Day: April 26, 2024

Britain’s King Charles will return to duty next week following his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.

“To help mark this milestone, The King and Queen (Camilla) will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next Tuesday (April 30), where they will meet medical specialists and patients,” the royal family wrote on X.

It also said that this June, Charles will host Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

“As the first anniversary of The Coronation approaches, Their Majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year,” it added.

Cancer diagnosis during prostate enlargement treatment

After being hospitalized for prostate enlargement treatment, Charles was discharged on Jan. 29 from after a four-day stay.

Buckingham Palace had announced in February that during routine checks, a concerning condition was discovered, and the king was diagnosed with cancer.

While it c
larified that Charles did not have prostate cancer, no details were provided about the type or stage of cancer. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the cancer was in its early stages.

Due to his treatment, the king temporarily suspended his public engagements.

Source: Anadolu Agency

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides expressed his conviction that despite the multiple regional and geopolitical developments, Cyprus can successfully cope with the international competitive, unstable and unpredictable environment and become, as targeted in the “Vision 2035”, one of the best places in the world to live, work and do business.

He also announced an institutionalised dialogue with Cypriot entrepreneurs with the first meeting scheduled for the end of May at the Presidential Palace in the presence of the Cabinet, and that Invest Cyprus will launch a major campaign for the rebranding of Cyprus.

In his address on Thursday evening at the 16th “IN BUSINESS AWARDS for 2023”, the President noted that at the same time, the expansion of the productive foundation of our economy, with the creation of a new growth model that will ensure a more resilient, sustainable and competitive economy, leveraging education, technology, digitalization and the green economy, are very high on the Go
vernment’s priorities.

He further underlined that a key prerequisite to achieve the ambitious targets is fiscal responsibility, a stable and strong financial environment and continuous bold reforms.

President Christodoulides explained that in this context and in order to achieve our goals, Cypriot businesses are at the centre of the Government’s efforts.

He further said that targeted meetings with foreign businessmen resulted in the adoption of improved incentives to attract further quality investments in Cyprus, adding that the Government is starting the institutionalized dialogue with Cypriot businessmen, with the aim of utilizing their long experience and know-how, to present them with the pillars, in which the state is to invest, so that they work together on the basis of specific objectives and goals.

The first meeting, he said, is scheduled for the end of May, at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of the cabinet.

He then pointed out that it is in the same context that the Government has launc
hed the effort for the country’s tax transformation, which aims to enhance the competitiveness of the economy.

In addition, the President expressed pride in the abundance of local businesses that demonstrate social responsibility, invest in the education and training of their staff, support charitable projects, promote environmental sustainability and the development of culture, thus contributing to the improvement of the daily lives of our citizens.

Concluding, the President assured that the State will continue to support Cypriot businesses, ensuring, among other things, that entrepreneurship will have all the tools to continue to grow and evolve and to face any challenges for the benefit of Cypriot society.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Britain’s maritime agency on Friday reported an incident that occurred off the Yemeni coast.

In a statement, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the incident took place 14 kilometers southwest of Al-Mukha port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.

It didn’t elaborate further but said authorities are investigating the incident.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the maritime agency said.

Yemen’s Houthi group has been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7 last year.

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently announced the creation of a multinational mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to counter the Houthi attacks.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar

Source: Anadolu Agency

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will chair a session of the National Council, the country’s top advisory body, on Friday, during which he will inform political party leaders about the latest developments in the efforts for the resumption of Cyprus talks and the recent European Council’s outcomes on EU-Turkish relations.

In a written statement earlier this week, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis had said the President, during the meeting that will take place at 10:30 (07:30 GMT), at the Presidential Palace, the President of the President of the Republic will brief the body about recent developments in the Cyprus issue.

He further noted, that President Christodoulides will also brief the National Council about the outcomes of the recent European Council in relation to EU-Turkish relations.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 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

ANKARA: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Thursday for an ‘early and lasting’ solution to the ongoing Palestine issue.

Wang spoke during a meeting in Beijing with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan, saying his country wants to work with Kuala Lumpur to promote an ‘early, comprehensive, just and lasting’ solution to the simmering issue, the South China Morning Post reported.

Hasan, who wrapped up a three-day visit to China which started on Tuesday, said that Kuala Lumpur highly appreciates Beijing’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed, and nearly 77,300 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast areas of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclav
e’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

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.

South China Sea

Malaysia’s top diplomat said his country opposes the meddling of ‘external forces’ in the disputed South China Sea, adding the foreign interference is not welcomed in the region.

Malaysia is one of several countries with overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Wang praised Malaysia as ‘an important member’ of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a ‘representative of emerging economies, and a positive and stable force in the Muslim world.’

He added that China would improve coordination with Malaysia and stand up and speak for the interests of the Global South on the international stage.

The two sides also
discussed strengthening economic cooperation and exchanged views on international issues.

Hasan’s visit came as the US and the Philippines continue Balikatan 2024, an annual, two-week joint military exercise in the South China Sea, until May 8.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trade partner for the last 15 years. The annual trade volume between the two countries is over $98 billion.

Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: The new Spanish-language digital news platform of TRT, Trkiye’s public broadcaster, represents a strong alternative to Western-centered media, Trkiye’s communications director said on Friday.

‘With intellectual, in-depth broadcasts, international sources of disinformation can be countered and more awareness can be created of this issue. For this very reason, I believe that TRT Espanol will represent a strong alternative to the Western-centered international broadcasting approach,’ said Fahrettin Altun.

Addressing the platform’s launch ceremony in Istanbul, Altun said it is unacceptable that a few large Western media companies dominate international broadcasting.

‘We believe that TRT Espanol will contribute to diversity and multicultural broadcasting in the field of international broadcasting,’ he said.

It will have the opportunity to explain Trkiye’s foreign policy in favor of peace and justice and its justified theses to more people, and make Trkiye’s economic, cultural and human potential more
visible, he added.

“We will further strengthen the bridges of friendship we have established with Latin American countries,’ he said.

Altun stressed that broadcasting in Spanish, a tongue spoken by hundreds of millions of people, means opening up different thoughts and new doors for people.

Situation in Gaza

On the situation in Gaza, Altun reiterated that Trkiye is against any oppression or genocide in Gaza.

“As expected, our taking a stand against this injustice of the global order, shouting the truth in the face of injustice, and standing up for justice disturbs groups with evil aims like Israel,’ Altun said.

These groups are trying to distort the truth and ‘increase their cruelty through terrorism, genocide, systematic lies and disinformation campaigns,’ he said.

“No matter what they do, our stance is clear when it comes to the Palestinian cause. Our stance is on the side of the truth,’ he added.

Trkiye has always been the biggest supporter of a sovereign independent Palestinian state, based on the
1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people. More than 34,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and some 77,300 injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

Israel is 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.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar

Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Trkiye bases its relations with African countries on a “win-win principle,” Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said Thursday.

‘We want to develop our relations in a way that will ensure the mutual interests of the countries by developing joint projects in every field,” Kurtulmus said during a meeting with Adama Bictogo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Ivory Coast, who was in Ankara for an official visit.

Recalling his official visit to Ivory Coast in early March for the 18th Session of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), Kurtulmus said they are following up on the topics discussed during the conference.

He stressed that cooperation in trade, agriculture, energy and defense industries would benefit both countries, noting that Bictogo’s visit to Trkiye would positively contribute to the development of the two countries’ relations.

Expressing gratitude to Bictogo for his participation in the 5th Conference of the Inter-parliamentary Jerusalem Platform to be hosted by
the Turkish parliament in Istanbul on Friday, Kurtulmus noted that important messages would be conveyed from Istanbul to the world during the meeting.

Bictogo said the bilateral trade volume between Ivory Coast and Trkiye is approaching $600 million and their goal is to reach $1 billion in a short period.

He also highlighted the pleasing level of friendship between the two countries’ peoples, noting that Istanbul is the second most visited city by Ivory Coast people after Paris, with increasing interest.

Bictogo said that visits by citizens of both countries are an important opportunity to accelerate economic and trade relations.

Regarding collaborations in energy and agriculture in Ivory Coast, Bictogo invited Turkish businesspeople to invest in his country, expressing their desire to work together on projects such as water treatment and transportation in Abidjan, aiming to make it the ‘Istanbul of Africa’ through joint efforts.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul

Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Friday received Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, who is accompanied by command staff.

During their meeting, Tatar expressed his happiness with the Turkish delegation’s visit reminding that the 50th anniversary of the Peace Operation on the island will be celebrated.

Stressing that peace, tranquility and security on Cyprus Island depend on the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces, Tatar said that Trkiye supports the steps taken toward the recognition of the TRNC.

He said the Turkish Cypriot people will never accept an agreement that includes the removal of Trkiye’s guarantorship and the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from the Island.

He added that they will not step back from the two-state solution to the dispute.

Guler also visited Metin Feyzioglu, Trkiye’s ambassador to Lefkosa.?

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to
achieve a comprehensive settlement.?

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.?

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Trkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.?

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Trkiye, Greece, and the UK.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar

Source: Anadolu Agency

HAMILTON: Trkiye delivered a stern warning Thursday against the persistent threat posed by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Syria.

Saying that ‘the PKK/YPG/SDF terrorist organization continues its efforts to advance a separatist and disruptive agenda in northeast Syria,” Ahmet Yildiz, Trkiye’s permanent representative to the UN, emphasized at a UN Security Council session that the terror group represents the “biggest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity and political unity.”

In a resolute declaration, Yildiz reiterated Trkiye’s firm position, saying “the PKK/YPG and its separatist terrorist agenda have no place in Syria’s future.”

He further condemned the terror group’s exploitation of civilian facilities and its oppressive practices against the local population.

Underscoring the urgent need for concerted international efforts to address the multifaceted crisis gripping Syria, Yildiz said, “We cannot lose sight of the precarious situation in Syria in the 14th year of the conflict.”

He noted the i
nterconnected deterioration in security, economic and humanitarian dimensions, compounded by recent dangerous escalations in the region.

“Syria remains alarmingly exposed to be a battlefield for other hostilities in the Middle East,” he added.

Urging all relevant parties to refrain from actions that could exacerbate tensions, Yildiz also stressed the need to revitalize the political process in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, calling for national reconciliation to address the root causes of the conflict.

He expressed support for the Constitutional Committee as a crucial platform for negotiations between the Bashar Al-Assad regime and opposition, urging its prompt convening without delays over venue issues.

He also reiterated Trkiye’s support for UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen’s efforts towards a political solution.

“Given the necessity to coordinate a humanitarian response to a staggering level of needs as well as according to the situation on the ground, it is important to preserve
the ‘Whole of Syria’ approach,” he said.

Following Yildiz’s speech, Syria’s representative at the UN, Qusay al-Dahhak, criticized Trkiye and the Turkish envoy for referring to the Syrian government as a “regime.”

In response, Yildiz reminded that Trkiye is not the reason for this conflict to start.

Noting the necessity of moving ahead with the political process, he urged the representative of Syria to also “focus on the way forward.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Major Turkish universities expressed their support on Thursday for the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests sweeping college campuses across the US.

“Over the past six months, university students peacefully protesting the brutality against Gaza’s innocent people have been subjected to violence,’ they said in a joint statement published on their social media accounts.

“We are profoundly saddened and vehemently condemn the disproportionate response to the peaceful demonstrations by university students. We regard it as a violation of academic freedom and fundamental human rights,” they added.

The statement was shared on the social media accounts of leading Turkish universities, including Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Anadolu University, Ankara University, Bursa Uludag University, Dokuz Eylul University, Istanbul Technical University and Middle East Technical University.

The protests in the US started a few days ago at Columbia University and spread to other colleges.

Student-led protes
ts demanding that universities condemn Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and divest from Israeli firms have continued to spread, with new encampments being erected in the face of law enforcement crackdowns.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik’s decision last week to ask the New York Police Department to arrest dozens of protesters largely served as a flashpoint for the wider protest movement.

Protests have since been reported on several campuses, including California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, Yale, the University of Minnesota, Swarthmore College and the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, the University of Rochester in New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Emerson College in Massachusetts, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Source: Anadolu Agency