Author: Berke Behcet

Saudi Arabia unveiled on Wednesday its intention to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the bid for 2034 aims to deliver a world-class tournament and seeks inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation, as well as the country’s deep-rooted passion for football, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup bid is bolstered by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.…

That’s the view of the town’s MP Simon Fell, who has launched a campaign and raised the issue in the House of Commons. In Business Questions to the Leader of the House, Mr Fell said that following Barrow’s recent celebration of 150 years of naval shipbuilding, it is time for the town to receive royal status. The campaign has already received support from the former Lord Lieutenant, BAE, Westmorland and Furness Council, Cando FM, the Rotary Club, as well as local arts and community groups.  Leader of the House, The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, said she recognised the contribution Barrow has made…

Türkiye and Greece have agreed to build a new bridge at the Ipsala-Kipoi border crossing on the Maritsa River that divides the two countries, the daily Milliyet reported on Monday. The existing bridge on the border river dates back to 1958, the Turkish newspaper quoted Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu as saying. The old bridge has been deemed insufficient to handle the heavy vehicle traffic and the increase in tourist activity, Uraloglu said. He said the two countries had agreed to put out separate tenders for the construction of the respective side of the bridge and to…

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Monday that the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 18,000 as a result of the Hamas-Israel conflict since Oct. 7. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said during a press conference that the bodies of 208 dead Palestinians were transferred to hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, and 416 Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli raids. As of Monday, a total of 18,205 Palestinians have been killed and 49,645 others wounded in the Hamas-Israel conflict, according to Al-Qedra. He called on medical teams around the world to…

Five workers trapped in a crude oil reservoir in western Iran died due to gas poisoning, the official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. The workers were trapped in a 20-liter crude reservoir at an oil transfer center of the Kuhdasht County in the Iranian province of Lorestan, public relations director of the Iranian Oil Pipeline and Telecommunication Company Ezzatollah Mir-Hosseini told IRNA. Five bodies have been spotted in the reservoir but due to poisonous gas, rescuers could not get in immediately to retrieve them, said Kuhdasht County Mohammad Moradi. According to the IRNA report, the workers, who were the…

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed on Saturday his country’s deep regret over the use of the veto in the United Nations Security Council against a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the rescue of the deteriorating humanitarian situation. In the United Nations Security Council session on Friday, a resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip”, which was proposed by the United Arab Emirates and widely supported internationally, failed to pass. Among the 15 Security Council member states, 13 voted in favor of the resolution, Britain abstained, and…

Tajikistan’s president has, in a move that some are reading as a response to recent bellicose remarks by the head of Kyrgyzstan’s security service, transferred control of almost all airports in near-border areas to the armed forces. According to the terms of the decree obtained by local media on September 25, all airports bordering Afghanistan, with the exception of one in the city of Khorog, as well as those near Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will now be managed by the Defense Ministry. The decree covers 18 facilities in total. The bulk of the airports has lain all but idle since the fall of…

Saudi Arabia on Friday denounced Israel’s call for Gaza City residents to move to the southern part of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours ahead of a possible ground offensive and condemned Israel’s ongoing targeting of civilians. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called on the international community to act swiftly to stop all military escalation against civilians and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. It also called upon the international community to provide the needed aid and medical supplies for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The ministry stressed that the deprivation of basic necessities for a decent life violates international…

Chinese oil company Sinopec Group on Sunday donated over 1,000 books to the King Saud University (KSU) in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. The donation from Sinopec’s Middle East office comprises books spanning topics like China’s socio-economic development, history, culture, arts, technological advancement, and Chinese language. Zhang Jianchun, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Vice President of KSU Yazeed Al-Sheikh attended the event and jointly unveiled the “Silk Road Library Chinese Bookshelf.” Zhang said in his speech that both the Chinese and Saudi people are diligently striving for their respective…

Saudi Arabia on Sunday strongly condemned the burning of a copy of the Islamic holy book of the Quran in the Swedish city of Malmo, a move which the kingdom says was carried out with “the knowledge of the local authorities.” The Saudi Foreign Ministry “reiterated the kingdom’s rejection of such flagrant acts,” and said such a move had inflamed the feelings of millions of Muslims worldwide, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ministry called on the Swedish authorities to deal with Quran desecrations in a timely manner and stop giving permission to those who plan to take similar actions.…