ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehamme discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and bilateral relations in a phone call.
Every opportunity should be used towards ending the humanitarian tragedy in Ukraine, Erdogan told Nehamme.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay reiterated that the country will continue to defend its own rights and those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkiye "completely" rejected the US' annual human rights report, calling it "unfounded." A Foreign Ministry statement described the report, published by the US State Department on Tuesday, as "unfortunate" and said it contains "unfounded accusations."
Turkiye's first national mine hunting sonar, the Nusrat-1915, is set to enter the inventory of the country's Naval Forces Command in the third quarter of this year, said Cem Emre Bakim, general manager of Armelsan, the company that developed the sonar.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the BBC on Thursday that European countries that continue to buy Russian oil are "earning their money in other people's blood.” He cited Germany and Hungary, accusing them of blocking tougher energy embargoes.
Ukraine warned that the Russian army is continuing to build an aviation group along the country's eastern border, fearing a new round of attacks on three oblasts, or administrative regions.
Russia said the Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, has sunk in a storm during towing after it was damaged by fire. Ukraine had claimed late Wednesday that it hit the cruiser with a missile strike.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko accused Russia of committing acts of ethnic cleansing against the Ukrainian people.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and currently deputy head of the country's security council, warned that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, the nuclear-free status of the Baltic could no longer be discussed.
In a related development, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss maintained that Sweden and Finland are free to choose their future without foreign interference.
"Russian threats towards the Nordic & Baltic states are not new and only strengthen our unity. Sweden and Finland are free to choose their future without interference - the UK will support whatever they decide," Truss tweeted.
At least 154 people were killed and many homes were torched in an attack in Nigeria's northern Plateau state carried out by bandits related to Boko Haram
Rwanda and the UK signed a major deal under which Britain will send some asylum seekers to the East African country. Under the five-year program, migrants from the UK will be integrated into communities across Rwanda, where they will be entitled to full protection under Rwanda’s law, equal access to employment, and enrolment in health care and social care services, according to officials.
CIA Director William Burns, in his first public address since assuming the agency's top role, said China is working as Russian President Vladimir Putin's "silent partner" in his war against Ukraine.
The US denied Iranian claims that a deal has been reached to unfreeze $7 billion in the Islamic Republic's overseas funds. An Iranian media report earlier had claimed that the deal was part of an agreement to secure the release of Iranian Americans detained in Iran.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that Tehran will not allow Israel to threaten the security of Iran and the region. Speaking during a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Raisi said Iran "seriously expects" neighboring countries, especially Iraq, to not allow the presence of entities that endanger Iran's security, either in areas controlled by the federal government or in the Kurdish region.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the truce in the Yemeni war is "broadly" holding, which offers a moment of respite for Yemenis and a possibility to pursue peace.
