Day: March 24, 2024

ISTANBUL: Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Sunday, including Israeli bombardment targeting Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza, Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks on Moscow concert hall attack, and Israelis protesting Netanyahu government, demanding hostage swap deal with Hamas. TOP STORIES 19 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces shell Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza At least 19 Palestinians were killed and 23 others injured in an Israeli attack targeting civilians who were waiting for aid southeast of Gaza City, media office in the enclave said on Saturday. 'The Israeli occupation commits a massacre, killing 19 and injuring 23 civilians while thousands of citizens were waiting for flour and aid near Al-Kuwait roundabout,' the media office said in a statement. It added: 'The occupation army and tanks opened fire with machine guns towards the hungry people who were waiting for bags of flour and aid in a place far from posing any danger to the occupation.' The o ffice held the US administration, the international community, and Israel fully responsible for the worsening conditions. Putin calls shooting at Moscow concert hall 'purposeful massacre' Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed Friday's shooting at the Crocus City Concert Hall in Moscow region as a "purposeful massacre" aimed at sowing discord in society. "The criminals, purposefully and in cold blood killed, shot our citizens and our children at point-blank range," Putin said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday. "Like the Nazis, who once carried out massacres in the occupied territories, they planned to arrange a demonstrative execution, a bloody act of intimidation." In the wake of the attack that killed at least 133 people, the president declared Sunday, March 24, as the day of national mourning. Thousands rally in Tel Aviv demanding prisoner exchange deal with Hamas Thousands of Israelis held protests in Kaplan Square, central Tel Aviv, against the current government led by Benjamin Ne tanyahu and demanded a hostage swap deal with Hamas. The demonstrators raised pictures of dozens of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and chanted: 'Elections now.' At the same time, about 300 protesters closed Begin Street adjacent to the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. NEWS IN BRIEF Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said his country has "no slightest connection" with Friday's terrorist attack in Moscow. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to the US on Sunday to discuss developments on a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, his office said. An Israeli hostage in Gaza died due to shortage of medicine and food, said Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip. Russia claimed it had taken control of the Ivanivske settlement, also known as Krasnoye in Russian, located in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The World Health Organization tran sferred two sick children from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip to the Rafah border crossing in preparation for their transport to hospitals outside the enclave. The Spanish National Court ruled to suspend the use of the instant messaging application Telegram on allegations of unauthorized use of copyrighted visual and audio content. Protests against Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in Vienna, Berlin and Dublin. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed deep sorrow and condolences for a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin The US "strongly" condemned "heinous" terrorist attack in Moscow, as well as "terrorism in all its forms." Slovakia will proceed to a runoff for presidential election on April 6 as no candidate succeeded in getting more than 50% of the vote in Saturday's election. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said Bosnia and Herzegovina can count on his country's support towards EU membership. Maria Vasilevskaya becom es the first Belarusian woman cosmonaut who flew into outer space as she is on a crewed flight to the International Space Station. SPORTS Brazil beat England 1-0 in international football friendly Brazil shootout England 1-0 on Saturday in an international friendly match. Young forward Endrick Felipe scored his maiden international goal for Brazil in the 80th minute at Wembley Stadium. The 17-year-old became the youngest scorer in a men's senior match at Wembley. England suffered their first loss in eleven matches with the defeat. Germany defeat France 2-0 Germany defeated France 2-0 in an international friendly football match. Midfielder Florian Wirtz drew first blood in the first minute of the match at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz netted the second goal for his national team in the 49th minute. Germany will host the EURO 2024, which will begin with Germany playing Scotland on June 14 at Munich's Allianz Arena. BUSINESS and ECONOMY Biden signs budget bill, averts gov ernment shutdown US President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion budget bill approved by the US Senate. Biden said in a written statement that the budget bill would prevent a government shutdown, adding that it invests in the American people, strengthens the economy, and enhances national security. The agreement reached on the budget bill emerged as a result of compromise, therefore neither side obtained all they wanted, he added. Ukraine's biggest hydroelectric power station stops functioning following Russia's missile strike The Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, the biggest electric power station of its kind in Ukraine, stopped functioning following Russia's missile strike on Friday. Ihor Syrota, the head of Ukrhydroenergo, a Ukrainian state-owned enterprise that manages many major hydroelectric power plants along the Dnieper and Dniester rivers, told local broadcasters that the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station has been severely damaged. The Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, also known as the Dnipro Dam, is l ocated in the city of Zaporizhzhia and is made up of two units, but none of them are working, Syrota said. The power cut from the damaged Dnieper Hydroelectric Station may cause an energy shortage in many Ukrainian regions. Source: Anadolu Agency

The creation of an international legal body to regulate the development and use of autonomous weapon systems according to the values of humanitarian law is imperative, Cypriot MP Stefanos Stefanou has said. Stefanou was speaking during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security of the 148th Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union which began on Sunday in Geneva. The discussion focused on addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapons systems and artificial intelligence. The rapid development of technology and artificial intelligence, Stefanou said, may offer unprecedented opportunities to basic sectors transforming economies and societies, but also creates challenges which should be tackled comprehensively through a robust legal and regulatory framework and international cooperation. Referring to the development of autonomous weapons system, Stefanou underlined the need for establishing a binding international legal body, which would regulate their use acc ording to ethical, legal and humanitarian values on which the international humanitarian law is based. Adopting an international convention by 2026 that would prohibit the development of "robot killers" and would reflect a world consensus for the urgent tackling of challenges emanating from their use is equally important, he added. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman held talks in Doha on Sunday with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to discuss ways of facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. The talks dwelt on ways to bolster regional and international efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and to facilitate an obstacle-free humanitarian aid access to Gaza, the state news agency QNA reported. Bin Abdulrahman, who is also a foreign minister, underlined the importance of the UN role in supporting efforts 'to battle the worsening humanitarian catastrophe and put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian brothers trapped in the Gaza Strip.' Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, is mediating between Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner swap. Hamas, which is believed to be holding nearly 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Israel. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 people were killed. More than 32,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 74,500 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

Despite the difficulties and challenges, the appointment of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, could lead to the resumption of the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides said ?n Sunday. He pledged once again that the government will do its utmost to find a viable solution for all legal residents on the island. Delivering a eulogy at a memorial service held in Limassol for a fallen citizen in 1964, the President said that the government has assumed the responsibility of asserting the rights of all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and "the great struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland." He said that there is a specific strategy the government follows and knows very well what it aims for. The President said that "we are working in order to tame the Turkish intransigence and create the prospects for the resumption of the talks". President Christodoulides vowed that the government will continue taking init iatives to the direction of the resumption of the dialogue. He referred to the power and prestige of the Cyprus Republic as a member of the EU and to the initiatives that highlight the role and importance of the country in the region. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ANKARA: Hong Kong's temperature on Sunday equalized its highest recorded level during the month of March in 140 years, the city's weather observatory said. The mercury touched 31.5C (88.7F) - the highest temperature recorded during the month of March since records began in 1884. It spiked to above 32C in the northern areas of the territory close to the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen. Weather will still be hot on Monday "under the persistent influence of a southerly airstream and plenty of sunshine," according to an advisory from the observatory. The maximum temperature will be around 31C in the urban areas, and "very" hot with a couple of degrees higher over parts of the New Territories. "Hot weather might cause adverse health effects. The public should stay on the alert and drink more water," it added. Hong Kong experienced its hottest summer on record in 2023 with mercury hitting an average temperature of 29.7C between June and August. All 12 months of 2023 were warmer than usual. Source: Anadolu Agency

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment Maria Panayiotou departs on Sunday for Brussels to take part in the EU Councils for the Environment and Agriculture and Fisheries to be held on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. According to an official press release, the EU Environment Ministers will hold a policy debate on the Commission's proposal to revise the waste framework directive, focusing on the textile and food sectors. The overall aim of the proposal is to reduce the environmental and climate impacts associated with textile and food waste generation and management. EU Environment Ministers will also exchange views on the recent Commission communication on the EU 2040 climate target. Furthermore, the Ministers will discuss the level of ambition of the 2030 food waste reduction objectives and the effectiveness of the extended responsibility of textile producers to counter the environmental impact of textile waste. During the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, to take place on Tuesda y, Agriculture Ministers will exchange views as a follow-up to the work carried out by the Commission following the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting that took place on 26 February 2024. The will also exchange views on the short-term measures to streamline the implementation of Common Agricultural Police and reduce administrative burden, as well the proposed measures to strengthen farmers in the food production and distribution chain. Moreover, the Council will discuss the current situation on the EU's agricultural markets, in particular following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The Ukrainian Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, will address the Council before the ministers' exchange of views. Panayiotou will host a working dinner for the MED9 Agriculture Ministers with a view to exchange views and noted down converging views regarding the preservation of food security in the EU and safeguarding of satisfactory income for farmers. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Russia on Sunday said that it intercepted two American strategic bombers as they were approaching the country's border over the Barents Sea. A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said that the country's control equipment detected a group of aircraft approaching Russian airspace, due to which it dispatched a MiG-31 fighter jet to identify the aircraft and prevent any violations. 'The Russian fighter crew identified the aerial target as a pair of US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers,' the statement said. It further said the strategic bombers adjusted their flight course as the Russian fighter jet approached them, after which it returned safely to its home airfield. There was no violation of Russia's state border, the statement also said, adding that the Russian fighter jet's maneuvers were carried out 'in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters and in compliance with safety measures.' The US authorities have not yet commented on the statement. S ource: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Poland on Sunday demanded an explanation from Moscow after saying a Russian cruise missile aimed at Ukraine entered its territory and violated its airspace, the Polish national news agency said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said in a statement on Sunday that they "ask the Russian Federation to end its terrorist airstrikes against the population and territory of Ukraine, to end the war and to focus on the country's own internal problems,' according to the Polish Press Agency. 'On March 24 at 4:23 a.m. (0323GMT), there was a violation of Polish airspace by one of the cruise missiles launched tonight by the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation,' the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said on X. "The object entered Polish space near the town of Oserdow (Lublin Voivodeship) and stayed there for 39 seconds. During the entire flight, it was observed by military radar systems,' it added. The Polish armed forces also said on X that Polish and allied aircraft had been activa ted to ensure the security of the airspace. The last time Russia violated Poland's airspace was on Dec. 29, 2023. Russia has yet to comment on the issue. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Israel will not approve UN food convoys to the northern Gaza Strip, the head of the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians said Sunday. 'Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to the north,' UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X. 'This is outrageous and makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine,' he added. Israel accused 12 of the UNRWA's 30,000 employees of involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people. Several Western countries, including the US, suspended their funding to the UN refugee agency pending investigations into the Israeli allegations. The EU, Canada and Sweden, however, announced earlier this month that they will proceed with funding for UNRWA as Israel has yet to put any evidence publicly to support its allegations. UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to as sist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land. The agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other areas where large numbers of registered Palestinians live. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since Oct. 7 and imposed a crippling blockade that left most of the population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. More than 32,200 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive and over 74,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to gu arantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency