Morning Briefing: February 28, 2024

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Wednesday, including the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the reported impasse in Gaza cease-fire talks, and the Kremlin’s warning to NATO against the deployment of troops in Ukraine.

TOP STORIES

• No UN aid convoys have reached northern Gaza since Jan. 23

The UN on Tuesday pointed to the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, saying that none of its humanitarian aid convoys had reached northern Gaza since Jan. 23.

“None of our humanitarian convoys have been able to reach the northern part of the Gaza Strip since January 23," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a press briefing.

Stressing the need for more entry points and safe routes into Gaza, Dujarric added that almost 1,000 trucks carrying 15,000 metric tons of food in Egypt are ready to move.

• Qatar says no breakthrough in Gaza cease-fire talks

Qatar said Tuesday that there is no breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"So far, the negotiations have not yielded any tangible results,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.

“We are upbeat and optimistic to have something today or tomorrow,” he added.

The Qatari spokesman said his country seeks to reach a cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, due to start next week.

• Conflict between Russia, NATO ‘inevitable’ if West sends troops to Ukraine: Kremlin

The Kremlin on Tuesday said that a conflict between Russia and NATO is “inevitable” if the West deploys troops to Ukraine.

“In this case, we need to talk not about probability, but about inevitability, and that’s how we evaluate it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov said that NATO countries must also evaluate the potential consequences of such actions, and realize that this is "absolutely not in the interests of these countries."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The UN raised alarm Tuesday over the "catastrophic levels” of food insecurity that people in the Gaza Strip are facing, saying it is the "highest percentage of acute food insecurity ever classified."
  
  
• Norway's King Harald V, age 87, has been hospitalized in Malaysia due to an infection contracted during his vacation, the Norwegian Royal Family announced in a statement on Tuesday.
  
  
• Egyptian air forces in cooperation with Jordan and UAE carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, according to local media.
  
  
• Egypt and Iran warned Tuesday of the risks of expanding the conflict in the Middle East amid an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
  
  
• US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to easily win their primary contests in the state of Michigan when polls close at 8 p.m. local time Tuesday.
  
  
• Chad will hold presidential elections on May 6, the National Election Management Agency announced Tuesday, marking a transition to civilian rule.
  
  
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that Western countries will not send any ground troops to Ukraine, turning down French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent suggestion.
  
  
• The US destroyed drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi group, US Central Command said Tuesday.
  
  
• The US state of Texas issued a disaster declaration Tuesday as massive wildfires continued to burn out of control, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.
  
  
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy may be questioned and a coup may be attempted in the spring, a high-ranking committee said Tuesday.
  
  
• US artificial intelligence company OpenAI claims The New York Times hacked its products, including ChatGPT, to generate examples of copyright infringement for use in its lawsuit against it.

SPORTS

• Mallorca beat Real Sociedad to reach Copa Del Rey final

Real Mallorca beat Real Sociedad 5-4 on penalties to advance to Spain’s Copa Del Rey final on Tuesday after their second-leg match ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time.

Mallorca will take on the winner of Thursday's semifinal clash between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid in the final on April 6.

• Swedish international footballer Kristoffer Olsson on ventilator

Danish football club Midtjylland announced Tuesday that midfielder Kristoffer Olsson is on a ventilator at a hospital in Denmark due to a brain disease.

The 28-year-old Swedish national team player lost consciousness at his home, and is affected by an acute disease related to the brain, “which is not due to self-harm of any kind, nor is the cause due to external factors." the statement added.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Artificial intelligence poses some challenges to financial institutions: Fitch

The rapid development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) poses some challenges to financial institutions, Fitch Ratings said Tuesday in a report.

"AI, which encompasses technologies including machine learning (ML), deep learning, natural language processing, robotics, expert systems and fuzzy logic, can improve operational efficiency and reduce costs for financial institutions," said the report.

• Apple cancels electric car project: Reports

US technology company Apple has canceled its electric car project a decade after its inception, reports said Tuesday.

The nearly 2,000 employees working on the project may be reassigned to other departments.

Apple started working on developing an autonomous vehicle in 2014 under the car project, known as Project Titan, by hiring auto engineers and experts from other companies that develop electric vehicles.