Rabia Ali
22 January 2024•Update: 22 January 2024
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Monday, including a UN statement on number of casualties in Sudan conflict, US presidential nominee Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspending election bid, survivors found aboard crashed Russian plane, and Israel agreeing to transfer Palestinian tax money to third party.
TOP STORIES
More than 13,000 people have been killed and 26,000 others injured in the ongoing conflict in Sudan since last year, the United Nations humanitarian office said.
Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the country’s ruling Sovereign Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since April 2023.
“About 7.6 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan since fighting broke out,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential nominations race, and announced support for Donald Trump.
The move came just two days before the New Hampshire primary.
"If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory," DeSantis said in a video message on X.
DeSantis, 45, secured the second spot in the Iowa caucuses last week with 20.1% of the vote.
Four of the six people on board, including the pilot, were found alive after a Russian plane crashed in the Badakhshan province of northeastern Afghanistan, the Taliban administration confirmed.
The investigation team continues to search for the two others who were on the ill-fated plane, said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the interim Taliban administration.
The crashed Russian Falcon 10 private jet has been discovered by a local search and rescue team, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) said.
The plane, registered in Russia, disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan on Saturday evening, authorities said.
The Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to send Palestinian tax money to Norway to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority pending approval from Tel Aviv.
The money, of which the share of the Gaza Strip was withheld, would only be transferred to the Ramallah-based authority with the express permission of Israel.
According to the statement, issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the US will serve as a guarantor of the plan’s implementation.
The tax revenues – known in Palestine and Israel as maqasa – are collected by the Israeli government on behalf of the Palestinian Authority on Palestinian imports and exports and Israel in return earns a commission of 3%.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The US military confirmed the deaths of two Navy SEALs who had been missing in the Gulf of Oman, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
- At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured due to shelling in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Russian control.
- Hamas published a 16-page report highlighting the motives behind its Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel and its connection to the Palestinian cause while also countering Israeli allegations.
- Lebanese group Hezbollah said that they targeted Israeli soldiers with missiles as they prepared for an attack on Lebanon.
- Families of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip began a sit-in protest in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s headquarters in Jerusalem demanding their immediate release.
- The US exploits events in the Red Sea to fabricate an international crisis and blame the Houthis for its consequences, the official spokesman for the Yemen-based group said.
- Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations with Israel unless the Palestinian issue is resolved, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told CNN in an interview that was broadcast on Sunday.
- The Israeli military has destroyed at least 16 cemeteries in Gaza, CNN reported over the weekend, citing satellite imagery and social media footage.
- Hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday took to the streets of Germany to voice their protest against far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and its plans for mass deportation of people with foreign backgrounds.
SPORTS
Girona's dream Spanish La Liga run in the 2023-24 season continued with a 5-1 win against Sevilla .
Sevilla's Isaac Romero brought the lead to the visitors in the 10th minute.
Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk leveled the score three minutes later and then netted in the 15th and 19th minutes. Viktor Tsygankov netted his team’s fourth goal in the 56th minute.
Uruguayan veteran forward Cristhian Stuani netted the fifth goal of the hosts.
Morocco drew 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of Congo in a Group F match at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Moroccan star right-back Achraf Hakimi brought his team an early lead in the sixth minute at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro, Ivory Coast.
DR Congo forward Silas Katompa Mvumpa equalized the score in the 76th minute.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Libya’s state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC) lifted the state of force majeure at the Sharara oilfield in southern Libya.
The state-run company declared force majeure at the oilfield on Jan. 3 amid protests by locals
The Sharara oilfield produces more than 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, forming roughly one-third of the oil-rich country's production.
Türkiye could play a role in Libya's efforts to diversify its energy mix by adding more clean energy resources at a time when Libya's economy is only beginning to recover from the wounds of years-long political unrest.
In a significant shift in the North African country’s energy sector, traditionally dominated by hydrocarbons, the focus is now expanding to include renewable energy, driven by increasing energy security concerns and rising demand.
