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 …
Read More »Kiev announces arrival of more Turkish attack drones
Turkey has delivered additional Bayraktar TB2 strike drones to Kiev, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov claimed on Wednesday in an emotional Facebook post. The Turkish government did not immediately comment on the statement. “New Bayraktars have already been delivered and deployed for combat. There will be more Stingers and Javelins,” …
Read More »West ‘only makes things worse’ in row over Ukraine – Turkish president
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Western countries haven’t succeeded in trying to resolve the current crisis with Russia. He made his remarks on Friday after returning from a visit to Ukraine. “Unfortunately, the West until now has not made any contribution to resolving this issue. I can say …
Read More »Turkish lira just had its worst year in 2 decades
The Turkish lira ended 2021 by losing 44% of its value against the US dollar – 19% in the last week of the year alone. This was the lira’s worst performance since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power nearly 20 years ago. The lira tumbled from 18.4 to 10.25 …
Read More »Turkish stock market halts trading as lira crashes
“As of 16.24 (Istanbul time) transactions have been temporarily halted on the market of all shares of our stock exchange,” the exchange said in a statement. The country’s currency has collapsed amid pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the central bank to lower borrowing costs to boost the growth …
Read More »Turkish leader calls out ‘main threat to democracy’
While social media networks were initially marketed as “a symbol of freedom,” they have become a menace to democratic society, Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared in a video message to a communications conference on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. “We try to protect our people, especially the vulnerable sections of …
Read More »Collective punishment: Rioters in Turkish capital target Syrian refugees after teen is stabbed to death (VIDEO)
Emirhan Yalcin, 18, was killed in an altercation between Turks and Syrians in the neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. As night fell on Ankara, an angry mob descended on Altindag, targeting the Syrian refugee community: smashing and looting shops, overturning cars, and throwing bricks and rocks through windows of homes. At …
Read More »‘Our lungs burning’: Turkish mayor issues desperate plea for help as raging wildfires close in on power plant
“The situation is very serious. The flames have come to the edge of the thermal power plant,” Muhammet Tokat, mayor of Milas – located east of the major resort of Bodrum – said on Twitter on Tuesday. Tokat shared a video showing a massive blaze raging through the hills near …
Read More »US neocons Bolton & PNAC lay down weapons of war for protest signs with their new ‘Turkish Democracy Project’
Erdogan’s Turkey has long been something of a thorn in Washington’s paw, given its ongoing refusal to buy inferior US military equipment (it was booted from the US’ F-35 program for insisting on buying Russian S-400 missiles, making the Americans who still store their nukes at Incirlik somewhat nervous), its …
Read More »WATCH: Turkish police use tear gas to break up unauthorized Pride march in Istanbul
Law enforcement personnel fired tear gas at a crowd that gathered in central Istanbul on Saturday to support gay rights in the country. Local authorities had refused to authorize the event. Footage from RT’s video agency Ruptly shows helmeted police officers with riot shields pushing protesters off the street. A …
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