Author: Anadolu Agency

US and Russian delegations met Thursday in Istanbul, Türkiye to identify initial steps to stabilize operations of their diplomatic missions, said the US State Department. “The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow,” it said in a statement. “Through constructive discussions, both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilize bilateral mission operations in these areas,” it added. The discussions followed a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18, where both sides agreed to initiate talks on issues…

Russian Security Council’s Secretary Sergey Shoygu and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday met in Beijing to discuss cooperation between their countries. Later in the day, Shoygu is expected to hold meetings with other senior Chinese officials, the Russian Security Council’s press service said in a statement. According to the statement, Shoygu’s one-day visit will focus on bilateral security, as well as international and regional issues. The press service also released a video in which Shoygu thanked Wang for his hospitality and for organizing the meeting on short notice. “I would like to emphasize that I arrived in hospitable…

The price of Bitcoin fell 7.7% on Friday from Thursday’s levels after US President Donald Trump’s remarks on imposing additional 10% tariffs on China. Trump announced Thursday that the proposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China would take effect as scheduled, citing the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the country. Trump blamed China for manufacturing and supplying a large percentage of the drugs, which he claimed have contributed to more than 100,000 deaths last year. The tariffs, set to take effect March 4, include a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on Chinese…

UK businesses are expected to benefit from the latest trade talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump. During discussions on Thursday, Trump hinted that the UK could avoid export tariffs, stating that there is “a very good chance” of a trade deal that would eliminate the need for tariffs between the two nations. William Bain, head of trade policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), praised the talks as an “important first step” toward strengthening economic ties. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Bain, emphasized the significance of the relationship-building that occurred during…

The Turkish economy grew 3.2% in 2024, above the market forecast of 3.1%, according to data released Friday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices soared 63.5% to 43.4 trillion Turkish liras ($1.3 trillion) in 2024 compared to the previous year, a TurkStat statement said. GDP per capita stood at 507,615 liras ($15,463) at current prices last year. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Turkish economy expanded 3% year-on-year, slightly exceeding economists’ expectations Economists participating in an Anadolu survey on Thursday predicted that GDP in Türkiye would rise 2.98% in the October-December period.…

Uncertainty with regard to economic policies is high, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday. Kristalina Georgieva said that governments around the world are shifting policy priorities and there are particularly significant policy changes in the US in areas such as trade policy, taxation, public spending, immigration and deregulation, with implications for the US economy and the rest of the world. She said that governments in other countries are also adjusting their policies, and the combined impacts of possible policy changes are complex and still difficult to assess but will come into clearer view in the…

Following the second round of talks between Russian and US diplomats, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia seeks to engage in mutually respectful and beneficial dialogue with all nations. On Thursday, Russian and US diplomats met in Istanbul to discuss normalizing relations in a meeting that lasted six and a half hours. When asked at a press briefing in Moscow about the changing relationship with the US, Peskov said: “Not only with America, but with all countries, we want to build a dialogue based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.” He declined to provide further comments on…

As the crescent moon signals the arrival of Ramadan, Palestinians in Gaza face an unparalleled crisis, enduring devastation and hardship after nearly 16 months of relentless war that has transformed the besieged enclave into a “disaster zone.” A month once filled with joy and spirituality is now overshadowed by hunger, cold, and grief. Thousands of families have been displaced, forced to live in makeshift tents with little to no basic necessities after Israeli airstrikes reduced their homes to rubble. More than 1.5 million out of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been forcibly displaced due to the widespread destruction caused by…

The Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to approve a bill on Sunday that would allow Tel Aviv to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank to East Jerusalem and establish a “Metropolitan Jerusalem” under Israeli sovereignty, in clear violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. The bill “proposes the creation of ‘metropolitan Jerusalem,’ which would incorporate nearby West Bank settlements, fully annexing them to Israel,” the Haaretz daily claimed in its report on Friday. It added that the Ministerial Committee for Legislation is expected “to approve on Sunday a bill that will enable the annexation of West…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday marked the beginning of Muslim holy month of Ramadan, offering prayers for peace and blessings. In a social media post, Erdoğan described Ramadan as a month of mercy and spiritual reflection, emphasizing that it fosters unity, solidarity, friendship, and harmony at their highest level. “I pray to Allah that it brings blessings to our country, our nation, and the entire Islamic world. May our Ramadan be blessed,” he said on X. Türkiye and Arab countries in separate statements have announced the sighting of the crescent for the month of Ramadan, with Saturday marking…