Turkey Restarts Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media after attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media after attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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Turkey Restarts Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media after attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media after attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey had resumed energy exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean as Greece had not kept its promises regarding such activities in the region.

"We have started drilling work again," Erdogan told reporters on Friday.

He said Turkey's Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, a seismic survey vessel, had been sent to the region to carry out its duties. The ship moved into waters off Cyprus in late July and remains in that region.

Erdogan made the comments when asked about an accord signed by Egypt and Greece on Thursday designating an exclusive economic zone between the two nations in the east Mediterranean.

Diplomats in Greece said their agreement nullified an accord reached last year between Turkey and the internationally recognized government of Libya, Reuters reported.

However, Erdogan said the Egypt-Greece accord was of no value and that Turkey would sustain its agreement with Libya "decisively".

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said the Egypt-Greece zone falls in the area of Turkey's continental shelf.

Turkey and Greece are also at odds over a range of issues from flights over each other's territory in the Aegean Sea to ethnically divided Cyprus.



White House Insists Trump Is ‘Still Your President’ After Midterm Rout

US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm campaign rally at Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa, US, November 1, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm campaign rally at Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa, US, November 1, 2026. (Reuters)
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White House Insists Trump Is ‘Still Your President’ After Midterm Rout

US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm campaign rally at Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa, US, November 1, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm campaign rally at Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa, US, November 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Donald Trump is "still your president," the White House said Wednesday, a day after his Republican Party suffered sweeping losses in midterm elections seen as a referendum on his second term.

The White House delivered the message in a post on X featuring a picture of a glaring Trump looming over the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

"PSA: TRUMP IS STILL YOUR PRESIDENT," text superimposed on the image said, using the abbreviation for public service announcement.

"Thank you for your attention to this matter," the post added, using a phrase Trump frequently employs in his social media messages.

Opposition Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate on Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Trump and the Republican Party.

The Democratic capture of Congress signals an end to Trump's stranglehold on US politics and gives Democrats the power to pass legislation, launch investigations into Trump's administration and thwart his appointments.

The results reflected deep frustration over the cost of living, tariffs and Trump's war with Iran, which has sent prices soaring and compounded dissatisfaction with an already deeply unpopular president.

But Trump has threatened to use his veto power, raising questions about how much Democrats can achieve even with control of both the House and Senate.


US VP Vance Says Iran War Is ‘the Reason We Lost’ Midterms

 Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Swanton, Ohio. (AP)
Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Swanton, Ohio. (AP)
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US VP Vance Says Iran War Is ‘the Reason We Lost’ Midterms

 Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Swanton, Ohio. (AP)
Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Swanton, Ohio. (AP)

US Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the Iran war doomed Republicans in the midterm elections, as he sought to distance himself from the conflict ahead of a possible 2028 White House run.

"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance said in a lengthy post on X -- apparently referring to President Donald Trump saying the Iran war was "part of it" but that it was still justified.

"Everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there," added Vance, who had reportedly been skeptical about the war Trump launched in February.


Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Awards Melania Trump State Honor

US First Lady Melania Trump stands on the day she casts her ballot in the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
US First Lady Melania Trump stands on the day she casts her ballot in the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Awards Melania Trump State Honor

US First Lady Melania Trump stands on the day she casts her ballot in the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
US First Lady Melania Trump stands on the day she casts her ballot in the 2026 midterm elections at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukrainian ‌President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has awarded US first lady Melania Trump a state honor for her role in helping to organize a humanitarian evacuation from a frontline town last week, according to a decree published on ‌Wednesday.

The presidential ‌decree, dated November ‌2, ⁠cited her "significant personal ⁠contribution" to humanitarian support for Ukraine and her work to help Ukrainian children, including those deported or forcibly moved from Russian-occupied ⁠territory.

The award - the ‌Order of ‌Princess Olga, 1st class - honors women ‌who have made ‌exceptional contributions in spheres including science, education, culture and charitable work.

Ukrainian officials have said Melania ‌Trump played a pivotal role in organizing the six-day ⁠ceasefire ⁠to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which concluded on Sunday.

It was the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Nearly 800 people were evacuated, Melania Trump said.