Author: Anadolu Agency

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is preparing to announce his resignation, according to a media report Sunday. Citing anonymous sources, The Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau is expected to resign as leader of the Liberal Party possibly before a critical party meeting on Wednesday. This comes as Trudeau faces growing dissatisfaction within his party and low public approval ratings, raising concerns about his ability to win the next election against a surging Conservative opposition. Sources suggest that Trudeau wants to control the timing of his departure to avoid the appearance of being ousted by his party. It remains unclear…

Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks in Abu Dhabi on Monday with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani on bilateral relations and recent developments in Syria. Shaibani arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early Monday on his first visit to the Gulf country since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last month. The talks between the two sides took up ways to enhance relations between the two countries, the situation in Syria and latest regional developments, the state news agency WAM reported. Bin Zayed reaffirmed the UAE’s unwavering support for Syria’s independence and sovereignty…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected a claim by Roderich Kiesewetter, a prominent lawmaker of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), that he may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Germany’s federal elections on Feb. 23. “That is a false claim. That is deeply indecent,” Scholz said at an event of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin, RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported Sunday. He added that there is “no evidence whatsoever” that such a meeting had even been considered. Earlier, Kiesewetter wrote in a post on X that “we must prepare ourselves for an election campaign surprise. There are increasing…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed bilateral relations and regional developments with his US counterpart Antony Blinken over the phone on Monday. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the contact dwelt on regional developments and efforts made in this regard, without giving any further details. There was no immediate comment from the US Department of State on the report. The Middle East region has seen escalating developments in recent weeks following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and…

Illegal Israeli settlers blocked the convoy of Palestinian Local Government Minister Sami Hijjawi on Monday in Masafer Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron. A statement by the Local Government Ministry said the minister’s vehicle was stopped by settlers dressed in military uniform. No further details were provided by the ministry. The incident followed calls by illegal settlers to launch attacks against Palestinians in retaliation to a shooting attack that left three settlers dead in the northern West Bank. According to media reports, illegal settlers blocked several roads between the cities of Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, and Jenin, attacking…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s planned visit to Poland on Jan. 9 has been postponed following her diagnosis with a severe case of pneumonia, the Commission’s chief spokesperson announced on Monday. Paula Pinho provided an update on von der Leyen’s health during a press briefing in Brussels, confirming that all of the president’s external engagements have been canceled until mid-January due to the illness. ” “If all goes well, she will return by mid-January,” Pinho said. The visit to Poland, which assumed the rotating European Union presidency on Jan. 1, will be rescheduled. However, a new date has…

The number of right-wing extremist crimes in Germany reached a new high last year, local media reported on Monday. By Nov. 30, 2024, police had registered 33,963 “politically motivated, right-wing crimes,” reported the RND media group, citing a response from the Interior Ministry to an inquiry by the parliamentary fraction of the opposition party The Left. The final number in the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) statistics, which is expected to be released in May, is likely to be even higher due to crimes committed in December. In 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office recorded a total of 28,945 right-wing…

The US shared “serious concerns” with Seoul after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law last month, top diplomat Antony Blinken said Monday. Blinken was addressing a news conference in Seoul alongside his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul. “We communicated (serious concerns) directly to the government,” Blinken said as South Korean investigators and police had their last day to execute an arrest warrant against Yoon, who has been impeached after he shocked the nation on Dec. 3 with his martial law decree. Blinken, however, said the US has “tremendous confidence in South Korea’s democracy.” The US alliance with…

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has said the protection granted to Syrians in Germany will be reviewed. “In accordance with our laws, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) will review and revoke protection if it is determined that, due to the stabilization of the situation in Syria, people no longer need this protection in Germany,” Faeser said speaking to Funke Media Group. She added that this would also apply to those without residency rights based on employment or education and who do not voluntarily return to Syria. “Everyone who is well-integrated, employed, has learned German, and has built…

The US’ outgoing Joe Biden administration is “working intensely” to achieve a cease-fire in the Palestinian besieged enclave of Gaza within the next two weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday. “We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks,” Blinken told a news conference in the South Korean capital Seoul, pointing to Jan. 20 when the Biden administration leaves the White House. He said there had been an “intensified engagement” including by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on reaching a deal, “but we are yet to see agreement on final points.”…