Morning Briefing: July 27, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Saturday including more than 560 displaced people were killed in Gaza while sheltering under the UN flag, US President Joe Biden stressing the urgency of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Britain halting efforts to challenge ICC jurisdiction over Israeli leaders.

TOP STORIES

• More than 560 displaced people killed in Gaza while sheltering under UN flag: UNRWA

More than 560 displaced people were killed in the Gaza Strip while sheltering under the UN flag, according to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

"Many of our schools are demolished and can no longer be used as schools. In the past two weeks alone, eight UNRWA schools, all serving at shelters for displaced people, have been struck.

"Our headquarters, offices in Gaza are destroyed beyond recognition. More than 560 displaced people, including many women and children, have been killed while sheltering under the UN flag," Antonia Marie De Meo, deputy commissioner-general of UNRWA, said at a UN Security Council meeting.

• Biden stresses urgency of Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal in meeting with Netanyahu

US President Joe Biden emphasized the need to close the remaining gaps and finalize a cease-fire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the White House.

The two leaders discussed developments in Gaza and negotiations on a cease-fire and hostage release deal in detail, it said in a statement.

"President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” it added.

• Britain halts efforts to challenge ICC jurisdiction over Israeli leaders

The UK on Friday said that it would not proceed with efforts to question whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and defense minister, according to local media.

This decision came after the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced in May that he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes.

Court documents made public in June revealed that Britain, an ICC member state, had initially filed a request to provide written observations on whether the court could exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, given that Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the Oslo Accords.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• CIA Director William Burns will meet senior officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt in Rome on Sunday.
• Jordanian King Abdullah II and US President Joe Biden discussed "the dangerous developments" in the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
• Türkiye slammed Israel's recent attacks on journalists, underlining their commitment to supporting media professionals reporting on the plight of Palestinians.
• The Israeli military said three rockets were launched from Gaza Strip toward the city of Ashkelon and the Otaf region in Israel.
• Russia will respond to the expropriation of €1.5 billion ($1.63) in proceeds from the reinvestment of frozen Russian assets, directed by the European Commission to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned.
• The European Council announced the inclusion of the US-based neo-Nazi movement, The Base, to the bloc's terror list.
• The Israeli Central Court in Tel Aviv upheld the government's request to extend the closure of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera offices in Israel and ban its operations for another 45 days.
• The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said it destroyed two Israeli tanks in southern Gaza City.
• China and Southeast Asian nations expressed concern about civilian casualties caused by mines and war remnants in the region. Beijing pledged to cooperate to reduce the risk of further casualties.
• Former US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama voiced support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid.
• South African police arrested 95 Libyan nationals at a suspected "secret military camp" in White River, a small holiday town in Mpumalanga province.
• An airport in eastern France was evacuated and closed for safety reasons, according to an official announcement.
• Hamas leader Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara was killed in an Israeli prison, raising the number of detainees killed since Oct. 7 to 19, according to Palestinian organizations involved with prisoner affairs.
• US Vice President Kamala Harris said she expressed concern about the situation in Gaza to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  
• Former US President Donald Trump was struck by a bullet during an assassination attempt earlier the month in the state of Pennsylvania, the FBI said Friday.
  
• The US military destroyed six Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in a Houthi-controlled area, and three uncrewed surface vessels (USV) operating off the coast of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday.
• The Ethiopian parliament has declared a three-day national mourning period starting Saturday in response to a devastating landslide in the southern Gofa zone, which claimed nearly 260 lives earlier this week.
  

SPORTS

• Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially begin with opening ceremony on River Seine

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially began with an opening ceremony on the River Seine.

"Prologue. We must bring the Olympic Torch back to Paris," the Paris 2024 official website wrote on X.

"It accidentally arrived at Stade de France. It is awaited by thousands of athletes and spectators on the river Seine. Thank you, Zinedine Zidane," it added.

• Brazilian football icon Zico's $543,000 briefcase stolen in Paris taxi heist: Report

Brazilian football legend Zico had a briefcase worth €500,000 ($543,000), containing a Rolex watch and diamonds, stolen in Paris, according to a French newspaper

Le Parisien reported that the theft occurred in the back of a taxi. An individual allegedly distracted the driver while another suspect stole the briefcase.

Arthur Antunes Coimbra, widely known as Zico, 71, was in Paris at the invitation of the Brazilian delegation to watch the Olympic Games, which officially commence with the opening ceremony on Friday.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Fed's preferred annual inflation indicator unchanged at 2.6% in June, above 2.5% estimates

The US Federal Reserve's preferred annual inflation indicator remained unchanged at 2.6% in June, according to Commerce Department figures released Friday.

The figure came in slightly higher than market expectations of 2.5%, while the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index annually rose 2.6% in May.

On a monthly basis, the core PCE price index increased 0.2% in June, gaining pace from a 0.1% month-on-month increase in May, and came in line with market estimates.

• EU greenlights $2.17 billion in Dutch state aid for cancer radioisotope production

The Netherlands secured EU approval for €2 billion ($2.17 billion) in state aid to build a nuclear reactor to produce medical isotopes for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Under the measure, the aid will take the form of loans and equity for a total amount of approximately €2 billion to a newly established company (‘NewCo') that will build and operate the reactor and the nuclear health centre,” according to a European Commission statement.

The Netherlands had notified the European Commission of its plan to support the PALLAS project, which includes the construction of a reactor and a nuclear health center, said a commission statement.

• CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors back online

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said 97% of Windows sensors are back online, after an update caused a major global IT outage last week.

Kurtz, however, said the company's work is yet complete, and it remains committed to restoring every impacted system. "To our customers still affected, please know we will not rest until we achieve full recovery," he said Thursday on LinkedIn.

The CEO said he was "deeply sorry" for the disruption and personally apologized to everyone impacted.