Morning Briefing: Jan. 8, 2025
Anadolu’s recap of top stories from around the globe

ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including an Israeli airstrike killing Palestinian children in a Gaza “safe zone,” US President-elect Donald Trump declining to rule out use of military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and the US declaring that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces are committing genocide.
TOP STORIES
Israeli airstrike kills 4 Palestinian children in southern Gaza’s ‘safe zone’
Four Palestinian children were killed on Tuesday when an Israeli drone struck a tent housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, which Israel has designated a "safe zone."
Four children were killed, and 10 others, mostly children, were injured in the Israeli strike, a medical source told Anadolu.
An Israeli drone targeted the tent in the Wijdan Camp, resulting in the deaths of four children and numerous injuries, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.
The witnesses added that the dead and injured were transported to Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis using animal-drawn carts.
Trump refuses to rule out use of military force to acquire Panama Canal, Greenland
US President-elect Donald Trump declined Tuesday to rule out the use of military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
"I can't assure you, you're talking about Panama and Greenland. No, I can't assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security," Trump told reporters at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump also threatened to use "high-level" tariffs to compel Denmark to sell its self-governing territory of Greenland, saying: "We need Greenland for national security purposes."
But he ruled out using the military to force Canada into becoming the 51st US state – a goal he has publicly touted since winning the Nov. 5 presidential election. He said that instead, he would use "economic force" to accomplish that goal.
Trump also said he would seek to unilaterally change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, renaming it the Gulf of America.
US says Sudan's Rapid Support Forces committed genocide
The US determined that members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
"We are today sanctioning RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people," Blinken said in a statement.
He said the RSF and aligned militias have continued to "direct attacks" against civilians, and have "systematically" murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other brutal sexual violence.
The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing life-saving supplies, he added.
The US Treasury announced separately that it is sanctioning, in addition to Hemedti, seven companies and one individual linked to the RSF.
NEWS IN BRIEF
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Syrian revolution a “historic opportunity” for Türkiye and the region, pledging to achieve the country’s goal of becoming terror-free.
Trump called Erdogan a "friend" whom he respects.
A former Cambodian opposition lawmaker was shot dead by a person or persons unknown in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday evening.
An Argentine court received a legal case against Yuval Vagdani, an Israeli soldier accused of war crimes during the Gaza war, the Hind Rajab Foundation announced on Tuesday.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the controversial founder of France’s far-right National Front party, has died at age 96.
Qatar said negotiations aimed at ending Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are ongoing, but it’s not possible to set a timeline for their conclusion.
Last month’s crash of a South Korean jet on the runway at Muan International Airport was preceded by birds hitting one of the plane’s engines, officials said.
Ireland has submitted a declaration to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said.
Trump posted a map on his Truth Social platform showing Canada as part of the US.
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday rejected Trump's controversial proposal for Canada to merge with the US.
International flights resumed at Damascus airport for the first time since last month’s fall of the Bahsar Assad regime.
A growing wildfire consumed 1,262 acres near an affluent area of Los Angeles, California as powerful dry winds and very dry vegetation fueled the raging inferno Tuesday.
An active-duty US Army Green Beret who authorities say exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada last week used ChatGPT to plan the attack, police said.
Britain expressed grave concern over Israel’s decision to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), stressing that no organization can replace its work.
SPORTS
Neymar hints at reuniting with Messi, Suarez at Inter Miami
Brazilian forward Neymar hinted Tuesday at the possibility of reuniting with his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, reviving the iconic “MSN” trio that dominated European football for several seasons.
Speaking to CNN, Neymar expressed his desire to join them again on the pitch
“Obviously, playing again with Messi and Suarez would be incredible. They are my friends. We still speak to each other,” he said.
Anadolu Efes names Luca Banchi new head coach
Anadolu Efes Istanbul appointed Italian head coach Luca Banchi to lead the team, the club announced Tuesday.
The news came after Efes' Sunday 87-70 defeat to Besiktas in the Turkish Super League.
Banchi, 59, served as head coach of the Latvian national team since 2021, where he managed Latvia to 5th place in the FIBA World Cup 2023 without its superstar Kristaps Porzingis. He began as head coach of Italian club Virtus Bologna earlier this season but resigned in December after a 2-10 start in the Euroleague, despite leading the team to the Play-in Showdown last season.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
AI spending expected to exceed 52% beyond IT budgets, study says
A report by the Institute for Business Value (IBV) on Tuesday said retail and consumer product executives surveyed are significantly shifting attention to artificial intelligence (AI), with respondents predicting a 52% rise in spending outside traditional IT operations in the coming year.
By 2025, retail and consumer products companies surveyed said they plan to allocate an average of 3.32% of their revenue to AI – an equivalent of $33.2 million annually for a $1 billion company.
The report indicated that 81% of surveyed executives and 96% of their teams already use AI at moderate or significant levels.
South Sudan to resume oil exports via Sudan on Wednesday after nearly a year hiatus
South Sudan announced that oil exports through its northern neighbor Sudan will resume on Wednesday after nearly a year of disruption due to the Sudanese civil war.
Landlocked South Sudan will begin production with an initial 90,000 barrels per day, Petroleum Minister Puot Kang announced on Tuesday, directing all oil companies to begin work immediately.
The main pipeline transporting South Sudanese oil for export via Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast was shut down last February due to damage caused by the armed conflict between Khartoum's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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