Morning Briefing: Oct. 18, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start Friday, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing China of helping Russia in dragging out the war, Iran’s military chief vowing to respond "painfully" to any Israeli attack and North Korea declaring South Korea a "hostile state” in amended Constitution.

TOP STORIES

• Zelenskyy accuses China of helping Russia in dragging out Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of helping Russia in dragging out the war in the country, citing “clear intelligence data.”

“Unfortunately, we are receiving signals that China is still actively helping Russia drag out this war. And we have clear intelligence data,” Zelenskyy said at an EU Council meeting in Brussels.

Presenting his “victory plan,” Zelenskyy urged European leaders to help Ukraine implement the plan.

• Iran’s IRGC chief vows to respond ‘painfully’ to any Israeli attack

The chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to strike Israel again in response to any Israeli military action against Tehran.

“Do not repeat your mistake,” Gen. Hossein Salami said at a funeral ceremony for Abbas Nilforoushan, an IRGC commander who was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

“If you misbehave, if you strike anything of our targets either in the region or in Iran, we will again hit you painfully,” he added, according to Iranian media.

• North Korea declares South Korea 'hostile state’ in amended Constitution

North Korea confirmed it amended its Constitution to officially designate South Korea a "hostile state,” citing security threats and escalating tension between the two countries, according to state-run media.

“This is an inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Constitution, which clearly defines the ROK (Republic of Korea) as a hostile state, due to the serious security circumstances running to the unpredictable brink of war owing to the grave political and military provocations of the hostile forces,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The announcement marks the first time North Korea has explicitly named South Korea as a “hostile state” since the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), North Korea’s legislative body, met last week and amended the Constitution. Although KCNA reported the constitutional changes following the SPA meeting, it withheld specific details until Thursday.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Kenya’s Senate voted to sack Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by impeachment.
  
  
• Two people were killed and 15 injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting two towns in the Baalbek-Hermel province in eastern Lebanon, the Health Ministry said.
  
  
• The UN high commissioner for human rights raised concerns about the potential forcible transfer of civilians in northern Gaza, which Israel ordered on Sept. 6, warning that such actions could constitute a "war crime."
  
  
• An independent US panel investigating July’s attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally reported "deep flaws" within the Secret Service allowed the attack to take place.
  
  
• The Israeli army announced that it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a military operation in the Gaza Strip.
  
  
• The US sanctioned three organizations and one person based in Russia and China for the development and production of drones allegedly used in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
  
  
• Ukraine's president said he discussed the matter of Kyiv's NATO membership with Donald Trump, pressing him to support the bid as previous security assurances had failed.
  
  
• At least nine Palestinians, including three children and their mother, were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip, a medical source said.
  
  
• Africa registered 50 new deaths from mpox in the past week, bringing the toll to 1,100 since the beginning of the year, the latest data by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) showed.
  
  
• Malaysia and the Philippines expressed condemnation of the Israeli army's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon targeting civilians and UN peacekeepers.
  
  
• At least seven people, including security personnel and civilians, were killed and six others injured in a suicide bombing near a police academy in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, police said.
  
  
• Doctors and health care workers in Greece went on a 24-hour strike, demanding improved economic conditions, an increase in staff and enhancements to the health care system.
  
  
• A charter flight carrying 169 Turkish citizens freshly evacuated from embattled Lebanon landed at Istanbul Airport.
  
  
• South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP) intensified its demand for first lady Kim Keon Hee to withdraw from public engagements, following the party's success in key by-elections.
  
  
• Kyiv and Athens signed a bilateral security cooperation agreement.
  
  
• At least 22 civilians were killed in Israeli shelling of a school sheltering displaced people in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, a medical source said.
  
  
• A German warship shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon, military sources said.
  
  
• NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting to discuss progress on deterrence and defense, support for Ukraine and global partnerships.
  
  
• The president of the EU Council renewed the bloc's commitment to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes."
  
  
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his government’s decision to resume arms exports to Israel despite Tel Aviv’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
  
  
• The UN is being "attacked on all fronts by the Israeli government," according to the EU foreign policy chief.
  
  
• A bilateral cease-fire between the Colombian government and former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has been extended for 6 months following negotiations, according to the two sides.
  
  
• China "expelled" a Japanese fishing boat from disputed waters in the last two days.

SPORTS

• Top chess player Kirill Shevchenko disqualified for allegedly using mobile device during contests

Kirill Shevchenko, a chess grandmaster representing Romania, has been expelled from a competition in Spain for allegedly using a mobile phone during the contests.

The Spanish chess body, FEDA, said the world no. 69 was reported to have used "mobile devices during the playing of his matches" and was disqualified while he was competing at the Spanish Team Championship in the country's Melilla enclave.

"FEDA maintains its firm commitment against cheating in chess, acting in the strongest possible way in any case which is detected. We profoundly regret that these events have occurred,” it said. “We also wish to state that, in any case, this individual behavior has nothing to do with the impeccable performance of his Club and the rest of his team members.”

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Oil prices dip as China's economic concerns weigh

Oil prices fell due to concerns that China's economy will not grow at the expected pace, while data pointing to an increase in demand in the US and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East limited the price decline.

The international oil benchmark of Brent crude dropped 0.7% to $73.71 at 10.30 am local time (0730GMT), down from the previous close of $74.21.

The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate also was off 0.7% to $69.60, compared to $70.12 at the prior session's close.