ISTANBUL 

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday with, including Belgium recognizing Palestine at UN General Assembly, talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, dozens of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, and SCO calling for ceasefire in Gaza, ‘just solution’ to Palestinian issue.

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• Belgium to recognize Palestine at UN General Assembly

Belgium will recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Monday.

In a statement on the US social media company X, Prevot said Belgium will join other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood while adopting a package of sanctions against Israel.

“Firm sanctions are being imposed on the Israeli government. Any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism by Hamas supporters will also be more strongly condemned,” he wrote.

Belgium’s decision comes as several countries, including France, the UK, Canada and Australia, announced similar plans to recognize Palestine during the General Assembly, joining 147 nations that already do. The General Assembly begins on Sept. 9.

• Xi, Putin hold talks in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.

They were also expected to discuss the Ukraine war and last month’s summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska.

President Putin arrived in Beijing after attending the 25th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China’s Tianjin city.

He, along with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will be among the state leaders from 26 countries attending a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday.

• At least 51 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip

At least 51 people were killed and many others injured in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday, medics said.

A medical source told Anadolu that four people were killed, including a pregnant woman and two children, and several others injured in Israeli strikes on homes in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

Ten people were killed and several others injured in another wave of strikes on Al-Nafaq Street and the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the city.

Five more Palestinians lost their lives, and several people were injured in two Israeli strikes in the same neighborhood.

• SCO calls for ceasefire in Gaza, ‘just solution’ to Palestinian issue

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Monday expressed “deep concern” over the continued escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They also “strongly condemned the actions that have led to numerous casualties among the civilian population,” according to a joint statement issued after the 25th summit of the SCO heads of state and government in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin.

The SCO member states “stressed the need to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and increase efforts to ensure peace, stability, and security for residents in the region.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Türkiye sees benefit in Iran's nuclear talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a meeting on Monday, reiterating Ankara's continued support to Tehran in this regard.
• Expressing outrage at Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the crisis as a deliberate famine, saying: "It's a man-made famine in the 21st century."
• EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the bloc's credibility is at risk due to its lack of unity on the Middle East, particularly the war in Gaza.
• European Union Council President Antonio Costa on Monday said Israel's right to self-defense does not justify indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure or collective punishment in Gaza, reaffirming the bloc's call for an immediate ceasefire.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday departed Pyongyang on his special armored train to attend a military parade in China, marking his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday thanked Türkiye for its mediation efforts in the Ukraine conflict and voiced confidence that Ankara will continue to play a “special role” in finding a solution, as he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
• A flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza departed Barcelona’s port late Monday after bad weather forced its return a day earlier, organizers said.
• US President Donald Trump said he is “surprised” to see that Israel’s once “strongest” lobby in Congress no longer holds the same sway as growing numbers of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, voice criticism of the Israeli army’s deadly offensive in Gaza.
• Several Palestinians were injured late Monday in Israeli assaults in the northern occupied West Bank.
• Egypt on Monday condemned Israel’s continued expansion of its military offensive in Gaza and failure to respond to a recent ceasefire proposal, saying the stance “reflects a complete absence of will to de-escalate.”

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Ireland's Central Bank will no longer approve Israeli bonds: Report

Ireland’s Central Bank will no longer approve Israeli bonds as of Monday, local media reported.

The latest bond prospectus issued by Israel for fundraising in the EU has been approved by Luxembourg and not the Central Bank of Ireland, according to the Irish broadcaster RTE.

The development followed increasing pressure on the Central Bank from the opposition and campaigners to refuse to authorize prospectuses issued by Israel.

According to the report, Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf also confirmed the move in a letter to Mairead Farrell, the chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, on Monday.

• Istanbul Airport becomes busiest airport in Europe

Türkiye's Istanbul Airport was the busiest in Europe with an average of 1,635 daily flights on Aug. 18-24, according to weekly data by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).

Istanbul Airport was followed by Amsterdam with 1,450 daily flights, Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport with 1,432 flights, Frankfurt Airport with 1,384 flights, and London Heathrow Airport with 1,346 flights.

The Turkish Riviera hub, Antalya Airport, with 1,055 daily flights, was the eighth-busiest airport in Europe.