Morning Briefing: June 7, 2024

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including the death toll of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike on an UNRWA school in the central Gaza Strip rising to 40, Spain’s prime minister saying it is “urgent” for all states to support the ICJ in its implementation of measures against Israel, and a French citizen being arrested in Russia on charges of gathering sensitive information about military activities.

TOP STORIES

• 40 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on UNRWA school in central Gaza Strip

The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced civilians in the central Gaza Strip has risen to 40, according to Palestinian authorities.

The victims included 14 children and nine women in the attack on a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Nuseirat refugee camp Wednesday night, Gaza’s government media office said in a statement.

Some 74 displaced civilians were also injured, including 23 children and 18 women, it added.

• Spanish premier says it's 'urgent' for all to support ICJ in implementation of measures against Israel

The Spanish prime minister called on all states to support the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the implementation of provisional measures against Israel.

Pedro Sanchez's remarks came after Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced Spain’s decision to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

Spain is "committed to peace, prosperity and international legality," Sanchez stressed at the closing of the general assembly of the Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy in Madrid, saying: "Given the failure of the Israeli government to comply with the request of the International Court of Justice to stop the war, and in support of respect for international law and the United Nations, we intervene in the procedure initiated by South Africa."

• French citizen arrested in Russia on charges of gathering sensitive information about military activities

A French citizen was arrested in the Russian capital Moscow on charges of gathering sensitive information about military activities, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced.

The committee said in a statement that Laurent Vinatier, a French national in his late forties, has been purposefully collecting information which could be used to undermine Russia's security.

"Thanks to well-planned and well-conducted operational search activities, the suspect was detained and taken to the department of the capital's Investigative Committee for investigative actions. In the near future, he will be charged, and preventive measures will be chosen," it said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that concluding a peace deal with Armenia is "impossible" while Yerevan’s Constitution remains unchanged.
• Israel opposed an updated US-drafted resolution presented to the UN Security Council on a proposed prisoner exchange and cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip that was recently outlined by President Joe Biden.
• France will not recognize Palestinian statehood “out of outrage,” President Emmanuel Macron said.
• The UN’s relief chief voiced concern over Israel's airstrike on a UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip that killed dozens of displaced people.
• Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis vilified an Israeli airstrike on a UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip that killed dozens of people.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that work will be done to bring Russia to “justice” for the Kakhovka dam blast.
• Yemen’s Houthi group announced that it had carried out 38 strikes in nearly a month in support of Palestinians in Gaza, with eight ships linked to and belonging to the US and others targeted this week for their support of Israel.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on countries that continue to supply arms to Israel to end their “complicity in its crimes” in its months-long deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.
• The UN General Assembly elected five non-permanent members to the UN Security Council for the 2025-2026 term.
• At least 24 Israeli soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours, including six in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
• The EU’s foreign policy chief called for an independent investigation after dozens of people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina has finalized arrangements to bid farewell to 11 additional victims who were identified from the Srebrenica genocide on the 29th anniversary of the atrocity.
• Türkiye aims to raise the trade volume with Uzbekistan, which exceeded $3 billion last year, to $5 billion in the first stage, and then to $10 billion.
• Seventeen countries from around the globe reiterated their support for the new roadmap for a cease-fire in Gaza.
• Türkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite is set to launch into space in July.
• Germany is planning to change its regulations to deport Afghans and Syrians who have committed serious crimes, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced.
• The Belgian foreign minister described the recent airstrike on a school owned by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza as “appalling and unacceptable.”
• Israeli army forces rounded up 60 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.
• An alleged spy for Israel was arrested by Iranian security agencies in the northwestern province of Ardabil, local authorities said.
• A Russian-Ukrainian man was arrested in France over allegedly making bombs, according to the prosecutor's office.
• At least one person was killed and 67 people were injured after two trams collided in Russia’s Kemerovo region.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• European Central Bank cut interest rates for 1st time in 5 years, matching forecasts

The European Central Bank (ECB) lowered interest rates for the first time in five years, cutting its three key benchmarks by 25 basis points, meeting market forecasts.

The interest rates on the main refinancing operations plus the marginal lending facility and deposit facility will be lowered to 4.25%, 4.50% and 3.75% respectively, said a bank statement.

"Based on an updated assessment of the inflation outlook, the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission, it is now appropriate to moderate the degree of monetary policy restriction after nine months of holding rates steady," the bank said.

SPORTS

• Majority of Premier League clubs vote for continuing VAR use

A majority of English Premier League clubs voted in favor of continuing to use the Video Assistant Referee system (VAR), the league announced Thursday.

Clubs and the Premier League also agreed that several improvements, such as fewer delays and interruptions to the flow of matches should be made for the benefit of the game and supporters.

English media reported that the Wolverhampton Wanderers made a counter offer against the use of VAR, but despite some clubs agreeing with some of the points made by the Wolves, they said that “abolishing the VAR would be counterproductive and damage the standing of the competition.”