Latest in Tag: Turkey Highlight
Latest in Tag: Turkey
Erdogan pays tribute to Ankara bombing victims
Turkey’s President Erdogan and his Finnish counterpart have visited the site of the weekend’s twin bombings in Ankara. Three top level security officials in the capital have been sacked for the probe into the incident
Egypt condemns mass bombings in Ankara
Bombings of a protest in Turkey left at least 100 dead
Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood entity calls on army personnel to ‘dissent’
Several anti-government entities have been calling on civilians to “reject army service”, soldiers to “mutiny”
Tricky talks with Erdogan in Brussels
The EU is turning to Turkey for help with the refugee crisis. The political price is likely to be high, though, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using the opportunity for his own ends. Barbara Wesel reports. The EU wants “an agreement of mutual trust, which is necessary given the central role Turkey plays …
Erdogan on Egypt: ‘I will not normalise with a coup regime’
Turkish president reiterates strong words against Egypt’s ‘regime’
Merkel skeptical of Turkey’s ‘safe zone’ proposal
German Chancellor Merkel has said that Turkey’s proposal for a “safe zone” in northern Syria may risk the lives of refugees housed there. Her statement comes as Germany struggles to cope with the migrant influx.
Turkey kills dozens of Kurdish rebels in border raid
Erdogan insisted that the cross-border raids into Iraqi territory would continue, adding that “this is their (the PKK’s) last struggle”.
Militant football fans are on a roll across Eurasia
Militant football fans are on a roll in the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia. Fans in Turkey and Egypt have defeated legal efforts to criminalise them as terrorists while Malaysian ultras are tackling corruption in and mismanagement of their country’s football association. In Germany, the pitch anticipated the government’s shift in policy towards the …
German filmmakers grab gold, silver and bronze at student Oscars
These three directors from Germany were selected among a record number of submissions, coming from 93 foreign film schools. The winner of the Best Foreign Film directed his movie amidst clashes and tear gas in Turkey. These three Germans knew they would be sweeping the prizes in the category Best Foreign Film, as the nominations …
Turkey to lift curfew in cut-off city of Cizre after reports of civilian deaths
Interior Minister Selami Altinok said up to 32 PKK militants had been killed in Cizre until Thursday. He claimed just one civilian had died in the clashes.
UN: Warnings on Middle East refugee plight unheeded
The UN food agency says funding shortages have forced it to deny food vouchers to 229,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. Experts say chronic harsh conditions, also in Lebanon and Turkey, are behind the exodus to Europe. The World Food Program said on Saturday donors must do far more to support some 11 million desperate Syrians …
EU Commissioners on Kos tell Greece to end the chaos
After the drowning of two children in the Aegean between Turkey and Kos, European Commissioners visited the Greek island
China turmoil, Fed hikes weigh on G20 meeting
Recent market volatility in China will top the agenda as bank chiefs and finance ministers convene in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss how to soothe the global economy. They may also discuss the prospect of a Fed rate hike. Investors around the world have been on tenterhooks ever since a recent plunge in Chinese stocks trigged …
Turkey renews military mandate for Iraq, Syria
Turkish MPs have voted to extend, for a year, the authorisation of troops to Syria and Iraq to fight “Islamic State” (IS) militants. The mandate passed, despite resistance from the pro-Kurdish opposition. The Turkish parliament convened for an extraordinary session to lengthen the current military mandate for another 12 months. The existing directive expires on …
Turkish football supports Erdogan’s war against the Kurds
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), in a demonstration of the inseparable ties between sports and politics, has effectively declared its support for renewed Turkish-Kurdish hostilities designed to enhance the prospects of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party in forthcoming snap elections. With armed Kurdish youth effectively taking control of at least one predominantly Kurdish city …
Turkey launches first coalition airstrikes against IS
Turkish fighter jets have hit “Islamic State” targets in Syria – for the first time as part of the US-led coalition. Turkey took on a more active role in the fight against IS in July, ending months of indecisiveness
Turkey’s President Erdogan approves caretaker cabinet ahead of elections
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved a power-sharing caretaker cabinet put forward by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The interim government is to lead the country into elections to be held in November.
Turkish soldier killed in alleged PKK attack amid government offensive
A Turkish army captain has been killed in an attack on a military outpost blamed on Kurdish PKK militants. The government has vowed to keep up its military campaign against the group, which has left a truce in tatters. The captain died of his wounds after an attack on a military outpost in Beytussebap district …
Overseas corporate corruption still a major problem
Cross-border corporate bribery is still a largely unresolved issue, Transparency International has concluded in a fresh report. Germany, it said, was among only few nations actively combating corruption. Transparency International (TI) said Thursday that about half of the 41 signatories to the OECD anti-bribery convention had been doing “little or nothing” to fight growing levels …
Syrian refugees are here to stay
According to data released by the Turkish Interior Ministry, 1,905,984 Syrians are registered in 82 cities. The number of Syrians living in 25 camps set up in 10 cities is 262,134. These statistics clearly show that nearly 1.7 million Syrians are trying to survive outside the camps on their own.
Deadly clashes between Turkish army, PKK
Turkey’s army says at least three of its soldiers have been killed in an attack by PKK militants. Ankara is engaged in military campaigns against both the PKK and the “Islamic State” group. In a statement released Friday, Turkey’s army said militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had attacked troops deployed in the …
Turkish attacks expose fissures among Kurdish groups
The conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has deepened the rift between rival Kurdish groups. If Turkish attacks continue, the Kurds’ fight against the “Islamic State” could be affected. Hamina Hasan sadly packs up to leave the village of Zargali with the rest of her family. She has lost count but says …
Peshmerga, US strikes fail to dislodge ‘Islamic State’
“Islamic State” still dominates parts of northern Iraq a year after forcing thousands of Yazidis to flee. US airstrikes have had little effect, and criticism of Kurdish Peshmerga has grown, Birgit Svensson reports. “We want the good people to hear our prayers and free our country as soon as possible,” said Johanna Boutros Moshe, the …
HSBC operating profit up, net income falls
Europe’s biggest bank, HSBC, has reported a drop in bottom-line earnings for the second quarter, but pointed to rising operating profit in the first half of 2015. The lender is in the midst of deep restructuring. HSBC announced Monday that its net profit fell 3.8 percent in the three months to June. In the first …
Özdemir warns of ‘Mini-Pakistan’ in Turkey as Germany sharpens travel advisory
German politician Cem Özdemir has slammed Turkey’s president, saying the country was turning into a “mini-Pakistan.” The German foreign office has warned of possible terror attacks on transport systems in Istanbul. The co-chair of the Green party in Germany’s Bundestag, Cem Özdemir, issued strong words Wednesday against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying Turkey would be …
Erdogan’s move means dark days for Kurds in Turkey
Turkey’s President Erdogan has shaken up the domestic political sphere with his decision to end the peace process with the Kurds. As Dalia Mortada reports from Istanbul the repercussions could be powerful. Following a week of violence between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), including airstrikes over the weekend on PKK outposts in northern …
Lack of trust between Turkey and China
Turkish President Erdogan is traveling to Beijing to mend ties between the two countries. The Turkish leader is expected to discuss a number of contentious issues with the Chinese leadership, including the Uighur crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a lot to discuss with his Chinese hosts in Beijing during his two-day official visit which ends on July 30….
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calls off peace process with Kurds
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called of a peace process with Kurdish militants. He also encouraged parliament to strip politicians with links to "terrorist groups" of immunity. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was impossible to continue a peace process with Kurdish militants. "It is not possible for us to continue the peace process with those who threaten…
Explosion shuts down Turkey-Iran natural gas pipeline amid increasing violence
The gas flow between Iran and Turkey has been shut down after an explosion on a natural gas pipeline in the Turkish province of Agri. The country's energy minister has suggested that Kurdish rebels were to blame. The fire, which began Monday in Turkey's eastern Agri province was quickly brought under control, Turkey's energy minister Taner Yildiz said on Tuesday….
Turkey’s ‘IS’ crackdown revives Kurdish conflict
Critics worry that Turkey's newest war against 'Islamic State' fighters is being eclipsed by the sudden revival of its oldest with the country's Kurdish minority. Noah Blaser reports from Istanbul. In the aftermath of the Suruc suicide bombing last week, Turkey ended its long reluctance to confront the self-declared "Islamic State" (IS), opening a key airbase to US warplanes, cracking…