ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Monday, including a global call for a strike in solidarity with Gaza, a surge in the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, and the swearing-in of Argentina's new far-right president.

TOP STORIES

• Scholars call for global strike in solidarity with Gaza

The International Union of Muslim Scholars has called for a global strike on Monday to demand an immediate cease-fire as Israel continues its attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The union urged people in the Islamic world especially to take part, along with institutions and influential figures, and to maintain the strike until its objectives are met, said Ali Al-Qaradaghi, an official.

Lebanon announced the closure of all government offices and institutions nationwide on Monday in response to the global call and to express solidarity with Gaza and the southern Lebanese villages affected by Israeli attacks, said an official statement.

• Gaza death toll nears 18,000 as Israeli war grinds on

The count of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 17,997 since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said Sunday.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said 49,229 people have been injured since the start of the conflict.

Separately, Israel continued to forcibly displace hundreds of Palestinians in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Following threats from the Israeli army, many people from Khan Younis were forcibly displaced to a "humanitarian zone" close to the city.

• Javier Milei sworn in as Argentina’s new president

Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian who burst onto Argentina's political scene with eccentric and radical proposals, was sworn in as the country's new president on Sunday.

Milei, who has been compared to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and former US President Donald Trump, rocked Argentina's politics after winning the most votes in the presidential primary in August.

The 53-year-old politician has pledged to dollarize the economy and cut massive public amidst Argentina’s economic crisis.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Voting for Egypt’s presidential election, a contest between four candidates including the incumbent, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, began on Sunday as incumbent al-Sisi is poised to win a third term.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed Russian positions against Israel over the Gaza war during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said a statement by Netanyahu’s office.

• A residential neighborhood was reportedly destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon Sunday, according to local media, as Israeli fighter jets leveled several buildings in the area.

• Israeli forces have detained 142 Palestinian women and children during their ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, including nursing infants and the elderly, two organizations announced Sunday, according to a statement by Palestinian organizations.

• Sudan on Sunday ordered 15 Emirati diplomats to leave the country amid Sudanese accusations that the Gulf country supports the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, state news agency SUNA reported.

• A large crowd gathered in Istanbul Sunday to protest the Israeli army’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza, slamming Tel Aviv for destroying Gaza's basic infrastructure and depriving thousands of food and water.

• France on Sunday announced that its multi-purpose frigate Languedoc shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) off the coast of Yemen into the Red Sea.

• North Korea on Sunday joined a growing chorus of criticism against the US for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza state media reported.

• The Israeli army said Sunday that 425 soldiers had been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7. The statement came after an Israeli newspaper reported that more than 5,000 soldiers were injured since Oct. 7.

• Protests in solidarity with Palestine were held Sunday in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, with hundreds gathering to demand a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

SPORTS

• 2023 La Liga's surprise contenders Girona beat Barcelona 4-2

Girona, the surprise contenders of the 2023 season of the Spanish La Liga, beat Barcelona 4-2 in a week 16 match on Sunday.

Girona’s forward Artem Dovbyk brought the lead in the 12th minute. Barca's striker Robert Lewandowski equalized the score.

Spanish Miguel Gutierrez's shot brought the lead once again to Girona. Girona's Valery Fernandez's led a good finish for the team.

• Athletic Bilbao's LaLiga game against Granada abandoned after fan dies

Athletic Bilbao's Spanish La Liga week 16 football game against Granada was abandoned after a fan died of cardiac arrest in the stands on Sunday.

The game was suspended in the 17th minute of play due to the death of a Granada fan at Los Carmenes, with mutual agreement between both clubs, La Liga and the match referee, according to a Bilbao statement.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• West African bloc maintains sanctions against Niger

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc decided Sunday to maintain sanctions imposed on Niger following a July military intervention that deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

Since the July 26 intervention, ECOWAS has imposed economic sanctions on Niger, including the closure of borders with neighboring member countries, aimed at reversing the coup and restoring constitutional order.

• Serbia launches interconnector to gas pipeline in Bulgaria to diversify its supplies

Serbia launched an interconnector to a pipeline in Bulgaria on Sunday that will allow the Balkan nation to diversify its natural gas supplies and reduce its dependency on Russia.

The interconnector will enable a pipeline from the town of Novi Iskar in Bulgaria to the Serbian city of Nis to become operational and allow Serbia to access gas from Azerbaijan and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Greek port of Alexandroupolis.