Sayidina

LOKASI

  • Iran closes western, central airspace to intl. overflights

    TEHRAN, Jul. 02 – Iran’s transportation ministry has announced that the country’s western and central airspace will be closed to all flights just days after it allowed international transit flights to use the skies over those regions.

    The spokesman of the Iranian Roads and Urban Development Ministry or the transportation ministry in short Majid Akhavan said on Wednesday that the decision to close the airspace had been made by a coordination committee of Iran’s civil aviation authority while taking into account security and safety issues.

    “… the country’s central and western airspace was closed again to international overflights, but the eastern half of the country’s airspace is open to domestic, international, and transit flights,” said Akhavan, Press TV reported.

    He reiterated that airports in the south, north, and west of Iran, including Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports in the capital Tehran, would still remain closed, adding that domestic and international flight cancellations for the area had been extended until Thursday, 14:00 local time.

    Iranian authorities opened skies over central and western Iran for international overflights on Saturday, four days after a war with the Israeli regime ended as part of a ceasefire.

    The Iranian airspace had been partially opened on June 25, a day after the ceasefire was announced.

    That allowed Iran to return tens of thousands of pilgrims remaining in Saudi Arabia since early June, when they finished performing their hajj rituals.

    It was not clear why authorities had decided to close Iran’s central and western airspace on Wednesday, although there have been speculations that the Israeli regime may violate the ceasefire and launch renewed attacks on the country.

    Israel’s aggression on Iran, which started on June 13, prompted a fierce response from the Iranian armed forces as they targeted various areas in the Israeli-occupied territories with missiles and drones, causing a major disruption to international aviation services in the entire West Asia region.

    Iran has warned that its response to any new attack would be much harder than those shown last month.

    MEHR, 2.7.2025

  • 7 missing after fireworks warehouse explosions in Northern California

    LOS ANGELES, July 2 – Seven people are unaccounted for after a series of explosions at a fireworks warehouse sparked a wildfire on Tuesday in Northern California, the United States, local authorities said Wednesday.

    The explosions occurred at a facility in Yolo County, northwest of Sacramento, igniting the fire around 6 p.m. Tuesday local time (0100 GMT Wednesday) in the town of Esparto.

    The fire was not contained as of Wednesday noon, according to an update of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

    Yolo County officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for a one-mile radius surrounding the site. The County Sheriff’s Office advised residents to avoid the area for several days while investigations into the cause of the explosions continue.

    As of late morning Wednesday, Cal Fire reported that seven individuals remained missing. Emergency personnel are actively working to determine their whereabouts.

    The accident also caused power outages affecting nearly 2,200 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric in the surrounding area.

    XINHUA

  • Norway launches first national strategy for radiation protection, nuclear safety

    OSLO, July 2 – Norway has introduced its first-ever national strategy for radiation protection and nuclear safety, a move aimed at strengthening the country’s health preparedness and security amid rising global tensions, Norwegian authorities said in a press release on Wednesday.

    The new strategy defines Norway’s international obligations in the areas of radiation protection, nuclear safety, and emergency preparedness. It also addresses the shortcomings identified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during its review of Norway’s radiation safety systems in 2019.

    “I am very pleased that we are now putting in place the country’s first national strategy in this area. It helps to increase health preparedness and security in our country,” said Jan Christian Vestre, minister of health and care services.

    Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide emphasized the growing relevance of nuclear safety issues. “Tensions in the world have increased, and issues related to radiation protection and nuclear safety have not been more important.” He added that Norway intends to play an active role in international cooperation on these matters.

    The national strategy commits Norway to maintaining a high level of radiation protection to safeguard human health and the environment. It sets out 10 key goals, including ensuring independent regulatory oversight, strengthening safety regulations, adopting a life-cycle approach to radiation-related activities, and minimizing the risk of radiation and nuclear incidents.

    Norway also aims to improve patient safety in the medical use of radiation, enhance the management of radiation sources beyond governmental control, and ensure all radiation-related activities in the country prioritize safety as the highest concern. Additionally, the strategy underscores the importance of openness, transparency, and coordination in Norway’s radiation protection and nuclear safety systems.

    XINHUA

  • ‘War on children’ highlights EU’s double standard on human rights: Rights group

    ​​​​​​​BRUSSELS – A leading child rights organization has accused the EU of having a “double standard” on human rights on Wednesday by remaining silent in the face of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, particularly its effect on children.

    Eurochild condemned the EU’s lack of decisive action and urged the European Commission to push for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, ensure full humanitarian access and suspend agreements with Israel until it complies with international law.

    The organization said Israel’s blockade has deliberately restricted access to food, water and medical supplies, while aid convoys have come under fire. “This isn’t a battle between two armies, but a campaign of violence against a starving population, where children are among the primary victims,” it said.

    It warned that the EU’s failure to act damages its global credibility and risks enabling further atrocities, and undermining the international legal order.

    “These war crimes would provoke a strong international response elsewhere,” it said. “The European Union has both the influence and responsibility to act decisively. Failure to act now will be devastating,” it added.

    Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • Gaza death toll passes 57,000 as Israel continues genocidal war against Palestinians

    ISTANBUL – At least 57,012 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday.

    A statement said that 142 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, with 487 people injured, taking the number of injuries to 134,592 in the Israeli onslaught.

    “Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

    The ministry explained that 223 dead people have been added to the registry after their data has been verified.

    Israel resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 6,454 victims and injured 22,551, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • 4 arrested in Türkiye for publishing cartoon of Prophet Muhammad, insulting religious values

    ISTANBUL – Four people were arrested Wednesday in Türkiye as part of an ongoing investigation into the publication of controversial caricatures depicting Prophet Mohammad and Prophet Moses in Leman magazine.

    ​​​​​​​The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office promptly launched the inquiry following the satirical magazine’s recent release of the caricatures, which were considered deeply offensive to religious values.

    The cartoon, featured in the June 26 edition of satirical magazine Leman, alluded to the recent Israel-Iran conflict and portrayed the Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet Moses shaking hands over a city reduced to rubble.

    Those detained include Zafer Aknar, editor-in-chief of Leman magazine; graphic designer Cebrail Okcu; cartoonist Dogan Pehlevan; and institution director Ali Yavuz. They have been referred to the court on charges of “publicly insulting religious values” and “inciting hatred and hostility among the public.”

    The prosecution also filed charges against Pehlevan for “insulting the president” alongside “inciting hatred,” while Aknar, Okcu, and Yavuz face similar allegations related to spreading hostility and humiliation.

    Islamic tradition strictly forbids visual representations of the prophets, including Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses, who is also revered in Judaism and Christianity. The publication of the cartoons provoked widespread concern across the country.

    In response, protesters gathered outside the Leman magazine office in Istanbul, reflecting the strong societal demand for protecting religious respect and unity.

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • Israel restricts baby formula, medical access into Gaza amid child hunger crisis: Report

    ISTANBUL – Israeli authorities are facing renewed accusations of using hunger as a weapon of war after seizing cans of baby formula from a US doctor en route to Gaza, according to a report published Wednesday.

    The accusations come as aid groups and medical professionals report mounting child deaths from malnutrition in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

    In late June, an American doctor preparing to enter Gaza on a humanitarian mission had packed powdered baby formula, gauze, and medical supplies. But after arriving at the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan to the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces confiscated the formula, Le Monde reported.

    “The baby formula was confiscated,” Palestinian-German surgeon Diana Nazzal, who coordinated the convoy, told the daily.

    “What other explanation is there if it’s not that hunger is being used as a weapon of war in the ongoing genocide in Gaza?” Nazzal said in an exclusive interview with Le Monde.

    Local health workers say baby formula, especially specialized types for premature or lactose-intolerant infants, remains critically scarce in Gaza, where widespread malnutrition has made it impossible for many mothers to breastfeed.

    The Israeli army’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said it has facilitated the delivery of over 1,000 metric tons of baby food since May 19, when a full blockade was marginally eased. However, doctors on the ground warn that supplies remain insufficient.

    Ahmad al-Farra, head of pediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, said in June that stocks of specialized formula were nearly depleted.

    While limited shipments have since arrived from US-based NGO Rahma, two babies died at the hospital in late June due to hunger and lack of care, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

    Between March and mid-May, 57 children died from malnutrition, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, a figure echoed by the World Health Organization.

    Access for foreign doctors has also tightened. British orthopedic surgeon Graeme Groom said that in May, he was “not allowed to bring anything with him” for the first time in two years, including critical surgical tools. “I saw babies who were just skin and bones,” he said.

    American physician Thaer Ahmad, who has faced repeated refusals from COGAT despite WHO-approved applications, said the Israeli restrictions were contributing to the “unraveling of Palestinian health and education institutions.”

    “Speaking out means risking not being able to return to Gaza,” said French general practitioner Catherine Le Scolan-Quere. “But staying silent means letting Gazans be killed in silence.”

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • Euro-Med Monitor accuses Israel of using evacuation orders to forcibly depopulate Gaza

    GENEVA – Israel is continuing its campaign of forced displacement in Gaza through successive evacuation orders, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor warned Wednesday, calling the pattern part of a broader plan to erase the Palestinian presence.

    Between June 28 and 30, Israeli forces issued three new evacuation orders affecting large areas of Gaza City and the north, displacing tens of thousands, the rights group said in a statement.

    Since March 18, when Israel withdrew from a temporary ceasefire, the army has issued 51 such orders, covering over 85% of the territory.

    “These practices have driven residents into an area comprising less than 15 percent of the enclave,” Euro-Med Monitor said, warning that displacement has become an open objective, not tied to military necessity.

    Residents described fleeing under bombardment with nowhere safe to go, it noted. “Every place said to be safe is being bombed. There is nowhere to hide except under the open sky,” said Mohammed Hillis of Shuja’iyya.

    Another survivor, Maram Abdel Aal, said: “Entire families were killed in their tents. Not a single neighboring family survived.”

    The group said Israel’s actions meet the legal threshold for “war crimes and genocide,” citing mass displacement, starvation, and the targeting of shelters.

    It urged states to impose sanctions, halt arms transfers, and enforce International Criminal Court arrest warrants, adding: “There is no immunity for international crimes.”

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • Lawmaker wants ban on Israeli military companies accessing EU funds over Gaza

    ​​​​​​​ISTANBUL – A Spanish member of the European Parliament said Wednesday he wants the European Commission to ban Israeli military companies from accessing EU funds, citing their potential use in the war in the Gaza Strip.

    Nacho Sanchez Amor, a socialist MEP and member of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, said the EU must avoid “double standards” in addressing human rights violations.

    “The EU cannot fall under double standards when it comes to HumanRightsViolations & it cannot be accessory to Netanyahu genocidal actions,” Amor wrote on X, referencing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pursued a war of genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza since late 2023.

    The lawmaker said he made the demand, along with Spanish MEP Sandra Gomez, tagging the European Commission in the appeal.

    “With @SanGomezLopez we ask @EU_Commission to bar Israeli military companies from accessing EU funds that can be used in #Gaza,” he added.

    ANADOLU, 2.7.2025

  • 5 killed, 6 injured in Ugandan military helicopter crash in Somalia

    KAMPALA/MOGADISHU, July 2 – Five people were killed and six others injured when a Ugandan military helicopter crashed Wednesday in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, according to a statement issued by the Ugandan military.

    The statement said the helicopter was carrying eight personnel, including six crew members. The pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer survived but sustained serious injuries and severe burns. The other passengers were killed, while three civilians on the ground were also injured.

    The Mi-24 helicopter went down about 200 meters east of the North Ramp at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, triggering a detonation of onboard munitions and causing damage to nearby structures, the statement added.

    All the injured, both crew members and civilians, were evacuated to a nearby African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) hospital for treatment.

    A joint emergency response team comprising firefighters from Mogadishu airport and the United Nations, along with ATMIS explosive ordnance disposal personnel responded to the scene and is supporting rescue operations.

    According to Ugandan military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye, a team will soon be dispatched to Mogadishu to investigate the cause of the crash. The helicopter was returning from a routine escort mission at the time of the incident.

    The Ugandan military has ruled out the possibility of an external attack, with Kulayigye saying that Mogadishu has largely been cleared of the al-Shabab militant group, making it unlikely that the Mi-24 helicopter was shot down.

    “Being an attack helicopter, it was loaded with rockets, so the rockets caused the fire. If it was an external action, we would not be talking about investigations because we would have known the cause,” he said.

    “Of course it (the crash) does affect the proficiency of escort duties for those convoys that carry logistics. When one helicopter is out of action, you certainly feel the pinch. But it will not stop the work that is being done,” Kulayigye added.

    The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) confirmed the accident, saying that the helicopter, operated by the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces contingent, crash-landed at around 7:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) after departing from Baledogle Airfield, about 90 kilometers northwest of the Somali capital.

    “Three of the eight passengers on board were immediately rescued and rushed to the AUSSOM Level II hospital in Mogadishu for medical attention,” AUSSOM said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

    Ahmed Macallin Hassan, director general of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, said flight operations at the airport were continuing as normal, although a section of the runway has been temporarily closed due to debris from the crash.

    Last September, the Ugandan military lost a transport helicopter while flying from Mogadishu to Baledogle Airfield. All four peacekeepers on board survived that incident, according to the military.

    Uganda has been one of the key troop-contributing countries to the African Union peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa since 2007.

    XINHUA, 2.7.2025