Rabia Ali
29 January 2024•Update: 29 January 2024
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Monday with, including US President Joe Biden vowing to take revenge after an attack killed three soldiers in Jordan, the UN chief urging countries to reverse a decision regarding fund suspensions for UN agency for Palestine, and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger quitting ECOWAS bloc.
TOP STORIES
US President Joe Biden vowed Sunday to respond after a drone attack blamed on Iranian proxy groups killed three American service members and injured dozens more in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.
"We shall respond," Biden added after holding a moment of silence for the American casualties.
Three US service members were killed and "many" were injured during an overnight drone attack on American forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border. US officials have said the exact number of wounded remains unclear.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the US, UK, and several other countries on Sunday not to suspend funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), saying the desperate needs of the populations it serves must be met.
In a statement, he appealed to governments to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations,
“Meanwhile, 2 million civilians in Gaza depend on critical aid from UNRWA for daily survival but UNRWA’s current funding will not allow it to meet all requirements to support them in February,” he said.
Three neighboring countries in the restive Sahel region jointly announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday, saying the bloc is subservient to “foreign powers.”
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger also blamed the regional bloc's "deviation from its founding ideals" for their exit.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the 15-member ECOWAS, with concerns about the potential for heightened political and economic instability in the already fragile Sahel region.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all founding members of ECOWAS since its establishment in 1975.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- An Iraqi resistance group claimed responsibility on Sunday for this weekend’s drone attack on the Al-Tanf US base in Syria, which killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens.
- Türkiye on Sunday expressed concern over the suspension of aid by some countries to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement: ‘Working under very difficult conditions, UNRWA meets the vital needs of millions of Palestine refugees.’
- France on Sunday announced that it is pausing funding to the UN agency for Palestinians or UNRWA after Israeli allegations that some of the agency’s employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
- Progress has been made between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in negotiations on an exchange of hostages, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported Sunday.
- Finnish voters on Sunday headed to the polls to elect the successor of President Sauli Niinisto, whose second six-year term is set to end.
- Iran says it has successfully launched three indigenous satellites into orbit using the Simorgh carrier rocket, marking the first time the country has simultaneously sent three satellites into space.
- The Arab League warned Sunday of the grave consequences of suspending funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
- Saudi Arabia accused Israel on Sunday of pursuing a systematic policy of starving the population of the Gaza Strip, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.
- The Israeli army rounded up 22 more Palestinians in military raids carried out in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.
- The Israeli army has withdrawn two reserve brigades, the 4th and 55th, from the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Sunday.
- A large crowd took to the streets in northwestern England on Sunday to protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, carrying Palestinian flags. They chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.
- Hundreds of thousands of protesters on Sunday took to the streets of Hamburg, Germany to protest racism, xenophobia, and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
SPORTS
Italy’s Jannik Sinner on Sunday won the 2024 Australian Open men's singles, his very first Grand Slam title.
Sinner, the world No. 4, came back against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, winning the final in Melbourne with 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 sets as the showdown at Rod Laver Arena lasted for three hours and 44 minutes.
Bayern Munich signed French right-back Sacha Boey from Galatasaray for €30 million (at least $32.5 million) plus add-ons, the Turkish football powerhouse said Sunday.
In a statement on X, the German giants said that Boey, 23, sealed a contract with Bayern Munich that will keep him at the Allianz Arena until June 30, 2028.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Western countries urge Kosovo to postpone decision to replace Serbian dinar with euro
Five Western nations urged Kosovo on Sunday to suspend its decision to replace the local currency, the Serbian dinar, with the euro as of Feb. 1, fearing tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.
The embassies of the Quint countries (the US, France, Italy, Germany and the UK) published a joint statement regarding a new regulation on cash payment transactions.
