Author: Anadolu Agency

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to scrutinize the social media activity of certain visa applicants to bar those suspected of criticizing the US and Israel, according to a report Tuesday. The directive, issued in a March 25 cable to diplomatic missions, mandates that consular officers refer some student and exchange visitor visa applicants to the “fraud prevention unit” for a mandatory social media check, the New York Times reported, citing two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The order follows a series of executive actions by President Donald Trump aimed at deporting foreign…

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Wednesday thanked Germany for the support it has provided to her country at “key moments.” “The Head of State expressed gratitude for the consistent support provided by Germany at key moments for the Republic of Moldova,” said a statement by the Moldovan presidency following talks between Sandu and outgoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in the capital Chisinau. The statement said that Sandu further stressed the importance of continuing German assistance to Moldova, including for civil society and free press in the country. Indicating that the meeting focused on issues related to Moldova’s EU path,…

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet crashed in western Gujarat state, officials said Wednesday. The crash occurred in the evening near Jamnagar while the jet was on a training mission and two pilots were onboard. State-run Doordarshan News said one pilot was rescued and taken to the hospital, but operations were underway to locate and rescue a second pilot. It said the crash occurred in an open area, with no impact to civilians. The Air Force has yet to issue a statement.

Democratic Judge Susan Crawford beat her Republican opponent, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, in the US state’s hotly-contested Supreme Court election Tuesday night, according to media reports. Crawford was declared the winner in a close race with 54% of the vote versus 46% for Schimel. She will replace retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, who served 30 years in that position, maintaining a 4-3 liberal majority in Wisconsin’s highest court. The victory, which garnered national attention and record-breaking campaign spending for a state judicial race, was crucial for Democrats in their mission to rule on significant issues, including abortion rights and…

Italian producers would be hit hard by new US tariffs and every effort should be made to avoid a trade war, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday. “It is clear that the introduction of new tariffs would have heavy repercussions for Italian producers,” Meloni said at a prize-giving ceremony for Italian cuisine. US President Donald Trump was set to impose sweeping new tariffs later on Wednesday as he proclaimed “Liberation Day” in the country, in what could escalate a trade war with global partners, increase costs and destabilize a decades-old trade order. “I remain convinced that we need to…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep alarm Wednesday about the human cost of intensified Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. “The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the human toll of the intensified hostilities in Gaza. He condemns the reported killing of over a thousand people, including women and children, since the collapse of the ceasefire,” according to a statement from his spokesperson’s office. Saying that “large-scale Israeli bombardments and ground operations have resulted in widespread destruction,” the statement reported that it also led to “the displacement of over 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah in the last two days alone.” Guterres also…

Tesla’s car deliveries fell 13% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, amid controversies about CEO Elon Musk’s political stance, according to data released Wednesday. The number of vehicles delivered by the US electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in the first quarter decreased to 336,681 from 386,810 in the first quarter last year. The market expectation was that the number of vehicles delivered by the company would be between 360,000 and 370,000. The company produced 362,615 vehicles in the first quarter of this year, also down from 433,371 vehicles in the same period of 2024. The EV producer’s sales in Europe…

China is ready to work with Russia to move toward multi-polarization and greater democracy in international relations, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks after he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov on Tuesday in Moscow. “China is willing to work with Russia to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, jointly promote the development of China-Russia relations and cooperation in various fields, and continue to benefit the people of the two countries,” Wang Yi said. Wang noted that Beijing is ready to work with…

Cuba and Iran condemned US sanctions following a meeting between Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh in Havana. A statement released after the meeting said both leaders discussed “the unilateral coercive measures and other aggressions applied by the United States government and its allies against various countries.” The Cuban Foreign Minister “expressed gratitude for Iran’s support of our people’s demand to end this policy” and rejected similar measures faced by Iran. Cuba and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic and trade relations. “The brotherhood and solidarity between the two nations and the positive progress…

Russia could be ready and able to attack EU countries within five years, warned the bloc’s defense commissioner on Wednesday. Speaking at an EU security forum in Warsaw on the future of EU defense, Andrius Kubilius argued that Russia is already carrying out a hybrid war against the bloc in the form of disinformation campaigns, weaponization of migrants on the borders with Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland, and damaging undersea cable in the Baltic Sea. Maintaining that Russia turned into a war economy and consequently produces more weapons than all NATO members combined, he said: “If we do nothing, military…