Author: Anadolu Agency

The Foreign Minister of Sudan Ali Youssef hailed Türkiye’s generous support for his country, as the country grapples with ongoing conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan has faced violent clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over military reform and integration issues. The conflict has claimed more than 20,000 lives, displaced millions, and left more than 25 million in dire need of humanitarian aid, according to the U.N. In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Youssef evaluated the “trustworthy and historical” relations between Sudan and Türkiye, saying that these ties have strengthened communication between the two peoples…

A survivor of Wednesday’s Azerbaijan Airlines crash said the plane’s pilots tried to land in Grozny, Chechnya three times, followed by an explosion outside the plane, according to an audio recording shared by Russian TV channel RT. Subkhankul Rahimov said that something exploded on the third landing attempt and that when he reached for his life jacket, he found a hole in it caused by shrapnel. He also said that he was hit by shrapnel after the explosion. He recounted the multiple attempts to land, saying: “The plane … was on its way to land, and then, abruptly, started to…

China on Thursday said the increasing defense spending by the US was meant to “maintain its hegemony” in the world, state media reported. Disapproving the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), China’s Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the outgoing Biden administration has “played up the alleged ‘China military threat’ as an excuse to increase US military spending and maintain its hegemony.” “This grossly interferes with China’s internal affairs and undermines world peace and stability. We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to it,” said Zhang. Beijing was reacting to the latest defense bill for the next fiscal amounting…

A body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Hawaii that departed on Christmas Eve. Authorities are investigating the grim discovery made on United Airlines Flight 202, which flew from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to Maui’s Kahului Airport. United Airlines released a statement on Wednesday confirming incident. “The wheel well was only accessible from outside the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” it said. The flight was operated by a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner which departed Chicago at 9.30 a.m. (1530GMT) and landed in…

Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the country’s leadership Wednesday to act decisively to finalize a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas to secure the release of captives held in Gaza, warning that they face a “clear and immediate danger.” Speaking at a Hanukkah celebration in Tel Aviv, Herzog appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to use all available means to ensure the hostages’ return. “This is your responsibility,” he said, adding: “You have my full support to conclude a deal that brings them home, after we failed to protect them.” Herzog’s comments followed the return of Israeli negotiators…

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said he was at Yemen’s Sanaa airport when it was hit by Israeli air strikes. “As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of our plane’s crew members was injured,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. “At least two people were reported killed at the airport.” “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” he said, adding that the mission needs to wait for the…

Large holes on the tail of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday sparked speculation that the plane had been downed by an attack. The holes, clearly visible in photos and video of the Embraer 190 plane, appeared to have been caused by weapons fire, according to some commentators and members of the public online. As investigators from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have yet to comment on the holes, people on social media have speculated that the plane was shot down. The debate was supported by reports about the plane’s inability to land in Grozny, Chechnya due to…

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged the US media on Thursday to condemn Israel’s latest killings and attacks on journalists in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. “By remaining silent as their Palestinian colleagues are killed, kidnapped and attacked, American media professionals give tacit approval to the far-right Israeli government to continue its campaign of censorship targeting all those who expose its ongoing genocide,” CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement. His remarks came after five journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel were killed Thursday when an Israeli airstrike struck their broadcasting van near the…

Türkiye’s legitimate security interests related to threats emanating from Syria must be ensured, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the Russian Embassy in Damascus continues to operate, and through the diplomatic mission Moscow maintains contacts with new Syrian authorities after the collapse of the Assad regime. “First of all, we are currently discussing practical issues related to ensuring the safety of Russian citizens and the safe functioning of our embassy,” he said. The minister reiterated Russia’s openness to contacts with “all active socio-political forces in Syria,” as well as…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed that his outgoing US counterpart Joe Biden proposed postponing Ukraine’s NATO accession in 2021. “I know that the current President Biden spoke about this, it is no secret, back in 2021. He proposed exactly this to me – to delay Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 10-15 years, because it is not ready yet,” Putin told reporters in a press briefing in St. Petersburg. Expressing that he agreed with Biden’s assessment about Ukraine not being ready, Putin said: “But you will prepare it and accept it.” “From the historical point of view … it…