Author: Anadolu Agency

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday expressed concern over ongoing Israeli attacks on health care facilities in the Gaza Strip. “A human rights catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza before the eyes of the world,” Turk told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. Israel’s means and methods of warfare have killed tens of thousands of people, inflicted vast displacement and laid waste to the territory, he added. “The destruction of hospitals across Gaza goes beyond depriving Palestinians of their right to access adequate health care. Those hospitals provided sanctuary for thousands…

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.

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 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…

Türkiye’s defense and aerospace industry achieved a significant milestone in 2024, recording $7.2 billion in exports, a 29% surge from the previous year, head of the Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat said on Friday. This achievement surpasses the year’s defense export target of $6.5 billion by 11%, Haluk Gorgun announced on X platform. Highlighting the industry’s robust international performance, Gorgun said: “Thanks to our international cooperation activities and contacts, our companies have become able to export not to a certain region but to almost the entire world.” Gorgun emphasized the sector’s commitment to innovation and global outreach. “We are determined to…

Several members of the UN Security Council on Friday expressed concern over Israeli attacks on the hospitals in the Gaza Strip. “The deliberate targeting of hospitals medical personnel, patients and wounded defies every principle of humanitarian law and has no justification,” Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s envoy to the UN told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. The meeting came following last week’s raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the arbitrary arrest and detention of its director, Hussam Abu Safiya. Iftikhar said nowhere on earth is international humanitarian law being “trampled” as is the case in…

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…

At least 77 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 45,658, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Friday. A ministry statement added that some 108,583 others were injured in the ongoing assault. “Israeli forces killed 77 people and injured 145 others in eight massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said. “Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added. Israel has continued a genocidal war on the Gaza…

A volcanic eruption has struck Ethiopia’s central Mount Dofan, a region that has recently experienced frequent minor tremors, according to local media reports on Friday. The tremors in the Awash Fentale region, which is approximately 142 miles (230 kilometers) from Addis Ababa, have been felt as far as the capital city, raising concerns about a potential major disaster. In recent weeks, more than a dozen minor earthquakes have been recorded in the Awash Fentale area and surrounding regions, adding to residents’ concerns about the seismic activity’s impact. Efforts are underway to prevent casualties by relocating at-risk residents to safer areas,…