Author: Anadolu Agency
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held diplomatic meetings Friday in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Fidan headed to Jeddah to attend the meeting of the OIC as the bloc’s members decided to convene to discuss Israeli aggression against Palestinians and proposals to expel them from their land. No specific details were disclosed about the discussions during the meetings. Fidan’s first notable engagement was with his Egyptian and Kazakh counterparts, Badr Abdelatty and Murat Nurtleu, respectively, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Turkish minister also met Mohammed Mustafa, the…
Pope Francis’ clinical condition remains stable in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Friday. Pope Francis spent the day resting and in prayer while continuing his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted last month, the Vatican said in a statement. Early Friday, it was reported that the pope “had a restful night and woke up shortly after 8:00.” The 88-year-old pontiff has been at Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14. He was elected as Pope Benedict XVI’s successor at the age of 76 on March 13, 2013, and took…
US President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, urging negotiations to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons. Trump emphasized his preference for diplomacy over military action in his Wednesday letter, according to a preview of his interview with Fox Business Network. “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” he said. “I said I hope you’re going to negotiate because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran,” Trump said, underlining he is not “looking to hurt” Iran. The US president suggested he could make…
FBI Director Kash Patel pledged Thursday to eliminate the number of Americans detained or held hostage abroad, vowing to dedicate all necessary resources to bringing them home. “My singular promise to you in this community is that I will do everything as the director of the FBI to marshal the resources necessary to make sure that no other American family feels that pain,” said Patel, speaking at a State Department ceremony honoring hostages and their families. Patel also highlighted ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to secure the release of Americans detained in Russia and Venezuela and those still held…
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that it would be “great” if world powers would do away with their nuclear arsenals, saying he would like to engage with China and Russia to do so in coordination with the United States. “It’d be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Russia and us have by far the most. China will have an equal amount within four or five years, and it would be great if we could all denuclearize, because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy. It’s crazy.” Trump said…
Large-scale demonstrations took place across several Syrian provinces on Friday, with citizens rallying in support of the Syrian security forces and military operations aimed at rooting out loyalists of the ousted Assad regime. According to separate reports from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), these demonstrations coincided with ongoing operations by government forces to clear areas in the coastal region, where remnants of Assad’s regime are believed to be hiding among civilians in the villages and mountains. One of the largest gatherings occurred in the Saadallah al-Jabri Square in Aleppo, where crowds gathered to support the efforts of the Syrian…
Four people were killed in two separate fires that broke out Thursday in the Philippines’ Metro Manila region. Firefighters discovered the bodies of two women aged 18 and 23 and a 55-year-old man in Marikina city after putting out a fire, according to the Philippine Star daily. The fire also injured three people, including a child, and destroyed eight homes, displacing 13 families or 80 residents who are now staying at an evacuation center. The fire started at a house in the morning, according to the authorities. Authorities are investigating the cause. In Tondo district in Manila on the same…
US President Donald Trump has criticized two TV commentators, saying they “should be forced to resign” over accusing him of hypocrisy in honoring a young cancer survivor while cutting off funds for cancer research and also failing to defend police officers who protected Congress in 2021. In the Oval Office, Trump on Thursday attacked Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow for their comments about his alleged hypocrisy in honoring DJ Daniels, a 13-year-old cancer survivor who Trump invited to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and gave an honorary Secret Service badge. Maddow, who hosts a popular show on left-leaning…
Germany on Friday expressed strong support for the Arab League’s reconstruction plan for Gaza, which stands as an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s proposed US takeover of Gaza. “The German government welcomes the Arab League’s plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told a news conference in Berlin. “The plan includes many valuable elements we can build upon. Constructive discussions should begin immediately,” he said, adding that Berlin maintains that Gaza must not pose any security threat to Israel in the future. At the same news conference, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian…
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday confirmed that the US paused military aid to Ukraine. “As the president has pointed out, it is a pause. Exactly what he said from the beginning, pause pending a true commitment to a path to peace,” Hegseth told reporters ahead of talks with his British counterpart John Healey at the Pentagon. Hegseth said President Donald Trump is paying a “very keen eye” to precisely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing about committing to that peace process. “We’re very encouraged by the signs we’re seeing. Ultimately, he will make the determination, but it is…