February 1, 2023

Daily News Brief

*) US to lose neutrality if OKs Greece's F35s, rejects Türkiye's F16s: Kalin The US will lose its "neutrality" in NATO if the Congress approves the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Greece and opposes Türkiye's F-16 purchase. This is what Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has said. Kalin also said Türkiye will not accept any preconditions, such as ratification of Sweden and Finland's NATO bid, for the F-16 programme. Ankara has maintained the jets would strengthen not only Türkiye, but also NATO. *) Netanyahu says Israel is considering weapons aid to Ukraine Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is considering military aid to Ukraine and even willing to serve as a mediator, after the US called for Tel Aviv’s more active role. For now, Netanyahu made no firm commitments to Ukraine. Israel has preserved a relationship with Russia, which controls the skies in neighbouring Syria and has turned a blind eye to Tel Aviv's strikes on targets of Iran. *) US-India alliance look to challenge China The US has formally launched a partnership with India that President Joe Biden hopes will help the two countries compete against China. The White House is looking to engage with New Delhi for cooperation in areas of military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The US and India have emerged as natural allies to counter China’s rising influence, not only in the region but also globally. *) The case of fake medicines in Africa's Sahel region Up to 50 percent of medicines in West Africa are substandard or fake, the UN has warned in a report on the illicit trade in medical products. The global body said it can lead to antimicrobial resistance or toxic contaminants while undermining trust in healthcare systems. Across sub-Saharan Africa, up to $44.7 million per year is spent on treating people who have used counterfeit or substandard malaria treatments. And finally… *) Palestinians protest Israeli plans to demolish Bedouin homes Dozens of Palestinians and foreign activists are staging a sit-in to protest Israeli plans to demolish the Khan al Ahmar Bedouin community in occupied East Jerusalem. A representative of the Khan al Ahmar residents tells Anadolu Agency their protest is aimed at confronting Israeli plans to forcibly displace the residents of the community. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government had a Wednesday deadline to present its demolition plan to the Supreme Court.