Morning Briefing: Dec. 29, 2024

By Merve Berker

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including the latest death toll in Gaza, Russian president’s call to his Azerbaijani counterpart about a plane crash and Turkish foreign minister’s statements on the PKK/YPG terror group.

TOP STORIES

• Gaza death toll nears 45,500 as Israel kills 48 more Palestinians

At least 48 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the number of deaths since October 2023 to 45,484, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

According to a statement, 108,090 people have also been injured during the genocidal attacks.

• Putin calls Aliyev about Azerbaijani plane crash in Kazakhstan, apologizes for incident

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about this week’s Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan and offered an apology and condolences.

"Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement.

• PKK/YPG terror group will not be allowed to take shelter in Syria: Turkish foreign minister

The terrorist group, PKK/YPG, will not be allowed to take shelter in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a telephone call.

Fidan stressed the importance of working in cooperation with Syria's new administration to ensure stability and to complete the transition in an orderly manner, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least 11 Palestinians killed and scores injured in Israeli airstrikes on civilians in northern Gaza, a house in the central area and displaced people's tents in Khan Younis, with the death toll expected to rise.
• The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned that children in Gaza are freezing to death due to the cold weather and severe lack of shelter.
• Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged people against relying on disinformation and fake news on the Azerbaijani Airlines plane crash and asked authorities to complete a foolproof investigation.
• The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Israeli forces arrested Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, and staffers, after Israeli troops set fire to the area’s only major health care facility.
• At least five people were killed and three injured in a border clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to media reports.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Russian President Vladimir Putin has no immediate plans to engage in discussions on the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis in early January.
• The top diplomats of China and Iran emphasized the need to address the Palestinian issue by respecting and restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and ending the occupation.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that restricts migrant children's enrollment in schools unless they demonstrate proficiency in Russian.
• The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza warned about dire conditions faced by patients forcibly evacuated under Israeli military orders from Kamal Adwan Hospital to the Indonesian Hospital, which had already suffered severe damage from earlier Israeli airstrikes.
• A populous western German state will open the country’s first anti-Muslim racism reporting center in the spring of 2025, local media reported.
• The Yemeni Houthi group said it launched a hypersonic ballistic missile targeting Nevatim Air Base in Israel's southern Negev region.
• Iraq will resume flights between Baghdad and Beirut next week following a three-week suspension after the Syrian regime's overthrow, Iraq’s Transport Minister Razzaq Muhibis Al-Saadawi said.
• At least 21 civilians were killed and 17 injured in a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on a shelter for displaced people in El Fasher, North Darfur, activists reported.
• The Houthi group said the US and UK had carried out airstrikes in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province.
• At least 70 officers of Syria's deposed Assad regime who had fled to Lebanon have reportedly been handed over to Syria's new administration.
• Russia announced it expanded its list of European officials banned from entering the country in response to the EU's latest sanctions package.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed the investigation on this week’s plane crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight near a Caspian Kazakh city.

SPORTS

• Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo insists Saudi football league more competitive than France’s top division

World-famous Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has also played for Al-Nassr since 2023, insisted that the Saudi football league is better and more competitive than the French top-tier Ligue 1 division.

"The French league? Easy... I don't care what people are thinking. But they should go there (Saudi Arabia) to play and see and run in a 38 and 39 or 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and sprint a few times to see," Ronaldo said during the 2024 Globe Soccer Dubai Awards.

• Arsenal beat Ipswich 1-0 to reach second place in English Premier League

Arsenal beat Ipswich Town 1-0 on Friday to climb into the second spot in the standings of the English Premier League.

The Gunners' German star Kai Havertz scored a first-half winner at London's Emirates Stadium as Arsenal have 36 points in 18 matches. They are now six points behind the leaders, Liverpool.

• Inter Milan secures 3-0 win over Cagliari in Serie A

Inter Milan secured a clean sweep 3-0 victory against Cagliari in week 18 of the Italian Serie A.

Alessandro Bastoni's looping header from Nicolo Barella's assist put Inter ahead in the 52nd minute at Cagliari's Unipol Domus.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Canadian ministers hold high-stakes talks with Trump team on tariffs issue

Canadian ministers met with top US President-elect Donald Trump nominees in Florida to discuss the looming threat of 25% US tariffs related to migration and fentanyl issues.

Canadian Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly were engaged in high-stakes talks with Trump’s nominees for Commerce and Interior secretary, Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

• Türkiye's communication satellite Türksat 6A reaches designated orbit, marking historic milestone

Türkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced on Saturday that Türksat 6A, the country's first domestically produced communication satellite, has successfully entered its permanent geosynchronous orbit at 42 degrees east.

“After six launches, Türksat 6A has arrived at its designated orbit. We plan to complete the testing process and put the satellite into service in the first quarter of 2025,” he announced in a statement posted on X.

• Russia ‘limits to zero’ gas supplies to Moldova starting Wednesday

Gazprom, Russia's state-owned energy company, announced Saturday that it will halt natural gas supplies to Moldova starting with the new year on Jan. 1, citing breaches of contract and unresolved payment disputes.

In a statement, Gazprom accused Moldova's gas operator, Moldovagaz, of repeatedly failing to meet payment obligations, describing this as a significant violation of their agreement.