Turkey News Gazette

ISTANBUL: Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday with, including Germany resuming UNRWA funding, more bodies being discovered in a mass grave at Gaza's Nasser Hospital, and the Israeli army's abduction of doctors from the Nasser Medical Complex. TOP STORIES Germany to resume funding of UN agency for Palestinian refugees Germany will resume funding of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, the Foreign Ministry and Development Aid Ministry announced on Wednesday. "By continuing the acute cooperation, we are supporting UNRWA's vital and currently irreplaceable role in providing care for the people in Gaza, because other international aid organizations are also currently dependent on UNRWA's operational structures in Gaza," the ministries said in a joint statement. A strong ally of Israel, Germany had joined several countries including the US and Britain and suspended their funding to UNRWA after accusations by Israel that a dozen of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaz a took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel. Palestinians dig up 51 more bodies from mass grave in Gaza's Khan Younis Palestinians uncovered 51 more bodies on Wednesday from a mass grave at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip. 'Some 30 victims have been identified, while efforts are still underway to identify the others,' Ismail al-Thawabta, the director-general of Gaza's government media office, told Anadolu. He said at least 334 bodies have so far been found in the mass grave since Saturday. The bodies were discovered after the Israeli army withdrew from Khan Younis on April 7 following a four-month ground offensive in the city. Israeli army abducted 9 doctors from Nasser Hospital, executed hundreds inside: Gaza Media Office The Israeli army executed hundreds of displaced, sick and injured people during its raid on the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip during a ground operation that lasted for four months, the Gaza Media Office sa id Wednesday. 'The depth of the mass graves we found (in Nasser Hospital) confirms that they were dug using large machinery such as Israeli occupation bulldozers and other vehicles,' the head of the Gaza Media Office, Ismail Al-Thawabteh, told Anadolu. 'The Israeli army abducted nine doctors from the Nasser Medical Complex to an unknown location and committed the crime of enforced disappearance against them,' added Al-Thawabteh. NEWS IN BRIEF US President Joe Biden signed a sweeping $95 billion spending bill into law on Wednesday that funds his top-line national security priorities, including more military assistance for Israel and Ukraine. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday that he may leave office concerning allegations about his wife. Trkiye on Wednesday rejected 'one-sided' statements on the events of 1915 "that have been made to satisfy certain radical circles," the Foreign Ministry said. Saim Cakmak, one of the so-called leaders of the terrorist PKK in Germany, was captured in Is tanbul in an operation by Turkish intelligence and security forces, security sources said Wednesday. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) issued an urgent appeal on Wednesday for $1.21 billion to address the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Trkiye slammed the US' recent human rights report, calling for Washington to address its own human rights record and cease its alliances with terror organizations, said the country's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. At least 79 more Palestinians were killed and 86 others injured over the last 24 hours as Israel continues its onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the territory's Health Ministry said Wednesday. Incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski and main opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova will compete in a second round in North Macedonia's presidential election following the first round held on Wednesday, according to unofficial results announced by the State Election Commission. SPORTS Liverpool lose at Evert on in derby, hurting their English Premier League title hopes Liverpool's English Premier League title hopes suffered a huge blow after a 2-0 loss at Everton in Wednesday's Merseyside derby. Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite scored the opener in the 27th minute at Goodison Park. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, an Everton forward, scored a header after a corner kick to double the gap in the second half and cement the derby win. Former Argentina forward Carlos Tevez admitted to hospital with chest pains Former Argentina forward Carlos Tevez was admitted to a hospital with chest pains, the Argentine football club Independiente announced Wednesday. "Our coach, Carlos Tevez, was admitted to Sanatorio La Trinidad de San Isidro with chest pains. He underwent the corresponding tests and they were satisfactory. Tomorrow he will continue with a series of examinations scheduled in advance within the framework of a general check-up that he usually undergoes," the club wrote on X. Independiente later added that Tevez will remain hospitalized as a precaution until tests are completed. BUSINESS and ECONOMY US mortgage rates hit highest since last November US mortgage applications decreased last week, while mortgage rates hit their highest level since November 2023, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report released Wednesday. The market composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, fell 2.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 19. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 2% compared with the previous week. "Mortgage rates continued to move higher last week, reaching their highest levels since late 2023 and putting a damper on applications activity," Joel Kan, MBA's vice president and deputy chief economist, said in a statement. Riyadh to host Islamic Development Bank's annual meeting, golden jubilee this week The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group will organize its annual meeting and golden jubilee in the Saudi capital Riyadh this week. Starting on Saturday, the four-day event will be held under the main theme Cherishing our Past, Charting our Future: Originality, Solidarity and Prosperity, marking the bank's 50 years of fostering socio-economic development. Economy and finance ministers from member countries will participate in the event. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Trkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday received letters of credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors of seven countries. At the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, Erdogan welcomed Mauricio Arturo Bueso Chinchilla of Honduras, Martin Andjaba of Namibia, Arni Thor Sigurdsson of Iceland, Christelle Sohun of Mauritius, Santos Alvaro of Mozambique, Tapas Adhikari of Nepal, and Latsamy Keomany of Laos. After the new envoys' credentials were presented, souvenir photos were taken. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Two so-called senior members of the Daesh/ISIS terror group were caught in Operation Peace-Spring zone in northern Syria with the intelligence support of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization. The terrorist organization members, Ziyad Al-Hajji, code-named "Abu Bakir Al-Kurayshi," and Musa Muhammad Al-Habib, code-named "Abu Al-Baraa," were detained by local security forces affiliated with the Syrian National Army. Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019). *Writing by Alperen Aktas Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps must be put on the official EU list of terrorist groups, the European Parliament said on Thursday. EP members passed a resolution to reiterate their 'long-standing call to include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the EU list of terrorist organisations, stressing that such a decision is long overdue due to malign Iranian activities,' said an official statement. It also called on the European Council and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to add the Lebanese group Hezbollah to the same list. The MEPs called on all parties to avoid further escalation in the region, and expressed 'deep concerns over the destabilising role that the Iranian regime and its network of non-state actors play in the Middle East.' 'MEPs welcome the EU's decision to expand its current sanctions regime against Iran, including by sanctioning the country's supply and production of unmanned drones and missiles to Russia and the wider Middle East,' the statement said. Ir an on April 13 launched an airborne attack on Israel in retaliation for an earlier airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital. It fired some 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies - the US, France, and the UK. World leaders and international observers have voiced fears about hostilities between Iran and Israel, long-standing archenemies, escalating and spreading the current conflict in Gaza into a wider regional war. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow thanked the UK for supporting his country's initiatives within the UN General Assembly during a meeting with London's top diplomat, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. 'The head of state thanked the British side for supporting the initiatives put forward by Turkmenistan within the UN General Assembly. "In particular, gratitude was expressed for the support of the Resolution '2025 - International Year of Peace and Trust' recently adopted at the initiative of Turkmenistan,' said a statement by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry following Berdimuhamedow's meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron a day earlier. Indicating that the meeting underlined Turkmenistan's adherence to its policy of permanent neutrality, the statement said it further highlighted Ashgabat's implementation of 'broad international cooperation in order to ensure peace, security and sustainable development.' 'In this regard, Turkmenistan has put forward a number of internation al initiatives aimed at maintaining peace, trust and a culture of dialogue within large authoritative organizations, primarily the UN, which have received widespread support,' it further said. The meeting also emphasized the regular sending of international humanitarian aid by Turkmenistan, according to the statement. The statement went on to say that Berdimuhamedow and Cameron noted their satisfaction with regards to the dynamics of the development of bilateral trade turnover, and advised using the Turkmen-British Trade and Industry Council to further expand economic cooperation between London and Ashgabat. 'The oil and gas industry, agriculture and new technologies were identified as promising areas of interaction,' the statement said, adding that issues of climate change and its effects were also among the topics of discussion. On Monday, Cameron embarked on a regional tour to Central Asia and Mongolia. He has so far visited Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: The UK's controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda became law after King Charles approved the bill Tuesday, British media reported. The Lord Speaker told the upper house of Parliament that the bill, which will now be known as the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024, had received royal assent, according to Sky News. After months of wrangling between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the bill to deport irregular migrants to Rwanda passed through Parliament earlier Monday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the first planes with irregular migrants would leave for Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks. One of the most controversial migration policies of Sunak's Conservative government, the Rwanda plan has sparked international criticism and mass protests across the UK. The law will have to address concerns raised by the UK Supreme Court, which had ruled as unlawful the government's original plan to send asylum seekers to the East African country of Rwanda. It also c ompels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives Cabinet ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act. In January 2023, Sunak said tackling small boats, carrying irregular migrants across the English Channel from France, was among the top five priorities of his government after more than 45,000 people reportedly used the route to enter the UK in 2022. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Trkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan al Saud discussed Thursday the situation in Gaza over a phone call, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. The two ministers also spoke on regional developments, the sources added. Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which claimed about 1,200 lives. More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, and 85% of the enclave's population has been forced into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of essentials such as food and medicines. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Recent data from atomic clocks showed the Earth's rotational speed may be slowing, leading to longer days, according to the timeanddate website. In June 2022, the Earth experienced its fastest spin, resulting in the shortest-ever recorded days, it said. Since then, however, the trend has reversed. For the first time in seven years, the average day lengthened in 2023. Predictions suggest the slowdown may continue into 2025, with the length of the day potentially reaching +1.63 milliseconds in March 2025, making it the longest since March 2019. The length of a day is the difference between the time it takes for Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis with respect to the sun, and 86,400 seconds equivalent to 24 hours The length of a day data is provided by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. Predictions, regarding changes in Earth's rotational speed, however, are challenging due to the complex motion of Earth's core, oceans, atmosphere and other factors. Sour ce: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: The Turkish president and Kazakhstan's visiting premier on Thursday discussed regional and global issues, Israel's months-long attacks on Gaza, and developments in the region. Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Olzhas Bektenov at the presidential complex in the Turkish capital Ankara. 'The meeting addressed bilateral relations between Trkiye and Kazakhstan, regional and global issues, Israel's attacks on Gaza, and the recent situation in the region,' says the Turkish Communications Directorate on X. Underlining that the Israeli government is trying to escalate conflicts across the region, Erdogan stressed the urgent need for an immediate and lasting cease-fire and enhanced collaboration within the Organization of Turkic States to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza. 'President Erdogan also stated that it is important to develop relations with Kazakhstan in counter-terrorism, the economy, and other areas, particularly the defense industry,' the directorate added. Israel has killed more than 34,000 Pa lestinians since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which claimed about 1,200 lives. More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, and 85% of the enclave's population has been forced into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of essentials such as food and medicines. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency