Author: Anadolu Agency
US President Donald Trump rejected claims Thursday that he discouraged Israel from launching a military strike on Iran. He said his preference is for a peaceful solution but warned Tehran against pursuing nuclear weapons. “I wouldn’t say waved off,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “I’m not in a rush to do it, because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that. That’s my first option.” He said any alternative to diplomacy “would be…
The UN special rapporteur on the right to health on Thursday condemned a recent Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital, the last functioning medical facility in northern Gaza, calling it a devastating blow to an already collapsed health system. “I am horrified to learn that the war on hospitals, health care providers and civilians continues, making the provision of health services even more impossible in a system that has already been brought to its knees,” Tlaleng Mofokeng said in a statement. Al-Ahli Hospital was struck by two Israeli missiles on April 13. The blasts severely damaged the emergency room, surgical operations…
Cyclone Tam disrupted the daily life in New Zealand’s Northland region on Thursday. The weather brought heavy rain and strong winds to many parts of the North Island and upper South Island, reported local Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Nearly 5,000 properties in the region remain without power, with possible repairs taking up to three days. Cellphone towers are also reportedly without power. Domestic flights have also been canceled, along with ferry services. Over 60 calls were made by Kiwis in the region for damage and cleaning requests for fallen trees and debris overnight. The strong winds are expected to continue…
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the country’s ban on the activities of the Taliban movement, the court’s press service announced. The Taliban has been designated a terrorist organization by Russia, but the ruling effectively suspends that label, though it remains under international UN sanctions. A representative of the Taliban was present at the Supreme Court session. The hearing was held at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, which had filed a formal request seeking the suspension of the ban on the movement’s activities in Russia. The suspension satisfies “the administrative claim of the Prosecutor General’s Office of…
Indonesia has provided assurances that no Russian military aircraft will be stationed at an airbase in the country’s easternmost province of Papua, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Wednesday. Marles said he spoke with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who rejected a report that Russia has lodged a request to base long-range planes at a military airfield not far from the Australian city of Darwin, 9 News reported. Marles’ statement came after Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton raised the issue amid the campaign for parliamentary elections scheduled for May 3 and said that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had been informed.…
China on Wednesday called on the United States to stop its “maximum pressure” tactics and “blackmail” in trade negotiations, pushing back on US President Donald Trump’s recent comments that “the ball is in China’s court.” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference Wednesday that the tariff war was started by the US, not China, urging Washington to abandon its strategy of “maximum pressure.” He added that Beijing does not want to fight a trade war because there will be no winner. His remarks came after Trump claimed Tuesday that it was now up to Beijing to make a…
Singapore is sending off a nine-person team to Egypt to treat Palestinians from Gaza on Wednesday, said the Ministry of Defense. The armed forces and Health Ministry “will deploy a contingent to provide medical care to Palestinians and other civilians from Gaza who are being treated in Egypt,” the ministry said in an Instagram post. Eight army personnel and one from the Health Ministry will work with Egyptian authorities to “pave the way for the deployment of the main team, supplies and equipment, which will likely take place in the following weeks,” the ministry added. This latest mission will permit…
The World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday that the global goods trade volume is projected to fall by 0.2% this year as the global trade outlook deteriorated sharply due to the increased trade policy uncertainty. While the WTO expected global trade volume to rise in 2025 and 2026, large-scale tariffs announced since January this year have prompted economists at the Geneva-based international trade regulator and facilitator body to reassess the current state of trade, according to the WTO’s Global Trade Outlook report. The US suspension of reciprocal tariffs for 90 days is easing the contraction in trade, but downside…
Germany on Wednesday warned Israel against a permanent occupation of Gaza after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his troops will indefinitely remain in so-called security zones in the enclave. “The German government clearly rejects a permanent occupation of Gaza and a permanent expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. Gaza belongs to the Palestinians,” Christian Wagner, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said at a press briefing in Berlin. “It remains a clear goal of German foreign policy to contribute to a negotiated two-state solution in the Middle East because that is the only way that Palestinians and Israelis can live…
Russia has sharply criticized the Danish Armed Forces’ proposal to send soldiers to Ukraine for drone training, calling it “a provocative act of military support,” state news media outlet DR reported on Wednesday. “The exchange of combat experience is not a humanitarian action,” Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin was quoted by state media as saying, accusing Denmark of misrepresenting military engagement as harmless training. He warned of “unpredictable consequences,” suggesting such actions could risk a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. “Sending Danish soldiers to Ukraine to learn how to kill Russians with drones is a deliberate provocation,” Barbin…