Author: Anadolu Agency

Britain on Tuesday reiterated its support for an inclusive political process and said they are reviewing Syria sanctions along with allies at the moment. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it is vital that the new Syria includes representation for all of its people and that all Syrians see themselves represented in the government. “WE ARE SUPPORTING AN INCLUSIVE POLITICAL PROCESS THAT MUST RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES, AND WE WILL CONTINUE IN OUR EFFORTS,” he said during a Foreign Office questions session in the House of Commons. When asked whether the UK is planning to lift…

Pakistan released a statement Monday strongly condemning the growing racist and Islamophobic commentary directed at British Pakistanis in the UK and lauded the community’s contributions. “We note with deep concern the increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary in the UK that is aimed at conflating the reprehensible actions of a few individuals with the entire 1.7 million British-Pakistani diaspora,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan. The remarks come amid an ongoing debate about “Asian grooming gangs” that allegedly targeted the British Pakistani community. Indian lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi reignited the controversy by posting on X: “Repeat…

Cuba has filed a declaration that it will join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the court announced on Monday. “Cuba, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip,” the court said in a statement. In December 2023, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel, claiming violations of the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Several countries…

A fire broke out at a military hospital in the Russian city of Tula, local authorities said on Monday. Tula Governor Dmitry Milyaev said on Telegram that personnel from the regional department of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire.
 “The preliminary cause of the fire is faulty electrical wiring,” Milyaev said, adding that there were no casualties.
 He further said that all the patients at the hospital were taken to other medical facilities. Milyaev later reported that the threat of the fire spreading to adjacent buildings had been eliminated. Meanwhile, Russian state…

Canada on Monday pledged CAN$17.25 million in aid to support the humanitarian situation in Syria, where nearly 70% of the population is in urgent need of aid after 13 years of conflict. “Canada continues to be deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation in Syria,” an International Development Ministry statement said. Citing Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen’s recent visit to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, the statement said the minister’s “trip marks the first Canadian delegation to visit the border region of Türkiye and Syria since the end of the Assad regime in Syria.” “Hussen reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to…

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Türkiye dropped 3% year-on-year to $9.6 billion last January-November, the International Investors Association (YASED) said Monday. Equity capital inflow rose 9% to $5.5 billion in the first 11 months of last year, the sectoral group said, citing data from the Turkish Central Bank. The Netherlands was the largest source of FDI flows, accounting for 20% of the total, followed by Germany with 13% and the US at 11%. In November, Türkiye attracted $1.14 billion worth of FDI, including $721 million in equity capital inflows. About $194 million was received through real estate investments from…

A new UNICEF report on Monday said that more than 473 million children lived in conflict-affected areas in 2023 and that the number likely rose in 2024. “Children’s lives, rights and well-being are increasingly under threat in conflict. Over 473 million children-more than one in six globally-lived in areas affected by conflict in 2023, a number that is likely to have risen in 2024,” said the report, which included predictions about the challenges that will affect children in 2025. Saying that the percentage of children impacted has nearly doubled since the 1990s, now reaching 19%, the report urged measures to…

US President Joe Biden discussed with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Monday ongoing efforts in Doha to secure an agreement to end hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip during what the White House described as a “critical point in the negotiations.” During the telephone call, Biden “thanked the Amir for his leadership and praised the mediating role of Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani throughout the process,” the White House said in a statement. “Both leaders emphasized the urgent need for a deal to be implemented to return the hostages to their families and bring immediate relief…

There is a possibility that a cease-fire for the embattled Gaza Strip could be reached this week, said the White House national security advisor on Monday. “There is a distinct possibility that we can get this deal done this week before President Biden leaves office,” Jake Sullivan told Bloomberg, referring to next Monday, when Biden’s successor is due to be sworn in. Sullivan reiterated that the US has been close to a cease-fire before but has not gotten across the finish line. “So I can’t make any promises or predictions,” said Sullivan, adding that he was on the phone with…

Incoming US President Donald Trump could seek fresh dialogue with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un after the former’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the South Korean spy agency said on Monday. Trump, who met with Kim three times during his first presidency, is expected to discuss a “small deal” on the Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the Seoul-based Yonhap News reported. “If US believes it is difficult to expect North Korea’s complete denuclearization in a short period of time, a ‘small deal’ — small-scaled negotiations for freezing the North’s nuclear programs or nuclear disarmament — may be possible,” the spy agency told lawmakers.…