Morning Briefing: Oct. 12, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including US President Joe Biden saying he is "absolutely" asking Israel not to hit UN peacekeepers in Lebanon; Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement winning 2024 Nobel Peace Prize and the UN saying 420,000 people have fled Lebanon to Syria amid Israeli attacks.

TOP STORIES

• Biden says he is 'absolutely' asking Israel to not hit UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

US President Joe Biden said he is asking Israel to not target UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

"Absolutely, positively," Biden told reporters when asked if he was asking Israel to stop hitting UN peacekeepers.

His remarks came after Israeli forces shelled an observation post belonging to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at its headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, wounding two peacekeepers from the Sri Lankan contingent, according to Lebanon's state National News Agency.

• Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement wins 2024 Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement representing survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha.

The announcement was made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, with chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes highlighting the organization's efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

• UN says 420,000 fled Lebanon to Syria amid Israeli attacks

More than 420,000 people, mainly Syrians, have crossed into Syria from Lebanon since the beginning of the Israeli attacks, according to the UN refugee agency.

More than 310,000 Syrian and 110,000 Lebanese nationals crossed into Syria from Sept. 23 to Oct. 9, said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights office.

Densely populated Beirut has increasingly been targeted by Israeli strikes, she said, noting that hundreds have been killed and more than 1 million have fled their homes across the country.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least 12 Palestinians were killed and 30 injured in Israeli airstrikes on four homes in Jabalia town in the northern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military offensive has continued for six days.
  
  
• UN chief Antonio Guterres congratulated the Japanese organization, Nihon Hidankyo, on winning the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, and stressed the "clear and present danger" of nuclear weapons for humanity.
  
  
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico backs a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  
  
• Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said the resistance group “remains steadfast” in the face of an Israeli military offensive in the Jabalia refugee camp, which has continued for six straight days.
  
  
• US President Joe Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas hit by Hurricane Milton, the White House said.
  
  
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri the situation in Lebanon amid a campaign of Israeli attacks that have killed thousands, with many world leaders warning the escalation could lead to a regional war.
  
  
• Former US President Donald Trump's campaign, concerned about a reported threat by Iran, has requested the use of military aircraft and vehicles to protect him as he travels the country to seek a return to the White House.
  
  
• The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said all of its ambulances in northern Gaza were forced to stop due to the lack of fuel because of the Israeli army's incursion and siege for a sixth consecutive day.
  
  
• France’s president condemned Israel’s recent attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
  
  
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised continued military support for Ukraine in its war with neighboring Russia.
  
  
• China sent a team of investigators to Islamabad to participate in an investigation into the killing of two of its nationals in a suicide attack in a southern port city of Pakistan, state-run media reported.
  
  
• Iran’s permanent mission to the UN denied allegations that Tehran is supplying weapons to Lebanon.
  
  
• At least four Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house in the southwestern part of Gaza City, a medical source said.
  
  
• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Thursday to discuss Israel's operations in Lebanon.
  
  
• Israel said it intercepted a rocket launched from northern Gaza toward settlements on the border region.
  
  
• President William Ruto announced Kenya’s commitment to deploying an additional 600 police officers to Haiti.
  
  
• Germany heavily criticized Israel for targeting positions of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
  
  
• Israeli authorities ordered residents in several areas of Upper Galilee in northern Israel to remain indoors following suspicions that armed fighters may have infiltrated the region from Lebanon.
  
  
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the importance of Serbia's role in stabilizing its neighbor Bosnia and Herzegovina during talks with Aleksandar Vucic, his Serbian counterpart, in Belgrade.
  
  
• Russia said its Southern Group of Forces took control of the Ostrivske settlement in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
  
  
• A Japanese high court ruled that a dual nationality ban under the country's laws was constitutional and rejected the petition of a Japanese-born US citizen.
  
  
• Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, announced that Russian and Chinese border guards completed their first joint patrol in the North Pacific Ocean.
  
  
• The Colombian government accepted a proposal by the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group to return to peace talks, after a recent pause in discussions.
  
  
  
  SPORTS
• Dani Carvajal undergoes 'successful' surgery on right knee

Real Madrid said right-back Dani Carvajal underwent successful knee surgery and will begin his recovery process.

"Today, Dani Carvajal underwent successful surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and posterior-external instability in his right knee, under the supervision of Real Madrid's Medical Department," according to a statement.

Carvajal left the pitch in tears after suffering a serious knee injury during Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Villarreal on Oct. 6.

• Abu Dhabi wave pool added to World Surf League 2025 tour

Abu Dhabi’s wave pool has been added as a new venue on the World Surf League 2025 tour, the 2025 Championship Tour Schedule of the World Surf League (WSL) announced.

The Surf Abu Dhabi, which is the world’s largest and longest human-made wave with a 75,000 square-meter pool, located on Hudayriyat Island, will be the second stop of the 2025 WSL Championship Tour.

The facility is also the only saltwater wave system in the world.