Author: Hilaal Akram

The European Union announced on Friday that it will begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to join the 27-member political and economic bloc starting next week. All 27 members agreed to the Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union. Negotiations will begin for both countries on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union said on X. The move comes at a critical time for both nations with Ukraine in the middle of an invasion by Russia and Moldova facing a Russian-led insurgence by a breakaway state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European Union for its “robust political…

Faruk Mutlu, a Turkish citizen, stepped into a bustling jewelry store in Türkiye’s vibrant city of Istanbul. Armed with his savings, he resolved to convert them into gold, an alternative he deems “always valuable.” With the escalating tensions in the Middle East at the beginning of last week, rumors swirled of an imminent rise in gold prices, prompting Mutlu to seize the opportunity. “In Türkiye, it’s a cherished tradition to bestow gold upon newlyweds, and with the summer wedding season fast approaching, our demand for this precious metal is soaring,” Mutlu told Xinhua. In Kuyumcukent, a neighborhood in Istanbul renowned…

In a family home in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, Yazen Alhasnat was sitting next to his mother rubbing sleep from his eyes. The 17-year-old had been released from prison the night before, nearly five months after being arrested in a 4am Israeli military raid on the home. Yazen had been held under “administrative detention” – a longstanding security policy, inherited from the British, that allows the Israeli state to imprison people indefinitely without charge, and without presenting any evidence against them. “They have a secret file,” Yazen said. “They don’t tell you what’s in it.” He was back…

The “Freedom Convoy for Palestine,” organised by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), departed from Istanbul en route to Incirlik Air Base in Adana on Friday, aiming to show solidarity with Palestine, Anadolu Agency reports. Numerous NGOs and citizens assembled under the leadership of the IHH at the parking lot of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. Participants chanted slogans against Israel and expressed their outrage over the attacks on Gaza. Bulent Yildirim, the President of the IHH, stated in his remarks that their actions are not only directed against Incirlik Air Base but against all American bases worldwide. Former US diplomat and activist, Ann…

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has demanded citizenship and work visas of football players who refused to hold signs calling for prisoners of war being held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza be released, Israeli media reported. According to the reports, Ben-Gvir yesterday sent an “explosive” letter to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel after a football match during which Maccabi Haifa’s Swedish player, Daniel Sundgren, and other players refused to hold an English-language sign demanding the captives’ return. Ben-Gvir, a vocal fan of the rival football club Beitar Jerusalem, said Sundgren has humiliated the Israeli prisoners, adding that “a person…

Unmasking the US/Israel rhetoric of war, human rights, and geopolitical strategy in Palestine. Watching the United States deploy two aircraft carriers and a major naval strike force to the Middle East to threaten nemeses and help Israel sow death and destruction in Palestine, I am reminded of a story told by St Augustine about a pirate captured by Alexander the Great, who asked him how he dared to molest the sea. “How dare you molest the whole world,” the pirate replied. “Because I do it with a little ship only, I am called a thief. You, doing it with a great navy, are…

Tension on the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated on Friday, as the Israeli army and Hezbollah exchanged fire amid the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports. Hezbollah, in a statement, said it attacked a group of Israeli soldiers in the Hunin barracks near the border, causing casualties. The Lebanese group said it struck the Al-Asi area, in addition to Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills with guided missiles. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it was “monitoring the firing of about 20 missiles from Lebanon towards Israel.” Fresh Israeli shelling targeting the town of Al-Bustan in southern Lebanon followed a Hezbollah attack…

Israel has slammed Colombia and Chile over recalling their ambassadors in protest against Israel’s violations of humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, and demanded them to condemn the Hamas movement, Anadolu Agency reported. This came in a statement by Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat, published on Wednesday evening, on X platform (formerly Twitter). Haiat claimed that “citizens of Colombia, Chile and other Latin American countries” were also among the victims of the Hamas attack on 7 October, adding that “Israel calls on Colombia and Chile to explicitly condemn the Hamas organisation”. Earlier on Wednesday, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, announced that his country’s Ambassador to Tel…

A mother and daughter have been released and handed to the Red Cross before being transported to Israel after being held for two weeks in Gaza. The Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades said they had been released “for humanitarian reasons” in response to Qatari mediation efforts. Spokesperson Abu Obaida said they released the citizens “for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.” Palestinian media has named the women as Judith Raanan and her daughter Naatalie. The pair had been taken…

Egypt is planning to host an international conference on Saturday to discuss the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, in Gaza. The list of attendees expected, so far, at the Cairo Peace Summit includes: Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Kuwaiti Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad al-Sabah Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna Japanese Foreign Minister…