Page 15 - Turkey

110 detained in Turkey over suspected Kurdish militant links: Report

Police in Turkiye carried out raids on homes in 21 provinces on Tuesday, detaining some 110 people for alleged links to Kurdish militants, the country's state-run news agency reported. The raids, which come weeks ahead of Turkiye's May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections, targeted politicians, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists, Tayip Temel, a deputy leader of the country's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, or HDP, wrote on Twitter. On the eve of the election, the government has resorted once again to detentions out of fear of losing power, Temel tweeted. The detained are suspected of financing the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, of recruiting members or of engaging in propaganda on behalf of the group, Anadolu Agency reported. The group, which has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye, is considered a terror organisation by the United States and the European Union. The pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya agency reported that one of its editors and a ...

Turkey reduced defence industry's foreign dependency in 2 decades: Erdogan

Turkey has reduced its foreign dependency in the defence industry from around 80 per cent to some 20 per cent in the past two decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

Shrinking engineering exports to UAE, China led to overall dip in FY23

The decline was a direct result of depressed global demand, especially in the metals sector

Turkey starts delivery of natural gas from Black Sea field to cut imports

Turkey has started the delivery of natural gas from its Black Sea field, as part of its flagship project aiming at reducing the country's dependence on energy imports.

US approves F-16 fighter jets upgrade after Turkey eases stand on NATO

The US agreed Monday to sell Turkey $259 million in software it has long sought to upgrade its fleet of US F-16 fighter jets. State Department approval of the sale comes about two weeks after Turkey dropped its objections to Finland joining NATO. Turkey continues to withhold its approval for Sweden to join the military alliance. NATO requires unanimous approval to admit new members. Turkey also still wants to buy 40 new F-16s from the US, but some in Congress oppose the sale until Turkey approves NATO membership for both Nordic countries. Turkey fell out of grace with the US on high-tech military aircraft purchases after it decided in 2017 to acquire Russian air-defence missiles. Turkey was kicked out of a US programme to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter plane and Turkish defence officials were sanctioned. The US said the Russian missiles posed a threat to the F-35 and strongly objected to their use within the NATO alliance. Turkey sees the F-16s as an interim option to bui

Pakistan has choice whether to become Turkiye or Myanmar: Imran Khan

In a fresh attack on Pakistan's powerful military, ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Monday said the country is left with two choices -- either follow Turkiye or become another Myanmar. In Myanmar, the military ousted democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 while in Turkiye, a bloody military coup to topple the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016 was foiled after people came out on the streets and resisted a regime change. "Today, we stand at a turning point in our Constitutional history where we can be like Turkiye or become another Myanmar.

Putin may attend nuclear power plant inauguration in Turkey: Report

The project, located in the southeastern Turkish province of Mersin, is Turkey's first nuclear plant

Turkish Airlines wants additional traffic rights to IndiGo: CEO Bilal Eksi

Such a unilateral increase in traffic rights will be unique to Turkiye and may also receive a nod from the Indian government

4.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Turkey's Goksun, no casualties reported

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 hit 6 km South-West of the Goksun district on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS)

US urges Turkey to 'quickly' ratify Sweden's NATO membership after Finland

After Turkey approved the process of ratifying Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the US welcomed the decision of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Prez Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland's NATO membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Wednesday that his country could soon ratify Finland's application to join NATO, allowing for the possibility of the country joining the military alliance separately from Sweden. Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Finland and Sweden abandoned decades of nonalignment and applied to join the alliance. All 30 NATO members have approved their applications, and 28 have ratified their accession. Only Turkey and Hungary have failed to do so. Turkey's government accuses Sweden of being too soft on groups that it deems to be terror organizations and existential threats, including Kurdish groups. Ankara has said, however, that it has fewer problems with Finland's membership. Asked by reporters whether Turkey could ratify Finland's membership following a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto later in the week, Erdogan responded: God willing, if it is for the best. Whatever the process is, the process will function. We will

Turkey floods kill 10 people in earthquake-affected provinces: Official

Floods caused by torrential rains hit two provinces that were devastated by last month's earthquake, killing at least 10 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials and media reports said Wednesday. At least five other people were reported missing. One person was killed in the town of Tut in southeastern Adiyaman province, where surging waters swept away a container home sheltering a family of earthquake survivors, Gov. Numan Hatipoglu said. The governor of neighbouring Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan told HaberTurk television that four people were killed by the floods in his region. Later, rescuers found the bodies of five Syrian nationals inside a flooded basement apartment in Sanliurfa, the private DHA news agency reported. Television footage from Sanliurfa showed flood waters surging along a street and sweeping away cars as well as a man being rescued from an underpass. Several people were evacuated from a drenched campsite in where earthq

Death toll from devastating earthquakes exceeds 48,000 in Turkey

He said the debris removal are underway and that Turkey will start the demolition of heavily damaged buildings in the next stage, Xinhua news agency reported

Death toll from last month's quake nears 48,000 in Turkiye, 6,000 in Syria

The head of Turkiye's disaster and emergency management agency has raised the country's death toll from a magnitude 7.8 earthquake last month to 47,975. Yunus Sezer said during a news conference on Saturday that the people who died included 6,278 foreigners, with Syrian nationals accounting for the largest share. The Feb. 6 quake affected 11 Turkish provinces and parts of neighbouring Syria. The United Nations has estimated Syria's death toll at 6,000. The quake was followed by a magnitude 7.5 temblor hours later, as well as thousands of aftershocks. At least 230,000 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged in Turkiye. Experts have pointed at lax building code enforcement as a major reason why the earthquake was so deadly.

Erdogan sets Turkey parliamentary, presidential elections for May 14

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to extend his two-decades in power, on Friday formally set the country's parliamentary and presidential elections for May 14 a month earlier than scheduled despite last month's devastating earthquake. The elections could be the country's most significant vote in decades. It will determine whether the country will take a more democratic path or continue on the increasingly authoritarian course set by the strongman politician. Erdogan has ruled over Turkiye since 2003 first as prime minister and as president since 2014 but this year's elections could be his most challenging. The country is struggling with a troubled economy, soaring inflation and the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed more than 46,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of people across 11 Turkish provinces sheltering in tents or temporary accommodation. Many have criticised his government's response to the earthquake and accuse it of failing t

Sweden, Finland discuss NATO accession with Turkey, says military bloc

Representatives of Sweden, Finland and Turkey held talks in Brussels to discuss progress on fulfilling Turkey's conditions for agreeing to the Nordic countries' accession to NATO

Swan Group leases out vessel to Turkey govt company for Rs 800 cr

Swan Energy through its subsidiary Triumph Offshore has signed an agreement to lease out its floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) vessel to Turkish government-owned natural gas and LNG firm Botas for an annual rentals of around Rs 800 crore. The lease arrangement is for a daily rental of USD 250,000, or about Rs 2 crore, which on an annualised basis works out to be around Rs 800 crore, Swan Energy said in a statement on Thursday. The duration of the leasing agreement of its FSRU vessel Vasant One is for 12 months and is extendable on mutual agreement, it added. Based on the bare boat charter, Triumph Offshore has leased out only the bare FSRU vessel to Botas which will manage all operational expenses, including fuel, crew, insurance, maintenance, and repair and thus fully revenue accretive. Rishi Chopra, spokesperson of Swan Energy, said the agreement will enhance the rental earning capabilities of the vessel and therefore the net revenue from the rental will strengthen our

Six-party alliance picks main opposition leader to run against Erdogan

A six-party alliance on Monday nominated main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as its common candidate to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections in May, ending months of uncertainty and bickering that had frustrated their supporters. The alliance tapped the leader of the pro-secular, center-left Republican People's Party, or CHP, hours after a key member of the grouping who had rejected Kilicdaroglu's candidacy agreed to a compromise solution and returned to the coalition. Turkiye is headed toward pivotal presidential and general elections on May 14 that could shift the country toward a more democratic course or extend Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade. The elections are Erdogan's toughest during his 20-year rule and come amid economic turmoil and criticism of the government's response to a devastating earthquake last month. Our biggest goal is to carry Turkey toward prosperous, peaceful and joyful days, Kilicdaroglu said after

Rebuilding of Turkey post quake may spur steel demand from India: Industry

Since Turkey's own industry, a major player in world steel trade, has also been disrupted, demand from the western world may surge as well

A suggestion to the IMF on inflation

Standard policies towards inflation have not helped. It is important to think out of the box