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A German reporter was deported from Turkey on April 19, on the grounds that he was previously banned from entering the country
Comment(s)4/19/2016
British author and journalist Douglas Murray announced the start of an “offensive poetry competition” about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 18, amid the ongoing “insult” row between a German comedian and the president
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has harshly reacted to a Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy’s question on ongoing clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), after the latter called the militants “guerillas.”
Some 32 militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were killed in a Turkish Armed Force operation in Bashiqa near Mosul on April 19 after the militants launched an attack on a tank belonging to the Turkish army in the Bashiqa training camp
All political attempts to end the three-decade-long conflict between Turkey’s security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are now things of the past, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said
Just a quarter of the European Union’s requirements to grant Turkish citizens visa-free travel remain to be completed, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said as the implementation of a controversial deal between Turkey and the EU intended to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara marked its first month
Three people were wounded on April 19 when rocket projectiles fired from Syria landed in the southeastern province of Kilis, less than a day after similar incident which claimed the lives of five
Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has challenged the leaders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to lift all immunities, including those of ministers, as a row over the topic continues with endless accusations on both sides
The new Central Bank Governor Murat Çetinkaya’s first major test in his new position is due on April 20, when the Bank will make its decision on interest rates – a controversial issue in Turkey
Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will hold its extraordinary party congress on May 15, a statement by a three-member panel appointed by an Ankara court read
PM Davutoğlu accuses the West of abandoning Turkey and other regional countries facing an influx of refugees
A co-leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the main target of a government-led provisional change in the constitution that would allow parliament to lift legislative immunities, has vowed to not “voluntarily” comply with any possible legal call for prosecution
MIDEAST
ANKARA - Reuters
Turkish warplanes struck targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on April 18, the military said in a statement on April 19.
Comment(s) 4/19/2016
CRIME
ANKARA
The number of girls who were wed before the age of 18 since 2010 is higher than 200,000, Turkey’s Family and Social Planning Ministry has said in response to a parliamentary inquiry by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will pay a two-day visit to Turkey on April 20-21, with a view to discussing preparations for the Warsaw Summit to be held in July, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has announced
Recent media reports that revealed that Turkish intelligence units were tipped off about imminent suicide bomb attacks targeting rallies 25 days before Oct. 10, 2015, blasts in Ankara have prompted Turkey’s main opposition to demand a parliamentary inquiry
The embattled leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, has expressed support for stripping “terrorist sympathizers” of their citizenship
ANKARA – Anadolu Agency
New smoking regulations are on the way in Turkey, with Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu saying the ministry plans to prohibit all cigarette sales on university campuses and further reducing the number of outdoor public spaces that smokers can use
ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency
Bonuses promised to workers involved in the construction of the third bridge over Istanbul’s Bosphorus by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have caused a crisis, as workers claim the promises weren’t kept, Doğan News Agency reported on April 19
ISTANBUL
A Russian warship, the Caesar Kunikov, which heightened tensions between Turkey and Russia after its “provocative” passage through Istanbul’s Bosphorus late last year, traversed the strait once again on April 19
Razi Canikligil – NEW YORK
An indictment for Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-born Turkish businessman who was arrested in Miami a month ago over attempting to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran, has expanded from New York to include “Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere” as places where the crime may have been committed
Other countries’ statements about Turkey’s border with Syria “have no meaning,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said, in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call to U.S. President Barack Obama regarding the sealing of the Turkey-Syria border
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Despite calls from the West, resuming talks with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) does not seem likely or easy for the Turkish government for the time being, according to security officials
Comment(s)4/20/2016
As the closest town to Syria, Kilis is an interesting place
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Strasbourg yesterday to address the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) came at a moment when critical voices about the state of fundamental freedoms in Turkey have become louder and harsher
Over the next few weeks, there might be a radical reformatting of Turkish politics
As the world’s Muslim leaders admitted at last week’s Islamic summit, the past 1,400 tumultuous years of sectarian fighting did not bring peace and happiness to Muslim lands. But, judging from the happy smiles and big speeches at the summit, the next 1,400 tumultuous years may be better.
This is good, dear public. As if we haven’t exhausted everything that we could possibly become polarized about, we are now moving quickly to the point where we will polarize even national victories and national holidays
At the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul, it was proposed that a “European Muslims group” should be formed. There is an Asia group, an Arab group and an Africa group in the OIC, so why should there not be a Europe group?
With the appointment of a new chair of the Central Bank, Murat Çetinkaya, the debate on interest rates has again become heated. Everybody in the markets spoke about the rate decision Çetinkaya would make in his first meeting
Located in south Moscow far from the gilded splendor of the historic Bolshoi Theater, the Bolshoi ballet has produced some of the world’s most celebrated ballerinas
The historical city of Şuayb in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa will now feature new roads linking tourist hotspots in the area
The “Cehennem Deresi” (Hell’s Creek) Canyon in the Ardanuç district of Turkey’s northeastern province of Artvin, which is said to be the world’s second highest canyon after the Grand Canyon in the U.S., is to be promoted to woo more tourists, according to the Artvin governor
Works have been initiated again to further open a hidden tunnel, which was discovered during restoration work in the Tokat Castle, also known as the dungeon of Dracula
PJ Harvey, one of the most iconic musicians of our time, will be in Istanbul
Medical instruments, surgical tools and mass graves show that the ancient city of Philadelphia in Central Anatolia was once the health center of the region
Among the big ticket items in the upcoming ‘Arts of the Islamic World’ sale are an Ottoman tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ivory and brass inlaid scribe’s box from the late 16th century
Vets and civil society organizations warn that finding solutions for Istanbul’s ever-increasing number of stray cats and dogs, thought to number around one million, requires long-term planning and strategies
Comment(s)4/18/2016
Slovenian league leaders Olimpija Ljubljana sacked coach Marko Nikolic on April 18, a week after he reportedly called Nigerian forward Blessing Eleke a "black idiot".
Turkish hoteliers have sped up promotional activities in new markets in a bid to recover their expected losses in key markets, mainly European and Russian markets
Turkey’s plan to impose anti-dumping duties on U.S. cotton imports will drive up costs for its own textile producers, hurting the competitiveness of their exports, the head of an industry group said on April 19