Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and ex-Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp entered the English Premier League Hall of Fame, it said on Wednesday. “Frank Lampard is the latest former player to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame,” the English Premier League said in a statement. In a separate statement, the Premier League honored Bergkamp as the former Dutch player was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. So Lampard and Bergkamp joined Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane as the 2021 Hall of Fame inductees. Bergkamp and former French star Henry – one of the

Turkey will continue its efforts against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has never been “any friend of ours,” the nation’s president said Wednesday. Speaking at an event in the capital Ankara to mark May 19 Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day, Recep Tayyip Erdogan recounted his 2009 public scolding of Israel’s then-President Shimon Peres, an incident which was captured on video and brought Erdogan greater international prominence. At that year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Erdogan walked off stage after criticizing Peres over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, just as he blasts Israel’s current attacks on Palestinians

UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire for Israel-Palestine fighting, saying children in Gaza live in “a hell on earth.” “I was horrified by reports that nine members of one family were killed in the al-Shati refugee camp,” Guterres said during his address at the UN General Assembly meeting on the Israel-Palestine tensions. “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today,” said Guterres. “The fighting must stop immediately,” he said. “I appeal to all parties to cease hostilities, now and I reiterate my call on all sides

The Israeli army said Thursday it has launched air and ground offensives on the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Twitter, the army asked Israeli citizens to stay in protected areas until further notice. An Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that the industrial zone in the east of Gaza was targeted and a huge fire broke out in a factory. It was also reported that a house in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Tel al-Zaatar region of northern Gaza Strip was completely destroyed in the attacks. Meanwhile, Hamas’ armed wing Qassam Brigades said in a statement that in response to

Cameroon marked its national day on Thursday in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. A holiday in Cameroon, National Unity Day is celebrated on every May 20 in the Central African country. In a national referendum on May 20, 1972, Cameroonians voted for a unitary state as opposed to the existing federal state. Last week, President Paul Biya cancelled all official ceremonies marking the 2021 edition of the country’s national day due to the coronavirus pandemic. He urged Cameroonians to strictly observe the government-prescribed social distancing measures during the commemoration of May 20. The country has so far registered 77,429

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed a request on Wednesday by US President Joe Biden to de-escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip and stressed an offensive would continue. Netanyahu expressed thanks for US support to Israel and Washington’s commitment to Israel’s right to self-defense but insisted operations will persist “until its aim is met,” according to a statement from his office. Netanyahu said the offensive will move forward “to return the calm and security” to Israelis. Early Wednesday, the White House said Biden told Netanyahu he expects Israel to de-escalate a military offensive on the Gaza Strip. “The president

Turkey on Wednesday completely rejected the US State Department accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of anti-Semitism. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called on the US to work to halt Israel’s incessant attacks on Palestinian civilians, instead of leveling false accusations at the Turkish leader. The concept of anti-Semitism should not be used to cover up Israel’s ethnic, religious and cultural cleansing policies, the statement noted. “The addressee of the remarks of our President is not the Jewish people, but the Israeli government, which has caused the deaths of many innocent Palestinians, most of whom were children, women and youngsters,