Author: Anadolu Agency

At least 32 casualties have been brought ashore in Grimsby after an oil tanker and a cargo vessel collided off the coast of eastern England, resulting in both vessels catching fire, according to media reports on Monday. The incident, which took place in the North Sea, was reported by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), who responded with four lifeboat crews to the scene. Reports suggest that several crew members abandoned the ships after the collision. According to data from tracking firm, Marine Traffic, the oil tanker, named Stena Immaculate, is sailing under a US flag, while the cargo ship,…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that despite some progress over the past three decades, significant gaps remain in advancing women’s rights globally. “In the past thirty years, the world has moved forward: In boosting girls’ education, cutting maternal mortality, increasing legal protections, and more. But immense gaps persist,” Guterres said at the opening of the 69th session of UN’s Commission on the Status of Women. Marking 30 years since the 1995 Beijing Declaration, which reaffirmed women’s rights as human rights, Guterres said the world has fallen short of its promise to ensure equality, development, and peace for women everywhere.…

Guatemalan authorities have evacuated at least 282 families living near the Volcano de Fuego, which intensified its activity on Monday, spewing columns of lava, ash, and rocks. Located approximately 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) southwest of Guatemala City, the Volcano de Fuego, situated between the Sacatepequez, Escuintla, and Chimaltenango regions, began exhibiting increased activity Sunday night, marked by a dense smoke column visible in the sky. The eruption has generated volcanic ash reaching heights of 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) above sea level, extending 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest, west, and southwest, according to the National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Reduction…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday told US President Donald Trump that he hopes US-Ukraine talks allow support for Kyiv to resume. In a phone talk with Trump, Starmer expressed his hopes that the upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia will allow support for Kyiv to resume. Starmer said that UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace, according to a statement by Prime Minister’s Office. He also noted that “he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing…

As Moscow and Washington move to normalize relations and reach a deal to end the Ukraine war, Russia on Monday said the UK considers the warming of ties as a threat. “According to information received by the SVR, the UK leadership sees a threat to its interests in the promotion of dialogue between the US and Russia on resolving the Ukrainian conflict,” state news agency TASS reported, citing a statement by the country’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The UK fears this rapprochement will lead to the “failure of the British strategy of containing Moscow, in which control over Ukraine occupies…

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday rebuked opposition Polish politicians for supporting verbal attacks made by US politicians on Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the weekend. The spat between US and Polish officials started with US billionaire Elon Musk’s X post on Sunday. The head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and owner of SpaceX, which provides internet via Starlink satellites, Musk said: “My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. If I turn it off, the entire front (of Ukraine in the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war) will collapse.” Sikorski responded: “Starlink for Ukraine is…

The process of restoring relations between Moscow and Washington is still in its “initial stages,” the Kremlin said on Monday, as bilateral contacts began after Donald Trump took over as US president in January. “We are at the initial stage of the path to restoring our bilateral relations. The path ahead is quite long and difficult,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow, adding that the presidents of both countries expressed “political will” in this regard. Peskov, however, denied media reports that top Russian and US officials will meet in Saudi Arabia this week, describing them as “not true.” On…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied on Monday any “potential militarization” of the country’s nuclear program. “Iran’s nuclear energy program has always been – and will always remain – entirely peaceful,” Araghchi said in a statement on X. “There is fundamentally, therefore, no such thing as its ‘potential militarization’.” The top diplomat said that Tehran rejects any negotiations under pressure or intimidation. “We will not negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will not even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” he said. “Negotiation is different from bullying and issuing diktats.” Araghchi said Iran is consulting with the…

US President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler defended his direct negotiations with officials of the Palestinian group Hamas, emphasizing that the Trump administration is acting in America’s interests, not as an extension of Israeli policy. “We’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel,” Boehler told Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday, responding to criticism from Israeli officials, who were reportedly caught off guard by the discussions. Boehler’s talks, conducted alongside separate mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt, primarily focused on securing the release of American hostages held in Gaza. He expressed optimism about a potential breakthrough, saying: “You’ve…

Flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced on Monday the cancellation of flights to and from nine German cities due to a 24-hour strike in the country. “Due to the airport ground staff strike in Germany on March 10, our flights to Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, Bremen and Munich have been canceled,” the airline said. Ground staff in 11 German airports went on strike after the ver.di trade union announced a coordinated 24-hour strike on Sunday. The strikes have caused significant disruptions to air travel in the country. Ver.di is demanding an 8% wage increase or a minimum monthly…