Author: Anadolu Agency
Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, ratified a security guarantees treaty with Belarus, strengthening defense cooperation within the Union State. The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, had already ratified the treaty on Feb. 18. “This treaty is of critical importance in the current geopolitical situation. Significant efforts were made in its preparation and coordination,” Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko said. Presenting the document, Senator Taymuraz Mamsurov recalled that the treaty was signed on Dec. 6, 2024, in Minsk by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Supreme State Council meeting of the…
US President Donald Trump lambasted the EU on Wednesday and vowed to implement 25% tariffs “generally speaking” on the 27-member bloc’s exports “very soon.” The EU, Trump said, “was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it. But now I’m president.” “They’ve really taken advantage of us in a different way,” Trump told reporters as he convened his first Cabinet meeting since assuming office in January. “They don’t accept our cars. They don’t accept, essentially, our farm products. They use all sorts of reasons why not, and…
The EU on Wednesday called for the full implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) orders regarding the situation in Gaza, ‘strongly’ condemning the escalation in the West Bank. EU ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Lotte Knudsen’s remarks came after UN human rights chief Volker Turk presented his annual report on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—as part of the Human Rights Council in Geneva—highlighting grave violations and calling for independent investigations and accountability. “The EU recalls the need to fully implement the ICJ orders, which are legally binding,” she said while welcoming the recent increase in…
Another Palestinian detainee from the Gaza Strip died in Israeli detention, prisoners’ affairs groups said on Wednesday. Rafat Adnan Abu Fannanah, 34, was arrested by the Israeli army on Oct. 7, 2023, and breathed his last in custody, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement. Abu Fannanah, a father of one child, was injured during his arrest and was held at Ayalon Prison before he was transferred to the Shamir Medical Center southeast of Tel Aviv, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said. The new death brought the number of Palestinian…
Two EU lawmakers, who were denied entry to Israel and sent back to Europe shortly after landing in the country on Monday, called for a “strong” response to the Israeli action. Lynn Boylan, head of the European Parliament’s EU-Palestine delegation, and French-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan were traveling from Brussels to Palestine via Israel for discussions with Palestinian authorities. Upon arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, they were denied entry and deported to Belgium after hours of questioning. Israel’s Interior Ministry said Hassan was barred from entry for boycotting the country but provided no reason for denying Boylan entry. Speaking…
The EU leaders held a video conference on Wednesday to prepare for an emergency summit on March 6, with French President Emmanuel Macron briefing his counterparts on his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington. The virtual meeting, chaired by European Council President Antonio Costa, lasted about 30 minutes and included all 27 EU leaders, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Costa described the discussion as “very useful” ahead of the summit, where the bloc is set to decide on military aid for Ukraine and measures to strengthen European defense. “Continuing to work on…
Russian and American delegations will meet in Istanbul on Thursday for a technical meeting, sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The sources reiterated that Ankara is ready to provide all kind of support to Ukraine peace efforts, including hosting talks. Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had announced a meeting between Russian and US representatives to discuss the operation of their respective embassies. “We announced that our diplomats and high-level experts would meet and consider the systemic problems that had accumulated as a result of the illegal activities of the previous (US) administration to create…
The last half-century has seen a dramatic surge in climate-related extreme weather events, according to the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO). “Over the past 50 years, extreme weather events have increased by 400% due to climate change,” the WHO Regional Office for Europe said Wednesday on X. The UN agency also pointed to the impact of climate change on various health issues, including infectious diseases, respiratory and non-communicable diseases, mental health, and injuries such as drownings. “Climate change drives disease burdens of all types,” it added. It further called for collective action to tackle the climate crisis and its impact…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke over the phone with his Azerbaijani and Kazakh counterparts, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on Wednesday. Erdoğan had separate conversations with Ilham Aliyev and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and addressed regional and global developments. During the calls, Aliyev and Tokayev also extended birthday wishes to Erdoğan, who turned 71 on Wednesday.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Wednesday denounced an AI-generated video shared by US President Donald Trump, depicting his vision for the future of the Gaza Strip with golden Trump statues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and billionaire Elon Musk. The video portrays a rebuilt Gaza with skyscrapers, luxury cars and bearded belly dancers, following images of destruction in the enclave. It also shows Musk celebrating under falling money and Trump drinking shirtless with Netanyahu on a beach. CAIR called the video a fantasy. “If President Trump is serious about pursuing peace, he should stop posting AI fantasies of…