Morning Briefing: August 8, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday with, including Iran's acting top diplomat saying Tehran will exercise its right to legitimate defense to counter Israel's aggression, Türkiye joining the ICJ case against Israel and Russian President Vladmir Putin accusing Kyiv of a "large-scale provocation" and "indiscriminate shooting" in the Kursk region, where Moscow says it is fighting incursions by Ukrainian troops.

TOP STORIES

• Iran cites legitimate defense against Israeli aggression

Iran's acting foreign minister said Tehran will exercise its right to legitimate defense to counter Israel's aggression.

Ali Bagheri Kani spoke at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia that was convened to address Israel's attacks on Palestinians and violations of Iranian sovereignty.

Bagheri criticized the UN Security Council for failing to curb Israel's regional aggression.

• Türkiye submits declaration to top UN court to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel

Türkiye submitted a declaration to the UN’s highest court saying that it is joining South Africa's genocide case against Israel.

The Turkish delegation, including Turkish Ambassador in The Hague Selcuk Unal and Justice and Development (AK) Party Istanbul lawmaker Cuneyt Yuksel, submitted Türkiye’s file to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Türkiye thus became a party to the genocide case, joining Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine and Spain.

• Putin accuses Ukraine of ‘large-scale provocation, indiscriminate shooting’ in Kursk

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting” in the Kursk region, where Moscow says it has been fighting incursions by Ukrainian troops since Tuesday.

“The Kyiv regime has undertaken another large-scale provocation, conducting indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, ambulances,” Putin told a government meeting in Moscow.

Noting that he will also hold a meeting with the heads of law enforcement agencies and top military officials on the situation in Kursk, he said he ordered civilian agencies to provide the necessary aid to residents of the region.

NEWS IN BRIEFING

• At least three people were killed and 12 injured in a car bomb attack in Syria's northern city of Azaz.
• Yemen’s Houthi group said it targeted the USS Cole and USS Laboon destroyers as well as another ship in the Red Sea with multiple drone and ballistic missile strikes.
• Nigeria confirmed that it arrested seven foreign nationals earlier this week for allegedly raising the flags of another country during anti-government protests.
• Russia is investigating an incident in which one chess player spilled poisonous mercury on the board of a rival player before a tournament.
• The US said there must be zero tolerance for sexual abuse or rape of any detainee after new footage showed Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.
• The Muslim Council of Britain said that “thugs do not represent" the vast majority of Britons, urging unity in the face of recent far-right violence across the country.
• A mayor in a local government area in Sydney, Australia survived a no-confidence vote after Liberal councilors moved to censure her for participating and speaking at pro-Palestinian rallies.
• The UN called for a comprehensive investigation and accountability over reports about a systematic policy of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
• Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, said a White House official.
• Amnesty International urged Israel to allow the Red Cross to visit Palestinian detainees amid reports of widespread torture and rape in Israeli prisons.
• Bangladesh’s transitional government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will be inaugurated, the nation’s army chief announced.
• At least seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli artillery shelling of a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the Civil Defense Agency said.
• At least five people, including four Chinese nationals, were killed in a helicopter crash in Nepal.
• In response to violent riots that erupted in towns and cities across the UK, London's mayor issued a strong condemnation and vowed decisive action against far-right groups inciting further unrest in the capital.
• German flag carrier Lufthansa extended the suspension of its flights to the Middle East crisis region, citing security concerns.
• Hundreds of Palestinian families who have fled Israeli attacks and sought refuge in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip are exposed to various diseases in tents lacking hygienic conditions.
• The Israeli army killed 24 more Palestinians in attacks in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 39,677 since last Oct. 7, said the Health Ministry in the enclave.
• Thailand’s Constitutional Court disbanded the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) over violating laws related to monarchy in the Southeast Asian nation.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration on Oct. 1.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed two bills extending mobilization and martial law for another 90 days in the war-torn country.
• UK officials and police are bracing for more violent events and disorder across the country, with riots being planned by far-right groups in more than 30 locations.
• Israel informed the US administration that it was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in the Iranian capital Tehran, a media report said.
• Strongly condemning last week's assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the incident violates the basic norms of international relations as well as the UN Charter.
• At least one person was killed and eight others injured when part of a hotel in the southwestern German town of Krov collapsed, police said.

SPORTS

• Serbia, France, US advance to Paris 2024 Olympics semifinal in men's basketball

Serbia, France and the United States advanced to the men's basketball semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Serbian men’s basketball team advanced after a thrilling 95-90 overtime win over Australia at Bercy Arena.

Serbia was led by Nikola Jokic with 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists and Bogdan Bogdanovic with 17 points in the victory.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Fitch affirms Islamic Corporation for Development's A+ rating with stable outlook

Fitch Ratings said it affirmed the Islamic Corporation for Development's long-term foreign currency issuer default rating at A+ with a stable outlook.

The rating agency said ICD's ratings are backed by the support it receives from its key shareholders, the Islamic Development Bank and Saudi Arabia, which owned 38% and 24% of ICD's paid-in capital by the end of 2023, respectively.

ICD, in addition, has continued to make progress in "de-risking its operations" in the past three years, while Fitch expects this trend to continue over the medium term as ICD continues to refocus its operations back toward its core mandate of lending, rather than more risky equity investments, and toward more highly-rated borrowers.

• More than 3.4 million American families benefited from $8.4 billion in energy tax credits in 2023

More than 3.4 million American families benefitted from $8.4 billion in tax credits to lower the costs of clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades to their homes in 2023, the US Treasury Department said.

The number of families benefiting from the expanded credits for investments that lower their utility bills increased by almost one-third in tax year 2022 compared to tax year 2021, it said in a statement.

American consumers will save on their energy bills for years to come, in addition to upfront cost savings on home improvements, it added.