Author: Anadolu Agency

Pakistan will “defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio amid tensions with India. Sharif conveyed to the US “Pakistan’s strong condemnation of India’s missile and drone strikes that had led to the death of 31 civilians, injured 57 others and damaged civilian infrastructures,” his office said in a statement. This was the second call from Rubio to Sharif since tensions triggered by the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people. The situation took a new turn after India launched missile strikes inside Pakistan…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended congratulations Thursday to Pope Leo XIV and Catholics around the world. “The election of a new Pope is a moment of profound spiritual significance for millions of faithful around the world, and it comes at a time of great global challenges,” Guterres said in a statement from his spokesperson’s office. “Our world is in need of the strongest voices for peace, social justice, human dignity and compassion,” he said. Highlighting the cooperation between the UN and the Holy See, Guterres said: “I look forward to building on the long legacy of cooperation between the United…

At least six passengers were killed after a chopper crashed in the Uttarakhand state of India, state media reported. State-run Doordarshan News reported one more person was “seriously” injured after the helicopter crashed near the Ganganani hot springs area in the state’s Uttarkashi district. “Administration and relief teams are present at the helicopter crash site,” it said. The state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, instructed the administration to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident. “I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard and every situation is being monitored,” he wrote on X.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Thursday his country has received €1 billion from the EU as part of its Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) program, financed by profits generated from immobilized Russian central bank assets. Shmyhal said on Telegram that the funds would be used to support critical budget needs and help stabilize Ukraine amid war-related damage. “This tranche is part of a fair and consistent approach: the aggressor must pay for the destruction he brought to our land,” he said, expressing appreciation for the EU and G7’s creation of a workable financial mechanism. He added that Ukraine expects other…

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a rare earth deal with Ukraine has concluded. “We just concluded the rare earth deal with Ukraine that’s been fully ratified and approved by their legislative branches,” Trump said at the White House. Trump said he would speak soon to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said Thursday that Türkiye and Iraq will resolutely continue to take new steps to increase their bilateral trade volume to $30 billion, and increase mutual investments. Ömer Bolat welcomed in capital Ankara Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is visiting Türkiye as an official guest of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “I believe that the bilateral and inter-delegation meetings to be held under the chairmanship of our President Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani will make significant contributions to further advancing Türkiye-Iraq relations, which have been rapidly developing in the political, economic, security…

The papal conclave on Thursday began the second day of voting to elect a new pope. The day started with 133 elector cardinals attending a mass in the Pauline Chapel around 8 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). The cardinals then proceeded to the Sistine Chapel, where they resumed the voting. Unlike yesterday, which included only one ballot, the second day allows for up to four voting rounds, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. According to the Italian state-run ANSA news agency, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who chairs the conclave as he did in 2013 that elected Pope…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election and called for the Vatican’s continued support in Ukraine’s struggle against Russian “aggression.” “Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,” Zelensky said on X. He expressed hope for “continued moral and spiritual support” from the Vatican, describing the moment as decisive for Ukraine’s future. Zelensky also wished the newly elected pope “wisdom, inspiration, and strength—both spiritual and physical—in carrying out his noble mission,” ending with the Latin…

A humanitarian aid ship carrying 20,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine arrived Thursday at the Toros Port in the Turkish northern province of Samsun as part of a UN World Food Program (WFP) initiative to support crisis-hit regions, including Syria. The Beirut-flagged “Brave Commander” was welcomed with a ceremony by the WFP Türkiye Office, Turkish Foreign Ministry, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry and the Samsun Governorship. Acting Deputy Gov. of Samsun Kemal Yıldız described the shipment as a symbol of shared conscience and solidarity for all humanity. Voicing pride at hosting the WFP, Yıldız underlined that Türkiye has been a leader…

An additional 60,000 files related to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy have been published, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday. “Today’s release is an important step toward maximum transparency, finding the truth, and sharing the truth,” Gabbard said on X. She said the documents “have been sitting in various storage facilities across the federal government for decades and had never been digitized or accessible to the public before.” A total of 10,000 records on Robert F. Kennedy were released last month. On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy, was fatally shot…