Morning Briefing: Nov. 15, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start Friday with, including Russia slamming "unacceptable" remarks by the UN nuclear watchdog about "freezing" the conflict in Ukraine, Argentina’s president withdrawing the country's delegation from the UN Climate Change Conference and the UN finding Israel's practices in Gaza consistent with genocide, decrying "starvation as a weapon of war.”

TOP STORIES

• Russia slams 'unacceptable' remarks by UN nuclear watchdog about 'freezing' Ukraine conflict

The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed "unacceptable" remarks about freezing the conflict in Ukraine made by Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

The ministry said in a statement that making forecasts about the future of the conflict falls out of the scope of Grossi’s authority as the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The controversy follows Grossi’s interview with German media on Nov. 13, where he said IAEA representatives could stay at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine “until the conflict reaches a frozen stage."

• Argentina’s president withdraws country's delegation from UN Climate Change Conference

Argentina's President Javier Milei ordered his negotiators to withdraw from the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to press reports.

The delegates attending the summit were ordered to suspend their activities only three days in and return to Buenos Aires immediately, the British daily The Guardian reported.

Milei has previously called the climate crisis a "socialist lie," and during his 2023 election campaign, he threatened to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, although he has since backtracked.

• UN finds Israel's practices in Gaza consistent with genocide, decries 'starvation as weapon of war'

A new report released by a UN special committee investigating Israeli practices in Gaza found Israel’s military actions consistent with the characteristics of genocide.

The committee accused Israel of intentionally imposing life-threatening conditions on Palestinians, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare.

"Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life – food, water and fuel," the committee said, adding that Israel has systematically interfered with humanitarian aid to use vital supplies for political and military ends.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson handed Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri a draft agreement for a cease-fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
• The US State Department approved the possible sale of follow-on support for F-16 fighter jet engines to Greece for an estimated $160 million, the Pentagon said.
• The nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Pete Hegseth for defense chief by US President-elect Donald Trump has sparked debate within the Republican Party and among Americans.
• Hezbollah said it targeted a number of Israeli military bases and settlements and also downed a drone in eastern Lebanon.
• The UN warned that the Israeli army continues "lethal war-like tactics" in the occupied West Bank.
• The Croatian government approved the procurement of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone system for the Defense Ministry, officials said.
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte underscored the critical role of the alliance in countering threats and emphasized the alliance's importance in safeguarding both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
• The Israeli army killed at least 19 Palestinians, including two sisters, in its ongoing onslaught on the northern Gaza Strip.
• Thousands of illegal miners, fearing arrest, are reportedly hiding in an abandoned mine in South Africa’s North West province, where they are said to be running out of supplies, officials said.
• Greece announced the closure of over 130 military camps across the country.
• The Kremlin said Russia is monitoring the formation of US President-elect Donald Trump’s second-term administration.
• Russia’s top diplomat expressed hope in resuming the work of an intergovernmental commission with Colombia as his counterpart from the South American country visits Moscow.
• China urged the Philippines to remove “dangerous” US ballistic medium-range missiles from the Southeast Asian nation because it is a “serious provocation.”
• Russia said Moscow has "no illusion" about a US policy change under President-elect Donald Trump, noting the "only shift" might be possible in dialogue.
• Syrian state media reported new Israeli airstrikes in the capital Damascus.
• UK Defense Secretary John Healey will visit Türkiye and Saudi Arabia for meetings to reinforce defense partnerships and advance regional stability in the Middle East.
• More than 7.3 million people were diagnosed with malaria and 1,157 deaths were reported in Ethiopia from Jan. 1 to Oct. 20, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• At least 24 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 43,736, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.
• Russia said it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow continues a military offensive.
• Millions of Sri Lankans thronged polling stations across the country to elect a new parliament for a five-year term as turnout crossed the 50% mark in several districts until 2 p.m. local time.

SPORTS

• FIFA unveils 2025 Club World Cup trophy

FIFA unveiled the new trophy for the 2025 Club World Cup in the first edition to feature an expanded format with 32 teams.

"The trophy had to be innovative, inclusive, ground-breaking and truly global, as this competition is," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. "The FIFA Club World Cup trophy – a remarkable equivalent to our iconic FIFA World Cup – is a revolutionary symbol of a bright, new future for club football, inspired by the past.”

The trophy features four discs connected by pins, allowing them to rotate within the same orbit. The 24-carat gold-plated cup has intricate laser-engraved inscriptions and symbols that represent significant moments in football history on both sides of the hardware.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• German bureaucracy causes $154.3B loss per year: ifo Institute

Germany’s excessive bureaucracy causes up to a €146 billion ($154.3 billion) loss a year in economic output, according to a report from the Munich-based researcher ifo Institute.

The lack of digitalization of public administration greatly contributes to the high costs, as digitalization would reduce the bureaucratic burden, the report said.

Manfred Gossl, the CEO of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria, said in the ifo report that the damage, in the three-digit-billion range, is “gigantic.”

• Apple facing $4B class action lawsuit in UK for alleged iCloud price-gouging

Apple is facing a £3 billion ($4 billion) class-action lawsuit from a consumer advocacy group that accused the company of overcharging millions of British customers for iCloud storage services.

If the case is successful, the payout could equate to about £70 per affected customer, with the class action covering 40 million people who have used and paid for Apple’s iCloud storage since October 2015.

The consumer group, Which?, alleges that Apple has locked users into paying “rip-off prices” for digital storage by embedding iCloud as the default and often only practical option for backing up data on iPhones and other Apple devices.

• EU fines Meta $841M for breaching antitrust rules

The European Commission has hit Meta, Facebook’s parent company, with a massive €797.72 million ($841 million) fine for breaking EU antitrust regulations.

According to the commission, Meta unfairly boosted its online classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, by connecting it directly to the main Facebook app.

It also cited Meta’s imposition of “unfair trading conditions” on other online classified ad providers.