptionally high uncertainty, restore debt sustainability and promote Ukraine’s advancements on the path toward EU accession, she said.

The IMF’s financing of the program totals $15.6 billion, while it is part of a broader $122 billion external support package to Ukraine comprising contributions from both the official and private sector, Georgieva noted.