Morning Briefing: August 15, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday with, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv will send additional weapons to troops on the Donetsk front, Hamas saying it will not join upcoming Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar, and the US seeking to "reduce tensions" in the Middle East.

TOP STORIES

• Zelenskyy says Ukraine to send additional weapons to troops on Donetsk front

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will send additional weapons to troops in the eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow continues to claim its forces are making advances.

“We have agreed that we will send additional weapons to our warriors in the Donetsk direction from the next support packages -- more than planned,” Zelenskyy said in a video address following a meeting with Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Noting that Syrskyi has already reported several times Wednesday on the front line and Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Zelenskyy said the advances are “going well” and are reaching their strategic goal.

• Hamas says won’t join upcoming Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar

Hamas will not join the upcoming round of Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap talks in Qatar, a group leader said.

“The movement will not be part of the upcoming negotiations set to resume on Thursday, whether they take place in Doha or Cairo,” Suhail Hindi told Anadolu.

He said the resistance group has requested a “clear commitment from Israel regarding what was agreed upon on July 2 (based on a US President Joe Biden-backed proposal).”

• US seeks to 'reduce tensions' in Mideast: UN ambassador

Amid volatility and conflict, the US is seeking to bring down tensions in the Middle East, said the US ambassador to the UN.

"A broader regional conflict is not inevitable," Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement to the UN Security Council, adding: "The United States’ overall goal remains to turn the temperature down in the region, deter and defend against any future attacks, and avoid regional conflict."

Thomas-Greenfield expressed Washington's deep concern over the Israeli military's strike last Saturday on a complex including a school and mosque sheltering forcibly displaced people, including women and children, killing at least 100 people.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Russian authorities declared a mandatory evacuation of a village in the Kursk region where Ukraine began an incursion last week.
• The US said Sudan’s army has a responsibility to join Washington-brokered peace talks in Geneva that started without the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) agreeing to participate.
• Israel has been blocking the entry of humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing for 100 consecutive days, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,000 children, patients and injured people, the Gaza Media Office said.
• Google and Microsoft use more electricity than some countries such as Jordan, Iceland, North Korea and Ghana.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly endorsed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' recent remarks on reforming the Security Council, emphasizing the need for a more equitable global system that includes African representation.
• At least five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to a medical source.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox situation a “public health emergency of international concern.”
• US President Joe Biden is sending two of his top Middle East officials to the region amid speculation that Iran could soon retaliate for last month's assassination of Hamas's top political leader in Tehran.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Iran may respond to Israel in the coming hours over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, although Palestine does not seek war.
• Myanmar’s military regime dismissed rumors that junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has been ousted in an internal coup.
• Two French fighter jets crashed in eastern France, the country’s defense minister said.
• In an era of major international challenges, Türkiye will maintain its “constructive, proactive, calm and composed approach to foreign policy,” the country’s president pledged.
• A German military base was put in lockdown after a suspected security breach and anomalies at the garrison’s water system, authorities said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian forces are making advances in Russia's Kursk region.
• France condemned Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for violating the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites in storming Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
• US troops and Iranian-backed armed groups exchanged attacks in eastern Syria, local sources reported.
• Pakistan celebrated its 78th independence day amid a lingering political crisis that has taken a toll on its already struggling economy.

BUSINESS

• US food manufacturer Mars to acquire snacking firm Kellanova for $35.9B

American multinational food manufacturer Mars said it will acquire global snacking and cereal firm Kellanova for $35.9 billion.

Kellanova saw net sales of more than $13 billion last year. It operates in 180 countries and has approximately 23,000 employees.

The company is known for its snack brands Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies Treats.