Author: Anadolu Agency
As their war hit the grim mark of 1,000 days, Russia and Ukraine have entered a new phase of dangerous and potentially nuclear escalation. Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden has given Kyiv something it long sought-permission to use American-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia. Moscow responded by upgrading its nuclear doctrine, with one of the key changes being that an attack by a non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power will be treated as a joint assault. While Washington has yet to officially confirm the Biden administration’s major policy shift, new U.S. media reports say it has also…
The UN expressed regret Wednesday for a U.S. veto of a draft resolution that demanded a cease-fire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. “It’s another example of the regrettable lack of consensus that we’ve seen in the Security Council between member states, and the lack of, frankly, the lack of implementation of previous resolutions on Gaza,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. He said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remains committed to supporting efforts to end the conflict, achieve the unconditional release of all hostages and advance the implementation of a two-state solution. Dujarric’s comments came after the U.S. again…
Several members of UN Security Council on Wednesday denounced a fourth U.S. veto on a proposed cease-fire resolution in the Gaza Strip. China’s envoy Fu Cong, expressed disappointment with the outcome of the vote and accused the U.S. for hindering hopes of Palestinians “for survival, pushing them further into darkness and desperation” via the use of the veto. Saying that member states’ actions would not “escape the harsh judgment of history,” Fu asked: “Does Palestinian lives mean nothing?” “How many more people have to die before they (U.S.) wake up from their pretend slumber?” he asked rhetorically. Fu argued that…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that his country does not have the strength to push back Russia to borders of 1991. “We understand that we do not yet have the strength to push (Russian President Vladimir) Putin back to the line of 1991 with weapons in hand,” Zelenskyy said told Fox News. Asked if he was willing to cede land to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Zelenskyy said Kyiv cannot legally acknowledge Ukrainian territories under Moscow’s control. Regarding his willingness to give up Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, in pursuit of a peace deal,…
The U.S. will resume operations Thursday at its embassy in Kyiv following a temporary closure because of a security threat, the State Department said Wednesday. The embassy was closed Tuesday due to a security alert, spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed during a news conference. “The embassy put that alert out based on (a) possible threat of significant attack on Kyiv, something that we take very seriously, and (it) led to the temporary change in posture at the embassy,” said Miller. While declining to provide specifics about the nature of the threat, Miller emphasized that ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel remains…
The UK criticized on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent decision to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, labeling it an act of “irresponsibility” from a “depraved Russian government.” A spokesperson for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer denounced the move, calling it yet another example of Russia’s “irresponsible” behavior amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, according to Sky News. Speaking to reporters, the spokesperson said: “It would be fair to say it’s the latest example of irresponsibility that we have seen from the depraved Russian government, and we remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine.” The UK…
UNICEF said on Tuesday that more than three children on average have been killed in Lebanon every day for the last two months, lamenting that “the intolerable is quietly transforming into the acceptable.” “Despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon in less than two months, a disconcerting pattern has emerged: their deaths are met with inertia from those able to stop this violence,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said in a press briefing in Geneva. “For the children of Lebanon, it has become a silent normalization of horror,” Elder lamented, adding that at the same period, “many, many more” have…
Brazilian Federal Police arrested five officers involved in an alleged plot to stage a military coup and murder President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and top government officials, authorities said Tuesday. Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled that the arrest of a Federal Police officer and four military officers accused of participating in the “planning of a coup and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law” be made public. The operation, “Copa 2022,” by those under investigation, wanted to monitor and arrest or assassinate key figures, such as de Moraes, Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, to overturn Lula’s…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not confirm nor deny Tuesday that Kyiv used long-range U.S. missiles amid Moscow’s claims that it downed ATACMS ballistic missiles above one of its border regions. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier that it downed six of the missiles above the region of Bryansk. If true, it would represent the first attack by Kyiv using the long-range U.S. ATACMS missiles since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war 1,000 days ago. The Russian statement comes days after The Washington Post reported that outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the…
World Children’s Day this year for millions of children around the world is not about celebration but survival, according to a UNICEF spokesman, who told Anadolu that conflicts, climate crises and systemic neglect continue to devastate young lives. “World Children’s Day should be a day of celebration and a day of reflection. For those children in Gaza and Lebanon, their day is around survival, not celebration,” said James Elder. Five 5 million children are affected in Sudan, with 1 million under the age of 5 displaced by violent upheaval, he said. “In Ukraine, we’ve seen attacks have escalated heavily.” “It…