By Esra Tekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including the EU's "strong" condemnation of US visa restrictions on five prominent European figures, vowing "swift, decisive" action, the Turkish foreign minister's meeting with a Hamas delegation in the capital Ankara on the situation in Gaza and its peace plan, and Türkiye recovering the voice recorder and black box of a plane crash that killed Libya’s army chief.
TOP STORIES
- EU 'strongly condemns' US visa restrictions on 5 Europeans, vows 'swift, decisive' action
The EU on Wednesday "strongly condemned" the US decision to impose visa restrictions on five prominent Europeans, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, pledging "swift and decisive" measures to protect the bloc's regulatory autonomy.
In a statement, the commission described freedom of expression as a "fundamental European right and a shared core value with the United States," stressing that the EU is an "open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign authority to regulate economic activity in line with democratic values and international commitments."
"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination," the statement said, adding that Brussels has requested clarifications from US authorities and remains engaged on the matter.
- Turkish foreign minister meets Hamas delegation in Ankara on situation in Gaza, peace plan
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Wednesday in the capital Ankara with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
During the meeting, Fidan and the delegation reviewed the latest developments in Gaza, ministry sources said.
The talks included an exchange of views on phase two of the Gaza peace plan.
- Türkiye recovers voice recorder, black box after plane crash that killed Libyan army chief
The black box and cockpit voice recorder were recovered early Wednesday from the wreckage of a private jet that crashed near the capital Ankara a day earlier killing Libya’s army chief and all others on board, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
Yerlikaya told reporters that the wreckage is spread out roughly 3 square kilometers (about 1.16 square miles)
"Thanks to work at the scene by teams from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry’s Transportation Safety Investigation Center, the aircraft’s voice recorder was recovered in the wreckage area at 2.45 am (2345GMT Tuesday), and the black box was found at 3.20 am (local time),” he said.
The process of examining and evaluating these devices has begun, he added.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- A magnitude 6 earthquake jolted Taiwan on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday condemned visa restriction measures imposed by the US on former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other prominent European figures, calling them acts of “intimidation and coercion."
- Thailand and Cambodia held their first military talks in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province amid fresh clashes Wednesday, as the death toll on both sides stood in the dozens, according to the Thai Enquirer news website.
- An investigation has been launched into the tragic incident involving an aircraft carrying a Libyan military delegation, “which deeply saddened us,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
- Erdogan on Wednesday also said Israel has failed to honor its commitments and is deliberately obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- Fourteen states on Wednesday condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning the decision violates international law and threatens prospects for peace in the region.
- Conservative National Party candidate Nasry Asfura has won Honduras’ presidential election, said election officials in the Central American country Wednesday.
- A key leader of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group was captured late Wednesday in a joint operation by Syrian security forces and the US-led international coalition against terrorism in a rural area near the capital Damascus.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- US investigating Tesla emergency door release mechanism
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into concerns that the emergency door release mechanism in Tesla Model 3 vehicles is not easily accessible or clearly identifiable, the agency said Wednesday.
The investigation covers nearly 180,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles from the 2022 model year, the statement said.
The Office of Defects Investigation received a defect petition on Nov. 24 alleging that the mechanical door release mechanism is hidden, unlabeled, and difficult to locate intuitively in an emergency, it added.
- New York stock market closes higher in holiday-shortened session
The New York stock market ended the day before the Christmas holiday on a high note, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes hitting record highs at close.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%, or 288.75 points, to close at 48,731.16.
The Nasdaq increased 0.22%, or 51.46 points, to 23,613.31, while the S&P 500 earned 0.32%, or 22.26 points, to reach 6,932.05.