By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including a report by the UN that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since last October, another report by the World Meteorological Organization that global warming is 80% likely to temporarily exceed 1.5C in the next five years and the UN saying that over 1 million people in Gaza -- almost half the enclave’s population -- are “expected to face death and starvation by mid-July.”
TOP STORIES
- More than 500 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, settlers in West Bank since last October: UN
The UN reported that in addition to the carnage in the Gaza Strip, more than 500 Palestinians, most of them children, have been killed since Oct. 7 last year in the occupied West Bank.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that “since 7 October, more than 500 Palestinians – nearly a quarter of them children – have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a news conference.
Saying that Israeli forces are responsible for the majority of the killings, Dujarric also noted that over "5,100 Palestinians were injured in these areas" during the same period.
- Global warming 80% likely to temporarily exceed 1.5C in next 5 years: WMO
A new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Wednesday indicated that the planet's annual average temperature is 80% likely to temporarily exceed the 1.5C threshold above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years.
The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1C and 1.9C higher than the 1850-1900 baseline, said the UN weather agency's report.
Temperatures in at least one of these years will probably set a new record, beating 2023, currently the warmest year on record, the report underlined.
- Over 1M people in Gaza 'expected to face death, starvation' by mid-July: UN
Over 1 million people in Gaza -- nearly half the enclave’s population -- are “expected to face death and starvation by mid-July,” the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said.
In a report titled “Hunger Hotspots Report: famine looms in Gaza while the risk of starvation persists in Sudan, Haiti, Mali and South Sudan,” the FAO pointed out the dangers that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis has brought.
“The ongoing conflict in Palestine is expected to further aggravate already catastrophic levels of acute hunger, with starvation and death already taking place, alongside the unprecedented death toll, widespread destruction and displacement of nearly the total population of the Gaza Strip – the report warns,” the FAO said.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The UN investigative team (UNITAD) has digitalized 18 million pages of documents from the Daesh/ISIS terror group in the last six years.
- The Biden administration defended using the death toll from Israel's ongoing war on the besieged Gaza Strip to publicly pressure Hamas into accepting a cease-fire deal.
- The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed a potential cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip with his acting Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri, and the process of restoring bilateral relations between Egypt and Iran.
- China and Ukraine exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and "international and regional issues of common concern" amid talks for an upcoming peace summit in Switzerland, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
- The UN warned about the unprecedented Haitian crisis, marked by widespread violence, massive displacement and acute food insecurity, as nearly 2 million people are "facing emergency food insecurity conditions."
- At least five Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house inside a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
- Racist graffiti was found on the wall surrounding the home of an Arab-origin citizen in France, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said.
- First Minister Vaughan Gething in Wales lost a no-confidence vote for a controversial donation to his leadership campaign, increasing pressure on him to step down.
- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned an Israeli flag march in East Jerusalem to mark Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.
- The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, approved in a preliminary reading a bill that would prohibit the opening of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to serve non-Israeli residents (Palestinians), citing a potential de facto situation of Jerusalem as a “shared city.”
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed a defamation lawsuit against two journalists and a political activist for “spreading lies” about his health, according to local media
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived for his first-ever visit to the Central African country of Chad.
- The head of the UN warned about the ongoing climate crisis and said humans are the danger but also the solution.
- Boeing Starliner launched for the first time, carrying astronauts of the US space agency NASA to the International Space Station (ISS).
- The US Embassy in Beirut advised American citizens in Lebanon to avoid travel to areas along the borders with Israel and Syria.
- Palestinians marked the 57th anniversary of the June 1967 war with Israel amid the ongoing onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
- Jewish civil rights activist Aryeh Neier, one of the founders of Human Rights Watch, condemned Israel's prevention of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as a “genocide.”
- China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing backs Venezuela’s “greater role” in Latin America, besides supporting Caracas' efforts to safeguard “national sovereignty and dignity.”
- Germany must be “fit for war” until 2029, the country’s defense minister said.
- Seven children were injured in a car accident in western France.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Chipmaker Nvidia's market cap passes $3 trillion, overtakes Apple as 2nd most valuable company in US
Nvidia's market cap passed the $3 trillion mark Wednesday as it overtook Apple as the second most valuable company in the US by the closing bell on Wall Street.
The California-based chipmaker’s stock price hit an all-time high of $1,223.59 at 3.15 p.m. EDT, giving it a market capitalization of $3.01 trillion. With that feat, Nvidia has become the third company in the US to hit that milestone after Apple and Microsoft, respectively.
Apple's stock price was trading around $195.95 at that time, with a market cap of $3.004 trillion.
SPORTS
- $11.4M a year: Fenerbahce reveal new head coach Mourinho's salary
Fenerbahce revealed that its new head coach Jose Mourinho will earn a salary of €10.5 million ($11.4 million) a year.
The Istanbul-based club told Türkiye's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) that it signed an agreement with 61-year-old Mourinho for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 football seasons for a salary of €10.5 million per season, and his deal will end in 2026.
Mourinho, a world-famous football coach, was unveiled on Sunday as the Fenerbahce senior team's new boss.
- Antonio Conte named new Napoli coach on 3-year contract
Napoli appointed Antonio Conte as their new head coach on a three-year contract.
"Napoli is a club of huge importance on the international stage," Conte said after the signing ceremony.
"I'm happy and excited by the idea of taking my seat in the Napoli dugout. I can certainly promise one thing: I’ll give my all to develop the team and the club. I’m fully committed to the task at hand, as are my staff," he added.