ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including the evacuation of the French ambassador and troops in Niger, a deadly clash between armed Serbs and Kosovo police, and the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli forces.

TOP STORIES

• France to withdraw ambassador, troops from Niger

France’s ambassador and its diplomatic staff in Niger’s capital will be evacuated in the next few hours, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.

He also said that French troops would be withdrawn in the weeks and months to come.

“The French military presence will come to an end by the end of this year,” he added.

Niger was plunged into turmoil on July 26 when Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former commander of the presidential guard, led a military intervention that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

• Standoff between Kosovo police and armed Serbs leaves four dead

A shootout between armed ethnic Serbs and police officers in northern Kosovo left four dead, said reports.

A police officer was reportedly killed and another injured in the clash.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that armed individuals who attacked Kosovo police were not from Serbia and were local Kosovo Serbs. He said three ethnic Serbs were killed in clashes.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti claimed that organized criminal groups were behind Sunday’s attack.

A group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge leading to Banjska village located near the city of Mitrovica with two trucks lacking license plates.

• 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during raid

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Sunday in a raid on the Nur Shams Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank.

Eyewitnesses reported an armed clash between Palestinian residents and Israeli forces, with soldiers damaging the camp's streets and Palestinian vehicles with bulldozers.

The Israeli army said that during the raid, a soldier was injured by shrapnel and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Later on Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Yom Kippur holiday.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit to Azerbaijan's autonomous Nakhchivan exclave on Monday upon the invitation of his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, particularly to discuss recent developments in Karabakh.

• Ukraine and the US reached a “historic decision” on the joint production of weapons, particularly air defense systems, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

• The Chinese military conducted drills on Dongshan Island in the southern part of Fujian province facing Taiwan, said the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said on X.

• The Italian defense minister on Sunday criticized Germany for its recent decision to fund the NGOs rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and disembarking them on the Italian shore.

• Turkish security forces have "neutralized" 605 terrorists so far as part of Operation Claw-Lock, National Defense Ministry sources said, seizing a total of 1,343 weapons and 706,650 pieces of ammunition.


• Saudi Arabia and Jordan on Sunday condemned attacks against the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in front of embassies of several Muslim countries in the Hague, the Netherlands.

• At least 70 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed Sunday in a military operation conducted by the Somali National Army backed by local militias in north-central Mudug province.

• NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, carrying the first asteroid sample collected in space by a NASA capsule, landed in the US state of Utah on Sunday after completing a journey of 3.86 billion miles (6.2 billion kilometers) to bring samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth.

SPORTS

• Red Bull's Verstappen wins F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen on Sunday won the Japanese Grand Prix, in round 17 of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Verstappen completed the 53-lap race in one hour, 30 minutes and 58 seconds at the 5.8-kilometer (3.6-mile) Suzuka International Racing Course.

• Turkish women's volleyball team defeat Belgium

The Turkish women's volleyball team defeated Belgium in straight sets to win all seven group matches on Sunday.

In the Group B game, the Turkish team won with sets of 25-14, 25-20 and 25-21 after 73 minutes.

Melissa Vargas of Türkiye was the highest scorer.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• India enjoys advantage of democracy over China as global trade juggernaut: Export official

While China possesses an export ecosystem, India as a democracy is better positioned as an exporter to Europe, according to the head of India's top export promotion organization.

"From a democratic perspective, it's always better to deal with a country where we have the rule of the law," Ajay Sahai told Anadolu during the UP International Trade Show in the northern Indian city Greater Noida.​​​​​​​