Author: Anadolu Agency

The UN on Thursday reiterated its demand for accountability after Israel admitted its army was responsible for a strike March 19 that killed a UN staff member and injured at least five others in the Gaza Strip. “The Israeli authorities have communicated to us the conclusions of their investigation, and we welcome it,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, adding that Israeli officials are showing more “cooperation and transparency” since the beginning of its attacks on the enclave. Emphasizing that acknowledgment is not enough, Dujarric said: “What is clear to us is that we need to have accountability.…

Israeli firefighters have extinguished bushfires that raged in central Israel due to soaring temperatures and high winds. The Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority on Thursday said that nine people were injured, including seven firefighters, and 10,000 dunums (2,500 acres) were destroyed in the fires. It said the flames were brought under control after a 20-hour struggle. The situation “is now under control…(and) will be over in the coming hours,” the authority added. According to the statement, all vacated and affected communities have returned to their areas, and all roads have been reopened. The Israel Meteorological Service had warned of “harsh”…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country wants a common understanding with the US that Russia is the “aggressor” in the war, emphasizing Kyiv views Washington as a key strategic partner. “We know that the United States has a mediator position in this conflict. And this is the choice that the United States made,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with American journalist Ben Shapiro, cited by Interfax-Ukraine. “But we consider the United States as a strong strategic partner that has influence,” he said. “We would very much like these two forces to be used in relation to Russia, so that…

Egyptian Foreign Minister Bedr Abdelatty said on Thursday that Italy fully supports an Arab plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip without displacing Palestinians. Abdelatty’s remarks came during a press conference with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani in Cairo. According to a statement from the Italian Foreign Ministry, Tajani confirmed “the support for initiatives for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and its reconstruction.” Abdelatty said they discussed the regional developments in Palestine, stressing the urgent need to provide the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He said they also evaluated the developments in the Red Sea region…

The capacity utilization rate for the Turkish manufacturing industry saw a fall of 0.6 percentage points to 74.6% in April on a monthly basis, a Turkish Central Bank survey said Thursday. The data said that the highest utilization in this month was 74.5% in intermediate goods, and the lowest was 71.7% in durable consumer goods. Broken down by sector, the highest capacity usage was in the manufacture of paper products at 84%, while the lowest, 60.3%, was in leather products. Capacity utilization rate figures are based on responses to a business tendency survey of local units operating in the manufacturing…

The UN granted 17 million euros ($19.3 million) to the Lebanese army on Thursday to equip and train new recruits for deployment in southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met in Beirut with a delegation representing the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), including Head of the Peace Division Evariste Karambizi and Director of the Diplomatic Division Rabih Haddad. Aoun was briefed by the UN delegation about UNITAR activities in the field of logistics and training, the presidency said in a statement. Karambizi said the grant will be allocated for equipping and training 4,500 new army recruits assigned to…

Harvard University President Alan Garber said on Wednesday that the school would not compromise on certain issues despite the federal government’s threat to freeze more than $2 billion in funding. In an exclusive interview to NBC news, Garber said the school had “no choice” but to fight back against what it believes is federal overreach and an illegal attempt by the government to withhold funding as leverage to control academic decision-making. “We are defending what I believe is one of the most important lynchpins of the American economy and way of life — our universities,” Garber said. – TRUMP ADMINISTRATION…

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that negotiations with Iran concerning its nuclear program are advancing “very well.” “I think we’re doing very well with respect to Iran, and we’re having very serious meetings. And there are only two options,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “One option is not a good option. It’s not a not a good option at all. And I think we’re doing very well on an agreement with Iran, but that one, we’re doing a lot of things, I will say, but that one is, well on its way. We could have a very,…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Kyiv supports all peace initiatives proposed by the US that are under its Constitution, while emphasizing that a complete ceasefire is the first step toward ending the war with Russia. During a joint press conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zelenskyy said Ukraine accepted the unconditional ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump and his team in Saudi Arabia, but “Russia has not reciprocated.” “And we even signaled through the media that we were ready for mirror steps—if Russia did not shoot, we would not respond,” he added. He said that…

The UN’s top peacekeeping official warned Thursday that UN missions are operating in the most challenging environment since World War II, as global conflicts grow more complex and dangerous. “Now we are obviously in a context that is challenging. Needless to say, we’re facing more conflict within and between states than any time since World War Two,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, during a news conference ahead of the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting set for May 13-14 in Berlin, Germany. He noted that the nature of conflict is “rapidly evolving,” citing transnational organized crime and the…