Morning Briefing: July 24, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Wednesday with, including Israeli attacks in Gaza's Khan Younis, Israeli premier’s address to US Congress, and curfew and internet blackout continuing in Bangladesh.

TOP STORIES

• At least 89 Gazans killed in Israeli attack in Khan Younis

At least 89 Palestinians have been killed and over 260 others injured in an Israeli military operation in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, local authorities said Tuesday.

The Israeli army launched a surprise attack on Khan Younis after issuing orders for residents to immediately evacuate their homes in the city’s eastern neighborhoods.

The area was previously designated by the Israeli army as a “safe zone” for displaced Palestinians.

Around 68 Palestinians are still unaccounted for following the Israeli attack.

• Netanyahu to address US Congress amid protests, boycott

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday amid mass protests and boycotts by lawmakers.

Netanyahu arrived Monday in the US, a day after President Joe Biden ended his presidential reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic presidential candidate.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers will skip Netanyahu’s speech in protest of Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's appearance is also bound to spark protests in Washington, D.C.

• Curfew, internet blackout, military patrols continue in Bangladesh

Curfew, internet blackout, and military patrols continued on Tuesday to quell the unrest that claimed at least 187 lives across the country over the reforms in public jobs.

In a fresh order, the government extended the curfew until Thursday. The curfew was imposed, along with military deployment, last Friday night.

In line with the ruling of the apex court, the government issued a gazette notification on Monday night bringing down the quota to 7% from 56% in public jobs.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, following pressure from lawmakers for security failures during an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

• French President Emmanuel Macron said Israeli athletes are "welcome" to the Paris Olympics, and added that Russian athletes' participation is up to the Olympic Committee.

• Türkiye on Tuesday welcomed Palestinian political factions coming together in the Chinese capital Beijing and accepting declaration aimed at achieving national unity.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came out in full support of Vice President Harris, calling her a "leading voice" in the Biden administration.

• The Iraqi government issued a directive to state institutions to refer to the PKK terrorist group as a "banned organization" in official correspondence.

• Türkiye on Tuesday decried a decision by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to classify the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization, considering it “unacceptable.”

• Montenegro's parliament voted for a Cabinet reshuffle Tuesday at the suggestion of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.

• Nearly 26 million people in Sudan are "acutely hungry," said a UN spokesman on Tuesday, including 750,000 who are just one step away from famine.

• Seven Labour members of parliament were suspended Tuesday for voting in favor of an opposition amendment that aimed to scrap a two-child benefit cap.

• The world on Sunday, July 21, witnessed its hottest day ever on record, according to data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

SPORTS

• Football, rugby matches at Paris Olympics to start Wednesday

Football and rugby matches at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin Wednesday ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

The Argentina vs. Morocco at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne, and the Uzbekistan vs. Spain at Paris' Parc des Princes, both to kick-off at 1300GMT, will be the first football matches of the summer games.

• Palestine calls on International Olympic Committee to exclude Israel from Paris Olympics

The Palestinian Olympic body on Monday called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Israel from the Paris Olympics that will begin this week.

According to the statement, the Palestine Olympic Committee has issued a formal letter to Mr. Thomas Bach, head of the IOC calling for the immediate exclusion of Israel from the Paris Olympics 2024.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Fitch affirms Canada's AA+ rating with stable outlook

Fitch Ratings said Tuesday that it affirmed Canada's long-term foreign currency issuer default rating at AA+ with a stable outlook.

"Canada's ratings reflect strong governance, high per-capita income and a macroeconomic policy framework that has delivered steady growth and generally low inflation," the rating agency said in a statement.

• Italian police seize more than $131 million from Amazon on tax fraud, worker exploitation allegations

Italian police seized €121 million ($131.32 million) from Amazon on allegations of tax fraud and worker exploitation, a media report said Tuesday.

The seizure concerns the alleged use of so-called labor reservoirs -- a system where large companies illegally subcontract logistics services to other firms and cooperatives to cut labor costs and pay less taxes, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.