Morning Briefing: Aug. 12, 2023

By Busra Nur Cakmak

Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday with, including violence in the occupied West Bank that claimed the life of a Palestinian, a workers' strike at Lebanon's state TV, and a report about migrants being moved from UK's Bibby Stockholm after bacteria found.

TOP STORIES

• Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian was killed and four others injured early Friday by an Israeli army fire during a raid on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, local media reported.

The Israeli army stormed the Tulkarm camp, which led to confrontations and armed clashes, as Palestinian youths tried to resist the intrusion, eyewitnesses told Anadolu. The Israeli army used a military bulldozer and dozens of military vehicles, and deployed snipers on the rooftops of the houses, with heavy fire of live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades.

• Lebanon's state TV suspends broadcasting amid employees' strike

Lebanese state television on Friday stopped broadcasting its regular programs amid employees' strike over unpaid wages. “In accordance with what is being circulated in the media about the closure of Lebanon TV, I will have a position shortly that clarifies the truth of the matter,” Information Minister Ziad Makary said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The TV reportedly stopped broadcasting its regular programs by a verbal decision from the minister until the employees return from their strike, an anchorwoman from the state-run TV told Anadolu on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal. The employees have staged a strike recently over not receiving their dues for 22 months.

• Migrants being moved from UK's Bibby Stockholm after bacteria found: Report

All asylum seekers are being moved from UK's controversial barge Bibby Stockholm after Legionella bacteria were found in the water, according to the Home Office on Friday. A Home Office spokesperson said samples from the water system on the floating barge have shown levels of Legionella, which causes Legionnaires disease, a type of pneumonia. "As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken," the spokesman said in a statement.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• China has arrested an “important confidential employee” for what it claimed “passing secrets” to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
• Russia on Friday successfully launched its first mission to moon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
• Heavy rains in China's northern Hebei province have left 29 people dead and 16 others missing, local authorities said on Friday.
• Nearly 14,000 people living in the eastern Polish city of Lublin have been evacuated after an unexploded bomb was found in the city.
• Poland has announced an increase in troop deployment on its border with Belarus from 2,000 to 10,000 as tensions between the two countries have risen in recent weeks over the presence of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group in Belarus.
• The defense chiefs of West African nations intend to meet next week to discuss whether to use force against Niger's military junta, which seized power in a coup last month, an official told Anadolu on Friday.
• Attorneys for US President Joe Biden are negotiating ground rules with federal investigators for an interview over his alleged mishandling of classified documents from his tenure as vice president, according to a new report released on Friday.
• US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday that a district attorney has been appointed special counsel in the criminal investigation of the president’s son Hunter Biden, giving him more autonomy to carry out the case.
• Britain voiced support Friday for diplomatic efforts by regional countries to resolve the crisis in Niger after a coup overthrew the civilian government.

SPORTS

• Spain, Sweden into FIFA Women's World Cup semis

Spain and Sweden on Friday qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinals. Spanish women beat the Netherlands 2-1 after extra time in a quarterfinal match in New Zealand's capital Wellington. Meanwhile, Sweden won against Japan 2-1 in another quarterfinal match in New Zealand's Auckland. Swedish players Amanda Ilestedt and Filippa Angeldal were the scorers for their nation.

• Real Madrid's Turkish star Arda Guler to undergo surgery

Real Madrid's young Turkish star Arda Guler will undergo surgery, the Spanish club's head coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday. "He is going to undergo surgery and the recovery time is quite short because he has a small problem," Carlo Ancelotti told a press briefing. "It's difficult for me to go into the details because of the player's privacy."

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Global oil supply in July sees sharp plummet: Int. Energy Agency

A sharp output reduction by the swing producer of the OPEC group, Saudi Arabia, drove the plunge in global oil production by 910,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 100.9 million bpd in July, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday.

• US producer inflation rises to 0.8% in July

Annual producer inflation in the US came in at 0.8% in July, accelerating from the previous month's figure of 0.2%, according to official figures released on Friday. The producer price index (PPI), which measures changes in the price of goods and services from a producer perspective, was higher than market estimates of 0.7% annual increase.