A runoff election will be held in Türkiye on May 28, the country’s Supreme Election Council announced on Monday. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently leading challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu by 49.46% of the vote to 44.79%. Under Turkish election law, a candidate must pass a threshold of 50% of …
Read More »Powerful earthquakes strike Turkish-Syrian border
Türkiye was struck by two earthquakes on Monday evening, local media have reported, citing emergency services. The disaster struck just two weeks after Türkiye and Syria were devastated by another set of powerful tremors. The country’s Anadolu agency reported that several buildings collapsed as a result of the new quakes. The …
Read More »US endorses Turkish operation in Syria
Türkiye has the right to defend itself, the White House said on Tuesday, even though its operation ‘Claw-Sword’ in Syria may make it difficult for US-backed Kurdish militias to fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists. Speaking to reporters, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Türkiye “does …
Read More »Turkish airstrike kills three Syrian soldiers – media
Turkish airstrikes killed three Syrian soldiers in the countryside near Aleppo on Tuesday, Syria’s SANA news network reported. Syrian forces responded by striking Turkish military sites, causing an unknown number of casualties, the outlet said. Three soldiers were killed in the strikes and six others wounded, SANA reported, citing military …
Read More »Putin heads to Tehran for talks with Iranian and Turkish leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It will be his second foreign trip since the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine on February 24. In late June, he visited …
Read More »Israel urges citizens to leave Turkish city
The Israeli government has issued a travel warning for Istanbul and raised its terrorism alert to the highest level after officials claimed to have shut down multiple Iranian attack plots targeting tourists. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced the new advisory for the Turkish city on Monday, citing “a series of …
Read More »NATO surprised by Turkish opposition to new applicants
NATO had no reason to believe there would be any problems with the membership applications of Sweden and Finland, alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, admitting he was blindsided by “legitimate” Turkish concerns. He still wants Stockholm and Helsinki to join as soon as possible. “Earlier in the process, …
Read More »NATO issues response to Turkish terrorism concerns
NATO needs to deal with Ankara’s objections against the potential accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The two Nordic nations have decided to seek NATO membership, but their bids have been undercut by Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last Friday that his …
Read More »Turkish inflation out of control
Consumer prices in Turkey soared by 69.97% in April compared to the same month last year, according to official data released on Thursday. Inflation has soared amid rising energy prices against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and due to a lira crash late last year. The figure, released by …
Read More »Turkish opposition activist gets life in prison
Turkish businessman-turned-rights-campaigner Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday by an Istanbul court for allegedly funding protests in Gezi Park in 2013 and participating in the failed 2016 coup to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government. While he was initially acquitted of the 2013-related …
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