Author: Anadolu Agency

Türkiye’s exports to Europe rose 7.1% year-on-year in January, totaling $10.3 billion, despite the economic stagnation and recession concerns of the EU, according to Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) data, compiled by Anadolu. Geopolitical tensions with the war in Ukraine and tight monetary policies in the face of high inflation give rise to vulnerabilities in Europe. US President Donald Trump’s global tariff threats and potential further tariffs also affect the economy of the region. Despite the negative developments, 48% of Türkiye’s exports were sent to Europe, data showed. Türkiye’s exports rose 5.8% on an annual basis last month to $21.1 billion.…

Palestinian medics and rescue teams retrieved 25 more bodies from rubble in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,264, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. A ministry statement said that 12 injured people were also admitted to hospitals in the past 48 hours, bringing the number of the injured in the Israeli onslaught to 111,688. “Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads, with rescuers unable to reach them,” the ministry said. A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza…

Two Palestinians were injured on Saturday when an Israeli drone targeted a bulldozer that was clearing debris after Israel’s offensive in central Gaza. The drone strike injured two people as it targeted a bulldozer working to remove the debris of buildings that were damaged by Israel’s onslaught in al-Mughraqa town, medical sources told Anadolu. This incident occurred on the same day that the Palestinian resistance groups handed over three Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross in eastern Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which…

More than a quarter of German voters are undecided with only eight days until the parliamentary elections, according to a new poll released Saturday. In a representative poll conducted for public television ZDF, 28% of respondents said they are not yet sure whether they will vote or which party they will support. The survey showed that opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservative alliance CDU/CSU maintained its lead with 30% support. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is holding steady at 20%. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) increased its vote share by one percentage point to 16%, followed by…

Three Israeli captives released on Saturday urged both Israeli and Hamas leaders to complete the ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all remaining captives, emphasizing that “time is running out.” The released detainees made their public appeal from a platform provided by the Al-Qassam Brigades in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, before being reunited with their families as part of the sixth batch of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. “I can finally see the sun and step out of captivity,” said Sagui Dekel-Chen, 33, who holds both Israeli and American citizenship. He called on…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to fight against US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” at a rally on Saturday. “No real estate operation can cover up the disgrace, the crimes against humanity… that we have seen in Gaza in recent years. We should not allow it. And from Spain, we will not allow it,” he said in the Basque Country. Spain’s Socialist Party leader insisted instead on a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis live in “peace, harmony, and safety.” Earlier this month, Trump said the US…

NATO membership has never been promised to Ukraine as part of a peace deal, the alliance chief said Friday. “It has never been said before, and not even in that Washington summit statement, that when a peace deal would be done on Ukraine, that in that peace deal, it should be NATO, full stop. That is not the case,” Mark Rutte told reporters at the Munich Security Conference. He stressed that it “has never been promised to Ukraine” that NATO membership would “be part of the outcome.” Rutte added that things should go “step by step,” and the first step…

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Friday there is an Arab-supported Egyptian plan that aims to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing its Palestinian residents. Safadi made the statement during his meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris on the sidelines of a conference on Syria hosted by France, according to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. The statement quoted both top diplomats as opposing the relocation of Palestinians, opposing US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents to Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere. The two foreign ministers also discussed efforts to maintain the ceasefire in…

The Spanish foreign minister stressed Friday that Gazans must go back and live in the Gaza Strip, pledging his country will do everything possible to help with the reconstruction of the coastal enclave. “We really want this ceasefire to become permanent, and I am really happy to see that the release of hostages has (been) reinstated again,” Jose Manuel Albares told Anadolu on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the southeastern German city. Albares noted that a permanent ceasefire is in everyone’s best interests, including Israeli security. “Of course, the Palestinians of Gaza must go back and live…

Egypt reaffirmed on Friday its commitment to presenting a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, adding that Palestinians should remain on their land “without displacement.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made these remarks during meetings on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, which kicked off on Friday and will run until Sunday, according to Egyptian Foreign Ministry statements. Abdelatty held separate meetings with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide, and European Council President Antonio Costa. During these meetings, Egypt’s top diplomat reaffirmed his country’s commitment to “providing a comprehensive vision for…