Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hit back at critics of the latest wave of arrests in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case, saying that those who defend the KCK must check themselves. BDP claims that the charges are crime. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has rejected criticism over the latest wave of arrests in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case, implying that a prominent academic who w ...

According to the Turkish Statistics Institute, the monthly rise in the consumer price index (CPI) and the producer price index (PPI) was 3.27 and 1.6 percent, respectively, in October.The Central Bank of Turkey said on Friday the country's inflation rate would climb higher through the end of the year, an inescapable result in the face of rapid growth in domestic demand. Fast growing domestic demand so far t ...

Barzani, leader of Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, says he opposes military action on the PKK and calls for leaders to find a political solution The leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has expressed opposition to any Turkish military raids against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in his territory, suggesting such operations were likely to fail. “My own experience [wi ...

Israeli troops have boarded protest boats trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza, Israeli military stated. Israeli naval vessels had intercepted two protest boats on their way to Gaza to try to break Israel's blockade Friday afternoon, the Israeli military and Palestinian activists said. In Gaza, activist Amjad Shawwa told The Associated Press that activists aboard the boats said they were surrounded by ...

Germany should pay heed to its large Turkish community and throw its support behind Ankara's EU entry bid, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday."Turkey wishes that Germany would be its biggest supporter in its EU membership bid," Erdoğan said. "We want a very different kind of support... We have a special relationship." He was speaking at a ceremony attende ...

The continued incarceration of lawmakers ‘is disrespectful to the will of the people,’ says Deputy PM Arınç, while also criticizing long detention periods Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has issued a strongly worded appeal for the release of eight opposition lawmakers who were elected to Parliament from jail, denouncing their continuing imprisonment as “disrespectful” of the people’s will. “The j ...

Greek PM Papandreou withdraws from his plans to hold a referendum about a bailout plan one day after harsh warning by Germany and France. The plan is crucial for future generations, he tells leaders at the G-20 summit in Cannes. Prior to a critical parliament meeting today, he also says he won’t resign A man sits at the stairs of Zappeion hall in Athens yesterday. Demands mounted yesterday for Greek Prime M ...

This beautiful country located at one of the most strategic spots of the world has been suffering from terror for over 30 years. An approximate budget of  US$ 500 billion has been spent to fight terror and more than 30,000 lives have been lost. During the last several years in specific terror has risen again and indeed after the start-up signal of democratization (also called Kurdish opening once) the gover ...

Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek has outlined the steps that will be taken to draft a new charter during a press conference this morning in Ankara. Starting Nov. 15, three committees will be created to solicit the opinions of different organizations in society, Çiçek said. One of the committees will contact political parties and constitutional organizations while a second will ask the opinions of professio ...

Turkish Statistical Institute announced Consumer Prices Index for October 2011 by a press release on Thursday. According to the report monthly change in CPI was realised by 3,27%. The report also said a rise in general index had been realised in the 2003 based Consumer Price Index on the previous month by 3,27%, on December of the previous year by 7,95%, on same month of the previous year by 7,66% and on th ...

Turkey is performing poorly in terms of education quality and the rate of women’s employment, according to the United Nations’ annual Human Development Report, which was released yesterday. Turkey, ultimately, finished 97 out of 187 countries listed on the human development index, which also addressed urgent global challenges such as sustainability and equity. The report includes the scores for the human de ...

New York City-based Columbia University has opened its sixth international Global Center in Istanbul for encouraging academic partnerships and assisting in student and alumni affairs with Turkey. “We are committed to providing new opportunities to strengthen our engagement with scholars, ideas and challenges across the globe,” said University President Lee C. Bollinger at the opening ceremony on Nov. 1. “Co ...

An international group of pro-Palestinian activists has set sail from Turkey aboard two boats aiming to run an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, organisers said on Wednesday.     The 27 activists on board the vessels are drawn from Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States, and included Palestinians. "The Canadian ship Tahrir and Irish ship Saoirse have successfully reached international waters, initia ...

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed Germany on Tuesday for becoming “an accessory” to the campaign of terror launched by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization in Turkey. “Those who tolerate terrorism become an accessory to the bloody face of terrorism,” Erdoğan said without naming Germany in a speech delivered in Berlin during a gala dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of ...

Millions of Turks living abroad may be able to cast their votes from outside the country in the next presidential and general elections, a senior Cabinet minister said Oct. 31. “A draft has been opened for signature at the Cabinet level. I believe Parliament will give priority to this after the completion of budget talks,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ told a group of reporters late Monday in Berlin on ...

Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan is set to establish a joint mechanism to investigate the assassination of former AfghanPresident Rabbani. Turkey has stepped up to ease tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan, whose tempers steamed after former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated six weeks ago. Hosting the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday for a trilateral summit to resume ...

Afghanistan and Pakistan held their first talks on Tuesday since the assassination of an Afghan peace negotiator, in a meeting hosted by Turkey to heal a rift undermining prospects of ending the Afghan war.    Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari met along with Turkish President Abdullah Gül while their army chiefs consulted ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan. Afghanistan accuses Pakistan's In ...

Turkish and German CEOs will gather together in a meeting in the German capital of Berlin on Monday, a Turkish business association said on Sunday. Turkish Industrialists' & Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and German Industrialists' Federation (BDI) will host Turkish-German CEO Forum in Berlin on Monday in order to contribute to economic cooperation. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan will att ...

TAV has signed on to a 1.5 billion dollar agreement on the Medina Airport’s build-operate-transfer project.TAV Airports has signed on to a build-operate-transfer project for Medina Airport, in Saudi Arabia's first-ever airport privatization, with partners Al Rajhi and Saudi Oger as well as Saudi Arabian Civil Aviation Authority GACA. The contract was signed by Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation, Prince ...

Lebanon’s Bank Audi has been authorized to open a  Turkey unit with capital of $300 million. The developing Turkish and Arab ties triggered the lender’s interest in the country, a senior executive tells the Daily News The group’s chief finance executive says Turkey promises a big potential, particularly in middle firms’ section.Bank Audi, Lebanon’s leading lender, will enter the Turkish market with a strong ...

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit eastern Turkey last week has risen to 596, the government's emergency unit said today. More than 4,150 people were injured in the 7.2-magnitude quake that shook the eastern Van province near the Iranian border a week ago on Oct. 23, the unit said in a statement on its website. Some 231 people had been pulled out alive from the rubble, Deputy Prime Mini ...

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ordered the nationwide cancellation of today’s parades and receptions to mark the 88th birthday of the Turkish Republic following the earthquake in Van that claimed more than 500 lives. In a circular published in the Official Gazette yesterday, Erdoğan asked the public authorities to mark Republic Day only with “wreath-laying and greeting ceremonies, and not hold othe ...

Turkey’s trade deficit raised to record-high levels in September. Domestic saving rates should be increased to address the problem, an economist argues. Turkey’s trade deficit widened to a record level in September compared with last year, official figures published yesterday show. Skyrocketing current trade deficit and a low domestic savings ratio in the growing economy raise concerns about the country’s d ...