Morning Briefing: Nov. 3, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Israeli commandos allegedly capturing Hezbollah naval official 200 kilometers inside Lebanon; a Muslim mayor in the US state of Michigan refusing to meet Donald Trump days before Election Day and early voting surge as new voters could sway key US swing states.

TOP STORIES

• Israeli commandos allegedly capture Hezbollah naval official 200 km inside Lebanon: Report

An elite Israeli commando unit advanced approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) into Lebanese territory, capturing a prominent official allegedly linked to Hezbollah’s naval forces, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported.

Lebanese security forces, meanwhile, are investigating a maritime operation conducted by unidentified armed individuals who reportedly kidnapped an individual from the beach of Batroun in northern Lebanon.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the incident took place early Friday, citing residents who said an unknown military force conducted a beach-landing operation.

• Muslim mayor in Michigan refuses to meet Trump days before Election Day
  
  Abdullah H. Hammoud, the Muslim mayor of the US city of Dearborn in Michigan, publicly declined requests to meet former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, during a campaign stop in the city.
  
  “The architect of the Muslim Ban is making a campaign stop in Dearborn,” he wrote on X, explaining his reasons for the refusal.
  
  “People in this community know what Trump stands for - we suffered through it for years,” he lamented: “I’ve refused a sit down with him although the requests keep pouring in.”

• Early voting surge as new voters could sway key US swing states

New voter turnout is surging in early voting for the 2024 US presidential election, with trends among Democratic women in the state of Pennsylvania and Republican men in Arizona suggesting the new voters could play a critical role in key swing states.

With nearly 60 million ballots already cast, early voting data provides insight into the dynamics of the presidential race.

An NBC News Decision Desk analysis showed a substantial influx of new voters -- those who did not participate in the 2020 election -- turning out in significant numbers in crucial battleground states.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant announced it retrieved a small sample of melted nuclear fuel from one of the plant's three damaged reactors.
  
  
• Typhoon Kong-rey has caused extensive damage across Taiwan, resulting in three deaths and more than 690 injuries.
  
  
• Israel's airstrikes killed at least 71 people and injured 169 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
  
  
• Thousands held a rally in the British capital to protest the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip and demand a halt of arms shipment to Israel.
  
  
• Eleven people were injured in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut, the Health Ministry said.
  
  
• Hezbollah claimed it carried out a rocket attack on an Israeli military intelligence base in Tel Aviv.
  
  
• The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, reported it killed and injured Israeli soldiers, targeting their military vehicles in northern Gaza.
  
  
• Kemi Badenoch has been elected the new leader of the Conservative party, becoming the first Black woman to lead a major British political party.
  
  
• Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stern warning to the US and Israel, pledging a "crushing response" for actions against his country.
  
  
• Russia claimed it took control of two more settlements in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, marking further advances.
  
  
• South Korea’s southern Jeju Island has received more than 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain in two days, marking the heaviest November rain in 101 years for the region.
  
  
• South Korea and Canada urged North Korea to withdraw troops from Russia and stop helping Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
  
  
• North Korea “rejected” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' criticism of Pyongyang’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
  
  
• Bolivian President Luis Arce denounced supporters of former President Evo Morales who took control of three military units in central Bolivia.
  
  
• US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, the Pentagon said.

SPORTS

• Sunday's Istanbul Marathon to unite Europe, Asia for 46th time

The 46th edition of the Istanbul Marathon, the world's only intercontinental marathon, that crosses the Bosphorus from Asia to Europe, will be run Sunday.

Starting by crossing the 15 July Martyrs' Bridge, runners will pass through several historic landmarks, including Dolmabahce Palace, Galata Bridge, New Mosque, Spice Bazaar, Sirkeci Train Station, Topkapi Palace and Gulhane Park during the 42-kilometer race.

• Olympic champion Armand Duplantis imitates Turkish shooting star for Halloween

World-famous pole vault hero and two-time Olympic champion, Armand Duplantis, posted a picture of his imitation of Turkish shooting silver medalist Yusuf Dikec's popular stance at the Paris 2024 Olympics for Halloween.

A grey-haired Duplantis, 24, posted a picture on Instagram where he was in a white Türkiye t-shirt, wearing glasses as he performed Yusuf Dikec's signature shooting pose that went viral during the summer Games.

The young Swedish athlete, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, tucked his non-shooting hand into his pocket and seemed in a cool demeanor in his picture, just like Dikec did when Türkiye won silver in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team competition in Paris.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US chipmaker Nvidia to replace Intel on Dow Jones index

US-based chipmaker Nvidia will replace another semiconductor manufacturer, Intel, on the Dow Jones industrial average stock market index, according to the S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The change in the blue-chip index, which includes 30 prominent American companies, will take place before the Nov. 8 market opening.

"This procedure prevents any distortion in the indices’ reflection of the portion of the U.S. stock market it is designed to measure," S&P Dow Jones Indices said in a statement.