Author: Belgin Naz

The UN’s World Food Programme said the food situation in the besieged and blockaded Gaza Strip was worsening, with only four or five days of stocks left in the shops. WFP said stocks were getting low in warehouses inside the Palestinian enclave, but at the shop level, the situation was even more acute. “The situation in Gaza is getting worse by the minute: the humanitarian situation but also of course the food security situation,” WFP’s Middle East spokeswoman Abeer Etefa, told reporters at the UN in Geneva via video-link from Cairo. “The current stocks of essential food commodities are sufficient for only two weeks…

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a visit that underscores China’s support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine as well as Russian backing for China’s bid to expand its economic and diplomatic influence abroad. The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel against its relations with Iran and Syria, two countries that are strongly backed by Russia and with which China has forged ties for economic reasons as well as to challenge Washington’s influence in the Middle East. Putin’s plane was met…

Türkiye has recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations, signaling a significant setback in the recently restored diplomatic relations between the two nations. The move comes against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a deepening humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry reasoned its decision by citing the “humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza due to continuous attacks by Israel against civilians.” The ministry expressed concerns over Israel’s refusal to heed calls for a ceasefire and ensure an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the affected region. In a statement, the ministry said, “In view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in…

Two individuals have been arrested for threatening a witness in the investigation against the criminal organization led by Ayhan Bora Kaplan. The witness, who had previously testified against the group, was targeted in an armed attack as an attempt to coerce him into withdrawing his statement, according to local media reports. The assailants, identified as Abdullah Doğruyol and Mehmet Can Kuvezi, allegedly launched an armed assault on the witness’s vehicle in a bid to intimidate him. Following their apprehension, Doğruyol and Kuvezi were taken into custody and subsequently arrested by the court. Last week, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the suspension…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to not only reconstruct the structures decimated by the devastating earthquakes that struck the country’s south earlier this year but also to “reinvigorate the economic and social fabric of the affected cities.” “We are rapidly healing the wounds of the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes – the disaster of the century. As we promised you, we will hopefully start delivering earthquakehouses to their rightful owners in the coming months,” Erdoğan said in a video message he sent to an event held in Kahramanmaraş. The rebuilding initiative aims to complete the construction of 850,000 independent sections in the earthquake-affected area within…

Vaccinations against the flu and thus without medical prescription start in Greece on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023. The flu vaccine is free of charge to citizens who can seek directly the pharmacy with their social security number (AMKA). The conventional flu vaccine will be administered without a medical prescription. This year, in addition to the conventional vaccines, there are also two new types, which are aimed exclusively at people over 60 and 65 years old respectively and which are granted only after medical advice, reported healthreport.gr. After November 1, the two new expensive anti-influenza vaccines that were included this year…

The Minister of Defence (MOD), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar are currently in Turkiye to facilitate the speedy delivery of the T-129 ATAK helicopters acquired for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) by the Federal Government. Air Force headquarters hinted that, as part of programmes lined up for the visit, the MOD held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Lieutenant General Yasar Guler (Rtd), on critical bilateral and defence cooperation issues. According to Air Force spokesmen, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, “General Guler promised the HMOD of every support required from the Turkish…

When members of the Athens-Limestone County Public Library Board of Trustees arrived for their monthly meeting on Thursday, many were surprised by the need to bring in extra chairs to the room. It was a full house, with more than a dozen community members showing up to speak and listen in on conversations regarding what goes on library shelves. This comes just weeks after Governor Kay Ivey sent a letter to the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) with her “concerns about public libraries in Alabama.” One woman, Elizabeth Stewart, referenced Gov. Kay Ivey’s letter and read excerpts to the board.…

Ethnic Greek Albanians say socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama is trying to cover up illicit land deals. Greece is threatening to hold up Albanian progress towards European Union membership, even as the EU attempts to inject greater urgency into a stalled accession process for the Western Balkans. The reason is the imprisonment on May 11 of an ethnic Greek mayoral candidate in Himare, a sleepy town of fewer than 10,000 votes on the Adriatic coast with a large ethnic Greek cohort. “This decision will have repercussions on the EU’s relationship with Albania, which depends on … European rules and the…

A 12-meter luxury yacht has collided with rocks and sank during a storm after its engine stalled off the western province of Mersin, as two individuals on board have managed to escape by transferring to an inflatable boat. The luxury yacht, which was brought from the U.S., experienced engine failure near the entrance to the port in the Erdemli district. Caught in the storm, the vessel veered into the rocks, leading the captain and a companion to use the boat onboard to make a timely escape. The yacht sustained damage and eventually sank. Within the scope of the efforts initiated…