Month: August 2022

Unidentified armed men stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu following multiple bomb explosions and gunfire, a security official said on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, the official said that a special unit of police have rescued many people from Hayat Hotel which is currently under attack.

Aamin Ambulance service in Mogadishu said at least three wounded people have been rushed to the hospital.

Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack and said its “suicide infantry” stormed the hotel located near the headquarters of Somalia’s Criminal Investigation Department.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appreciated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“I had lengthy conversations today with Erdogan, the Turkish president. I am appreciative of President Erdogan’s consistent support for our state’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We talked about cooperation in the economy, energy, and defense sectors,” Zelenskyy said in a video message.

On Thursday, Erdogan visited the Ukrainian city of Lviv and met with Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“I appreciate Turkey helping out with this project by taking care of Kharkiv’s and its surroundings’ reconstruction. A country that is extremely powerful can complete this task. The infrastructure agreement was inked today, marking the first stage,” the Ukrainian president said.

According to Zelenskyy, the world’s food crisis started to improve once the grain corridor deal that was agreed in Istanbul by Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN came into effect.

“The result is clear and not only for Ukraine, but also for the world. Because the severity of the global food crisis is felt to be diminishing,” he said.

Zelenskyy stated that he urged Erdogan and Guterres to respond to Russia’s plans to conduct “fake referendums” in territories Moscow unjustly annexed during the war in Ukraine.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Twitter on Friday took action against a Florida Republican seeking election to the state’s legislature after he called for legalizing violence against federal agents, including the FBI.

“Under my plan, all Floridians will be able to shoot FBI, IRS, ATF, and all other federal troops on sight,” Luis Miguel said, according to screenshots of a tweet that has since been taken down along with his account. “Let freedom ring.”

Twitter did not immediately have comment on Miguel’s suspension and whether it was temporary, but the candidate told the Florida Politics website that the suspension is “permanent.” He further said he stands by his violent proposal, justifying it because, he said, the IRS has been “weaponized by dissident forces.”

Miguel describes himself as a “Christian patriot” and “proud Christian nationalist” running for office in Florida’s District 20. He said last week on his still operational Instagram account that, if elected, he would introduce legislation targeting federal authorities to “stop the witch hunts and arrest all these commie feds.”

The “witch hunt” rhetoric has long been touted by former President Donald Trump to describe the various legal and legislative investigations he has faced since assuming office.

Miguel also posted repeatedly on Instagram about gun rights, saying in one “they won’t get our AR-15s!!” and appealed in another for Florida to make abortion a “capital crime.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated the first Indigenous individual to the country’s highest court on Friday.

The historic announcement, if approved by a House of Commons committee, would see Michelle O’Bonsawin, an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation, become a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office.

O’Bonsawin is a fluently bilingual Franco-Ontarian and has served as a judge on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice since 2017.

“As an Abenaki woman, I have a deep appreciation of the situation of Indigenous peoples,” O’Bonsawin said in her application questionnaire to the Ministry of Justice.

“I have seen how the Indigenous perspective can be different from that of the rest of Canada’s population, while recognizing that all our unique perspectives are at the heart of our country.

“Such experiences have also shown me that all Canadians are different and unique, while we all have common elements at the core of our points of view,” she said.

Trudeau said in a statement on his website that “her nomination is the result of an open, non-partisan selection process. I am confident that Justice O’Bonsawin will bring invaluable knowledge and contributions to our country’s highest court.”

“Justice O’Bonsawin is an accomplished jurist with expertise in the areas of mental health, Gladue principles, labor and employment law, human rights, and privacy law, and has been a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa since 2017,” according to the press release.

Gladue principles are a way for a judge to consider, when sentencing someone, the unique experience of Indigenous peoples concerning colonization by Europeans.

O’Bonsawin will appear before a committee to answer questions on Aug. 24 before her actual appointment to the court. She would replace the retiring judge, Michael Moldaver.

Her historic appointment to the court is the second in as many years. In 2021, the first person of color, Mahmud Jamal, joined the nine-member supreme court. As well, Mary Simon became Canada’s first Indigenous governor general in 2021.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Major indices in the US stock market closed lower on Friday amid worries that the US Federal Reserve may continue hiking rates in the near term.

The blue-chip Dow lost 292.5 points, or 0.86%, to end the day at 33,706, while the S&P 500 dropped by 55.4 points, or 1.29%, to 4,228.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq decreased 260 points, or 2.01%, to 12,705.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, jumped 5.1% to 20.56 The 10-year US Treasury yield climbed 3.45% to 2.979%.

The dollar index was up 0.56% to 108. The euro was down 0.46% to $1.0042 against the dollar.

Precious metals lost ground, with gold decreasing 0.62% to $1,760 and silver down 2.52% to $18.97.

The global oil benchmark Brent crude was at $96 per barrel for a 0.60% loss, while the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipped 0.46% to $90.08.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Nine EU countries on Friday expressed their concern over Thursday’s Israeli raids on the Palestinian NGOs.

In a joint statement, foreign ministries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden said: “A free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for a two-state solution.”

“The further reduction of civil space in the oPT (occupied Palestinian Territory) remains a source of concern,” the statement added.

The countries underscored that Israel did not provide substantial information that would justify reviewing their policy toward the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate them as “terrorist organisations.”

“Should convincing evidence be made available to the contrary, we would act accordingly,” they concluded.

On Thursday, the Israeli army stormed and ordered the closure of Palestinian NGOs in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

The EU last week decided to unfreeze funds allocated to six of the Palestinian NGOs, but despite the vote, the European Commission did not announce that the funds would be unfrozen.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that Washington was “concerned” about the closures and had “conveyed the message that there must be a very high bar to take action against civil society organizations.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Manchester United are set to sign Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro as the parties agreed Friday to the Brazilian player’s move to the English Premier League club.

“c is delighted to announce that the club has reached an agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Casemiro,” the team said in a statement.

“The transfer is subject to the agreement of personal terms, UK visa requirements and a medical,” according to the Red Devils, adding that they “look forward to welcoming Casemiro to Old Trafford.”

Real Madrid thanked Casemiro, 30, for his service to the Spanish team.

“Real Madrid is and always will be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best of luck in this new chapter of his life,” said the Whites.

The Madrid club added that there will be a farewell ceremony Monday for Casemiro that Real Madrid President Florentino Perez will attend.

Casemiro was a main pillar at Real Madrid as he won 18 titles with the Whites including five UEFA Champions League trophies and three Spanish La Liga championships.

He joined Real Madrid in 2013 and had a one-season loan spell at Portugal’s Porto.

Casemiro scored 31 goals and had 29 assists in 336 appearances for Real Madrid.

The experienced defensive midfielder also helped the Brazilian national team win the 2019 Copa America title.

He has amassed 63 international caps for Brazil.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Biden administration announced Friday a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine worth $775 million in the latest bid to bolster Kyiv’s forces as they seek to push back against Russia’s ongoing offensive.

The package includes an unspecified amount of ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 16 105mm Howitzers and 36,000 associated rounds, 15 Scan Eagle drones, 40 mine-resistant armored vehicles fitted with mine rollers and additional high-speed anti-radiation missiles, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Anti-radiation missiles are typically employed to target radar systems and communications equipment.

Other armaments and equipment include 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, 1,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, tactical secure communication equipment, night vision goggle and laser rangefinders.

The weapons are being transferred under what is known as drawdown authority, which allows the president to send excess weapons in US stocks to another country.

The package comes as Russia faces an increasing number of suspected attacks behind the frontlines that have not been definitively attributed, including one Thursday in the Russian city of Belgorod that reportedly struck an ammunition storage facility.

Bystander video posted on social media showed a large plume of smoke and fire rocketing into the sky as droves of munitions exploded.

The incident is the latest after Russian military sites in occupied Crimea were targeted with open-source satellite imagery appearing to depict widespread losses, including of vital combat aircraft.

The source of the suspected attacks remains unknown and Ukraine has shirked away from claiming responsibility with speculation mounting that it could be the work of saboteurs.

The latest batch of US military assistance brings total American assistance to Ukraine since January 2021 to $12.6 billion with the vast majority coming after Russia began its war in February.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ethiopian Airlines said Friday that pilots have been suspended who allegedly dozed off in a locked cockpit in-flighr and flew past a landing destination earlier this week.

“We have received a report which indicates Ethiopian flight number ET343 en route from Khartoum to Addis Ababa temporarily lost communication with Addis Ababa Air Traffic Control on 15 August 2022,” the airlines said in a statement. “The flight later landed safely after communication was restored. The concerned Crew has been removed from operation pending further investigation.”

Communication with the Addis Ababa air traffic control terminal was temporarily cut off, it said in response to reports that pilots were sleeping in a locked cockpit.

The plane landed safely after communication was regained, it said.

“Safety has always been and will continue to be our first priority,” it said.

The incident was first reported by Aviation Herald.

Source: Anadolu Agency