Morning Briefing: Nov. 2, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including US intelligence saying Russian actors spread a fake video of alleged illegal voting by Haitians in the US state of Georgia; Russia saying it is ready to assist in settlement of Mideast conflicts and Pope Francis reflecting on 153 women and children killed by Israel last week in Gaza.

TOP STORIES

• Russian actors spread fake video of alleged illegal voting by Haitians in Georgia: US intelligence

US intelligence agencies issued a warning about Russian disinformation campaigns they said were designed to undermine confidence in the Nov. 5 US presidential elections.

In a joint statement released Thursday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlighted recent instances of fabricated media aimed at discrediting the electoral process.

They said Russian influence actors recently disseminated a false video purporting to show individuals claiming to be from Haiti illegally casting ballots in Georgia.

• Russia says it is ready to assist in settlement of Mideast conflicts

Moscow is ready to assist in the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and has contacts with all parties concerned, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Commenting at a news conference in Moscow on media reports claiming Israel asked Russia to serve as a mediator in contacts with Hezbollah, Peskov cited Russian President Vladimir Putin who earlier said Moscow "maintains contacts with all relevant parties."

"And, of course, if our efforts can be effective somewhere, then Russia will be ready to make them," he added.

• Pope Francis reflects on 153 women, children killed in an Israeli attack last week in Gaza

Pope Francis said he is thinking about 153 women and children recently killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip.

"Brothers and sisters, war is always a defeat, always!" Francis told an audience in St. Peter’s Square, addressing believers on All Saints' Day, celebrated by Catholics every Nov. 1.

Mentioning conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan before urging peace in the Mideast, he said the “ignobility of warfare” symbolizes "the victory of lies and deceit, pursuing the greatest benefit for oneself while inflicting maximum harm on the opponent, disregarding human lives, the environment, and infrastructure – all concealed by falsehoods."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Pentagon announced an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
  
  
• At least eight people were killed when a concrete roof collapsed at a railway station in Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad, according to the country’s interior minister.
  
  
• Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, said Israel does not take Gaza cease-fire negotiations seriously.
  
  
• Some 100,000 people recently displaced from northern Gaza are sheltering in schools, buildings or makeshift sites in Gaza City, said a UN spokesman.
  
  
• CIA chief William Burns held talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu on a range of issues including security and terrorism.
  
  
• Israeli airstrikes in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon killed at least 13 people and injured 26 others, state news agency NNA and the Health Ministry reported.
  
  
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned recent attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Aj Jazirah state amid escalating violence across Sudan.
  
  
• Botswana’s new President Dumo Gideon Boko has taken the oath of office in front of Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane in Gaborone, hours after being declared the winner of Wednesday’s election.
  
  
• Manufacturers in Mexico are scaling back their production and cutting jobs as new sales are decreasing, according to a report released.
  
  
• The Middle East has become “one of the most dangerous places ever for journalists,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.
  
  
• The World Health Organization chief announced that the postponed polio vaccination in northern Gaza, where Israel launched military operations in early October, would resume Saturday.
  
  
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the Iraqi government's recent efforts against the PKK terror group, including declaring it illegal.
  
  
• With the US presidential race in the final stretch, European Greens issued a public appeal to the US Green Party candidate, urging Jill Stein to withdraw from the race in favor of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
  
  
• Chinese President Xi Jinping and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, according to an official.
  
  
• The military in Congo has freed 118 hostages from the ADF rebel group, said a statement.
  
  
• North Korea said it fired an “ultimate version” of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasongpho-19.
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• The US welcomed a recent move by Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish formal rules for border delimitation, saying it demonstrates the potential for lasting peace through sustained dialogue.

SPORTS

• Round 21 of Formula 1 to be held in Brazil

Round 21 of the 2024 Formula One World Championship will be held Sunday in Brazil.

The 71-lap race at the 4.3-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Circuit in Sao Paulo, will see Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the defending champion, try to win his first Grand Prix after 10 rounds as his last No.1 finish was in Spain.

In the 2024 Formula 1 season, Verstappen took first place in seven Grand Prixes, while McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc reached the top of the podium three times each. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz have each won twice, and Mercedes' George Russell once.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• World Gold Council estimates upward trend in gold investment

The World Gold Council expects an upward trend in gold investment as gold demand broke a record this quarter, with continuing investment flows, Juan Carlos Artigas, head of research at the World Gold Council, told Anadolu.

“I think that there is still a lot of pent-up demand from the investment side, (… and) it is likely that you can continue to see stronger influence into gold, because the gold market, from an investment side, does not feel, does not seem, saturated,” he said.

Artigas said India’s demand in particular is stronger than expected and has been effective in breaking the gold demand record this quarter, while declining policy rates in the US and Europe led to reduced opportunity costs of holding gold.