Author: Anadolu Agency
The Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation in support of NATO’s regional initiatives. Meeting in Helsinki under the framework of Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO), the five countries’ defense ministers issued a joint statement emphasizing their readiness to defend NATO territory. “As NATO members, the Nordic countries are committed to assisting each other and other allies, with readiness to defend every inch of NATO territory,” the ministers said. They also reiterated their commitment to enhancing military cooperation, including within the framework of Joint Force Command Norfolk, to support NATO’s…
French fashion house Louis Vuitton has entered Formula One as a global partner and will serve as the title partner for the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 confirmed on Thursday. “We are thrilled to welcome Louis Vuitton as title partner for our first 2025 race. This is a partnership between two global icons linked first and foremost by their great passion for innovation, excellence and creativity, which makes them two exceptional timeless stories,” Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and CEO, said in a statement. Formula 1 stressed that following the announcement of a 10-year partnership between French luxury…
Ukraine on Thursday slammed remarks from Romanian politician Calin Georgescu on the country’s territorial integrity. In an interview with Romanian journalist Ion Cristoiu late Wednesday, Georgescu called Ukraine an “invented state” and suggested the division of Ukrainian territories among neighboring European countries, including Romania. “Romanian politician Calin Georgescu’s statements, which question the territorial integrity of our state, represent extreme disrespect for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said in a statement published by the ministry. Tykhyi said that Kyiv considered such statements or actions that encroach on multiple norms and values, including Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial…
A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday issued an appeal to the US Congress and the UN over an alleged attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin during the US’ Biden administration, which ended earlier this month. Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, appealed on an official Telegram channel for more information about alleged discussions “between then-US President Joe Biden and then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken concerning the organization of an assassination plot against Russian President Vladimir Putin.” The appeal was also forwarded to the United Nations. The document branded the discussion, as alleged by right-wing internet host Tucker Carlson,…
France on Thursday ruled out sending military troops to Greenland, the world’s largest island and an autonomous Danish dependent territory with self-government and its own parliament. Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing, spokesperson Christophe Lemoine responded to Anadolu’s question, saying that the principle of the inviolability of borders and sovereignty remains valid in Europe. He further said that French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had reiterated this principle to their Danish counterparts during their visit to Paris earlier this week. “Sending (military) troops is out of the question,” he said. “The only matter at hand is…
A former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for sexually abusing seven children more than 40 years ago. Eric Dejaeger abused six girls and one boy, ages 4 through 9, in the small hamlet of Igloolik, Nunavut, with a population of 2,000, in Canada’s Far North. The assaults took place between 1978 and 1982. It marked the fifth time Dejaeger has been convicted and sentenced for the abuse of dozens of children in the Canadian territory of Nunavut and Alberta. “He destroyed their childhood, hurt their relations with their families and ruined their relationship with…
The Turkish Central Bank’s official reserve assets hit an all-time high of $167.56 billion as of Jan. 24, according to weekly figures released on Thursday. The gross reserves rose $4.25 billion from $163.3 billion the previous week, the bank’s international reserves and foreign currency liquidity report showed. Foreign currency reserves-in convertible foreign currencies-totaled $99.32 billion as of last Friday, up from $96.8 billion a week earlier. The bank’s gold reserves grew $1.72 billion to $68.23 billion on Jan. 24.
The euro area’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2024 unexpectedly remained stable, according to a flash estimate released on Thursday. This stagnation marks a slowdown from the 0.4% quarter-on-quarter growth recorded in the third quarter, Eurostat data showed. Markets had projected a modest 0.1% increase for the October-December period. Meanwhile, GDP across the EU edged up by 0.1% compared to the previous quarter. Among member states with available data, Portugal led the growth chart with a 1.5% increase, followed by Lithuania (+0.9%) and Spain (+0.8%). On the flip side, contractions were recorded in Ireland (-1.3%), Germany…
Germany’s economy contracted 0.2% in the last quarter of last year, compared to July-September, above market estimates of a 0.1% decline, according to Destatis data released on Thursday. The contraction in December was led by a marked decline in exports, according to the data. On an annual basis, Europe’s largest economy shrank 0.2% in the final quarter of 2024, below economists’ estimates of no change in the figure. Germany’s GDP also fell 0.2% over the course of 2024 from a year earlier.
Türkiye’s exports to African countries rose 1.7% year-on-year to $19.4 billion in 2024, according to Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) data compiled by Anadolu. In 2003, Türkiye adopted a strategy for the development of commercial and economic relations with African countries to promote trade, investments, technology transfer, exchange of know-how, and technical assistance with the continent, leading to numerous projects and collaborations. Türkiye last year exported to 56 African countries, accounting for 7.4% of the country’s total exports. Egypt got the largest exports by value with $3.5 billion, followed by Morocco with $3.1 billion, and Libya with $2.5 billion. The sector…