Morning Briefing: Nov. 19, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including Israel's deadly airstrikes in Lebanon, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva opening the G20 Leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reaffirming his call for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza.

TOP STORIES

• Hezbollah, Israel trade fire, causalities reported

At least five people were killed and 24 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Zuqaq al-Blat area in central Beirut, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported.

The attack marked the third Israeli bombing in Beirut’s heart within 24 hours, following strikes on the Ras Al Naba'a and Mar Elias neighborhoods.

A woman was killed and 10 others injured in northern Israel on Monday evening, when a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a building in the city of Shefa-Amr.

The woman, in her 50s, was inside a fortified room in a three-story building when the rocket struck the building. The remaining 10 people, who sustained minor injuries from shattering glass, were evacuated from the building, the service added.

• The world is worse': President Lula opens G20 Leaders' summit in Brazil

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva opened the G20 Leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday by lamenting the growing tensions and armed conflicts plaguing the global stage and launched an initiative to end world hunger.

For the first time, the Brazilian leadership held the presidency of the G20, an economic bloc composed of the 20 largest economies in the world. As host, the Brazilian leader placed world hunger and poverty as top priorities on the agenda.

"I observe with sadness that the world is worse: we have the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II and the largest number of forced displacements ever recorded," said Lula.

During his opening remarks, the Brazilian leader cited the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) figures on world hunger, reporting that in 2024, 733 million people still suffer from malnutrition.

• Immediate cease-fire needed as 96% of Gaza, over 2M people, lack food, water: Turkish president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reaffirmed his call for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza.

“Once again, I call for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in the face of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza,” Erdogan said in his speech at the ongoing G20 leaders' summit in Brazil.

Drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave besieged by Israel, Erdogan said that 96% of its population, "in other words, over 2 million people, lack access to healthy food and water."

Türkiye has provided Gaza with more than 86,000 tons of humanitarian aid, the Turkish leader said, adding that Ankara's assistance to Lebanon has exceeded 1,300 tons.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least 17 people were killed in a new Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia on Monday, according to a medical source.
  
  
• Paraguayan President Santiago Pena was hospitalized Monday after reportedly experiencing chest pain during the G20 Leaders' summit in Brazil.
  
  
• Tropical Storm Sara left four people dead and thousands affected in Honduras and Nicaragua after crossing northern Central America, authorities said Monday.
  
  
• Türkiye's envoy to the UN Ahmet Yildiz called Monday for immediate efforts to prevent the Ukraine conflict from escalating further with potentially devastating global repercussions.
  
  
• Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Monday that they are prepared to return to negotiations with the government “if there are serious initiatives.”
  
  
• The UN on Monday emphasized the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, highlighting the devastating toll the conflict has had on civilians.
  
  
• European Union foreign ministers decided Monday at a meeting in Brussels to reject a proposal by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to suspend the bloc’s diplomatic dialogue with Israel.
  
  
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has asked the Shin Bet security agency to help him avoid testifying in his ongoing corruption trial, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported Monday.
  
  
• An Illinois woman has been charged following an alleged altercation at a restaurant involving a man wearing a sweatshirt with "Palestine" written on it, authorities said Monday.
  
  
• Lebanon on Monday announced plans to file a complaint against Israel at the UN Security Council over Tel Aviv's repeated attacks on the country's armed forces in its southern region.
  
  
• A major IT outage hit British Airways on Monday as the UK's flag carrier reportedly lost all communications with aircraft around Europe, requiring the grounding of some flights.
  
  
• The UN human rights chief on Friday condemned a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power network over the weekend that inflicted "further misery on civilians."

SPORTS

• Croatia, Denmark through to UEFA Nations League quarterfinals

Croatia and Denmark were the latest teams to bag 2024-25 UEFA Nations League quarterfinal tickets on Monday.

A Luka Modric-led Croatia earned a 1-1 home draw with already-qualified Portugal as defender Josko Gvardiol canceled out Portuguese forward Joao Felix's opener in the first half in Split. Zlatko Dalic's Croatia needed at least a point for the last eight.

Portugal won Group A1 with 14 points. Croatia finished second as they had eight points in six matches.

• Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur banned for 7 matches over racial comment about teammate

Tottenham Hotspur's Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been suspended for seven matches and fined for a racial slur against his South Korean teammate Son Heung-min, the English football body said on Monday.

"An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 (over $126,000) fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview," the FA said.

"It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Bitcoin continues to rise, at $92,000 level

The price of a Bitcoin increased to the $92,000 level on Monday, climbing by around 1.7% on a daily basis.

The largest cryptocurrency saw a record level of $93,434 last week, with annual gains reaching around 145% as of Monday.

It was at $70,000 before the US elections and gained significantly following Donald Trump's victory.

Following Trump's win, the market expects positive developments for cryptocurrencies, as he pledged that the US would be the "crypto capital" of the world.

• China's youth unemployment remains high, exceeding 17%

Youth unemployment in China remained high in October compared to overall joblessness in the country.

Unemployment among young people aged 16-24 declined from 17.6% in September to 17.1% in October, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NIB) revealed on Monday.

In the 25-29 age group, the jobless rate was at 6.8%, up slightly from 6.7% in September.

While the overall unemployment rate in cities was around 5%, youth unemployment has been hovering above 17% for the last four months.