Morning Briefing: August 9, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Friday with, including 483 people being arrested and 149 charges filed amid far-right riots across the UK since July 30, US Central Command announcing the arrival of F-22 fighter jets to its area of responsibility amid rising tensions in the Middle East, and the US facing protests in Japan for opposing Nagasaki’s refusal to invite Israel to a ceremony marking the city’s atomic bombing.

TOP STORIES

• 483 arrested, 149 charged in far-right riots across UK

A total of 483 people have been arrested while 149 charges have been brought amid far-right riots across the UK since July 30, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said.

The NPCC said in a statement that dozens of offenders have already been sentenced as cases have been fast-tracked through the criminal justice system, with many suspects remanded upon charge to face hearings.

The statement noted that thousands of police officers were deployed across the country late Wednesday and 36 gatherings took place with "minimal disorder and only a handful of arrests."

• US F-22 jets arrive in Mideast to counter 'regional escalation by Iran or its proxies': CENTCOM

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the arrival of F-22 fighter jets to its area of responsibility as tensions continued to run high in the Middle East.

CENTCOM said the F-22 Raptors are "part of U.S. force posture changes in the region to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies."

Tensions are running high in the Middle East following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran and Israel's assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

• US faces protests in Japan for opposing Nagasaki’s refusal to invite Israel to event

Scores of pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside Washington’s diplomatic mission in Tokyo to protest the US’s opposition to the Nagasaki government’s decision to keep Israel away from an event commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

Videos posted on the social media platform X showed protesters chanting pro-Palestine and anti-Israel slogans and police stopping them from approaching the embassy building.

Carrying tri-color Palestinian flags, the protesters could be heard chanting “Free, Free Gaza,” “No No occupation,” and "Yes Yes liberation” in a video posted by peace activist Thoton Akimoto, who has been vocal against Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said American presidents should "have a say" in monetary policy decisions of the Federal Reserve.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to avoid escalation in the region during a phone call, according to a statement by her office.
• At least 15 Palestinians were killed, including children, and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes on schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, according to the Civil Defense Agency.
• The EU’s foreign policy chief condemned Israel after the Netanyahu government revoked the diplomatic status of Norwegian diplomats dealing with the Palestinian Authority.
• At least 26 people were sentenced to death by a military court in DR Congo, the Nation Africa news website reported.
• Five Palestinians were killed and two others injured following an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential home in the northeastern part of Khan Younis, a city located in the southern Gaza Strip.
• Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of office to lead a 17-member transitional government in Bangladesh.
• A Danish-Swedish far-right Islamophobe has been charged with incitement against an ethnic group and insult for desecrating a Quran in 2022, according to media reports.
• Türkiye’s president reaffirmed his call for the international community to halt Israel’s dangerous escalation of aggression, warning that it could hurl the region into a wider and even more destructive conflict.
• The Bulgarian parliament has passed an amendment prohibiting the promotion of LGBT ideology in schools, as well as another one that defines the concept of "nontraditional sexual orientation."
• Indonesia reiterated its commitment to peace efforts and the promotion of a much-demanded cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
• Bangladesh has recovered at least 31 bodies of refugees fleeing from Myanmar through the border river along southeastern Teknaf town amid escalating conflicts between the military junta and rebel groups.
• Three people were injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah, the Health Ministry said.
• Russia said that clashes continued in two districts of its Kursk region, where Moscow claims it has been fighting incursions by Ukrainian troops since Tuesday.
• Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to remove a contentious provision on transport links in peace negotiations between the two neighbors, according to a senior Azerbaijani official.
• Japan was hit by a strong earthquake, triggering a tsunami alert and injuring several people.
• Britain expressed serious concern after an Israeli human rights group described Israeli prisons as a "network of torture camps," reporting systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he welcomed the interest conveyed by Mauritius in taking part in the recovery of his country.
• Iranian Ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi's comment on Israel triggered anger in Australia, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it "unacceptable."
• Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for regional chaos, calling it extremist and racist.

SPORTS

• US athlete McLaughlin-Levrone breaks her own world record in women's 400m hurdles

US athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the women's 400m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone improved her own record for the sixth time to 50.37 seconds to bag the gold medal.

Th Olympic record of 51.46 seconds also belongs to the 25-year-old.

• Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem breaks Olympic record with 92.97m throw in javelin final

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem broke the Olympic record with a monstrous 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin final at the Paris Olympics.

It is the sixth-longest throw of all time and Asia’s best ever in the Olympics.

Pakistan last won an Olympic medal in 1992 when the hockey team clinched a bronze with a 4-3 win over the Netherlands in Barcelona.

• Pollution levels in Seine River allegedly exceed Olympic data: Report

The Seine River, which hosted swimming and triathlon events during the Paris Olympics, remains a topic of controversy in France due to pollution concerns, according to a French media report.

Mediapart claimed that the pollution levels in the river are much higher than data reported by Olympic organizers.

Data obtained by the news site from the Eau De Paris laboratory, which is affiliated with the Paris municipality, showed the water quality of the Seine was suitable for swimming on two of 10 days since the start of the Games.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Ripple fined $125M after 4-year SEC lawsuit

Ripple Labs, a US-based technology company that has developed the Ripple payment protocol and exchange network, was fined $125 million after four years of litigation with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"The SEC’s motion for remedies and the entry of final judgment is granted in part and denied in part," Judge Analisa Torres of New York said in her filing.

"The Court shall enter a final judgment enjoining Ripple from further violations of the securities laws and imposing a civil penalty of $125,035,150," she added.

• US consumer credit rises $8.93B in June: Fed

US consumer credit rose around $8.93 billion in June compared to the previous month to reach almost $5.1 trillion, the Federal Reserve said.

The figure came in much lower than market expectations of a $9.8 billion increase.

Consumer credit showed a gain of $13.95 billion in May.