Author: Anadolu Agency
The UN on Wednesday called for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, warning that the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as more than 12,800 civilians have been killed since February 2022. “We hope for a full cessation of hostilities and ultimately peace in Ukraine. The situation for civilians has continued to worsen since we last briefed the council,” Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya told the Security Council. She noted that “not a day has passed without an attack harming civilians” since March 1, with frontline communities enduring relentless shelling. “Civilians are confronted with relentless shelling and face impossible…
An Israeli court upheld a detention order Tuesday against Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip. “The Israeli Beersheba court today upheld the detention of Abu Safiya as an unlawful combatant for a period of six months,” the Prisoners’ Information Office, affiliated with the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, said in a statement. No further details were provided. Israel arrested Abu Safiya, 52, in late December after storming the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. He was forcibly removed at gunpoint after the hospital was destroyed and rendered non-operational. Israel’s 2002 Unlawful Combatants Law…
Israeli police removed dozens of anti-government protesters Tuesday who were blocking the Knesset in western Jerusalem, following hours of demonstrations that began in the morning. Israeli Army Radio reported that officers cleared protesters who sat on the ground outside the parliament building. Clashes broke out as police evicted demonstrators after they sat on the road to the Knesset entrance, hours after lawmakers approved the 2025 state budget, Channel 13 added. By 1715GMT, police arrested nine protesters, it noted. Earlier, demonstrators used cars to block Knesset entrances, forcing Defense Minister Israel Katz to arrive by military helicopter, while far-right National Security…
Spain on Wednesday condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal in the occupied West Bank. “I strongly condemn settler violence in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta and Susya,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on social media. “I wish a speedy recovery to film director Hamdan Ballal, a symbol today of the suffering of innocent civilians in Palestine,” he added. Witnesses said Ballal was violently attacked by a group of around 15 armed settlers in his home village of Susya. He was later detained and released by Israeli authorities. Ballal won the…
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek signaled stability in Türkiye’s economy, saying volatility in markets has significantly decreased and that he expects the effects of recent developments on the economy to be temporary and limited, according to a press release by his ministry Tuesday. Simsek and Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan held a video conference Tuesday with international investors and answered their questions on current developments. Around 4,500 investors from North America, the UK, other European countries and the Middle East showed great interest in the one-hour meeting, according to the statement. During the meeting, Simsek said that all necessary steps…
The UN secretary-general called for collective climate action, warning of increasing climate challenges. Speaking at the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin on Wednesday, Antonio Guterres said: “Every country must step up and play their part.” Urging G20, the largest emitters and economies, to do more, Guterres warned of increasing climate challenges, highlighting that they affect the “vulnerable” most with higher living costs. “We are indeed at a turning point to the future,” he underscored, reiterating the need for “urgent action” and “leadership” to meet the long-term 1.5-degree limit. Guterres further affirmed that the United Nations Climate Promise is helping…
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Wednesday about violating a 30-day pause on strikes against energy facilities in each other’s countries. The US announced separate agreements Tuesday with Russia and Ukraine to “ensure safe navigation” in the Black Sea and a halt strikes on each other’s energy facilities for 30 days following talks in the Saudi Arabian capital. Moscow and Kyiv later confirmed the agreements, though the Kremlin said they would take effect as soon as certain restrictions and sanctions on Russia are lifted. A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it shot down multiple Ukrainian drones that were…
A Chinese drone has traversed the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday. The drone, reportedly no larger than a briefcase, was designed to succeed in areas where no other machines can go, including those that belong to the US Navy. The drone, made by researchers at Beihang University in Beijing, uses intelligent metal actuators that convert extreme water pressure into propulsion. It allows it to swim, glide and crawl through the trench’s 10.7-kilometer (6.6-mile) depth. The accomplishment, outlined in a groundbreaking Science Robotics study last week, highlights…
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday his “good offices remain available to support all efforts towards peace” following US-led discussions on the Black Sea. Guterres “welcomes the discussions and reported commitments reached in Saudi Arabia by the United States, the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. “Reaching an agreement on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to ensure the protection of civilian vessels and port infrastructure will be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains,” he said, underscoring the importance of trade routes from Ukraine and Russia. The statement noted the…
Fatih Karahan, governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT), said Wednesday that they will maintain a tight monetary policy stance until a permanent fall in inflation and price stability is achieved. Speaking at the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) Economy meeting, Karahan stated that the economic and trade relations between Germany and Türkiye contribute to mutual prosperity and growth. Stating that the developments in the markets last week caused value losses in financial assets, Karahan said: “We took swift action to ensure that the volatility in the market is temporary and its reflections on…