عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Sweden, Finland Must Send up to 130 ‘Terrorists’ to Türkiye for NATO Bid, Erdogan Says

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
TT
TT

Sweden, Finland Must Send up to 130 ‘Terrorists’ to Türkiye for NATO Bid, Erdogan Says

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addresses his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) in Ankara on November 23, 2022. (AFP)

Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 "terrorists" to Türkiye before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but their bids must be approved by all 30 NATO member states. Türkiye and Hungary have yet to endorse the applications.

Türkiye has said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.

"We said look, so if you don't hand over your terrorists to us, we can't pass it (approval of the NATO application) through the parliament anyway," Erdogan said in comments late on Sunday, referring to a joint press conference he held with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last November.

"For this to pass the parliament, first of all you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us," Erdogan said.

Finnish politicians interpreted Erdogan's demand as an angry response to an incident in Stockholm last week in which an effigy of the Turkish leader was strung up during what appeared to be a small protest.

"This must have been a reaction, I believe, to the events of the past days," Finland's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto told public broadcaster YLE.

Haavisto said he was not aware of any new official demands from Türkiye.

In response to the incident in Stockholm, Türkiye cancelled a planned visit to Ankara of the Swedish speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen, who instead came to Helsinki on Monday.

"We stress that in Finland and in Sweden we have freedom of expression. We cannot control it," the speaker of the Finnish parliament, Matti Vanhanen, told reporters at a joint news conference with Norlen.

Separately on Monday Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson said that his country was in a "good position" to secure Türkiye’s ratification of its NATO bid.

Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Saturday that time was running out for Türkiye’s parliament to ratify the bids before presidential and parliamentary elections expected in May.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Mexico's Jalisco Cautiously Tries Returning to Normal after Cartel Violence

Mexican soldiers patrol in armored vehicles in Acapulco after authorities reinforced security following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by organized crime in several states, in the aftermath of a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Acapulco, Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Mexican soldiers patrol in armored vehicles in Acapulco after authorities reinforced security following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by organized crime in several states, in the aftermath of a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Acapulco, Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
TT
TT

Mexico's Jalisco Cautiously Tries Returning to Normal after Cartel Violence

Mexican soldiers patrol in armored vehicles in Acapulco after authorities reinforced security following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by organized crime in several states, in the aftermath of a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Acapulco, Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Mexican soldiers patrol in armored vehicles in Acapulco after authorities reinforced security following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by organized crime in several states, in the aftermath of a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Acapulco, Mexico, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero

Residents of Jalisco cautiously peeked their heads out Monday after waves of retaliatory cartel violence rocked the Mexican state over the weekend following the death of a major drug kingpin.

Schools were closed in state capital Guadalajara, as were many businesses, said AFP.

Public transportation partially resumed -- though buses carried few passengers.

Those going about town seemed to mostly be headed to the grocery store to stock up in case gang members decided to block roads and set fire to vehicles and shops again, as they did after the army announced it killed Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera.

The powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel died from his wounds in a shootout with authorities Sunday, sparking a wave of retaliatory violence including a prison break.

In Guadalajara, Matias Mora was too scared to leave his home after "they burned down the pharmacy."

But cautiously, the taxi driver took to the streets for work Monday.

"We were short on food," he said.

Nearly "everything" is closed "and there are huge lines to buy things" at the few places that are open, Juan Soler, a retiree, told AFP.

"We were locked inside, terrified," Maria de Jesus Gonzalez said as she moved forward through a long line at the supermarket.

As shopping carts ran out, some patrons bought laundry baskets to load their groceries in.

In the city's streets, authorities removed burnt vehicles reduced to twisted, smoke-stained metal structures.

But not all was calm across the state of Jalisco.

On the road to Tapalpa, the city where Oseguera fought his last stand, cartel members still manned roadblocks.

Authorities have said the worst of the violence has passed, with most blockades ending across the country.

- More to come? -

Some 10,000 troops have been deployed to restore calm after violence erupted across 20 of Mexico's 32 states Sunday, including in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, popular with international tourists.

Oseguera, 59, was considered the last of the drug lords who acted in the brutal mold of the now-imprisoned Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, of the rival Sinaloa cartel.

He was a founding member of New Generation, which was formed in 2009 and has grown into one of Mexico's most violent crime organizations.

During the raid on Oseguera and subsequent clashes, at least 27 members of security forces, 46 suspected criminals and one civilian were killed, authorities reported.

Though Oseguera's death is being hailed as a victory, the wave of violence over the weekend was perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

Experts have warned the "absence of a direct succession" within New Generation could lead to a power vacuum -- and violent fights to fill it.

World

Risk of ‘Escalation’ if Iran Attacked, Warns Deputy Foreign Minister

Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Risk of ‘Escalation’ if Iran Attacked, Warns Deputy Foreign Minister

Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past shops selling food ahead of Iftar, the Ramadan fast-breaking meal, in northern Tehran on February 23, 2026. (AFP)

Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked, after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes.

Trump has sent a major deployment of air and sea power to the Middle East and has threatened to strike Iran if it does not reach a deal on key concerns starting with its nuclear program.

"We call upon all nations committed to peace and justice to take meaningful steps to prevent further escalation," Gharibabadi said at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

"The consequences of any renewed aggression wouldn't remain confined to one country -- and responsibility would rest with those who initiate or support such actions."

Iranian and US negotiators held indirect talks in Geneva last week on Tehran's nuclear program, hosted by Oman.

A fresh round of talks in the Swiss city this Thursday has been confirmed by Muscat, though not by Washington.

"Iran remains committed to diplomacy and dialogue as the most effective path towards de-escalation and sustainable security," Gharibabadi said.

"Recent diplomatic engagement here in Geneva, which will continue this Thursday, demonstrates that a new window of opportunity exists for negotiations to address differences and build confidence -- provided that they uphold mutual respect, equitable treatment and non-selective application of international norms.

"Any sustainable and credible negotiation must respect the legitimate rights of all states under international law, and deliver tangible security benefits without coercion, unilateral demands or threats of force."

- 'Chaos and change' -

The United States and Israel threatened new military action against Iran after mass protests in the regime, which the Iranian authorities crushed at a cost of thousands of lives.

After last week's indirect talks with Washington through Omani mediators in Geneva, Tehran said they had reached broad agreement on a set of guiding principles.

Gharibabadi said that while Tehran sought the path of diplomacy, it was prepared to defend its sovereignty, territory and people, insisting it would exercise its right to self-defense "if necessary".

He said meaningful progress in disarmament and non-proliferation could only be achieved through mutual, balanced and legally-binding commitments.

He called upon nuclear weapons states to engage constructively in talks towards a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention, plus offer legally-binding security assurances for countries without nuclear weapons.

Speaking just before, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world was living through a period of "chaos and change", with international law being brazenly violated.

"The international order that defined security relations for nearly eight decades is shifting rapidly. The reckless use of force in many regions is fomenting mistrust," he warned.

World

Netanyahu Says Israel Facing ‘Challenging Days’ with Iran-US Tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Netanyahu Says Israel Facing ‘Challenging Days’ with Iran-US Tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 February 2026. (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was facing "complex and challenging days" as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran following President Donald Trump's threat of strikes should Tehran refuse to accept a new nuclear agreement.

"We are in very complex and challenging days," Netanyahu told lawmakers in a brief address to parliament. "We are keeping our eyes open and are prepared for any scenario."

He also reiterated a warning to Iran's leadership: "I have conveyed to the Iranian regime that if they make the gravest mistake in their history and attack the State of Israel, we will respond with a force they cannot even imagine."

The premier further highlighted Israel's close military cooperation with the US, as Washington continues to build up its military presence near Iran and in the Middle East.

"The alliance with the United States has never been closer," Netanyahu said.

"Between the Israel forces and the United States military, between our security agencies and their security services, there has never been anything like this," he added.

Arch-foes Israel and Iran faced each other in a first direct confrontation last June during a 12-day war in which the Israeli military targeted Tehran's nuclear facilities and ballistic missile arsenal.

Iran responded with drone and missile strikes on Israel. Later on in the war, the United States joined Israel in targeting Iran's underground nuclear facilities.