Author: Anadolu Agency

The massive kapok tree, believed to be sacred in Gambia, stands in the Latrikunda German neighborhood of Serekunda, reflecting nature’s grandeur with its sky-reaching branches for centuries. This tree, recognized as one of Gambia’s most famous natural landmarks, is known locally as the “Great Tree.” The 30-meter-tall kapok tree, with its vast trunk, forms one of the region’s largest natural canopies, defying the passage of time with its majestic presence. The tree’s grandeur also attracts tourists, particularly nature photographers and travelers, who come to Latrikunda German to take photos beneath its shade. While common in West Africa’s tropical forests, urbanization…

China on Monday dismissed a recent statement by the G7 foreign ministers, saying that it “vilifies” Beijing and “interferes” in its internal affairs. “The joint statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting and their declaration are a deliberate mischaracterization of the facts and truth, which seek to vilify China and interfere in China’s internal affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference. “We strongly deplore and firmly reject that and have lodged serious protests with relevant countries,” she said. The spokeswoman’s remarks came in response to the joint statement issued after the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, which took…

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called on the international community on Monday to firmly confront Israel’s starvation policy against the Palestinians in Gaza. His call came during a meeting in Doha with Sigrid Kaag, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, who is currently visiting Qatar. During the meeting, the two sides discussed relations between Qatar and the UN and ways to bolster them, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Both sides also reviewed “the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, particularly the challenges facing humanitarian action, and ways to…

A joint Egyptian-American archaeological team from the University of Pennsylvania has uncovered a royal tomb from the Second Intermediate Period in the Jebel Anubis necropolis in Abydos, southern Egypt, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said Sunday. Another archaeological team from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities also discovered a pottery workshop from the Roman era in the nearby village of Banaweet in Sohag governorate, according to a statement by the ministry. “The discovery of the royal tomb in Abydos provides new scientific evidence on the development of royal burials at the Jebel Anubis necropolis,” the statement said, adding “these tombs…

Egypt unveiled a proposal for the UN Security Council on Monday to consider establishing an international presence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. This came during a meeting held in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, foreign ambassadors, and international representatives to discuss the rehabilitation of Gaza’s healthcare sector. “There is a proposal for the Security Council to study establishing an international presence in Gaza and the West Bank,” Abdelatty said in statements cited by a Foreign Ministry statement. “This will be done through the adoption of a Security Council resolution to deploy peacekeeping or international protection…

Israeli warplanes killed two civilians and wounded 19 others in airstrikes on the southern Syrian city of Daraa late Monday, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency. “Israeli occupation aircraft launched airstrikes targeting the vicinity of Daraa,” the agency said on X. A follow-up statement confirmed the casualties, adding that “two civilians were martyred and 19 others injured with varying degrees of wounds” from the raids. The Daraa Governorate, in a post on its Telegram channel, said the Israeli strikes targeted “housing in the city of Izra and Regiment 175 with several hits.”

A transformer explosion at the Pan-Am thermoelectric plant in La Chorrera has led to a widespread power outage across Panama, reports said Sunday. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino described the damage as severe in a statement on X, criticizing the situation. “I am without electricity in Boquete. This is unacceptable. The damage is reportedly extensive,” he said, adding: “I will immediately request a report from the National Public Services Authority (ASEP) and the Energy Secretariat, and they will act accordingly. This poor service is enough.” ASEP General Administrator Zelmar Rodriguez Crespo confirmed that the power outage affecting most of the…

The US said Monday that its approach to Houthi attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea has undergone a “complete shift,” stressing that such assaults are unacceptable and must come to an end. Speaking at a daily press briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce contrasted the Trump administration’s response with that of its predecessor, which she said had engaged in a “tit-for-tat dynamic” when responding to Houthi missile strikes. “If the Houthis would be sending missiles or attacking both commercial and military ships, what the previous administration did is they would do one strike as a tit-for-tat…

The Israeli army is in “its worst position” to confront Hamas as the Palestinian group continues to rebuild itself amid a Gaza ceasefire deal, an Israeli military source said on Monday. “The Israeli army has not conducted any effective combat operations for about two weeks, allowing Hamas to bolster its military capabilities in preparation for a new round of fighting,” the public broadcaster KAN quoted the source as saying. A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, pausing Israel’s brutal military campaign that has killed more than 48,500 people, mostly women and children,…

The Vatican shared an image Sunday of Pope Francis praying in a chapel at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for respiratory issues for more than a month. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church, who was diagnosed with double pneumonia after being admitted on Feb. 14, remains under medical supervision. The Holy See Press Office confirmed that his condition is stable and that he continues to receive respiratory physiotherapy to help with his breathing and physical therapy to help with his mobility. The photo marks the first visual confirmation of the Pope’s condition since his hospitalization,…