Morning Briefing: April 17, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA)- Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Wednesday with, including US imposing new sanctions on Iran, Israel’s deadly airstrike on refugee camp, flash appeals for Gaza, West Bank by UN, and Türkiye's continuing humanitarian aid supply to Gaza.

TOP STORIES

• US to impose new sanctions on Iran

The US will soon impose new sanctions on Iran following Terhran's recent retaliatory attack on Israel, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.

"In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry," Sullivan said in a statement.

"We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions," Sullivan said.

• Several killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza refugee camp

At least 10 Palestinians were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a group of children at a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to local medical sources.

Fighter jets targeted an area where children had gathered in the Maghazi refugee camp, eyewitnesses said.

“Most of the victims were children who were playing with toys,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

The attack was the latest in a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that killed more than 33,800 people since last October.

• UN to make $2.8 billion flash appeal for Gaza, West Bank

The UN announced Tuesday it will launch a $2.8 billion global appeal for the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.

Saying that 2 million survivors in Gaza are struggling for life every day, the head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, Andrea De Domenico, told reporters virtually that despite the efforts, the "reality is that there is very little that we can bring inside Gaza to tackle displacement and deal with famine."

• Türkiye sends 9th aid ship to Gaza, consolidating role as top relief supplier: Erdogan

Türkiye maintains its role as a leading provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the country's president said Tuesday, pointing to the dispatch of its ninth vessel carrying 3,774 tons of relief materials to the Palestinian enclave.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye had been allowing no exports to Israel that could be used for military purposes long before the current military offensive on Gaza began in October last year.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hints at a potential trip to Erbil, northern Iraq, following his visit to Baghdad.
  
  
• UN's Special Representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, announced Tuesday that he has submitted his resignation to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
  
  
• The EU's foreign policy chief on Tuesday said the member countries will work toward adopting expansion of restrictive measures against Iran.
  
  
• Portugal on Tuesday summoned the Iranian envoy to condemn Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel and to call for the release of a ship seized in the Gulf.
  
  
• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday spoke over the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the latest situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin said.
  
  
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday signed into law a bill on mobilization, making it effective immediately.
  
  
• Israel’s ambassador to Germany on Tuesday said his country will respond to last weekend’s Iranian air attacks by targeting its military facilities.
  
  
• The international community must act to secure an "immediate" cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said Tuesday during a visit to Pakistan.

SPORTS

• Anadolu Efes lose EuroLeague play-in 67-64 to Virtus Bologna

Anadolu Efes lost the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague play-in match 67-64 to Virtus Bologna on Tuesday.

Efes forward Will Clyburn's 22-point performance was not enough to carry his team to victory at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.

The US player surpassed the 3,000-point threshold in the EuroLeague in this game.

• Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain both reach Champions League semifinals with comebacks

German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) both reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals with comebacks on Tuesday.

Borussia Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid, coming back from 2-3 behind, while PSG eliminated Barcelona, coming back from 1-3 behind.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Canada's annual consumer inflation at 2.9% in March

Canada's consumer inflation annually came in at 2.9% in March, up from a 2.8% year-on-year gain in February, the country’s statistical authority said Tuesday.

The figure, however, reflects a significant slowdown since the 8.1% annual gain recorded in June 2022 — its highest level in 39 years.

"Gasoline prices contributed the most to the year-over-year headline acceleration, as prices at the pump rose faster in March compared with February," Statistics Canada said in a statement.

• US Treasury chief warns of imposing more sanctions on Iran

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday that her agency may impose more sanctions on Iran after its attack on Israel.

"Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity," she told a press conference ahead of the 2024 spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.