Author: Anadolu Agency

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…

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…

Senior Azerbaijani officials on Thursday confirmed to Anadolu the validity of earlier media reports suggesting that an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday was caused by a Russian missile system. This came after Azerbaijani media, citing government sources, reported that the preliminary results of the investigation into the incident determined that the plane was attacked by a Pantsir missile system as it approached the city of Grozny. According to the report, the aircraft’s communication system was completely paralyzed due to the use of Russian electronic warfare systems, which resulted in the plane disappearing from…

Israeli warplanes launched a new wave of airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday evening amid rising regional tensions over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Israeli media said. The strikes targeted several strategic sites in Yemen, including Sanaa airport and the port of Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said. Israel’s Channel 12 said power stations were targeted in the attacks, without providing further details. According to Israeli Channel 13, dozens of Israeli fighter jets took part in the attacks, which coincided with a televised speech by Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi. KAN said the US was notified before the…

Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic praised Türkiye’s political role in the Balkan region and the entire world. “Türkiye is an important and major political factor in the entire world. It can be serious, and sometimes it is a mediator in the Balkans, because it has ties with other countries, and I respect that,” Konakovic told Anadolu. Konakovic, who has a model of the Bayraktar TB2 drone made by Türkiye on his desk, said relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Türkiye are more brotherly than friendly. “In the future, the focus should be on economic opportunities. I think there is a…

Pakistan on Thursday confirmed it carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, killing “terrorists.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in the capital Islamabad Pakistani security forces carried out a security “operation” on the “basis of solid evidence.” “The intelligence-based operation was conducted by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s border areas,” Baloch said. She said the operation was carried out “based on threats to the security of Pakistani citizens.” The interim Taliban administration in Kabul on Tuesday night claimed that the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes, the second such cross-border action by Islamabad since March, in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika…

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…

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…

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Khartoum emphasized the vital contributions of Turkish institutions in Sudan and reaffirmed Türkiye’s solidarity with the Sudanese people amid difficult conditions. “Despite these challenging and exceptional circumstances, we are making every effort to convey the message that Türkiye stands alongside Sudan with all its institutions,” Fatih Yıldız told Anadolu Agency (AA). The official reflected on the bilateral relationships and the ongoing activities of the Turkish Embassy in the country. Highlighting the deep historical ties between the peoples of the two countries, he remarked: “Port Sudan is currently the de facto administrative center of the country.” “Our primary…

In 2024, marking the seventh anniversary of the Zero Waste Project, Türkiye’s environmental landscape saw significant strides in climate action, waste management and pollution control. Key topics included the preparation of the Climate Law, the unveiling of the climate road map, the National Strategy for Combating Desertification, and efforts to address pollution in Izmir Bay. In a major milestone, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum presented Türkiye’s climate road map during the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP29) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 11-22. The road map outlined ambitious targets, including increasing the share of renewable energy in…