Author: Anadolu Agency

Iran has summoned the German and British envoys in Tehran over their support for a draft resolution against Iran at the UN Human Rights Council. Germany’s ambassador to Tehran and the UK’s chargé d’affaires were called to the Foreign Ministry, Iranian state TV reported Thursday. Forouzandeh Vadiati, the ministry’s director-general for women’s affairs and human, conveyed Iran’s objections to the European diplomats, condemning their countries for “misusing human rights to pressure the Iranian people.” Vadiati also accused Germany and the UK of supporting Israel, which she said is committing “genocide and war crimes” in Gaza, arguing that they “are in…

US warplanes carried out new airstrikes in Yemen’s coastal province of Al-Hudaydah and the northern province of Sadaa on Thursday evening, the Houthi group said. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said that four strikes targeted the Al-Kathib area in the Al-Mina district in the Al-Hudaydah province. Al-Hudaydah, overlooking the Red Sea, is one of Yemen’s most strategic provinces, housing an international airport, three key ports, and an extensive coastline. Later, the same channel reported another US airstrike on the Al Asayid area in the As Safra district of Saada province, the group’s stronghold near the Saudi border. No information was yet…

Jordan called for “immediate and effective” international action on Thursday to compel Israel to stop its assault on the Gaza Strip and reopen its border crossings for humanitarian aid. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks over the phone with several counterparts during which he stressed the urgent need to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and fully implement a prisoner exchange deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, according to a Foreign Ministry readout. He urged the global community to act “urgently and decisively” to force Israel to end its onslaught and allow aid into all parts of Gaza.…

The European Commission’s coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred told Anadolu that Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip have contributed to the rise of Islamophobia in Europe in recent years and warned against normalization of anti-Muslim hatred in Europe. “Anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of racism and discrimination are unfortunately being normalized in discourse which may give a sense of impunity to hateful actors,” Marion Lalisse said in an email. “The polarized environment that we face, especially since 7 October, has had concrete consequences on the levels of hatred affecting several groups in society, including Muslims and Jews and people perceived…

The Bank of England kept its policy interest rate constant at 4.5% on Thursday, in line with market expectations. There has been substantial progress on disinflation over the last two years, as previous external shocks have receded, the bank said. “And as the restrictive stance of monetary policy has curbed second-round effects and stabilised longer-term inflation expectation,” it said. It said inflation rose to 3% in the UK in January, up from 2.5% in December 2024. Mentioning the implementation of new US tariffs on imports, the bank said global trade policy uncertainty has intensified, and the US has made a…

Israel’s systematic home demolitions in the West Bank aim to change the demography of the occupied territory, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. A ministry statement said scores of homes were razed by the Israeli army in the northern West Bank, especially in the Jenin refugee camp where Israeli authorities threatened to demolish 60 houses there. “The widespread destruction of the refugee camps aim to change their geography, and permanently displace their residents,” it added. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a military base in the occupied West Bank. The ministry called Netanyahu’s visit “provocative” and aimed…

In a decisive move aimed at curbing volatility in the currency markets, the Turkish Central Bank announced Thursday that it will begin Turkish lira-settled foreign exchange forward selling transactions. This new move is designed to help maintain a stable foreign exchange market, prevent sudden currency swings, and ensure steady liquidity. “The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye will start conducting Turkish lira-settled foreign exchange forward selling transactions in order to ensure the sound functioning of the foreign exchange market, prevent possible volatilities in exchange rates and stabilize foreign exchange liquidity,” said a statement. The decision comes in response to…

The death toll for Russian troops in the ongoing Ukraine conflict may have surged to as high as 250,000, according to a report from Britain’s Ministry of Defense. The report estimates that the Russian Armed Forces have sustained approximately 900,000 casualties—both killed and wounded—since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Of these, it is believed that between 200,000 and 250,000 Russian soldiers have died, marking the largest loss of life for Russia’s military since the Second World War. It claimed that President Vladimir Putin and senior military officials are likely prepared to tolerate high levels of…

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt blamed former President Joe Biden for the ongoing egg crisis in the US, citing the culling of nearly eight million chickens ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration as a key factor. Leavitt shared a graphic on X showing poultry birds culled due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and accused the Biden administration of causing supply shortages and higher prices. “The Egg Crisis is Biden’s Crisis — but President Trump and @SecRollins (Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins) are fixing it,” she wrote. The US is grappling with a severe egg shortage driven by a widespread bird…

Protesters took to the streets across Bangladesh on Thursday, condemning Israel’s renewed military offensive in Gaza and calling for the immediate arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party also held rallies across divisional cities. Calling Netanyahu a “bloodsucker and brutal killer,” party leader Nurul Islam Bulbul told a rally at the national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, that “Netanyahu keeps continuing crimes against humanity in Gaza, bypassing all the international law and norms.” He demanded that world Muslim leaders work to establish a free and peaceful Gaza instead of being silent or extending support to Israel. Bulbul demanded…