By Necva Tastan
ISTANBUL (AA) – Here’s a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday, including Gaza authorities accusing Israel of stealing organs from the bodies of Palestinians, the Turkish president saying there is no difference between the actions of Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement.
TOP STORIES
Gaza authorities accuse Israel of stealing organs from bodies of Palestinians
Local authorities in Gaza have accused Israel of stealing organs from the bodies of Palestinians and urged an international probe.In a statement, the Gaza-based government media office said the examination of bodies found that their shapes changed significantly due to the theft of their vital organs.
It added that the Israeli army handed back the bodies without their names and refused to specify where they came from.
The statement criticized what it called "the silent position of the international organizations operating in Gaza, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, towards such an awful crime by the (Israeli) occupation."No difference between actions of Hitler, Israeli Premier Netanyahu: Turkish president
There is "no difference" between what Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is doing in the months-long attacks on Gaza and what Nazi leader Adolf Hitler did decades ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.Just like 80 years ago in Nazi Germany, Erdogan said that today, scholars worldwide who have the courage to decry the oppression and persecution in Gaza are facing pressure and threats, referring to academics in the US and elsewhere being fired or censured for standing up for Palestinians.
Germany is still paying the price for Hitler's actions, he said. "That's why Germany remains silent ... but we don't owe anyone. We have no debts, it is the West that owes. Because of its debt, it cannot speak up."
New York Times sues OpenAI, Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement
The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Wednesday for allegedly using the newspaper’s articles without permission and creating artificial intelligence products.
The newspaper is the first US media organization that has sued OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright issues.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges OpenAI and Microsoft's "unlawful use of The Times's work to create artificial intelligence products that compete with it threatens The Times's ability to provide that service."
NEWS IN BRIEF
A US delegation met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to discuss the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants across the countries’ shared border and to find ways to address challenges to border security.
Thousands of Argentines gathered in the capital Buenos Aires to protest the new economic policies of President Javier Milei.
The UN relief chief warned of a health disaster in the Gaza Strip as hospitals are barely able to provide services due to ongoing Israeli attacks.
Former European Commission President Jacques Delors died in his sleep at his home in Paris on Wednesday at age 98.
Egypt on Wednesday called on its citizens to quickly leave neighboring Sudan and refrain from traveling to it “under any circumstances.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he aims to strengthen his country to the point where Russia feels that its strikes on Ukraine will meet a response from Kyiv.
The US state of Michigan's highest court declined to hear a case Wednesday that sought to keep former President Donald Trump off the state's 2024 presidential ballot.
South Korea on Wednesday said it has signed a contract with the US to buy an additional 20 stealth fighter jets.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Türkiye increases minimum wage by 49%
Türkiye raised the monthly minimum wage to 17,002 Turkish liras (about $579) for the year 2024, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday.The wage climbed 49% from 11,402 Turkish liras ($388), he said on X.
"With this new sum, we are pleased that we have once again fulfilled our promise not to let our workers be crushed by inflation," Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Isikhan told a news conference in the capital Ankara.
Gas hub project in Türkiye to begin in 2024, says Russian deputy premier
Approval for a roadmap on a natural gas hub project in Türkiye, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022, is imminent, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday.
The project is expected to be implemented in 2024, Novak told Russian Rossiya-24 television.
The project, currently in its initial stages, requires a roadmap. Novak explained that their Turkish partners will visit St. Petersburg soon, where an exchange of experience and information will take place.
SPORTS
Eljif Elmas joins RB Leipzig
German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig announced Wednesday that Eljif Elmas joined the team from reigning Italian Serie A champions Napoli. The North Macedonian midfielder will stay with RB Leipzig until June 2028, according to a statement.The 24-year-old will wear the number 6 jersey.
Elmas, who played for Turkish club Fenerbahce in 2017-2019, helped Napoli win the 2022-23 Italian Serie A title.
Former Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim aims to make Greece’s Panathinaikos ‘champions’
Former Türkiye and Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim, who signed a contract with Super League Greece side Panathinaikos, said he came to Athens to make the Greek club “champions.”Speaking to reporters about his meeting with the club’s president Giannis Alafouzos, Terim said: "We had a mutual chemistry. He was very polite. He acted in a way that made the other person very happy and honored."