Month: March 2024

ANKARA: Here's a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Sunday, including Peruvian police raiding the president's home in a corruption probe, a car bomb attack in the northern Syrian city of Azaz, and the latest on Israel's months-long Gaza offensive, including casualties, protests, and calls for a cease-fire. TOP STORIES Peruvian police raid president's home in corruption probe Peru's National Police raided the residence of President Dina Boluarte as part of a continuing corruption investigation, according to sources. Police, accompanied by prosecutors, entered the residence in the capital Lima, reportedly searching for luxury watches that were allegedly not declared. Officials have yet to provide information on the approximately five-hour search. Car bomb kills 4, injures 20 in Syrian northern city of Azaz At least four people were killed and 20 injured in a car bomb attack that rocked a bustling market in the northern Syrian city of Azaz, according to local sources. The attack in the heart of Azaz's vibrant marketplace was in an area controlled by opposition forces. Initial assessments are treating the explosion as a terrorist attack. NEWS IN BRIEF Thousands of Jordanians protested near the Israeli Embassy in Amman to show solidarity with the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry said the Israeli army detained 107 patients in one of the buildings of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in the western Gaza Strip. Thousands of people protested across Israel against the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a hostage swap deal with Palestinian group Hamas. Egypt, Jordan, and France voiced opposition to any potential Israeli attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave. A hostage crisis in a cafe in the Netherlands ended after all the captives were released. The Israeli army bombed the headquarters of the Bureij and Al-Zawaida municipalities in Central Gaza, according to officials in the Gaza Stri p. At least 82 more Palestinians were killed and 98 injured in the last 24 hours, as Israel continued its onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the territory's Health Ministry said. The death toll from Cyclone Gamane in Madagascar rose to 18, according to official figures. A flight from Tel Aviv made an unscheduled landing in New York due to high winds and turbulence, with seven passengers suffering minor injuries, officials said. SPORTS Sevilla condemn racist abuse of their player, head coach Sevilla condemned the racist abuse of their Argentine left-back Marcos Acuna and Spanish head coach Quique Sanchez Flores during their 1-0 win in a Spanish LaLiga match Saturday at Getafe. "We condemn the racist and xenophobic abuse suffered by Marcos Acuna and our coaching staff during #GetafeSevillaFC," Sevilla wrote on X. The referee paused the match in the 68th minute due to racist chants allegedly voiced by Getafe fans. Borussia Dortmund shock Bayern Munich 2-0 in Der Klassiker for 1st win in Munich i n 10 years Borussia Dortmund stunned Bayern Munich 2-0 on Saturday to take their first Der Klassiker win in Munich in 10 years. Second in the German Bundesliga table, Bayern Munich, the home team of the Der Klassiker showdown, allowed Bayer Leverkusen to lead by 13 points with seven games to go. Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen, who have 73 points after beating Hoffenheim 2-1 earlier Saturday, need three wins to secure their maiden German league title, and they are not set to face Bayern Munich in the remainder of the 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: The head of the UN condemned an explosion that targeted an Observer Group Lebanon (OGL) patrol and injured three UN military observers and a language assistant. Antonio Guterres' condemnation of the explosion was highlighted in a statement from his spokesperson's office that emphasized the need to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers at all times. "The situation along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel since 8 October last year, with daily exchanges of fire between non-state armed groups based in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces, continues to be of grave concern," it said. The statement expressed "grave concern" for the escalating violence along the Blue Line and urged parties to "refrain from further breaches of the cessation of hostilities." Earlier Saturday, at least one civilian and three soldiers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured in an Israeli raid that targeted their vehicle in the south of the country, according to media reports. UNIFIL express ed concern 'over the surge of violence across the Blue Line right now.' The Israeli army denied that it targeted any UNIFIL vehicle in the Rmeish area in southern Lebanon. Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006. The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 32,700 people following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Cuba's president has called on the international community to take action to end the "genocide" in Gaza. Sharing a photo of the Palestinian flag being projected onto Jose Marti Memorial in the capital Havana, Miguel Diaz-Canel said late Saturday: "Cuba demands that the genocide stop now." "As long as Palestinian land continues to be martyred, bled, destroyed to its foundations by the hatred of the Israeli occupier, we cannot tire of denouncing the crime and calling on the international community," Diaz-Canel wrote on X. The president of the Caribbean island nation has been one of the leaders voicing the strongest opposition to Israel's months-long onslaught on Gaza and has consistently expressed his support for Palestine. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed. More than 32,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, in addition to mass destruction, displaceme nt, and famine conditions. Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 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

ISTANBUL: Bulgaria and Romania on Sunday were added to the EU visa-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Bulgaria and Romania had joined Schengen, with air and sea border border checks being lifted as of today. "This is a great success for the people of both countries. It also benefits millions of EU citizens across Europe," Leyen wrote on X. Ylva Johansson, the EU commissioner for home affairs, said the next step will be lifting controls at the countries' land borders, which will be discussed among member states throughout the year. In a statement, the European Commission also welcomed the move, stressing: "The Schengen accession of these two member states will make the common area more attractive by significantly expanding the world's largest common area without internal border controls." Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. In 2011, the commission verified through Schengen Evaluation reports that both countries had fulfilled all criteria for complete integration into the Schengen area. The commission actively endorsed and facilitated the new inclusion. In the bloc, 25 of the 27 EU member states are now members of the Schengen area, along with four non-EU members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland). Greek Cyprus and Ireland are the only EU members outside of the Schengen area. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: At least four Palestinians were killed and 16 injured on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on a tent for displaced people on the grounds of a Gaza hospital, according to official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Several journalists were among those injured in the attack, which struck a tent in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, Wafa said, citing medical sources. 'The Israeli occupation committed a new massacre inside a hospital that provides medical service for displaced people and citizens,' Gaza's government media office said in a statement, referring to several Israeli attacks over the last several months that hit hospitals. It held the US administration, Israel, and the international community 'fully responsible for this crime.' Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people. More than 32,700 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 75,200 others injure d amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which on Thursday asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a three-day official visit that will end on April 2, Chinese state media reported. During his visit, Prabowo is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders, according to broadcaster CGTN. It is Prabowo's first official trip since being elected Indonesia's next president. He will take office in October. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 injured in Israel's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Sunday. A ministry statement said Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours alone left 77 people dead and 108 others injured. 'Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,' the ministry said. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which asked Israel on Thursday to do more to prevent famine in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

Polling stations close nationwide as Turkish local elections wrap up:olling stations close nationwide as Turkish local elections wrap up ANKARA: Polling stations across Trkiye closed on Sunday as voting in the country's local elections ended at 5 p.m. Candidates from a total of 34 political parties competed in the elections, with over 206,000 polling stations set up across the country. Voters living in Trkiye's larger cities cast their votes for metropolitan municipality mayor, municipality mayor, city council members, as well as mukhtars and elder councils. Those cities include the capital Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir - the nation's three largest cities by population - as well as Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Tekirdag, Trabzon, and Van. ** Ahmet Yener, chairman of the Turkish Supreme Election Council, said that the results a re being entered into the SECSIS election system and that the council shares all data entries with the political parties. ***Regarding the broadcast ban, he said that the council will meet soon to decide at what time the ban will be lifted. Political parties The major competing parties are the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Good (IYI) Party, and the Peoples' Democratic Party (DEM Party). Other political parties include the Left Party, Great Unity Party, Homeland Party, Motherland Party, Democratic Left Party, Welfare Party, Communist Party of Trkiye, Anatolian Union Party, Victory Party, Peoples' Liberation Party, Communist Movement of Trkiye, Independent Trkiye Party, Future Party, New Trkiye Party, Labor Party, Free Cause Party, Rights and Freedoms Party, Ocak Party, Justice Union Party, Democrat Party, Power Union Party, National Path Party, Justice Party, Bright Democracy Party, Trkiye Workers ' Party, Democracy and Progress Party, Felicity Party, and Homeland Party. Source: Anadolu Agency

Nicosia is actively pursuing the termination of Turkish occupation and the reunification of Cyprus through a peaceful settlement, said Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanoli on Sunday. She emphasised the necessity of a solution based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the decisions of the Security Council, and in line with the principles and values of the European Union. "The primary concern of President Nikos Christodoulides is to work with all our strengths to achieve a solution for an independent and truly sovereign state, free from any anachronistic guarantees and the presence of occupying forces," said Hadjimanoli at the annual memorial service for the heroes of EOKA 1955-1959 in the community of Chloraka. "The heavy legacy we honour today dictates our duty to relentlessly strive for the termination of occupation, the unity of the state, and the safeguarding of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the entire Cypriot people," she noted. Cyprus has been divided since 197 4, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency