Morning Briefing: August 13, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Tuesday with, including an Israeli airstrike targeting a home in Gaza's Khan Younis, Western countries lending support for Israel against possible Iranian retaliation, and Ethiopian and Somali officials' talks in the Tukish capital Ankara.

TOP STORIES

• Israeli airstrike targets Gaza home

Ten Palestinians on Monday evening were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building east of the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

A medical source told Anadolu that 10 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the home of the Abu Hayya family in the town of Abasan in the Khan Younis Governorate.

Palestinian Civil Defense said its rescue teams rushed to the scene, removed 10 people from under the rubble, and are searching for others.

• Western powers voice support for Israel against possible Iranian retaliation

Five Western powers on Monday called for de-escalation in the Middle East while also voicing support for Israel against possible Iranian retaliation.

In a joint statement, the US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy “expressed our full support for ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.”

It added: “We endorsed the joint call from President Biden, President Sisi of Egypt, and Amir Tamim of Qatar to renew talks later this week with an aim to concluding the deal as soon as possible, and stressed there is no further time to lose.”

• Ethiopian, Somali officials meet in Ankara for talks under Turkish mediation

Ethiopian and Somali delegations began fresh talks at reconciliation on Monday under Türkiye's mediation in efforts to resolve a dispute between the two countries over Addis Ababa’s deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

The delegations started indirect talks on Monday in the Turkish capital Ankara as part of a series of continuing talks between the countries, said Turkish diplomatic sources.

The parties, both present at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, are not meeting face-to-face, the sources said, highlighting that Turkish officials are conducting "shuttle diplomacy" under the coordination of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Separate meetings were held with each side to seek reconciliation within a common framework as part of a "long process," the sources said.

Talks will continue on Tuesday.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck the Jordan-Syria region early Tuesday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.
  
  
• The US has determined that Iran and its regional proxies may attack Israel as soon as this week, the White House said Monday.
  
  
• Speaking to his US counterpart, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday urged Israel to avoid “provocative actions” that could lead to further escalation of conflicts.
  
  
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned Israel's weekend airstrike on a school shelter in Gaza City that killed at least 100 forcefully displaced people.
  
  
• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday claimed that Ukraine seeks to improve its position in future negotiations with its incursion in the border region of Kursk since last week.
  
  
• Nearly 150,000 people have been displaced in various parts of Somalia in clan conflicts since January, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday.
  
  
• Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a live interview with Elon Musk said that President Joe Biden was forced to quit the presidential race, calling his exit a “coup.”
  
  
• Wildfire that started over the weekend in northern Athens continued to rage, prompting the evacuation of more settlements in the early hours of Tuesday.
  
  
• The International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday that its experts visited the damaged cooling tower at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and found no remains of a drone.
  
  
• Pakistan’s former spy chief, Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed, was taken into custody on Monday, and the army announced that the process of his court martial has begun.

SPORTS

• Fenerbahce to host Lille in UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round

Super Lig side Fenerbahce will host French Ligue 1 club Lille in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round rematch on Tuesday.

The Yellow Canaries will face the French side in the rematch of the first leg that ended 2-1 in Valenciennes for a play-off ticket.

With the first leg, Fenerbahce's recently appointed head coach Jose Mourinho lost a European qualifying match for the first time in his career.

• Spanish defender Francisco Montero leaves Besiktas

Turkish football club Besiktas announced Monday that Spanish defender Francisco Montero left the club.

“We have terminated our contract with our professional football player Francisco Montero by mutual consent,” the club said in a statement.

Montero, 25, joined Besiktas in the 2020-2021 season and played in 46 matches in 2 seasons.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US posts $244B budget deficit in July

The US posted a federal budget deficit of $244 billion in July, according to Treasury Department figures released Monday.

For July, total receipts, or income, were around $330 billion against total outlays, or spending, of $574 billion.

For receipts, social insurance and retirement were at $128 billion, while individual income taxes came in at $154 billion.

• Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo agree to reopen borders Tuesday

Zambia agreed with the Democratic Republic of Congo that three border gates connecting them would be reopened Tuesday following their closure over the weekend.

Delegations led by trade ministers from the two countries held talks Monday in Kinshasa, Congo's capital.

The talks convened after Zambia announced the closure of the Kasumbalesa, Mokambo and Sakania borders Sunday.