Published February 09,2026

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US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete shared his views on the political situation in the country during the Milano Cortina Winter Games in Italy, media reports said on Sunday.

In a social media post, Trump accused Hess of not representing his country and said it was “very hard to root for someone like this,” adding the slogan “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Hess had earlier told reporters that representing the US brought “mixed emotions,” saying it was “a little hard” given current political developments, while stressing that he was competing for his “friends and family” and the values he believes are good about the country.

“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US,” Hess said.

The comments drew criticism from several figures aligned with the Trump administration.

Trump administration envoy and Kennedy Center head Rich Grennell suggested on social media that Hess should “move to Canada if you aren’t proud to wear USA.”

Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett also criticized the skier, saying he should “shut up and go play in the snow.”

The media outlet further reported that other conservative figures and commentators echoed similar criticisms online, intensifying the debate over athletes’ freedom to express personal political views while representing the country in international competition.

Published February 09,2026

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Türkiye’s population in 2025 grew by 427,224 from a year earlier to 86.09 million, according to official data.

The male population was 43.06 million or 50.02% of the total, while women made up 49.98% or 43.03 million last year, statistical authority TurkStat said on Monday.

The annual population growth rate rose to five per thousand in 2025, up from 3.4 per thousand in 2024.

TurkStat said: “Proportion of population residing in province and district centers, which was 93.4% in 2024, became 93.6% in 2025.

“Besides, proportion of population living in towns and villages decreased to 6.4% from 6.6%.”

Istanbul, Türkiye’s commercial capital, was the largest city by population with 15.75 million people, adding 52,451 people compared to the year prior.

It was followed by the capital Ankara with 5.9 million, the Aegean city of Izmir with 4.5 million, the industrial hub of Bursa at 3.26 million, and the Mediterranean resort of Antalya with 2.77 million.

The median age of the population in Türkiye increased to 34.9 in 2025 from 34.4 in 2024.

Total age dependency ratio, which indicates the total number of children and elderly people per person of working age, fell to 46% last year, down 0.1 percentage points.

Published February 08,2026

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A historic Ottoman-era theater in the old city of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, reopened on Sunday with a modern look as the Libya National Children’s Theater.

The theater, reconstructed by the Turkish aid agency TIKA, was closed for many years, Libyan Culture Minister Mebruke Tugi told Anadolu.

“I can say that (this theater) is one of the fruits of the memorandum of understanding we signed with the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and TIKA’s efforts,” said Tugi.

The theater was first built in the early 1900s by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, said Ali Suha Bacanakgil, TIKA’s Tripoli coordinator.

“Unfortunately, it had become unusable and derelict over the years,” he said, adding that the theater was revamped in six months.

Published February 05,2026

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Somalia’s federal Cabinet approved several key agreements and contracts on maritime trade, including one with Türkiye on maritime cooperation, at its regular meeting on Thursday.

The government is reportedly taking urgent measures to mitigate the effects of the ongoing drought and its impact on the country’s water and food supplies.

During a meeting chaired by Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, the country approved a law establishing a national disaster and risk management fund to govern the preparation, prevention, and response processes to natural and man-made disasters under a single scheme.

The regulation aims to increase public and government solidarity on the issue.

The Somali Cabinet approved other deals and policies to strengthen the institutional capacity of relevant bodies and improve the quality of public services.

Specifically, the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships of 1969, the Nairobi International Convention on Wreck Removal of 2007, and the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006.

One of these agreements involved maritime cooperation between the Federal Republic of Somalia and Türkiye.The new deal covers maritime trade developments, ship traffic improvements, port service modernization, mutual recognition of seafaring certificates of competency, technical cooperation and know-how sharing, ensuring equality in port services, and the facilitation of commercial activities.

The Türkiye-Somalia cooperation developed in a multidimensional way since 2011, especially in the economy, education, health, infrastructure, and development.

“I commend the Cabinet for approving a set of strategic maritime agreements that mark a significant advancement in strengthening Somalia’s maritime governance and international standing,” said Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Somali ports and maritime transport minister, on US social media company X on Thursday.

“Through enhanced cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye and accession to key international conventions, we are modernizing our ports, promoting safe and efficient maritime trade, protecting our marine environment, and upholding the rights and welfare of our seafarers,” he said, noting that the steps to integrate Somalia into the global maritime system will elevate the country’s maritime standards to build “a resilient, competitive, and sustainable maritime sector that supports national development.”