Author: Anadolu Agency

The Palestinian group Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported late Wednesday, citing an unnamed Israeli security source. Israel’s Army Radio later confirmed that “the four deceased hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross and are on their way to Israeli military forces in Gaza.” An Israeli security source said earlier that Red Cross vehicles were on their way to the pickup point to receive the bodies of four hostages from the enclave. Israel’s public broadcasting authority KAN quoted the unnamed source as saying that…

British Premier Keir Starmer is expected to focus on tech policy during his visit to the White House on Thursday, where he will meet US President Donald Trump to discuss collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies. Topics such as Ukraine, tariff policies and the Chagos Islands are likely to dominate much of the British media coverage, but Downing Street has made it clear that strengthening tech ties between the UK and the US will be a top priority. In a statement released ahead of the visit, Downing Street highlighted the shared ambition of both nations to remain at…

Two people were killed in a fresh Israeli airstrike in northwestern Lebanon on Thursday evening despite a ceasefire agreement, local media said. An Israeli warplane fired three missiles into a small truck in Ad-Doura neighborhood in Hermel city, witnesses said. The state news agency NNA said two people were killed in the attack, without providing details about their identities. A similar attack targeted a car in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing one person, whom the Israeli army said was a Hezbollah member. The attack came in violation of a ceasefire agreement that has been in place in Lebanon since Nov.…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday conveyed his “warmest wishes” to Muslims across the globe as they prepare to mark the holy month of Ramadan. “I send my warmest wishes as Muslims around the world begin observing the Holy Month of Ramadan,” Guterres said in a video message ahead of the month’s beginning, and noted that “Ramadan embodies the values of compassion, empathy and generosity.” The UN chief said Ramadan is “an opportunity to reconnect with family and community” and “a chance to remember those less fortunate.” Pointing to “Gaza and the wider region, to Sudan, the Sahel, and beyond,”…

The US on Thursday “strongly” condemned Thailand for forcibly deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where he said they faced “genocide and crimes against humanity”. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms Thailand’s forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they lack due process rights and where Uyghurs have faced persecution, forced labor, and torture,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. Rubio expressed alarm over Thailand’s actions, saying they could violate its international obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced…

Türkiye expects the EU to take concrete steps to improve relations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told European Council President Antonio Costa over the phone on Thursday. Congratulating Costa on his appointment as the president of the European Council, Erdoğan said revitalizing relations between Ankara and Brussels is in the mutual interest of both sides, according to a statement issued by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate on X. Erdoğan and Costa also discussed regional and global issues, with the Turkish president stressing that it would be beneficial and in the best interests of all parties to plan steps toward European security with Türkiye’s…

All Palestinian groups should come together and reconcile without delay, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday during a meeting with Fatah Central Committee Secretary General Jibril al-Rajoub in Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X. Stressing that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should lead the process, Fidan highlighted that all Palestinians must act in unity against Israel’s expansionist policies, the ministry added. Gaza’s death toll from Israel’s destructive war since October 2023 has reached 48,365. A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the…

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin received a senior North Korean official at the Kremlin. “Vladimir Putin met with Lee Hee-yong, a member of the Politburo and the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow. The Kremlin also released a video of Putin’s meeting with the North Korean official. Most North Korean officials prefer to maintain a low profile, and their visits to Russia are rarely accompanied by public appearances or statements.

As Washington and Moscow advance talks to improve bilateral relations, China on Thursday said any US “attempts” to sow discord between China and Russia will be futile, Chinese state media reported. In response to media inquiries over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s concerns about China-Russia relations in an interview, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said the relationship between Moscow and Beijing is not influenced by any third party. The development strategies and foreign policies of China and Russia are long-term, and no matter how the international situation changes, China-Russia relations will continue to progress, the spokesman said. The…

The Kremlin spokesman said on Thursday that Moscow does not expect any breakthroughs from the Russia-US talks taking place in Istanbul. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov noted that the US and Russia have accumulated too many issues in their relations to mend them swiftly. “No one expects easy or quick solutions — the problem is too complex and has been neglected for too long. However, if both countries maintain their political will and willingness to listen to each other, I believe we will be able to navigate this working process,” he said. He added that at…