January 19, 2024

*) US says ‘no way’ to solve conflict without Palestinian state There is “no way” to solve Israel’s long-term security challenges in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding besieged Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference he had told Washington that he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel’s security. *) Israel’s war on Gaza to hit economies across Middle East: Qatar The war in Gaza will hit economies across the Middle East if it is not resolved and the conflict urgently needs a non-military solution, Qatar’s Finance Minister Ali al Kuwari said. He also noted that the solution is really to look for a permanent solution for the main issue in the Middle East which is the Palestinian problem. Al Kuwari added this cannot be fixed by military actions. *) North Korea says tested ‘underwater nuclear weapon system’ North Korea has tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, which involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, state media said. The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system in the East Sea of Korea,” according to the country's defence ministry. North Korea has been stepping up pressure on Seoul in recent weeks, declaring it the “principal enemy,” saying the North will never reunite with the South and vowing to enhance its military capabilities. *) Pakistan strikes show Iran not ‘well-liked’ in region: Biden US President Joe Biden has said air strikes by Pakistan and Iran on each other’s territory showed Tehran was not “well-liked,” as the White House warned against any escalation. The US president stressed that Washington was now trying to understand how the Iran-Pakistan situation would develop, adding: “Where that goes we’re working on now – I don’t know where that goes.” Tensions between Islamabad and Tehran have soared after Iran struck alleged militant targets in Pakistan and Pakistan responded in kind. And finally… *) Türkiye propels into space history with launch of country’s first astronaut Colonel Alper Gezeravci, a fighter pilot in the Turkish Air Force, has blasted off to space for a two-week mission in the International Space Station, putting Türkiye among the group of nations that have successfully sent astronauts into space. Colonel Gezeravci told TRT World in an exclusive interview that “it’s a very symbolic, important step. However, it’s not the last. It’s the beginning of a journey for our great country.” Gezeravci’s highly anticipated first remarks in space were an echo from the early years of the Turkish Republic, as he quoted the country’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: “İstikbal göklerdedir (meaning, the future is in the skies)!"