Author: Anadolu Agency

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday voiced his “full solidarity” with Türkiye after a powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit Istanbul in the afternoon. “May I, first of all, express to the government and the people of Türkiye my full solidarity in these difficult moments,” Guterres said ahead of his press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York on the climate crisis. A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye’s Istanbul on Wednesday, injuring 151 people in panic-driven incidents, none of whom suffered life-threatening wounds, officials said. The earthquake’s epicenter was in Istanbul’s Silivri district, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management…

A group of Democrat lawmakers traveled to Louisiana on Tuesday to visit Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil, two students arrested for their pro-Palestinian views and held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The lawmakers called their detention a “national disgrace” and demanded their immediate release. Öztürk, a Turkish national pursuing a Ph.D. at Tufts University and Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder and recent Columbia University graduate, were separately detained last month by federal agents as part of the Trump administration’s growing crackdown on pro-Palestinian students. Neither of them has been charged with a crime. The delegation…

Spain’s decision to proceed with the purchase of 15.3 million rounds of ammunition from an Israeli company has triggered a crisis within the country’s left-wing coalition government. Despite the government claiming that military trade with Israel has been halted since the start of the war in Gaza, Spanish media outlet Cadena Ser reported Wednesday that Spain’s Guardia Civil police force purchased the pistol rounds for €6.6 million (about $7.53 million). Last October, the ammunition contract already made headlines, and government officials vowed it would be canceled. Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska, from the Socialist Party, reportedly sought to halt the…

US Sen. c on Wednesday called the detention of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk a “national disgrace.” “What has happened to Rumeysa Ozturk is … a national disgrace,” Markey told reporters at Logan Airport in Boston. A delegation of Democratic lawmakers, including Markey, congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Jim McGovern, traveled Tuesday to the state of Louisiana to meet Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil, who remain in custody at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar and PhD student in child and human development at Tufts University, was detained March 25 by masked ICE agents outside her…

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a prospective deal with China to recalibrate the trade relationship will be “fair” as the world’s top two economies continue to be locked in a simmering trade war. “We are going to have a fair deal with China. It’s going to be fair,” Trump said at the White House, claiming the relationship with China “got out of control” under his predecessors. The comments continue the president’s upbeat streak after saying Tuesday that negotiators would be “very nice” with Beijing. “I’m not gonna say ‘Oh, I’m gonna play hardball with China, I’m gonna play…

Official Israeli data presented on Wednesday revealed that only 232 Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) men responded to 18,915 military draft orders issued in recent weeks, underscoring persistent refusal to serve in the Israeli army, according to a Knesset statement. Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi branch in the Israeli army’s Personnel Directorate, shared these figures with the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. “Out of 18,915 draft orders issued recently, only 232 Haredim responded, while 1,840 ignored the summons, 962 were declared draft dodgers, and 68 were exempted for various reasons,” he said, citing the Knesset release. Dickstein pointed out…

Chile’s government maintained its projection for 2025 GDP growth at 2.5% on Wednesday amid growing global economic turmoil and uncertainty. In a presentation to Congress, Finance Minister Mario Marcel also said the average price of copper in 2025 is expected to be at $4.26 per pound, while average annual inflation is expected to be 4.4%.

The EU reaffirmed on Wednesday that only Ukraine can determine the terms of a future peace settlement with Russia, amid ongoing peace talks in London with the efforts of France and the UK. Asked about talks, European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said during the midday briefing in Brussels that the discussions continue and the bloc is “in close contact” with it. “We welcome all efforts that respect the UN charter to bring peace to Ukraine, and our diplomatic efforts continue at all levels,” Mercier added. He stressed that the EU’s stance on peace talks remains unchanged and said that any…

Russian military intelligence orchestrated parcel fires targeting European air cargo shipments last year, German public broadcasters NDR and WDR reported on Wednesday. According to the exclusive report, German authorities and their European partners have identified several suspects following a fire at a DHL logistics center at Leipzig airport in July 2024. The suspects sent multiple packages containing incendiary devices from Lithuania — two parcels were destined for Poland and two for the UK, according to the investigators. During a stopover in Leipzig, one of the London-bound packages ignited. The incident occurred before the cargo was loaded onto the aircraft, and…

The UN on Wednesday emphasized aid operations must adhere to humanitarian principles and independence amid reports that aid in the Gaza Strip would be distributed by the Israeli military or American companies. Asked by Anadolu whether reported remarks from Israel’s security cabinet meeting would affect UN aid efforts and how the distribution would be viewed given the roles of the Israeli military and the US in Gaza, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN was not present at the meeting and could not verify the claims. “I can’t speak to the veracity of what was reported.…