ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including a bomb threat in central London, deadly wildfires in Los Angeles, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks regarding the PKK terror group.

TOP STORIES

• Central London shopping street evacuated over bomb threat

Regent Street, a major shopping street in central London, was evacuated due to reports of a bomb threat, with police urging the public to avoid the area while investigations continue.

Footage shared on social media shows a significant emergency services presence including police, ambulances and fire vehicles near Regent Street.

A police cordon has been established, blocking pedestrian access and forcing the evacuation of multiple premises.

• US 'working closely with ally, partner' Türkiye over its 'very legitimate concerns on PKK, terrorism': Blinken

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has been working with Türkiye, which "has very legitimate concerns" regarding the PKK terror group and terrorism.

"We've been working very closely as well with our ally, our partner…(Türkiye) which has very legitimate concerns, of course, about the PKK and about terrorism to navigate this transition, to navigate it in a way that I think leads to a resolution of many of those concerns," Blinken said in a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris.

He emphasized efforts to address these challenges while navigating the complexities of the evolving situation in Syria.

• Wildfires tear through Los Angeles, killing 5, burning more than 1,000 homes, businesses

Fierce wildfires fueled by severe windstorms and bone-dry conditions spread rapidly across parts of north and northwest Los Angeles after claiming five lives and setting more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures ablaze.

The Palisades Fire remains the largest after being the first to erupt Tuesday morning around 10.30 a.m. local time (1830GMT), burning nearly 16,000 acres as it rapidly spreads in and around the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood near the coast.

Firefighters are struggling to bring the wind-fueled blaze near the coast under control while also battling two other major infernos in the Los Angeles area. The Eaton Fire northeast of downtown Los Angeles has burned 10,600 acres. The Hurst Fire to the northwest of downtown has grown to over 500 acres.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Syria's UN Ambassador Qusay Al-Dahhak called for the full removal of sanctions imposed on Syria, emphasizing that these measures primarily targeted the previous regime.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke over the phone with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and expressed “full support” for the establishment of lasting peace in the South Caucasus region.
• Chad’s armed forces said the situation was “under control” following a heavy exchange of gunfire near the presidential palace in the capital N'Djamena.
• Patients in England are being advised to seek alternative services as growing pressure from flu and other respiratory illness cases forces many hospitals to declare a "critical incident."
• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Canberra’s decision to ban social media for youth under 16 has been applauded by leaders worldwide.
• Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been freed from an Iranian prison after three weeks of detention and is en route to Italy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office announced.
• Kabul "totally rejected" US President-elect Donald Trump's claim that outgoing President Joe Biden's administration is paying billions of dollars to the Taliban in Afghanistan, claiming Washington did not pay a single penny and instead confiscated Afghanistan's money.
• Germany said it is considering to support the partial lifting of EU sanctions on Syria.
• The UN deputy high commissioner for human rights called on Russia to halt the summary executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war, saying such executions "constitute a war crime."

• Germany criticized far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for destroying the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the occupied West Bank just like Jabalia in northern Gaza.
• President-elect Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to halt his criminal hush money sentencing scheduled for Friday, according to media reports.
  

SPORTS

• Nigeria appoint Eric Chelle as new head coach of Super Eagles

Nigeria named Eric Sekou Chelle as the new head coach of the national football team, the Super Eagles.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said in a statement that Chelle "has the responsibility of guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals." The federation, however, did not disclose the length of Chelle's contract.

The former Mali international, who spent just over two years managing the country's national team, was dismissed in June 2024. The 47-year-old led Mali to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.​​​​

• Patrick Kluivert becomes new head coach of Indonesia

Former Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert was appointed as the new head coach of Indonesia, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) announced.

"PSSI has officially appointed Patrick Kluivert as the new coach of the Indonesian National Team," the PSSI wrote on their official website.

The former Dutch international replaced Shin Tae-yong, who was dismissed earlier this week. His contract runs from 2025 to 2027, with an option to extend.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Turkish Airlines serves 83.4M passengers in 2024

The number of passengers carried by Turkish Airlines rose 2.1% on a yearly basis to 83.4 million in 2024, according to a statement.

Türkiye's flag carrier served 31.7 million international passengers, up 6.4%, it said.

The load factor dropped by 0.4 percentage points to 82.2% year-on-year in 2024, it noted, adding it was at 81.8% for international flights and 85.8% for domestic flights.

• Türkiye saw nearly 100,000 electric car sales in 2024

Sales of fully electric cars in Türkiye increased 51.7% to 99,489 units year-on-year in December 2024, according to data from the Turkish Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD).

The market share of fully electric cars in total sales increased from 6.8% to 10.1% and the share of hybrid cars increased from 11.1% to 18.8% compared to the same period of 2023.

The market share of fully electric, extended-range electric and hybrid vehicles increase to 29.5% year-on-year.

According to ODMD data, Türkiye's Togg completed 2024 as the leader in the electric car market.