Morning Briefing: Sept. 15, 2023

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including rescue work in Libya’s flood-hit areas, an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea, displacement of over 5 million people in Sudan, and US slamming Russia for expulsion of its diplomats.

TOP STORIES

• Rescue work continues in Libya amid race against time

Rescue teams rescued 510 people from under the rubble in the Libyan city of Derna, where devastating floods have left thousands of people dead, a unity government official said on Thursday.

At least 6,000 people have been killed and thousands of others remain missing.

The Libyan House of Representatives approved an emergency budget Thursday of 10 billion Libyan dinars ($2 billion) to mitigate the destruction caused by Storm Daniel.

• Putin to visit North Korea at Kim's invitation

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea at the invitation of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Putin had informed the Russian Security Council about his meeting with Kim, he said, adding that "Russian-Korean contacts at the highest level were very, very constructive."

Meanwhile, South Korea warned Pyongyang and Moscow of consequences for violating UN Security Council resolutions through arms deals and military cooperation.

The US also voiced concerns over future defense cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

• Over 5.25M civilians displaced due to Sudan conflict: UN

More than 5.25 million people have been displaced by the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, according to the UN.

The agency said over 4.1 million people are internally displaced, citing International Organization for Migration in Sudan.

Also, 1.1 million have left the country, the UN aid agency said, citing data from the UN refugee agency in Sudan.

• US vows appropriate response after Russia expels diplomats

The US State Department on Thursday criticized Russia's decision to declare two American diplomats "persona non grata," and pledged to respond appropriately.

"We regret that Russia has taken this path and you can certainly expect that we will respond appropriately to their actions," spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Earlier, Russia announced that two US diplomats were declared "persona non grata" because of activities said to "contradict the status of diplomats."

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned US Ambassador Lynne Trace and conveyed to her strong protests regarding "the incompatibility with the diplomatic status of the actions of the first secretary of the US Embassy, Jeffrey Sillin, and the second secretary of the Embassy, David Bernstein."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received letters from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi which stressed the development of bilateral relations, local media said.

• A cease-fire agreement was reached in the Palestinian refugee camp Ein el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon, a government official announced.

• The UK, France, and Germany criticized Iran for violating its commitment regarding the enrichment of uranium in a joint statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

• Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, was indicted Thursday on a series of federal gun charges, tying to possession of a gun while using narcotics.

• At least 50,000 houses have collapsed completely or partially in last week's deadly earthquake in Morocco, as government pledged emergency assistance worth 30,000 dirhams ($3,000).

• Around 238 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity in 48 countries in 2023, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released Thursday.

• NASA released a report Thursday that said there is no conclusive evidence to suggest an extraterrestrial origin for unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs.

SPORTS

• Real Madrid players record statements about alleged broadcasting of private video

Several Real Madrid players recorded statements about the alleged broadcasting of a private video, the club announced on Thursday.

The players were reportedly arrested by police as they were suspected of recording a private video with a minor girl and sharing it with other players, according to Spain's sports newspaper Marca.

• Nominees for Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 unveiled

FIFA on Thursday announced nominees for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2023, with names having been chosen by a panel of football experts.

The awards include several categories, best male and female players. They also include best men and women's coach as well as best goalkeepers for men and women's team.

For the male players, the nominees consist several players including Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• G-20 economic growth eases to 0.7% in Q2

The G-20 nations' cumulative economic growth rate slowed to 0.7% in the second quarter of 2023, an international group revealed on Thursday.

The figure was down from 1% quarter-on-quarter gross domestic product growth in the first three-month period of this year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in a report.

• European Central Bank hikes interest rates by 25bps to fight persistent inflation

The European Central Bank on Thursday raised its three key policy interest rates by 25 basis points to fight persistent inflation.

Despite its downward trend, the inflation is expected to remain "too high for too long," the bank said in a statement.

The euro area's annual consumer inflation rate was stable at 5.3% in August, still above the bank's 2% medium-term target.