Category: General

A far-right Dutch politician and leader of the PEGIDA Islamophobic group, tore apart a copy of the Quran on Saturday in Amsterdam. Edwin Wagensveld shared footage of his provocation in front of the Amsterdam Municipality on social media. Mentioning that he was investigated for insulting a group while tearing up the Quran, Wagensveld said tearing apart the Quran again is how he can best express his opinion. He tore up the Quran in front of the temporary Dutch parliament building Jan. 22 in The Hague while under police protection. He did it again Feb. 13 in Utrecht. Despite Muslim groups warning that PEGIDA would burn the Quran, the demonstration was not prohibited, prompting a counter-protest by the Muslim community. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service said Friday that an unidentified male suspect will be questioned for using racist expressions while tearing up the Quran. Media reports said the suspect may be Wagensveld. An official statement said the suspect, 54, who resided in Germany, tore up the Quran in front of the Dutch parliament in The Hague on Jan. 22, while saying things such as: “The Quran is a fascist book. Just as bad as (Hitler’s biography) Mein Kampf. Its followers are pursuing the same ideology as Hitler.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Security forces in eastern Trkiye killed two terrorists, the country’s interior minister said on Sunday. The two terrorists were confirmed dead after clashes with security forces in the province of Van, Suleyman Soylu tweeted, adding that one of them had been sought after by Turkish authorities in the second-most wanted category. Trkiye’s wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange, and gray, with the killed terrorist on the blue list. In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Trkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Trkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turk Telekom beat Fenerbahce Beko 83-72 in a Turkish Basketball Lig (TBL) week 25 match on Sunday. Jerian Grant led Telekom with 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists at Ankara Arena. Johnathan Motley’s 25 points, six rebounds, and two assists were not enough for Fenerbahce to come out on top. With 22 wins and 3 losses, leaders Telekom widened the gap with the second-place Fenerbahce. The Yellow Canaries have 20 wins and 5 losses.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The EU “strongly” condemns the eruption of violence between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and called for urgent steps to cease hostilities. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar urged dialogue in Sudan amid the clashes. Chad closed its borders with Sudan as clashes erupted between the army and a paramilitary group. France’s controversial pension reform plan was signed and officially promulgated in the Official Journal. The bill includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, with workers, trade unions and others, vehemently opposing the plan. Russia’s largest air carrier has sent one of its planes to Iran for repair for the first time as part of an agreement on cooperation in civil aviation between Tehran and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented a decision by the National Security Council to impose sanctions on 692 individuals and legal entities from Russia and Belarus. At least six people were injured after a motorist drove into a crowd in France during a ‘wild car race,’ according to media reports. Israeli security forces attacked Orthodox Christians who wanted to attend the Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem. The first signal has been received from Trkiye’s newly launched observation satellite IMECE, according to the country’s industry and technology minister. Trkiye’s defense chief expressed condolences to his Azerbaijani counterpart for the death of three soldiers in combat with Armenian elements. The Azerbaijani delegation withdrew from the European Weightlifting Championships in the Armenian capital after the country’s flag was burned during the opening ceremony. At least 14 people have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in the Indian eastern state of Bihar, according to police.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Four Turkish soldiers were injured in an attack carried out by the PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The terrorists attacked Turkish bases with simultaneous mortar and multiple rocket launchers in the Operation Olive Branch and Operation Euphrates Shield zones, a ministry statement said. The injured soldiers were rushed to the Kilis State Hospital in Trkiye, it said. The Turkish forces retaliated the attack by immediately hitting the terror targets, the ministry added.? In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Trkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Trkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. YPG/PKK terrorists hide out in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, where they plan and carry out attacks on both locals and nearby settlements in Trkiye. 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).

Source: Anadolu Agency

At least four people were killed and several others injured in a shooting in the US state of Alabama, local media reported Sunday. The shooting occurred in the city of Dadeville at a teenager’s birthday party on Saturday night, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sergeant Jeremy Burkett said in a news conference on Sunday morning, according to the MSNBC broadcaster.? ‘At approximately 11:45 p.m., Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) launched a death investigation at the request of the Dadeville Police Chief,’ ALEA said in a statement. Officials have not shared information on whether arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.? In a Twitter post, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said: ‘This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.’

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UN will commemorate Nakba Day, which marks the creation of the state of Israel in historical Palestine, for the first time in 2023, according to media reports Saturday. “Commemorating the Nakba must be at the top of our priorities in order to preserve our narrative, which we must adhere to and convey to the whole world,” the Palestinian WAFA news agency quoted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas urged all Palestinians to commemorate the Palestinian tragedy of 1948 “to confront all lies and false narratives that attempt to distort history and facts.’ Nakba Day is marked annually by Palestinians on May 15 to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and areas in 1948 after the founding of Israel. ‘What Palestinians everywhere are required to do is to commemorate this tragedy, because it is the first time that the global community does not deny the Nakba,’ said Abbas. “On these blessed days, we call on all our people to stand together to face the challenges facing our cause, our land and our sanctities, and to focus our compass towards confronting the occupation and getting rid of it,’ he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Jean-Marie Le Pen, a well-known figure of far-right policy in France, was taken to the hospital Saturday, according to media reports. Le Pen, who was among the founders of the National Rally, previously the National Front, was hospitalized in Paris after suffering a “mild heart attack,” said broadcaster, BFMTV. In February 2022, she was hospitalized after suffering a “minor” stroke. The 94-year-old politician, father of current far-right leader Marine Le Pen, became the first far-right candidate two decades ago to qualify for the second round of the 2002 presidential race. Le Pen served as president of the National Front from 1972 to 2011.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Trkiye on Sunday urged its citizens in Sudan to stay indoors amid fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In a Twitter post, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Sudan’s airspace remains closed and the situation in the country is not suitable for travel ‘at the moment.’ ‘We are closely following developments in Sudan,’ the ministry said and advised Turkish citizens to contact the Turkish Embassy in Khartoum in case of emergency and to follow social media accounts of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The ministry also shared the phone numbers of the embassy and consular call center. At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in armed clashes since Saturday between the Sudanese army and the RSF. While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was “spreading lies” and declared it a “rebel” group. The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a ‘coup’. Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Police in France have been filmed using arbitrary and excessive force during protests in the city of Rennes against the government’s pension reform. Images on social media showed officers assaulting a young man with truncheons and fists, throwing him to the ground, and kicking him while crushing his legs under their boots. The same group of police were shown in Rennes capturing and dragging a man to the ground after he appears to have lost consciousness, with his wrists bound. Other photos on social media show Republican Security Companies (CRS) dragging a protester on the ground for several meters before apprehending her. Another social media image from Rennes showed the CRS dragging an elderly man whose face was bleeding, as well as a young woman, whom they held by her hair. Many major media outlets in France have yet to broadcast these images. Hundreds of complaints were filed on March 31 over arbitrary arrests during the protests in France. Nearly 1,500 people gathered at the Rennes center to protest the government’s controversial reforms. Police used tear gas on protesters after a clash in which some cars and waste containers were set on fire, according to media reports. Authorities said a gendarmerie officer was injured. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the government is determined to accelerate other reforms. The controversial pension reform plan was signed and officially promulgated Saturday in the Official Journal. President Emmanuel Macron signed the bill after the Constitutional Council finished its review late Friday despite demands by trade unions to drop the measure that has drawn weeks of protests. The nine “sages,” as they are known in France, partially approved the bill while rejecting six of its measures, including regarding senior workers. The bill includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, with workers and trade unions, among others, vehemently opposing the plan. The government unveiled the reform proposal in January and it was taken up for parliamentary debate the following month even as millions took to the streets to oppose it. Unrest intensified when Borne, after consulting with Macron, decided to use special constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary approval in March. The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government lacks an absolute majority in the legislature.

Source: Anadolu Agency