Morning Briefing: Jan. 6, 2024

By Gozde Bayar

Here’s a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Saturday, including a UN agency's report saying the war in the Gaza Strip has forced 1.9 million people to move repeatedly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Istanbul visit starting a weeklong regional tour, and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna's remarks on the future of Gaza.

TOP STORIES

• 'Brutal war' forced Gaza residents to move repeatedly: UN agency

Ninety days of "brutal war" in the Gaza Strip have forced 1.9 million people to move repeatedly, said the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on Friday.

"Families forced to move repeatedly, searching for safety where there is none," the agency said.

"1.9 million people - almost 90% of population - displaced across GazaStrip, many multiple times, 1.4 million sheltered in UNRWA facilities,” it said on X.

• US secretary of state arrives in Istanbul

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Istanbul on Friday to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as part of a weeklong regional tour.

Fidan and his American counterpart are expected to discuss Israeli attacks on Gaza, regional issues, and bilateral relations in their talks on Saturday in Istanbul.

After Türkiye, through Jan. 11 Blinken will also visit Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt, a State Department spokesman told reporters on Thursday.

• 'It’s not up to Israel to determine the future of Gaza': French foreign minister

The French foreign minister said Friday that “it’s not up to Israel to determine the future of Gaza, which is Palestinian land."

Speaking to CNN, Catherine Colonna rejected Israeli officials’ suggestion that the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza is a possibility.

Those calls are "irresponsible" and "brings us away from a solution," said Colonna, adding that they are also against the long-term interests of Israel.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Palestinian group Hamas, on Friday urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to focus his new regional tour on stopping Israel's attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 22,000 people besides causing mass displacement, hunger, and disease.

• Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf urged the British government to use its position as a "trusted ally” of Israel to demand an end to "indiscriminate attacks" that have claimed more than 22,000 lives in Gaza.

• The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli army's ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 22,600, with 57,910 injured, the ministry said.

• President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France and Jordan has dropped seven tons of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

• North Korea fired around 200 artillery shells off its west coast which fell into the water early Friday, according to the South Korean military.

• COVID-19 cases rose 52% globally ahead of the Christmas holiday period, the World Health Organization said.

• After arriving in the besieged Palestinian enclave last month, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) official said "there’s nothing left" in Gaza due to relentless Israeli strikes.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as his envoy for the divided island of Cyprus.

• Despite five days passing since powerful earthquakes hit Japan on New Year's Day, the whereabouts of at least 200 people remain unknown.

• More than 860 people have died in Ethiopia’s war-torn northern Tigray region due to hunger since September, a regional official said.

• Türkiye is "ready" to undertake the role of a facilitator and host talks to ensure peace in Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

  
  

SPORTS

• Real Madrid beat Anadolu Efes as Dzanan Musa scored 40 points in quadruple overtime thriller

​​​​​​​Real Madrid claimed a 130-126 win against Anadolu Efes after four overtimes in Round 19 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season on Friday night.

Regular time ended with the scoreboard showing 81 points apiece and a back-and-fourth first overtime ended 91-91 when Shane Larkin made a pair of foul shots with eight seconds to go.

• With facial fracture, Galatasaray star Mauro Icardi to be ineligible 'for a while'

Galatasaray's Argentine star Mauro Icardi will be out of action "for a while" due to a facial injury, the Turkish football club confirmed on Friday.

In a statement, Galatasaray said that Icardi, 30, was diagnosed with a "fracture in his facial bones after a blow" during the Dec. 24 Fenerbahce derby, and doctors decided he should "not play for a while."

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• World food prices lowest in nearly 3 years, says UN food agency

Global food prices fell to a nearly three-year low in December led by significant declines in prices of sugar, vegetable oils and meat, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.

The FAO food price index dropped 1.5% from a month earlier to 118.5 points in December 2023, marking its lowest level since February 2021.

• Euro area annual inflation rise in December, below market forecast

The euro area annual consumer inflation rate rose at a slower pace than expected to 2.9% in December 2023, according to flash estimates released on Friday.

Reversing from a seven-straight monthly slowdown, the figure accelerated from 2.4% in November, Eurostat data showed.