Author: Anadolu Agency

2024 marked the deadliest year for journalists with at least 124 journalists killed, nearly two-thirds in attacks linked to Israel, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The report published Wednesday highlights that the frequency of global conflicts — political, criminal or military — has doubled in the past five years, leading to a significant rise in journalist fatalities in countries such as Sudan, Pakistan and Myanmar. The most striking effect on the media has been the record number of journalists and media workers killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict, with 85 deaths in 2024 and 78…

Iran arrested two British nationals in the southeastern city of Kerman on security-related charges, state media said on Thursday. The state news agency IRNA published a photo of a meeting between the two Britons and British Ambassador to Iran Hugo Shorter at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in the capital of Kerman Province. It, however, did not provide any details about the security offenses the two British nationals are accused of. There was no immediate comment from British authorities on the report.

The speaker of Algeria’s lower house of parliament called on France on Thursday to officially acknowledge its responsibility for French “nuclear crimes” during its colonial era in the North African country. “We demand with one voice an official recognition from France on its full responsibility for these nuclear crimes,” Ibrahim Boughali, Speaker of the People’s National Assembly, told an event marking the anniversary of France’s first nuclear test in Algeria on Feb. 13, 1960. Algeria cannot accept “a mere political acknowledgment, but an acknowledgement followed by a clear moral commitment” from France, he added. On Feb. 13, 1960, France carried…

Yemen’s Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, accused the US on Thursday of encouraging Israel to stall and violate its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. In a televised speech, al-Houthi warned of military action, including missile strikes, drone attacks, and naval operations, if the US and Israel attempted to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza. “The US is encouraging Israel to renege on its obligations, even though they are primarily humanitarian,” al-Houthi said. “The provision of tents and caravans to Gaza is essential, as most homes in the territory have been completely destroyed,” he added. The Houthi leader said only a limited…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday said the alliance’s defense ministers have agreed to put Ukraine in the “best possible position” for any future peace negotiations with Russia. Speaking after a NATO defense ministers’ meeting, Rutte said there was “total agreement” among allies that Ukraine must be empowered in talks rather than being “forced into an agreement” that it does not accept. “We all agree that we need to put Ukraine in the best possible position for negotiations, and we need a durable and lasting peace,” he told reporters. His comments came after US President Donald Trump said peace…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said that his country will “never allow forced removals again.” During the State of the Nation Address at the parliament, the president addressed the land issues as well as the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The people of this country know the pain of forced removals. That is why we will never allow forced removals again,” the president highlighted. He underscored that South Africa envisions a nation where “all people enjoy equal worth and equal opportunity,” a country where “the rule of law is protected and upheld.” South Africa…

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterated the Trump administration’s commitment to NATO on Thursday but warned that the US will not be taken advantage of by allies who fail to meet their defense obligations. Speaking at a media briefing following a NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in Brussels, Hegseth referenced former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s concerns that Europe was not contributing enough to its own defense. Eisenhower believed in a strong relationship with Europe, but he was worried that “Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense. Nearly making, in Eisenhower’s words, ‘a sucker out of Uncle Sam,'” said Hegseth.…

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he believes his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, wants peace in the Ukraine war. “I believe he wants peace. I believe that President Putin, when I spoke to him yesterday, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. His remarks came one day after he held separate telephone calls with Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Asked whether he trusts Putin, Trump said, “I believe that he would like to…

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in London on Thursday to discuss a wide range of global issues, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as trade cooperation and human rights concerns. Following their discussions, Lammy emphasized in a post on X the importance of maintaining a “pragmatic relationship” between the UK and China, as both nations have permanent membership in the UN Security Council. He underscored the need for global influence to be exercised responsibly, particularly in efforts to maintain stability in conflict zones. “We spoke about global stability,…

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have entered into a significant partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday. The agreement is aimed at strengthening collaboration on central banking matters, the CBRT said in a statement. “In the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding, the two central banks aspire to foster cooperation and carry out technical activities in the field of central banking,” read the statement. The agreement, signed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Pakistan, represents a key step toward enhanced financial collaboration between the two…