Author: Anadolu Agency

A Palestinian man who spent 17 years in Syrian prisons under the Baath regime says he feels “reborn” after his release. Ibrahim Farahat, 75, was freed after the collapse of the regime in December. Once held in notorious detention centers like Sednaya Prison, Farahat reunited with his family in Yamun, near Jenin in the occupied West Bank. His release was met with celebrations by relatives and local residents. Speaking to Anadolu, Farahat recalled his ordeal, the harsh conditions of imprisonment, and his unexpected freedom. “When I was released, I could only think about how to return to my family,” he…

US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced several appointments, including Cuban-American businessman Benjamin Leon as ambassador to Spain and Joe Popolo as ambassador to the Netherlands. Describing Leon as a “highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist” who immigrated to the US from Cuba at the age of 16, Trump said he was nominating him to be the US ambassador to Madrid. Trump said of Popolo, who has been nominated as the US ambassador to Amsterdam, “Joe is a successful businessman and philanthropist across many different sectors.” In the US, ambassadorial appointments made by the president require Senate confirmation. In addition…

Türkiye’s annual inflation rate dipped to 44.38% in December, posting the seventh consecutive decline since June 2024, according to official data released Friday. December’s figure is below the market expectation of 45.21%, also down from November’s 47.09%, TurkStat reported. The lowest annual inflation was seen in transportation prices at 25.88%, while the highest one was posted by education at 91.64%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages price decreased to 43.58% year-on-year in December, versus 48.57% in November. On a monthly basis, the consumer prices index rose at the slowest pace since May 2023 at 1.03% in December, cooling from 2.24% in November.…

The US State Department approved the possible sale of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Japan, the Pentagon said Thursday. The estimated cost of the sale is $3.64 billion. “The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by defending its homeland and U.S. personnel stationed there. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” it said in a statement. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation, located in Tucson, Arizona. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.

The French and German foreign ministers are visiting Damascus, marking the first trip by European foreign ministers to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime or the severing of diplomatic ties between the EU and Syria about 12 years ago, the German Foreign Ministry announced Friday. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Damascus for talks alongside her French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot. Speaking on behalf of the EU, the two will meet with Ahmed Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new administration, and representatives of Syrian civil society, according to a statement from the ministry. “After the fall of…

Türkiye’s exports hit a record high level of $262 billion during the last year, up by 2.5% on a yearly basis, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Friday. The country’s foreign trade deficit, which was at $106.3 billion in 2023, decreased to $82.2 billion, he said during an event in Istanbul. The export-import coverage ratio reached 76.1% in 2024, up 5.5 percentage points on a yearly basis, Erdoğan stressed. In December alone, the country’s exports rose by 2.2% to $23.5 billion, which is another record level, he added. The country’s imports in December rose by 11.1% to $32.3 billion, while…

Seven Palestinians sustained injuries in an assault on Friday by illegal Israeli settlers on the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, central occupied West Bank. The Palestinians sustained injuries as the settlers beat them using batons and hurled stones, the Health Ministry said. Their condition, however, is stable. Silwad’s mayor Raed Hamed told Anadolu that 40 armed settlers raided the town’s Nasiba area, assaulted the people, and set fire to at least five cars. Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on…

The French and German foreign ministers met on Friday the leader of Syria’s new administration and called for an inclusive transition of power, in their first official visit to the war-torn country since the fall of the Assad regime in December. Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock were received by Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. During the talks, Barrot and Baerbock “reaffirmed the desire for a peaceful and demanding transition, representative of Syrian society in its diversity,” according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry. They expressed their commitment to supporting a broad-based transition process, with both ministers highlighting the inclusion…

Malaysia on Friday “unequivocally” condemned “incessant and targeted” Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said deliberate targeting of hospitals, including the most recent “devastating assault” on Kamal Adwan Hospital, where patients and medical staff were forcibly removed, “clearly” violates international humanitarian law and UN resolutions. “The relentless airstrikes, forced evacuations and systematic targeting of residential areas and designated safe zones are clear acts of genocide,” the statement said, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “obstructionist tactics have stalled meaningful progress in ceasefire negotiations” and exacerbated suffering of Palestinians. The ministry called on the international…

The US State Department approved the possible sale of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Japan, the Pentagon said Thursday. The estimated cost of the sale is $3.64 billion. “The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by defending its homeland and U.S. personnel stationed there. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” it said in a statement. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation, located in Tucson, Arizona. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.