Author: Anadolu Agency

An independent federal board has ordered the United States Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary employees fired during President Donald Trump’s controversial efforts to cut the federal workforce. Cathy Harris, chair of the US Merit Systems Protection Board, issued an order on Wednesday requiring the department to temporarily reinstate 5,600 fired probationary employees for 45 days. The order applies to probationary workers who have been in their positions for about a year or less and received identical termination letters, stating that they had failed to show that their continued employment “would be in the public interest” based…

Türkiye’s leading drone producer Baykar Technologies and Italy’s defense giant Leonardo signed a partnership agreement Thursday in unmanned technologies. The agreement was signed by Leonardo’s CEO Roberto Cingolani, Baykar’s Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar and CEO Haluk Bayraktar at Leonardo headquarters in Rome. “We have been in intensive negotiations for months. We were already working with Leonardo and there are systems we have integrated,” said Selcuk Bayraktar. “We were already cooperating and the chemistry and synergy has developed in a fascinating way in recent months,” he noted. Stressing that the two companies have complementary features, Selcuk Bayraktar said: “We can make the…

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Thursday said discussing the details of a potential Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement would be counterproductive, as negotiations in this format have not yet begun. Responding to a question from Anadolu at a press briefing in Moscow, Maria Zakharova said: “No negotiations in this format have started yet, no documents are on the table. We will not fantasize.” Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal to release prisoners, Zakharova remarked: “This is painstaking work that, naturally, will not be conducted in front of microphones. Let’s not even attempt to discuss this topic right now. It serves no…

The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK on Thursday criticized the US administration’s foreign policy, saying Washington is “destroying” the world order. Speaking at a Chatham House event in London, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who is also a former commander, said the Trump administration had “questioned the unity of the whole Western world.” “Now Washington is trying to delegate the security issues to Europe without participation of the US so we can say that in the near future, NATO likewise can stop existing,” he said. The remarks come after last week’s heated Oval Office clash between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian…

The Russia-Ukraine war and Iran’s missile attacks on Israel underscore the need for new US military capabilities, according to US generals who urged the military to adapt to emerging threats amid global conflicts. A key takeaway from Iran’s missile strikes is the importance of intelligence in enabling quick defensive responses, according to Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of US. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, said a US Defense Department statement. “Layered defense matters,” Hecker said Tuesday at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in the Western state of Colorado, saying that last year US and…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree appointing Alexander Darchiev, the Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department chief, as Moscow’s ambassador to Washington. The decree, published on the government portal’s website, confirmed the head of Russia’s diplomatic mission in the US almost five months after Darchiev’s predecessor Anatoly Antonov completed his mission in Washington, DC in October 2024. On Feb. 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Washington, during talks held in Istanbul on normalizing diplomatic relations, handed over an official note to Moscow on Darchiev’s appointment as Russia’s ambassador to the US. “His departure to his place of…

Emphasizing strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye on Thursday said the preservation of peace and stability in the country is possible “with common sense and restraint.” In a written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the developments following the court verdict against Milorad Dodik, president of the Republika Srpska, one of the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were followed “closely and with concern.” “Türkiye has always emphasized its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The preservation of peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is only…

The wars in Ukraine and Gaza demonstrate the erosion of the international rules-based order, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday. “We are in a moment when it seems like history is speeding up. This has been happening for years. With Ukraine, and also the war in Gaza, we are witnessing the erosion of the international order and multilateral spaces of diplomacy, peace and negotiation,” he told reporters in Brussels ahead of an EU leaders’ meeting on Ukraine and European security. Sanchez warned that some countries, both within and outside Europe, seek to divide the European Union. “It is important…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Israel’s approach to its neighbours poses a significant threat. In an interview with Britain’s Financial Times published Thursday, Fidan said of Israel’s recent attacks on southern Syria: “The ongoing attacks on the land and new troop movements are a clear provocation.” “Israel sees every Arab and Muslim country as a threat, and it’s extremely dangerous. The strategy of keeping all its border states weak is untenable,” he underlined. Fidan emphasized that the PKK/YPG-led SDF — a terrorist group active in Syria — is “the sworn enemy” of Türkiye, adding: “We cannot let them…

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday dismissed a five-year, $53 billion plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip as “delusional.” Witkoff emphasized to reporters at the White House the challenges of reconstruction in “a really dangerous environment” for residents. “The deal presumed it would take five years to reconstruct Gaza,” said Witkoff. “The Saudis, when they talked about normalization, were working on a five-year program. Gazans thinking about coming back thought they would return to their homes in five years, and I simply am saying that’s a delusion.” The plan was proposed at an Arab summit in Egypt earlier…