Morning Briefing: Sept. 13, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including the US approving the sale of $164.6 million worth of heavy-duty tank trailers and related equipment to Israel amid the Gaza war, former US President Donald Trump saying he will not participate in another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that UN workers should be protected after deadly Israeli strikes on a UN-run school in Gaza

TOP STORIES

• US approves $164.6M military equipment sale to Israel amid Gaza war

The Biden administration approved the sale of $164.6 million worth of heavy-duty tank trailers and related equipment to Israel amid its war on the devastated Gaza Strip and escalation in the West Bank.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified Congress of the potential sale, and deliveries are estimated to begin in 2027.

"The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives," it said in a statement.

• Trump says he will not participate in another debate with Harris

Former US President Donald Trump announced that he will not participate in another debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming he decisively won Tuesday's debate against her.

"Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris," Trump said in a statement, adding that Harris immediately called for a second debate following the encounter earlier this week. He framed his decision as a refusal to engage with an administration he claims has caused widespread damage to the US.

Harris, according to Trump, was a "no-show" at previous debates hosted by major networks, including Fox News, NBC and CBS. He suggested Harris should focus on addressing the challenges of the last four years instead of asking for more debates.

• UN workers should be protected, says US secretary of state after deadly Israeli strikes on UN-run school in Gaza

UN workers should be protected, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a deadly Israeli strike on UN staff at a Gaza school.

Asked about Wednesday's strikes on the UN-run school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza which killed at least 18 people, including UN staff, Blinken said “UN workers should be protected. We need to see humanitarian sites protected. We continue to raise this to Israel” during a joint news conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski.

He added that reaching an immediate cease-fire in Gaza is the best way to ensure the protection of the people and places.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least three people were killed and three others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a town in northern Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported.
• The UN affirmed that there is no evidence supporting Israeli claims of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) facilities being housed by Hamas.
• Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Russian ambassador to express the government's objections after Russian authorities placed Italian journalist Stefania Battistini on their wanted list. Battistini, a reporter for the state-owned TV station RAI, is accused by Russia of illegally crossing the border from Ukraine in August.
• The number of deaths from super Typhoon Yagi climbed to 327 as heavy and prolonged rains elevated rivers to dangerous levels five days after it struck northern Vietnam, triggering flooding and landslides, according to the UN.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said that allowing Kyiv to conduct long-range strikes against his country using Western weapons would mean NATO's direct involvement in the war in Ukraine.
• Illegal Israeli settlers burned olive trees and Palestinian property in Yatma, a village south of Nablus in the northern West Bank.
• The US will announce support for two African countries as permanent members of the UN Security Council without veto power as part of proposed reforms.
• Egypt said it will continue mediation efforts with Qatar and the US to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed defense and cooperation between his country and the Baltic states during separate meetings with visiting leaders from the region in the capital Kyiv.
• Mehmet Suat Eygi, the father of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, expressed hope that the US government would provide justice and launch an investigation into her murder, as the government of Türkiye is currently doing.
• Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and King Charles III agreed to collaborate on global strategies to address climate change in the interest of both countries, according to an official who disclosed details.
• An issue at Microsoft 365, productivity software and cloud-based services owned by Microsoft, affected thousands of global users around the world.
• Three staffers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were killed after Russian shelling hit the charity’s humanitarian mission in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
• France condemned an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school and killed several people in the Gaza Strip, including six UN staffers.
• Russia's Defense Ministry officially confirmed the liberation of 10 settlements in its Kursk region which had been captured by Ukrainian troops as part of their incursion that began on Aug. 6.
• Italy reaffirmed its support for Ukraine and condemned Iran for supplying arms to Russia.
• The European Union’s foreign policy chief expressed outrage after the killing of six humanitarian workers by Israeli airstrikes on a UN-run school in Gaza.
• Türkiye's National Defense Ministry strongly condemned the Roadmap for Defense Cooperation agreement between the US and the Greek Cypriot administration, calling for a reassessment of approaches that ignore Northern Cyprus.

SPORTS

• Big Three of Türkiye strengthen squads before 2024/25 summer transfer window closes Friday

The three biggest Turkish football clubs are steadily strengthening their squads ahead of Türkiye's 2024/25 summer transfer window, which closes on Friday.

Fenerbahce arguably had the most successful conclusion to the summer transfer window among Turkish Super Lig clubs.

The Yellow Canaries made one of the most notable decisions of the transfer period by selecting a new manager, a move that captured attention.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Gaza's economy shrunk to one-sixth of pre-war value: UN report

The economy in the Gaza Strip had shrunk to less than one-sixth of pre-war levels by the middle of 2024, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its latest report.

The report underlined the "staggering scale of economic devastation and unprecedented decline in economic activity, far surpassing the impact of all previous military confrontations in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021."

By early 2024, between 80%-96% of Gaza's agricultural assets had been decimated, it said, resulting in a significant decline in food production capacity and an exacerbation of the already high levels of food insecurity.

• European Central Bank cuts interest rate by 25 basis points

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut its deposit rate by 25 basis points, meeting market expectations.

Officials led by President Christine Lagarde cut the key rate by a quarter-point to 3.50%.

The move followed a pause in July after a first cut in June.