ISTANBUL 

Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday with, including US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump running neck-and-neck in the 2024 presidential election in key swing states according to polls, Ukraine saying that at least seven people were killed and 64 injured in a Russian airstrike on the western city of Lviv, and the Israeli military killing at least 33 Palestinians since last week in a major military operation in the northern West Bank.

TOP STORIES

• Harris, Trump running neck-and-neck in 6 key US swing states as presidential election looms: Polls

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump are running neck-and-neck in the 2024 presidential election in key swing states, according to the latest polls released by CNN.

As both candidates make a final push to persuade Americans for their votes in the Nov. 5 election, Harris and Trump are hyper-focused on the six crucial battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Harris leads Trump by a margin of 50% to 44% in Wisconsin and holds the lead in Michigan with 48% versus Trump's 43%. Trump has the advantage in Arizona with 49% of the vote among likely voters compared to 44% for Harris.

• Ukraine says 7 killed, 64 injured in overnight Russian airstrike on western city of Lviv

At least seven people were killed and 64 injured in an overnight Russian airstrike on Ukraine’s western city of Lviv.

“We already lost seven people…Among them are three children. A terrible tragedy,” Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on Telegram.

Kozytskyi said in a later statement that a regional sports and rehabilitation center and seven architectural monuments in the city were damaged.

• At least 33 killed as Israel continues its deadly military operation in northern West Bank

At least 33 Palestinians have been killed and 140 others injured in a major Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank since last week, the Health Ministry said.

“Seven children and two elderly people were among the victims,” the ministry added in a statement.

The highest death toll was recorded in Jenin city with 19 fatalities, the ministry said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Russia termed “absolute madness” a call from French President Emmanuel Macron for Serbia to join hands against Russia.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his opposition to withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, the strategic border area between Gaza and Egypt, citing concerns that Hamas could smuggle hostages out of Gaza.
• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a stern warning to Armenia’s leadership and cautioned that "playing with words" about its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-led military bloc, could have serious consequences.
• The Lebanese group Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli settlement of Neot Mordechai for the first time with a barrage of Katyusha rockets.
• At least four people were killed in a high school shooting in the US state of Georgia, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
• Pakistan declared an island in the Arabian Sea as a “maritime protected area” (MPA).
• Japan and China did not use a defense hotline during a recent alleged airspace breach, Japanese media claimed in a report.
• A woman was killed and seven others, including a child, were injured in Israeli strikes targeting various areas in southern Lebanon, which also sparked fires in some regions.
• Türkiye and Egypt called for greater international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
• Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the world is not obligated to tolerate Elon Musk’s agenda simply because he is wealthy.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will lend support to Libya in "ensuring stability and achieving development" of the North African nation.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his visit to Türkiye paves the way for a new phase in Egyptian-Turkish relations.
• US Sen. Lindsey Graham vowed to kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar if former President Donald Trump is elected in November.
• More than 19 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in airstrikes conducted by the Somali army in the regions of Middle Shabelle and Galgadud, the government said.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for a "constructive path" toward a sustainable solution to the Ukraine conflict.
• Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel and its backers are responsible for every person who has died in Gaza due to severe food, water and medicine shortages.
• Malawi began experiencing a national blackout which has affected public hospitals across the southeastern African nation.
• China has warned its youth against what Beijing calls “Western vices,” including pop music and the internet.
• Russia claimed that it took control of two more settlements in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where it is said to have continued to advance along multiple fronts.
• Ukraine's parliament voted to remove multiple officials from their posts amid a mass resignation a day earlier, marking the largest government reshuffle since the start of the country's war with Russia.
• The US condemned Russia's attack on the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has handed in his letter of resignation to the country’s parliament, its speaker said.

SPORTS

• Leicester City win appeal against alleged breach of Premier League spending limits

English club Leicester City won an appeal against a decision that could have led to a points deduction over an alleged breach of Premier League spending limits, the side confirmed.

An independent appeal board reversed an earlier decision by a commission that the club exceeded a £105 million ($138 million) three-season loss threshold in Premier League profitability and sustainability rules.

It found that Leicester's accounting period actually ended on June 30, 2023, a month and two days after they were relegated from the top division, meaning that the Premier League did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Business activity in Brazil rises slower as inflation intensifies: Report

Business activity in Brazil rose in August at a softer rate as inflationary pressures have intensified, according to a report released by the US-based financial services company S&P Global.

The S&P Global PMI Brazil Services Business Activity Index stood at 54.2 in August, down 2.2 points from 56.4 in July, but managed to come in above the neutral mark of 50.0.

The index signaled a softening of demand conditions, which in turn restricted growth of business activity, said the report.

• Türkiye, Saudi central banks sign agreement to foster cooperation

The central banks of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have signed a cooperation deal, according to a statement from the Turkish Central Bank.

The memorandum of understanding aims to lay the groundwork for continued cooperation in the field of central banking.

Under the deal, the two countries' central banks "aspire to foster cooperation and carry out corporate technical activities in the field of central banking," said the statement.