Author: Anadolu Agency

Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek on Monday had a phone call with Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, to discuss economic relations. Simsek congratulated Bessent on his new position under the Trump administration, Treasury and Finance Ministry sources told Anadolu. Bessent took office in late January. The officials also agreed to meet face-to-face at the first opportunity. They are expected to meet during next month’s annual IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington, DC. During the phone call, which lasted for about a half-hour, they discussed the issue of further deepening economic cooperation between Türkiye and the US.

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…

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,…

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…

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday called on the EU to strengthen his country and Europe’s defense capabilities “as soon as possible.” “Now is the time to arm ourselves. Strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine and the rest of Europe. As quickly and as effectively as possible. Ukraine and Europe, armed to the teeth, will be able to keep Russia from another major war,” Sybiha told the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting via videoconference, according to a ministry statement. Expressing that Ukraine welcomes a number of important initiatives by the bloc to strengthen European defense capabilities, Sybiha said they…

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas called on the US on Monday to pressure Israel to implement a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. “The US must compel the (Israeli) occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement as signed rather than expanding the scope of aggression,” senior Hamas member Izzat Al-Rishq said in a statement. “Preventing the occupation from evading the agreement’s requirements is the only way to save the lives of the captives and ensure their return to their families,” he added. Al-Rishq condemned Israel’s tightening of its blockade on Gaza, calling it an act of “sadism and a complete disregard…

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…

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…

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.”