Morning Briefing: August 14, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Wednesday with, including the UN Security Council denouncing an Israeli attack on a Gaza school, the Pentagon warning of a serious escalation in the Middle East, Japan’s prime minister announcing he will step down, and the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli settlers and ministers.

TOP STORIES

• UN Security Council denounces Israeli attack on Gaza school, blames US for arms supply

UN Security Council members denounced the Israeli military's recent attack on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza that killed at least 100 Palestinians.

Russia and China held the US accountable for the incident due to weapons support.

"When pushing for Security Council Resolution 2735, the US claimed that Israel had accepted a cease-fire agreement, but the reality is quite the opposite," Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, told the Council during an emergency session on Palestine.

• Situation in Middle East ‘very serious’: Pentagon

The situation in the Middle East is "very serious,” but the US is prepared for any potential Iranian attack, the Pentagon said.

"The situation right now in the Middle East is very serious, which is why we're taking it so seriously, which is why Secretary (of Defense Lloyd) Austin has ordered additional capabilities into the region," spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

Asked if an Iranian attack is possible this week, Ryder said: "That's certainly possible."

• Japanese Premier Kishida to step down

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will not seek reelection as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), meaning he will step down at the end of his tenure after just under three years.

The LDP is due to hold an internal leadership contest next month amid debacles within the party, which has ruled Japan for the most part since World War II.

“In this (upcoming) presidential election, it is necessary to show the people that the LDP is changing and the party is a new LDP,” Kishida told a news conference.

• Israeli ministers join illegal settlers in storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

At least two Israeli ministers joined hundreds of Israeli illegal settlers in the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark a Jewish event.

According to the Israeli Ynet news website, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and others stormed into the complex to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history.

"Our policy is to allow (Jewish) prayer," Ben-Gvir said during his raid at the mosque.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The UN stressed its firm stance against any actions that could alter the current status quo of holy sites, particularly the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.

• The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, will “further escalate tensions” in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

• The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the mpox outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.”

• The Palestinian resistance group Hamas claimed rocket attacks on Tel Aviv in response to Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

• At least 32 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, pushing the overall death toll to 39,929 since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

• Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been named as a suspect in a murder case filed related to the killing of a grocery store owner in a police firing incident on July 19.

• Palestine's envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel amid its ongoing deadly attacks on civilians across the Gaza Strip.

• The Israeli army has issued fresh evacuation orders for residents of several areas of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, marking the fourth such order in less than a week.

• Türkiye will continue to bridge the gaps between Somalia and Ethiopia “in a manner that will benefit” not only the two nations but the whole region, said the country’s foreign minister.

• A groundbreaking discovery, scientists have discovered a massive underground water reservoir on Mars, potentially enough to fill oceans on the planet's surface.

SPORTS

• Real Madrid to meet Atalanta in UEFA Super Cup

Spanish LaLiga powerhouse Real Madrid will meet Italian Serie A side Atalanta in the 2024 UEFA Super Cup final.

Real Madrid won their 15th UEFA Champions League trophy by beating German team Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final in June.

Real Madrid's veteran manager Carlo Ancelotti may become the only manager to clinch five Super Cup trophies if Los Blancos bag this season's trophy.

• Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez extends contract with Italian club Inter

Italian Serie A club Inter Milan's Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez has extended his contract with the Italian side, the club announced.

The 26-year-old will stay with Nerazzurri until 2029, according to a club statement.

He joined Inter from Argentine club Racing Club in 2018 to help the Nerazzurri win two Italian Serie A titles and two Italian cups.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US producer prices rise 0.1% monthly

Producer inflation in the US rose 0.1% monthly in July, coming below expectations, according to data.

The producer price index (PPI), which measures changes in the prices of goods and services from a producer's perspective, was estimated to show a gain of 0.2% in July.

• Starbucks ousts CEO Laxman Narasimhan

Starbucks announced that it is replacing CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Brian Niccol, the chairman and CEO of fast-food restaurant chain Chipotle, amid a plunge in sales.

The move comes after the US-based global coffeehouse chain saw a decline in sales for the second consecutive quarter, including falling demand in the US and China -- its two biggest markets.