Day: March 5, 2023

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

At least two Azerbaijani soldiers were killed Sunday after Armenian forces opened fire in the Karabakh region, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said.

Türkiye's foreign minister on Sunday stressed the need to support the development and progress of vulnerable nations at the fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias paid a visit Sunday to the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. Dendias attended the Feast of Orthodoxy (The Sunday of Orthodoxy) -- celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent -- at the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Worshippers also prayed for the victims of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria as well as for the victims of the Feb. 28 train crash in Greece.

The Qatari ruler called on the international community to help Türkiye and Syria overcome the devastation left by the Feb. 6 earthquakes.

Uganda on Sunday sent 13 tons of aid supplies to Türkiye, which was struck by twin earthquakes last month.

Bosnia and Herzegovina continued Sunday to send aid to quake-hit Türkiye.

Somalia said Sunday that the federal government and the Somali people donated over $4.8 million to earthquake victims in Türkiye.

The United Arab Emirates termed its economic partnership agreement with Türkiye as a milestone that will herald a new era of cooperation between the two countries. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed by Abu Dhabi and Ankara on Friday to boost bilateral trade.

“The agreement constitutes a milestone in the two countries’ qualitative relations and a new era in joint cooperation towards broader horizons for the benefit of the two countries,” UAE Ambassador to Türkiye Saeed Thani Hareb Al Dhaheri told Anadolu.

Kosovo commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Prekaz Massacre on Sunday with a ceremony in the capital.

Pope Francis on Sunday slammed human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean as he expressed sorrow over last week's migrant ship disaster off southern Italy.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated Sunday that there is no evidence yet that China is planning to send lethal arms to Russia for its war on Ukraine.

Over 130 Russian attacks were repelled in the past 24 hours by Ukrainian soldiers on the front line, the Ukrainian military said Sunday.

Two Ukrainian pilots are training in the US on fighter jets including the F-16, Anadolu has learned.

"Two Ukrainian pilots are currently in Tucson for a familiarization event for US and Ukrainian pilots. It is a routine activity as part of our military-to-military dialogue with Ukraine,” according to a statement that a senior US military official sent to Anadolu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday over his remarks regarding a potential Israeli airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Thousands of people in Venezuela joined a march Sunday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez’s passing.

Pakistan's police entered the residence of the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan to arrest him in a case related to the illegal purchase and sale of gifts given by foreign dignitaries while he was in office, official sources and local media reported Sunday.

In sports news, Ethiopia’s Deso Gelmisa and Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru won the men’s and women’s titles at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Pakistan's police on Sunday failed to arrest the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case related to the illegal purchase and sale of gifts given by foreign dignitaries while he was in office amid resistance from his supporters, officials and local media reported on Sunday.

An Islamabad court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khan in connection with the illegal purchase and sale of the gifts.

A team of Islamabad police, with an arrest warrant, reached the northeastern city of Lahore on Sunday to take Khan into custody, the Islamabad police chief, Nasir Akbar, told reporters.

"(Court) notice has been served on him (Khan). Now, we will inform the court, and act accordingly," he added.

Police in a tweet said a team went to Lahore to arrest Khan based on the court orders.

A superintendent of police went inside Khan's residence to deliver the court orders but the ex-premier -- who has been recovering from a gunshot injury he received during a failed assassination attempt last November -- "was not there," according to the police.

"Law is equal for all," the Twitter statement added.

Khan's Chief of Staff Senator Shibli Faraz received the notice, informing the police that the former prime minister was not at home, local broadcaster Geo News also reported.

Footage aired on multiple local broadcasters showed the policemen standing outside the main entrance of Khan's Zaman Park residence as the security and supporters stopped the personnel from entering the residence.

Hundreds of Khan's charged supporters blocked several streets leading to his heavily fortified residence, encircling the police personnel, and forcing them to leave the site after an hour-long showdown.

The Islamabad police, in another tweet, explained that the police team "is still at Zaman Park."

Another visual showed a senior police officer besieged by infuriated workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, some of them wielding sticks and many chanting slogans.

The police said legal action will be taken against those who obstructed the execution of court orders.

Fawad Chaudhry, a former information minister and the PTI's vice-president, in a news conference in Lahore, warned the government of a countrywide protest if Khan is arrested.

He alleged that the government wanted to get Khan assassinated by compromising his security through court hearings.

Khan, 70, the country's only premier who was ousted through a no-trust vote in Pakistan's 75-year checkered political history, is facing a slew of cases against him, ranging from terrorism to attempted murder and to money laundering.

Most of the cases, which Khan dubs a "sham," have been lodged after his ouster.

He was deposed as prime minister after parliament passed a no-confidence vote in April last year.

Khan blames his unceremonious ouster on a US-backed conspiracy, the allegation that the incumbent coalition government in Islamabad and Washington have repeatedly refuted.

He narrowly escaped assassination while leading an anti-government long march towards Islamabad last November. Since then, he has been residing in his residence in Lahore and has frequently skipped court hearings on health and security grounds.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Author Marianne Williamson officially announced Saturday her bid for US president in 2024.

The progressive Democrat who also ran in 2020, launched her campaign at an event at Union Station in Washington D.C.

“I am now officially a candidate for the President of the United States,” the 70-year-old author said on her website.

“I feel my forty years being up close and personal with the trauma of so many thousands of individuals gives me a unique perspective on what is needed to help repair America,” she said. “We need a politics that treats not just symptoms, but cause. That does not base itself on the crass imperatives of endless corporate profit, but on the eternal imperatives of our principles and values.”

Williamson is the first Democrat to officially announce a bid for the 2024 nomination and is likely to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden who said he intends to run but has yet to make an official announcement.

Source: Anadolu Agency

By creating new military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, the US and NATO are undermining the security architecture in the region, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov said on Saturday.

"One of them (of military blocs) has already been created -- the military and technological bloc AUKUS, which includes the US, Great Britain and Australia," Morgulov said in an interview to China's state-run CGTN television network.

"Formally, all this is furnished with the pretext of creating an Australian nuclear submarine fleet. But it is clear that behind these steps are far-reaching plans to bring NATO's military-technological potential to the region," Morgulov said.

The ambassador stressed the new alliance will bring problems, undermining the region's security and stability to justify its presence in the region.

"Therefore, I do not see any positive aspects from the fact that NATO may appear in the Asia-Pacific region," Morgulov stressed.

In the face of such challenges, Russia and China have to make efforts to preserve the existing security structure by explaining to regional players challenges and threats arising from NATO's presense in Asia-Pacific, Morgulov noted.

"For those who do not understand, we will respond by increasing military and military-technical cooperation with the like-minded in the region, including China," he said, adding that Russia and China regularly hold joint military drills.

"We will continue to increase our defense capabilities to respond promptly to the threats that NATO may create in this region of the world," Morgulov said.

China's peace initiative for Russia-Ukraine war

Morgulov called "balanced" Beijing's position on the Russia-Ukraine war and welcomed "willingness of Chinese friends" to contribute to the peace settlement.

He said Moscow is considering the 12-point peace initiative presented by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, adding that many of the ideas voiced in the document are in line with Russia's stance.

In the document dubbed China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, Beijing urged for ceasing hostilities, resuming peace talks, and ending Western sanctions on Moscow.

"In particular, we fully share the principles outlined in the document of adherence to the UN Charter and international law.

"We agree with the thesis of the indivisibility of security, which means that the security of some states cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of others.

"We support China's position on the illegitimacy of unilateral sanctions applied bypassing the UN Security Council," Morgulov said.

However, all peace initiatives break at Ukraine's unwillingness to hold talks, Morgulov regretted.

"Russia is open to achieving the goals of its 'special military operation' by political and diplomatic methods. But we see that the necessary conditions for peace talks have not yet developed, because the Western masters of the Kyiv regime simply do not allow it to enter into the negotiation process with us," Morgulov said.

Russian-Chinese bilateral cooperation

Morgulov said the Russian-Chinese trade turnover could exceed $200 billion "with a large margin" in 2023.

Russia and China have been successfully working on coupling integration projects of Belt and Road and the Eurasian Economic Union, the envoy said, adding: "We have taken another step forward by proposing the idea of creating a Greater Eurasian Partnership based on similar processes."

Morgulov said he also expects Beijing to lift restrictions for Russian tourists. "Normal air service has been resumed between Russia and China. Aeroflot operates three flights a week to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Chinese airlines have also resumed flights between the two countries.

"The railway connection has not opened yet. We hope that this will happen in the near future," he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Nigerian election commission on Saturday said it will punish electoral officials found culpable of misconduct during the Feb. 25 presidential and parliamentary polls, the results of which are being contested by opposition parties.

"All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad hoc officials, including collation and returning officers, we will initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrongdoing has been established," Mahmoud Yakubu, head of the country's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said at a meeting in the capital Abuja.

He said the commission will not tolerate complicity by its officials, which could affect the credibility of the electoral process.

The commission's head warned against poor arrangement that could affect the forthcoming March 11 governorship and state legislative polls.

Opposition parties are challenging the results of the elections, alleging involvement of officials in malpractices, including snatching of ballot boxes, overvoting and altering of results, among others.

INEC on Wednesday declared Bola Tinubu, candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress party, as winner of the presidential election. Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi finished behind Tinubu.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkmenistan's women's union and the Red Crescent Society, in coordination with the Turkish Embassy in Ashgabat, has sent around 11 tons of humanitarian relief to quake victims in Türkiye.

While the union sent 4.1 tons of food, the Red Crescent dispatched 6.8 tons of supplies including hygiene kits, clothes, as well as food to regions hit by the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that killed over 45,000 people.

The union also sent 8.6 tons of humanitarian aid to Türkiye on Feb. 28.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between UAE and Türkiye aims to achieve "strategic goals," especially increasing bilateral trade volume, the Gulf country's press office said on Saturday.

In a statement on Twitter, the UAE government's media office said the deal contributes to creating a promising atmosphere, which will encourage fruitful cooperation in the business world, and benefit people and economies of the two countries.

The two countries signed the agreement on Friday to boost bilateral trade.

Trade volume between Türkiye and the UAE will reach $25 billion in five years thanks to the new deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the signing ceremony via video link on Friday.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the agreement “builds on our longstanding ties to deliver further growth, opportunity & stability for our countries & our people.”

Source: Anadolu Agency