ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Saturday including more than 560 displaced people were killed in Gaza while sheltering under the UN flag, US President Joe Biden stressing the urgency of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Britain halting efforts to challenge ICC jurisdiction over Israeli leaders.
TOP STORIES
More than 560 displaced people were killed in the Gaza Strip while sheltering under the UN flag, according to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
"Many of our schools are demolished and can no longer be used as schools. In the past two weeks alone, eight UNRWA schools, all serving at shelters for displaced people, have been struck.
"Our headquarters, offices in Gaza are destroyed beyond recognition. More than 560 displaced people, including many women and children, have been killed while sheltering under the UN flag," Antonia Marie De Meo, deputy commissioner-general of UNRWA, said at a UN Security Council meeting.
US President Joe Biden emphasized the need to close the remaining gaps and finalize a cease-fire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the White House.
The two leaders discussed developments in Gaza and negotiations on a cease-fire and hostage release deal in detail, it said in a statement.
"President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza,” it added.
The UK on Friday said that it would not proceed with efforts to question whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and defense minister, according to local media.
This decision came after the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced in May that he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes.
Court documents made public in June revealed that Britain, an ICC member state, had initially filed a request to provide written observations on whether the court could exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, given that Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the Oslo Accords.
NEWS IN BRIEF
SPORTS
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially began with an opening ceremony on the River Seine.
"Prologue. We must bring the Olympic Torch back to Paris," the Paris 2024 official website wrote on X.
"It accidentally arrived at Stade de France. It is awaited by thousands of athletes and spectators on the river Seine. Thank you, Zinedine Zidane," it added.
Brazilian football legend Zico had a briefcase worth €500,000 ($543,000), containing a Rolex watch and diamonds, stolen in Paris, according to a French newspaper
Le Parisien reported that the theft occurred in the back of a taxi. An individual allegedly distracted the driver while another suspect stole the briefcase.
Arthur Antunes Coimbra, widely known as Zico, 71, was in Paris at the invitation of the Brazilian delegation to watch the Olympic Games, which officially commence with the opening ceremony on Friday.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
The US Federal Reserve's preferred annual inflation indicator remained unchanged at 2.6% in June, according to Commerce Department figures released Friday.
The figure came in slightly higher than market expectations of 2.5%, while the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index annually rose 2.6% in May.
On a monthly basis, the core PCE price index increased 0.2% in June, gaining pace from a 0.1% month-on-month increase in May, and came in line with market estimates.
The Netherlands secured EU approval for €2 billion ($2.17 billion) in state aid to build a nuclear reactor to produce medical isotopes for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“Under the measure, the aid will take the form of loans and equity for a total amount of approximately €2 billion to a newly established company (‘NewCo') that will build and operate the reactor and the nuclear health centre,” according to a European Commission statement.
The Netherlands had notified the European Commission of its plan to support the PALLAS project, which includes the construction of a reactor and a nuclear health center, said a commission statement.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said 97% of Windows sensors are back online, after an update caused a major global IT outage last week.
Kurtz, however, said the company's work is yet complete, and it remains committed to restoring every impacted system. "To our customers still affected, please know we will not rest until we achieve full recovery," he said Thursday on LinkedIn.
The CEO said he was "deeply sorry" for the disruption and personally apologized to everyone impacted.
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