Author: Anadolu Agency

France on Friday condemned an attack on UN personnel in Gaza that killed a United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) employee and left two French nationals working for the UN seriously injured. “France expresses its dismay after two French nationals, United Nations employees, were seriously injured following strikes that hit two buildings housing United Nations personnel in Gaza, which also caused the death of a UNOPS employee,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We extend our support and solidarity to our compatriots and their families; we are fully mobilized to provide them with assistance.” The statement added: “As…

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered the army to occupy more areas in the Gaza Strip after expelling Palestinian residents, as Israel resumed its genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave earlier this week. The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Katz ordered further occupation of Palestinian areas in Gaza under the pretext of protecting Israeli soldiers and communities near Gaza. “The more Hamas insists on refusing to release the hostages, the more land it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel,” KAN quoted Katz as saying. He added that the Israeli military operation in Gaza “will escalate until…

Russia’s largest oil company, Rosneft, saw its net profit fall by 14.4% in 2024, according to its financial results released Thursday. The company’s net profit fell to 1.08 trillion rubles ($12.71 billion) from approximately $14.7 billion the previous year. Rosneft’s revenues from sales and equity share in profits of associates and joint ventures rose 10.7% in the same period, reaching $119.3 billion. The company produced 184 million tons of oil and 87.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas last year. “In the reporting year, the company operated against the backdrop of an oil production cap under the OPEC+ agreement, increased…

US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday to dismantle the Department of Education, the latest federal agency that he has sought to eliminate as he seeks to fulfill a long-term goal of some conservative groups. “We’re going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs. And this is a popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it’s a common sense thing to do, and it’s going to work. Absolutely, it’s going to work,” he said during a White House ceremony. “People have wanted to do this for many, many years, for…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday met in Istanbul with Umaro Sissoco Embalo, his counterpart from the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate. Relations between Türkiye and Guinea-Bissau as well as regional and global developments were discussed during the meeting, the directorate wrote on X. Stressing efforts to expand trade between the two countries, Erdoğan said: “The progress made in Türkiye’s relations with Africa over the past few years is favorable.” Decrying the ongoing massacre of Gaza’s civilian population by Israel, Erdoğan called on the international community to “step up its pressure to stop the…

A federal jury in New York Thursday convicted two men of plotting to assassinate Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in New York City, according to CBS News. Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, both alleged members of a Russian mob, were found guilty of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and firearms offenses. Amirov and Omarov face decades in prison, with sentencing scheduled for September. During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Alinejad has been the subject of several plots by Iran, including kidnapping, and that the Iranian government placed a $500,000 bounty on her head to silence…

US President Donald Trump slammed nationwide injunctions issued by “radical left” judges, warning that such rulings could undermine national security and hinder his ability to act decisively on critical matters. “Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country! These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings,” Trump said Thursday on his Truth Social platform. He argued that these judges, through their rulings, are causing serious harm to the country and preventing him from acting swiftly…

Amnesty International condemned the European Council’s conclusions on the Middle East on Thursday, calling them a “shameful attempt” to justify Israel’s actions in Gaza while failing to explicitly condemn airstrikes and a blockade of humanitarian aid. “After 17 months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the fact that the EU refuses to name Israel, condemn airstrikes wiping out entire families, or denounce Israel’s blocking of vital humanitarian aid is extraordinary,” said Eve Geddie, the director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. She accused EU leaders of “selective compassion towards victims, particularly when they are Palestinian,” and called for immediate action to…

US President Donald Trump is looking at lifting sanctions on Türkiye and selling fighter jets to the country, even the fifth-generation F-35s, Fox News reported on Friday. Citing two sources, Fox News said that, following last Sunday’s phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump expressed an intent to help finalize the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, a deal that has long been in the works. Trump is also open to the idea of selling Türkiye F-35 jets, “if the two sides can come to an agreement that renders Türkiye’s Russian S-400 system inoperable,” it added, referring…

US President Donald Trump denied a report that billionaire Elon Musk will be briefed by the Pentagon on military plans for a potential war with China. “The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential “war with China.” How ridiculous?” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!” said the president.…