Morning Briefing: Jan 1, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including heavy rainstorms causing havoc in war-torn Gaza, US-British airstrikes in Yemen's capital Sanaa, and a meeting between the leader of the new Syrian administration and a Christian delegation in Damascus.

TOP STORIES

• Heavy rainstorms add to misery of displaced civilians in war-torn Gaza: UN agency

Heavy rainstorms are adding to the misery of displaced Palestinian civilians in Gaza as Israel continues its deadly military onslaught on the enclave, said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

“Displaced people, already living through the unlivable due to the war, are now battling heavy rainstorms,” UNRWA said in a statement.

The UN agency said the rains have flooded over 100 tents sheltering displaced civilians and caused extensive damage in the southern city of Khan Younis.

⁠”Around 500 families still live along the Gaza shoreline,” it added. “More and regular humanitarian assistance must come into Gaza to help people stay warm this winter.”

• Yemen's Houthis report 12 US-British airstrikes on capital Sanaa

US and British warplanes launched 12 airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, said the Houthi group.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV network said the attacks targeted the al-Ardi Complex, which houses the Defense Ministry headquarters, and the 22nd May Complex, which houses the Information Ministry premises in central Sanaa.

No information was provided about casualties or damage from the strikes.

• New Syrian administration leader meets with Christian delegation in Damascus

The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, met with a delegation from the Christian community in Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on its Telegram channel.

Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Several people were injured in a knife attack in Berlin after a man tried to randomly stab people on the sidewalk, according to local media reports.

• Israel officially claimed responsibility for the assassination of former Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon.

• Pro-European Union protests in Georgia, which have been ongoing for more than a month in opposition to the suspension of EU accession negotiations, continued into New Year’s Eve in the capital, Tbilisi.

• In his New Year's message, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Türkiye's commitment to foster peace and stability in Syria, its own borders and the Palestinian territories.

• A man was critically injured after being shoved into the path of an oncoming subway train in Manhattan, New York, police said.

• Hamas has proposed a week-long cease-fire during which it would provide a list of Israeli captives held in Gaza, Israeli media claimed.

• A Palestinian advocacy group said the Israeli military is withholding the bodies of 198 Palestinians killed in 2024.

• Some 1,316 people have died from cholera in Sudan since the disease's outbreak in the second week of August, the country’s Health Ministry said.

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported the "highest number" of illegal Israeli settler-linked incidents in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

• Zimbabwe announced that it has abolished the death penalty nearly 20 years after it carried out its last execution, a top government official said.

• The foreign minister of the new Syrian administration, Asaad Al-Shaibani, received a phone call from his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, during which they discussed bilateral relations and the strong historical bond between Damascus and Cairo.

SPORTS

• PAOK head coach Razvan Lucescu handed 4-month touchline ban

PAOK head coach Razvan Lucescu was banned from football for four months by the Hellenic Football Federation Disciplinary Committee after being found in violation of disciplinary rules.

Four members of his technical staff were also suspended for four months and fined €15,000 ($15,500) each, the committee said in a statement.

• Manchester United have no transfer budget for January: Report

English Premier League side Manchester United don't have a transfer budget for the January window, the British media reported.

To comply with the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, the Red Devils will be unable to sign new blood for the squad unless selling any players, according to sports news website Manchester Evening News.

After spending more than £200 million ($251 million) in the summer window, the United management had hinted that new manager Ruben Amorim was planning to use a "lower budget" in November.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US imposes sanctions on Iranian, Russian entities for 2024 election interference

The US imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the 2024 election.

The Treasury Department said the entities, a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an organization affiliated with the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), "aimed to stoke socio-political tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 U.S. election."

• Xi calls for ‘strategic resolve’ as Chinese economy 'on track' for 5% growth

China’s President Xi Jinping called for national “strategic resolve” to weather “dangerous storms” as the world’s second-largest economy was on its path to grow at “around 5%.”

“On the journey of Chinese modernization,” Xi told a gathering of China's top political advisory body, “we will not only encounter clear skies and gentle breezes but also face high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms.”