Author: Anadolu Agency

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…

Russia’s use of its shadow fleet to evade EU sanctions is undermining efforts to curb its oil exports, which it then uses to fund its war on Ukraine, according to a former Lithuanian foreign minister. Gabrielius Landsbergis told Anadolu that the shadow fleet poses significant risks to both Europe’s energy security and the environment. “Russia has successfully circumvented EU sanctions through its shadow fleet, earning billions of euros from oil sales that directly fund its war against Ukraine,” he said. This not only weakens the intended effect of the sanctions but also poses serious environmental hazards, said Landsbergis, whose small…

A French bill banning headscarves in sports is an attempt to erase Muslim women from public spaces, an organization for Muslim women’s rights told Anadolu. “In sports but more generally … in all spaces where visibly Muslim women can be seen, there is an attempt to make them disappear,” said Rani Belkhy, founder of Khlass Les Cliches. Belkhy said that banning headscarves at all levels of sports restricts individual freedom while discouraging already underrepresented young Muslim women from participating. “It’s no longer just about athletes representing the nation, which was the argument used, right? The idea was that they represent…

Azerbaijan on Wednesday said that its military positions near the border with Armenia came under fire. A statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said its positions were fired upon by Armenian forces near the settlement of Khanazakh in the Gorus region. No further information was provided about the incident. Armenia’s Defense Ministry denied Baku’s statement, claiming it does not “correspond to reality.” The incident is the first of its kind to be reported by Baku since Jan. 6. Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh — a territory internationally recognized as…

EU member states agreed on Wednesday on a phased rollout of the long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES), a digital border management tool designed to track the movement of non-EU nationals. The decision, reached under the Polish presidency, allows for a gradual six-month implementation, giving border authorities and the transport industry time to adapt, the EU Council said in a statement. “I am very pleased that during the Polish presidency of the EU Council, which focuses on security issues, it was possible to make such significant progress in the control and protection of our external borders,” said Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene an informal meeting on Cyprus with the leaders of the divided island and guarantor powers at the UN Office in Geneva from March 17 – 18. “The secretary general will convene the two Cypriot leaders and the guarantor of powers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, for an informal meeting on Cyprus at the UN Office in Geneva, and that will take place on the 17th to the 18th of March,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced during a news conference. Saying the meeting would be held in line with the UN office’s “efforts…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday vowed that potential US tariffs on European products “will not go unanswered,” as he warned of economic consequences and called for a coordinated European response. His remarks followed Washington’s recent move to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, a decision Macron called “incomprehensible” and economically damaging. In a televised address, he warned that similar measures against Europe would face strong pushback. Europe must prepare itself for the possibility of the US imposing tariffs on European goods, he said. “While preparing a response with our European colleagues, we will continue, as I did 15 days…

US-based entertainment giant Walt Disney is laying off another 200 of its employees across its ABC News and entertainment TV networks, according to an internal memo. The New York-based ABC News division is impacted by the majority of the layoffs, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. According to the memo, production units such as ABC News Studios, 20/20, and Nightline will be combined, and affected staff members will be informed on Wednesday. “ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks continually evaluate new ways to effectively manage resources and boost efficiencies,” it said. More than 8,000 positions have been removed by Disney since 2023…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene an informal meeting on Cyprus with the leaders of the divided island and guarantor powers at the UN Office in Geneva from March 17 – 18. “The secretary general will convene the two Cypriot leaders and the guarantor of powers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, for an informal meeting on Cyprus at the UN Office in Geneva, and that will take place on the 17th to the 18th of March,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced during a news conference. Saying the meeting would be held in line with the UN office’s “efforts…

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Wednesday called on European leaders to safeguard humanitarian aid funding as they consider increasing defense spending. “An appeal to European leaders from a lifetime humanitarian: as you discuss boosting defense spending, please don’t overlook humanitarian aid, which faces devastating cuts,” Grandi said on X. “Aid, too, is about keeping your countries safe. Aid promotes stability. And a stable world is a safer world.” His remarks came as EU nations weigh significant boosts to defense budgets amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and heightened security concerns. At the same time, international aid organizations are…