ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including, US support for Sweden's NATO bid, explosion in Ukrainian court, and Russia’s concerns over Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

TOP STORIES

• Biden throws full support behind Sweden's NATO bid

US President Joe Biden said that he "fully supports" the Nordic country's NATO membership bid as he hosted Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House on Wednesday.

"Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger," Biden told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office.

Kristersson said his government "highly appreciates" Washington's "strong support" for its NATO accession.

His visit came a day before NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg convenes a meeting of officials from Türkiye, Sweden and Finland concerning Sweden's bid to join the alliance.

• Fatal explosion hits Ukrainian court leaving 1 dead and 2 injured

A man blew himself up by detonating an explosive device at a district court in Ukraine’s capital on Wednesday, killing one and injuring two others.

“An extraordinary event took place at the Shevchenkivskyi (District) Court of Kyiv. Police received a report about an explosion,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

Klymenko said that investigative and operational groups from the National Police as well as members of the special forces and other services arrived at the scene of the blast.

• Russia claims Ukraine’s threat to strike Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant real

Russia claimed on Wednesday that the threat to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is "great," citing intelligence reports indicating Ukraine's intention to carry out strikes using drones or missiles.

"The situation is quite tense because the threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime is very real,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed at a press briefing in Moscow.

The Kremlin spokesman's reaction came two days after Ukraine claimed Russia is planning a "terrorist attack" and held an official meeting to discuss possible future scenarios.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The US military prevented Iranian warships from seizing two oil tankers near Oman’s coast on Wednesday, according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

• Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the activities of the PKK/PYD/YPG terror group in Sweden in a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday.

• UN urges Taliban to reverse ban on women's beauty salons in Afghanistan.

• NATO called on Serbia and Kosovo to take immediate steps toward de-escalation for stability of the region, urging them to coordinate actions on ground and respect existing agreements.

• The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 43 irregular migrants Wednesday in the Aegean Sea who were illegally pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities.

• Israel’s military raids in the occupied West Bank targeting the Jenin Refugee camp "may prima facie constitute a war crime," a group of UN experts said.

• Protesters staged a mass rally in central London on Wednesday against Israel's "apartheid policies" and the Israeli military’s raid on the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp.

• Massive monsoon rains flanked by gusty winds lashed large swaths across Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 11 persons over the past 24 hours, officials and local media reported.

• Facebook’s parent company Meta officially launched Threads, its text-based Twitter competitor. Built by the Instagram team, the new app aims to provide a platform for real-time online conversations and sharing text updates.

SPORTS

• Swiatek, Djokovic reach Wimbledon’s third round

Polish top seed Iga Swiatek and men's world No. 2 Novak Djokovic qualified Wednesday for the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the third Grand Slam of the year in tennis.

Swiatek beat her Spanish opponent Sara Sorribes Tormo with sets of 6-2, 6-0 in a women's singles second round match in London.

Serbian superstar Djokovic, who has won Wimbledon seven times, advanced to the third round after beating Australia's Jordan Thompson with sets of 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.

• Turkish youngster Arda Guler not to stay at Fenerbahce, Istanbul club confirms

Turkish youngster Arda Guler does not wish to stay at Istanbul club Fenerbahce, club president Ali Koc confirmed on Wednesday.

At the signing ceremony of new manager Ismail Kartal, Koc said Guler would not continue his tenure at Fenerbahce in the upcoming season.

Guler, 18, produced six goals and claimed seven assists last season in 35 matches for Fenerbahce, who came second in the Turkish Super Lig table.​​​​​​​

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

• Ukrainian president signs bill adopting sanctions against 18 legal entities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill Wednesday that adopts sanctions against 18 legal entities which he claimed are associated with Russia.

“Our principle is clear: the activity of all individuals and legal entities, which is the foundation of the Russian regime's ability to terrorize Ukraine and the rules-based international order, must be blocked,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.

• Food banks in Germany struggling amid rising footfall fueled by inflation

German food banks are struggling to serve the growing number of people knocking their doors amid a hike in food prices across the country.

Speaking to German news portal Redaktionz Netzwerk Deutschland, Frank Hildebrandt, an official at the country's food bank organization Tafel Deutschland, said the number of those who are applying for food relief has nearly doubled in some areas, while food donations have fallen by 50%.