Author: Anadolu Agency

The British foreign secretary on Wednesday reiterated that Israel has legal obligations as an occupying power, emphasizing the need to hold Tel Aviv accountable for those obligations. In response to questions at a Foreign Affairs Committee session in parliament, David Lammy described the ongoing dire situation in the Gaza Strip as “tremendously horrendous.” Pointing out Israel’s obligations, the foreign secretary emphasized that it must remember its obligations under international law. “There are legal obligations as an occupying power, and I’m afraid that the international community is very clear about those obligations as an occupying power, and we do have to…

The associate EU advocacy director at Human Rights Watch called the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a “rare chance at justice.” “This is a rare chance at justice for horrendous crimes in the region-crimes that have thrived on decades of impunity,” Claudio Francavilla told Anadolu. He expressed concern that EU countries have not responded with a unified voice to the court’s decision, adding: “The Court’s decision is legal, not political. What’s political is the attacks the Court has received for simply doing its job.” The arrest warrants…

Supporters of the PKK terrorist group clashed with police in London’s Harringay neighborhood on Wednesday after the Metropolitan Police arrested six people in connection with suspected terrorist activity linked to the group. The PKK, responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people in Türkiye, is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, US, UK, and EU. A group of PKK supporters gathered in Harringay, chanting slogans against Türkiye and calling for “Freedom for Ocalan,” referring to Abdullah Ocalan, the convicted ringleader of the PKK who is serving a life sentence in Türkiye. Tensions escalated when protesters resisted police efforts to…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a “constitutional declaration” Wednesday about who would serve as head of the Palestinian Authority in the event of a vacancy, according to reports. The declaration said that “if the position of President of the Palestinian Authority becomes vacant in the absence of the Legislative Council, the Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (Palestine Liberation Organization parliament) shall temporarily assume the duties of the presidency for a period not exceeding 90 days,” according to the Palestinian news agency, Wafa. The declaration indicated that during the period, “free and direct elections will be held to elect a…

Kenan Yildiz, a Turkish and Juventus winger, won the Golden Boy Web award on Wednesday. “The ‘talent’ of Juventus and the Turkish national team was able to count on the unwavering support of his home fans, always ready to go wild when it comes to voting for one of their stars,” the Italian sports newspaper, Tuttosport, said in a statement after Yildiz received the most online votes with 33.2%. “His performances at the European Championship and a sparkling start in black and white did the rest,” it added. The European Golden Boy Award, introduced in 2003 by journalist Massimo Franchi,…

Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that the commitment to combat all forms of discrimination was underlined in the declaration adopted at the 10th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). “The Declaration highlights the contribution of dialogue and interaction among different cultures to a peaceful and harmonious coexistence,” a ministry statement said. The declaration affirmed the commitment to continue combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, religious intolerance and all forms of discrimination. “The Declaration also underlines that violent extremism cannot be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group,” it further said. The ministry statement said that…

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye targets to lower its policy interest rate to 21% by the end of 2025, the governor said on Wednesday. Speaking at the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO), Fatih Karahan said projections related to the underlying trend of inflation improved, albeit slower than anticipated. He clarified: “With the continuation of the disinflation process and the subsequent establishment of price stability, predictability will increase. “Thus, investment, production, and consumption decisions will be made with a longer-term perspective.” Karahan noted that the disinflation process is ongoing and recalled that consumer inflation fell to 48.6% in…

Türkiye’s U.N. envoy pointed to the alarming levels of violence against women and girls across the globe, noting the Turkish government’s “zero-tolerance approach” in combating it. “Violence against women and girls remains an alarming global challenge,” Ahmet Yıldız said Monday at a high-level event at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Stressing that violence against women undermines efforts toward social equality, human dignity and sustainable development, Yıldız said that “Türkiye remains steadfast in its commitment to combating violence against women through a zero-tolerance approach.”…

Colombia has asked US President Joe Biden to pardon a former leader of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group who is currently in prison in the state of Colorado. The Colombian government sent a diplomatic note to the Biden administration for the pardon of Simon Trinidad, whose real name is Juvenal Ovidio Ricardo Palmera Pineda, local media reported Monday. As part of the ongoing peace process in Colombia, President Gustavo Petro’s government requested Trinidad to testify to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the judicial component of the process, aiming to shed light on human rights…

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, severely damaged by a devastating fire on April 15, 2019, will reopen its doors on Dec. 7 following a five-year repair. French President Emmanuel Macron, who pledged to rebuild the cathedral within five years, oversaw the completion of the approximately $1.08 billion (€1 billion) restoration, funded by global donations. The opening ceremony will host 2,000 guests, including political leaders such as US President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and King Charles III, Europe 1 reported. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not invited,…