Turkey parliament backs Sweden’s Nato membership

Sweden applied to join Nato in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. More »

Turkey detains senior Islamic State figure, minister says

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police have arrested the Islamic State militant group’s top figure in Turkey, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday. Soylu said on Twitter “important plans” had been seized along with the militant. No further details wer... More »

Payment holiday parachute might COVID-proof government bonds, top fund says

LONDON (Reuters) – The option of a one-time payment holiday during times of intense crisis might enable countries to pandemic-proof their bonds, a prominent debt fund believes. Economic fallout from COVID-19 has triggered a record number of sovereign defaults ... More »

Factbox: Fifteen centuries, two faiths and a contested fate for Hagia Sophia

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish court on Friday annulled a 1934 government decree that had turned Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a museum, opening the way for the sixth-century building to be converted back into a mosque. President Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling AK... More »

Changes to Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia could trigger heritage review: UNESCO

PARIS (Reuters) – UNESCO must be notified of any change in the status of Istanbul’s sixth-century Hagia Sophia museum and the changes may have to be reviewed by its World Heritage committee, the United Nation’s cultural body said on Thursday. Turkey’s top admi... More »

Turkish lawyers protest against government plan to reform bar associations

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Thousands of Turkish lawyers protested outside Istanbul’s main courthouse on Tuesday against a government plan to reform bar associations, saying it aims to silence dissent and will lead to politicization of their profession. Under a draft... More »

Rainy day hastens sovereign wealth funds’ refocus to home

LONDON (Reuters) – Famed for snapping up glitzy real estate and stakes in troubled international banks during the global financial crisis, sovereign wealth funds are investing more at home, a trend set to accelerate in the wake of the economic carnage wrought ... More »

U.S. steers clear as global COVID-19 pledging conference begins

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – World leaders launched a pledging “marathon” on Monday – without the United States – to raise at least $8 billion for research into a possible vaccine and treatments for the coronavirus. Organisers included the European Union, non-EU state... More »

Rockets hit near site of foreign oil firms, state-run companies in Iraq’s Basra: sources

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – Rockets landed near a site connected with foreign oil firms and state-run companies in Iraq’s southern city of Basra early on Monday, without causing damage or casualties, oil and police sources said. The rockets, which police said were... More »

Toyota says most Europe plants won’t restart until April 20 at earliest

TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Monday that it would extend a suspension at all of its factories in Europe with the exception of Russia until further notice, with a restart expected no earlier than April 20. With the spread of the coronavi... More »

Shops close across Turkey, dimming hopes of a boom year

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) – Shops closed across Turkey on Thursday to help halt the coronavirus spread, dimming the economy’s prospects and raising questions for hundreds of thousands of workers after Ankara pledged $15 billion in support and advised Turks to ... More »

Turkey postpones events until end-April over coronavirus

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on Friday postponing all events related to science, culture and art, as it seeks to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. The country’s death toll has reached four, Health Minister Fahrettin... More »

Child drowns at sea off Greece in first fatality after Turkey re-opens frontier

KASTANIES/LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) – A child died after being pulled from the seat when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, officials said on Monday, the first reported fatality after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migran... More »

Russian artist unveils Putin ‘superhero’ paintings in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Russian artist unveiled four giant paintings of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in central Istanbul on Saturday, saying he wanted to show the good ties between Ankara and Moscow despite differences over Syria and other issues. However ... More »

Turkey reduces fees banks can charge commercial, financial clients

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey has reduced the range and the levels of fees and commissions that banks can charge clients, according to central bank and banking watchdog regulations announced on Monday. The measures will cut the various charges banks can charge f... More »

Turkish inflation climbs more than expected to above 12%

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s consumer price inflation rose a bit more than expected to 12.15% year-on-year in January, official data showed on Monday, climbing for the third consecutive month after a dramatic drop last year. A currency crisis in 2018 sent inf... More »

Rival Libyan leaders to hold Moscow peace talks on Monday: news agencies

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Libya’s warring rival leaders will hold peace talks in Moscow on Monday alongside representatives from Russia and Turkey, Russian news agencies cited the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying. The talks come after a ceasefire in Libya, initiate... More »

Transport app FlixMobility achieves 37% passenger growth in 2019, eyes India

BERLIN (Reuters) – Transport app FlixMobility reported on Thursday a 37% increase in passenger numbers last year, as Germany’s best-funded tech startup claimed the mantle of the world’s biggest provider of intercity bus services. FlixMobility, which runs an Ub... More »

Turkey says new Russian missile deal to happen before too long: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Turkey’s presidential administration has said that the purchase date for more S-400 missile systems from Russia is just a technicality and that it thinks a deal will happen before too long, the RIA news agency reported on Monday. Moscow hope... More »

Istanbul metro project gets 110 million euro financing from Deutsche Bank

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Istanbul has secured 110 million euros ($121 million) of financing from Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) for an underground transport project, the mayor of the Turkish city said on Sunday. Speaking at a news conference, Ekrem Imamoglu gave no furt... More »

Boeing, Airbus kept in suspense over big Dubai jet deals

DUBAI (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) fought to save billions of dollars of jet deals on Sunday as host airline Emirates kept the Dubai Airshow in suspense over dozens of tentative orders designed to fine-tune the world’s largest international ai... More »

Turkey starts repatriation of captured Islamic State militants

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey said on Monday it had deported two Islamic State militants — a German and an American — beginning a programme to repatriate fighters that has caused friction with its NATO allies since it launched an offensive in northern Syria. Allie... More »

Germany does not yet know identity of people Turkey deporting: spokesman

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany does not yet know the identity of seven people Turkey plans to deport on the grounds that they have fought for the Islamic State militant group, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday. Earlier, Turkey said it would deport seven ... More »

Croatia’s foreign minister says NATO is necessary

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Croatian Foreign Minister Grlic Radman defended NATO on Monday following criticism of the 70-year-old alliance from the United States and France. French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that NATO was dying, comments German chancell... More »

Key Syrian White Helmets backer found dead in Istanbul: diplomat

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The founder of an organization that trained the Syrian “White Helmets” emergency response group has died in Istanbul, his neighbor and a diplomat said on Monday. James Le Mesurier, founder of the Mayday Rescue group, was found dead early o... More »

Golf: Hatton wins six-man playoff under floodlights to lift Turkish Open title

(Reuters) – England’s Tyrrell Hatton beat Austria’s Matthias Schwab on the fourth playoff hole to clinch his second Rolex Series title at the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya on Sunday after a dramatic six-man playoff. For the first time at a professional golf... More »

Syrian Kurdish forces say leaving Turkish border area, Damascus welcomes move

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its “aggression” in northeast S... More »

Second Turkish soldier dead after YPG militia attack: ministry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish soldier died in hospital after an attack by the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria’s Ras Al Ain region, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said on Monday, bringing the death toll from the attack to two. The ministry had said on Sunday that a ro... More »

Trump hails death of ‘depraved’ Islamic State leader Baghdadi in U.S. raid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying” in a raid by U.S. special forces in northwest Syria, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, fulfilling what he called his top national security goal. Ba... More »

For Trump, Baghdadi death a signature moment, but troubles remain

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For President Donald Trump, the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a signature achievement that may help quell growing criticism from his own ranks, but it is unlikely to offer much relief from Democratic-led scrutiny ... More »

Timeline: Anatomy of a raid – how the United States took out Baghdadi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of violent jihadist group Islamic State, died during an overnight raid led by U.S. military forces in Syria. Here is a description of the raid according to... More »

U.S. troops cross into Iraq from Syria

DOHUK, Iraq (Reuters) – United States troops have crossed into Iraq from Syria through the Sahela border crossing in the northern province of Dohuk, Reuters witnesses said on Monday. Reuters video images showed armored vehicles carrying troops into Iraq, part ... More »

Kurdish-led forces say they have pulled out of Syria border town

BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday said they had withdrawn from the border town of Ras al Ain under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, but a spokesman for Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said the withdrawal was not yet... More »

Russia hopes Syria coordination with Turkey, U.S. will help stability: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia hopes its coordination with the United States and Turkey in Syria will help security and stability in the region, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday, according to the RIA news agency. Speaking during a visit to China, Shoig... More »

Erdogan says he will never allow vaping, will block e-cigarettes in Turkey

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he will never allow electronic cigarette companies to produce their products in Turkey, urging Turks to drink tea instead. Speaking at an event against smoking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had ... More »

House Speaker Pelosi holds talks in Jordan with King Abdullah

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior members of Congress held talks in Jordan on Saturday with King Abdullah II and other top Jordanian officials. Pelosi said in a statement the visit was at “a critical time for the security ... More »

Scrambling to limit damage, Trump tells Turkey to stop its Syria invasion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday demanded Turkey stop its military incursion in Syria and imposed new sanctions on the NATO ally as Trump scrambled to limit the damage from his much-criticized decision to clear U.S. troops from Turk... More »

Volkswagen postpones final decision on Turkey plant: spokesman

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) has postponed the final decision whether to build a car plant in Turkey, a company spokesman said, amid international criticism of the country’s military operation in Syria and concerns about potential reputational ... More »

U.S. demands Syria ceasefire, slaps sanctions on Turkey over incursion

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) – President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey on Monday and demanded the NATO ally stop a military incursion in northeast Syria that is rapidly reshaping the battlefield of the world’s deadliest ongoing war. Trump, who... More »

China urges Turkey to halt military action in Syria-foreign ministry

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry urged Turkey on Tuesday to stop military action in Syria and “come back to the right track”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily briefing in Beijing. Turkey launched a militar... More »

Turkey says Kurdish forces emptied Islamic State prison in northeast Syria

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters had emptied a jail holding Islamic State prisoners in a part of Syria where Ankara is mounting an offensive, and that the prisoners there had been abducted. Turk... More »

U.S. Senator Graham says he strongly supports Trump on Turkey sanctions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been critical of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull American troops out of northeast Syria, said on Monday he strongly supports Trump’s decision to sanction Turkey over its invasion ... More »

Britain reviews all weapons export licenses with Turkey: FT

(Reuters) – The United Kingdom is reviewing all weapons exports licenses to Turkey as it faces mounting pressure over its military offensive in northern Syria, the Financial Times reported on Monday. British ministers have suspended issuing new licenses for ar... More »

U.S. withdraws troops from northeast Syria ahead of Turkish offensive

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The United States said it was pulling troops from northeast Syria, in a major shift which clears the way for a Turkish military offensive against Kurdish-led forces and hands Turkey responsibility for thousands of Islamic State captives. A... More »

Erdogan says U.S. troops started withdrawal from northeast Syria after Trump call

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that U.S. troops had started to withdraw from parts of northeast Syria after his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that talks between Turkish and U.S. officials on the matter ... More »

Saudi crown prince warns of escalation with Iran, says he prefers political solution

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince warned in an interview broadcast on Sunday that oil prices could spike to “unimaginably high numbers” if the world does not come together to deter Iran, but said he would prefer a political solution to a milit... More »

Artist displays 440 pairs of high heels for women murdered in Turkey in 2018

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish artist Vahit Tuna has mounted 440 pairs of high heels on the facade of a building on a busy Istanbul street, to symbolize the number of women murdered in domestic or sexual violence in Turkey in 2018. “We are standing in a street n... More »

Merkel: We’ll keep trying to find solutions with Iran to avoid…

BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that Europe had decided to uphold the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and would keep trying to find solutions that averted escalation. “Step by step we will keep trying to find solutions with Iran that preve... More »

Germany will do its part to avoid proxy war in Libya, says Merkel

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will do its part to avoid a proxy war in Libya, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, warning that the situation in the north African country risked destabilizing the whole of Africa. “In Libya, a situation is developing that c... More »

Sovereign investors’ dislike for equities mostly fades in second…

LONDON (Reuters) – Sovereign wealth funds’ distaste for equities mostly faded in the second quarter, with some investors turning to emerging- market passive equity funds, data from the research firm eVestment showed on Thursday. Passively managed equity funds ... More »

Turkey replaces three pro-Kurdish party mayors for suspected…

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkey on Monday replaced mayors from a pro-Kurdish party with state officials in three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links, the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the main... More »

Turkish police detain 418 people in Kurdish militant probe: ministry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police have detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. The ministry announcement, made on Twitter... More »

Top world film makers to honor 25th Sarajevo film festival

SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Some of the world’s top film makers, including two-time Oscar-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, will show their movies and hold master classes honoring the 25th Sarajevo film festival in August, the festival director said on Fr... More »

Britain’s Hunt says ‘small window’ to save Iran nuclear deal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Monday that there was still time to save the Iran nuclear deal and that despite the United States being Britain’s closest ally it disagreed on how to handle the Iran crisis. “Iran is still a go... More »

Turkey begins receiving Russian missiles in challenge to U.S. and NATO

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Turkey began taking delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system on Friday, a move expected to trigger U.S. sanctions against a NATO ally and drive a wedge into the heart of the Western military alliance. The first par... More »

Factbox: Turkey’s Russian missile deal strains ties with Washington

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Russia started delivering advanced missile defense equipment to NATO member Turkey on Friday, the Defense Ministry in Ankara said, setting the stage for likely U.S. sanctions on Ankara. The dispute over the S-400 air defense missiles, whic... More »

Explainer: What is at stake with Turkey’s Russian air defense deal?

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey took its first deliveries of the Russian S-400 air defense system on Friday, a development likely to trigger U.S. sanctions on Ankara and escalate tensions between Turkey and its Western partners in the NATO military alliance. Why d... More »

Pentagon chief to speak with Turkish counterpart, position on F-35…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that the United States had not changed its position on Turkey’s role in the F-35 program if they accepted a Russian missile defense system and he would be speaking with his Turkish ... More »

Russia confirms it has started delivery of S-400 missile systems to…

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation confirmed on Friday it had started delivering S-400 missile defense systems to Turkey and that the deliveries would continue as per an agreed schedule, the RIA news agency reported.... More »

Pentagon to brief on response to Russian missile system delivery to…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Friday that senior defense officials would hold a press briefing on the Pentagon’s response to Turkey accepting delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system. The Pentagon said Ellen Lord, the under secretar... More »

Stocks cheer trade reprieve, bonds reconsider rate cuts

LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Stocks rallied and bonds retreated on Monday as the United States and China agreed to restart trade talks, leading investors to pare wagers on aggressive policy easing by the major central banks. The dollar firmed on the safe-haven ye... More »

Turkey’s Erdogan: Russian missile defense system to arrive in 10…

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the first delivery of the Russian S-400 missile defense system would take place within 10 days, Turkish media reported on Sunday, a day after he said there would be no U.S. sanctions over the deal. Turke... More »

Turkish assets rally after opposition wins Istanbul election

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The Turkish lira, bonds and shares gained on Monday after the opposition dealt a stinging blow to President Tayyip Erdogan by winning control of Istanbul in a re-run mayoral election on Sunday. Turkish assets have lost value since March am... More »

In border camps, Syrians rely on doctors in trucks and tents

AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) – The Syrian war has inflicted all kinds of hardships on Najwa Abdelaziz but she still manages to make light of one of them. “The uprising ruined my teeth,” she jokes while getting dental care for the first time in years in the back of a ... More »

Prehistoric settlement in Turkey bears telltale signs of modern woes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Overcrowding. Violence. Infectious diseases. Environmental degradation. It may sound like the worst of modern mega-cities. But people encountered these very same problems when the first large settlements were being established millennia ... More »

U.S. prepares to end Iran oil waivers, triggering price spike

WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The United States is expected to announce on Monday that buyers of Iranian oil need to end imports soon or face sanctions, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, triggering a 3 percent jump in crude prices to their ... More »

Mir card payment system looks beyond Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – After Western sanctions gutted Russia’s financial system five years ago, a new bank card began appearing in the wallets of many Russians. Now the country is hoping to introduce its cards, known as Mir cards, to foreign markets where Russian ... More »

China says 13,000 ‘terrorists’ arrested in Xinjiang since 2014

BEIJING (Reuters) – Authorities in China have arrested almost 13,000 “terrorists” in Xinjiang since 2014, the government said on Monday, in a policy paper defending its controversial de-radicalisation measures for Muslims in the restive far western region. Chi... More »

Trade ties in focus as Iran’s Rouhani begins Iraq visit

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sharply criticised U.S. military intervention in the Middle East on Monday as he began a first official visit to Iraq, aimed at shoring up Tehran’s influence and expanding trade ties. The visit also sends a ... More »

Turkish fourth quarter GDP contracts 3 percent, worst performance…

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The Turkish economy contracted a sharper than expected 3.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, its worse performance in nearly a decade, in the clearest sign yet that last year’s currency crisis is tipping it into recession. Turkey, a m... More »

For Turkey’s economy, the worst is behind it: Albayrak

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The worst is now behind Turkey’s economy, Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Monday, following the release of official data showing the economy contracted at a sharper than expected 3.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018. O... More »

Rolls-Royce scales back on joining fighter jet project with…

(Reuters) – British engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc said on Sunday it had scaled back efforts to join a Turkish program to build a new fighter jet with Turkey’s Kale Group. Talks between Kale and Rolls-Royce ran into problems last year because of a dispu... More »

As West turns on him, Venezuela’s Maduro flexes military muscle

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army’s Russian hardware on Sunday, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new... More »

Syrian army enters Manbij after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army said it entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town from the threat of Turkish attacks. It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in... More »

Syrian army enters town of Manbij and raises flag – statement

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army entered Manbij on Friday for the first time in years, it said in a statement, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged the government of President Bashar al-Assad to protect the town from Turkish attacks. The army said it would gu... More »

Turkey says nearly 300,000 Syrians return home after military…

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Nearly 300,000 Syrians have returned to their country after Turkey’s two cross-border operations in northern Syria, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying on Saturday. Turkey has carried out two operations, dubbed “Euphrates... More »

Plundered ‘Gypsy Girl’ mosaics back in Turkey after decades in U.S.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (Reuters) – Missing fragments from one of Turkey’s most striking ancient treasures, the haunting, wide-eyed “Gypsy Girl” mosaic, have returned home more than half a century after they were plundered and smuggled to the United States. On Satur... More »

World’s first baby born via womb transplant from dead donor

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – A woman in Brazil who received a womb transplanted from a deceased donor has given birth to a baby girl in the first successful case of its kind, doctors reported. The case, published in The Lancet medical journal, involved connecting... More »

S&P sees Turkish banks’ bad loans doubling in next 12-18 months

LONDON (Reuters) – Rating agency S&P Global expects the amount of bad loans on Turkish banks’ books to double over the next 12-18 months and their total credit losses to rise to as much as 2.5 percent from the recent average of 1.4 percent. In a new report pub... More »

Moscow Exchange launches dollar vs. yuan, yen vs. rouble trading

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Moscow Exchange (MOEX.MM) has launched five new currency trading options to boost liquidity on its currency market, the bourse said on Monday. The Moscow Exchange said it had started quoting the Japanese yen against the Russian rouble, a... More »

Ozil departure puts focus on German relations with Turkish community

BERLIN (Reuters) – German soccer player Mesut Ozil’s decision to quit the national team due to “racism and disrespect” he faced over his Turkish roots threw a spotlight on Monday on the country’s relations with its largest immigrant community. The most promine... More »

Security forces end attack on Erbil governorate by suspected…

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Kurdish security forces killed gunmen who had stormed a government building in the Kurdish city of Erbil on Monday and took hostages in an attack suspected of being carried out by Islamic State, security officials said, Armed with pisto... More »

Most Turks well integrated in Germany, government says after Ozil’s…

BERLIN (Reuters) – The majority of the roughly 3 million people with Turkish roots who live in Germany are well integrated, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, after German soccer star Mesut Ozil quit the national team citing racism. Mer... More »

Turkey’s Erdogan sworn in with new powers, names son-in-law finance…

ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as Turkey’s finance minister on Monday hours after he was sworn in with sweeping new executive powers, promising a “strong government and a strong Turkey”. The lira TRYTOM=D3, which has lost ... More »

Syrian army seizes border crossing with Jordan – Hezbollah-run media

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces seized control of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan on Friday, a military news service run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah said, after Russia concluded a surrender agreement with rebels in the area. Source: http... More »

Some southern Syrian rebels to leave to north in Russian deal-rebel…

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian rebels in Deraa province who are not willing to reconcile with the government will leave to insurgent-held areas of the north under a Russian-brokered agreement that will also restore Syrian state sovereignty over a border crossing wit... More »

Turkey orders 331 soldiers detained in Gulen probes: media, police say

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey ordered the detention of 331 soldiers on Friday in two operations targeting alleged supporters of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric who Ankara says orchestrated an attempted coup two years ago, state media and Istanbul police said. The ... More »

Germany should have considered a World Cup without Ozil: Bierhoff

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Germany should have considered leaving midfielder Mesut Ozil out of the World Cup squad following the furor caused by the player’s photo with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff has said. Ozil, a key member... More »

EU leaders discuss Brexit, euro zone integration after migration deal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU leaders except Britain are to discuss on Friday Britain’s exit from the European Union and deeper integration of the euro zone after a deal on migration reached in the small hours. [nL8N1TU1MP] Below are the leaders’ comments before the... More »

Turkey should keep state of emergency for some time: ruling party ally

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey should extend its nearly two-year state of emergency for some more time, a senior member of the nationalist MHP party allied to President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party said on Tuesday. Turkey imposed the state of emergency, which limits s... More »

Turkish operation on Kurdish rebels in Iraq is matter of timing:…

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish forces are waiting for the right time to carry out an operation in northern Iraq’s Qandil region where high-ranking members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are located, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Monday.... More »

‘The Power of Love’: address by U.S. bishop at Harry and Meghan’s…

LONDON (Reuters) – Following is the address by U.S. Episcopalian bishop, Michael Bruce Curry, at the wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, as delivered. And now in the name of our loving, liberating and life-giving God, Father, ... More »

Turkey’s Erdogan plans to take greater control of economy: Bloomberg

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan said he plans to take greater control of the economy after presidential elections next month and the central bank will have to take note of what the president says and act accordingly. His comments helped pushed the... More »

Dollar surge bringing emerging market rate cut cycle to a halt

LONDON (Reuters) – A resurgent dollar and higher borrowing costs are smashing through Argentina and Turkey’s currencies like a wrecking ball and raising the likelihood more broadly that emerging markets’ three-year long interest rate cutting cycle is at an end... More »

In Turkey’s Kurdish heartland, a battle for homes and votes

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Kurdish electrician Sukru Gunduz was out on a job when a friend came running to tell him his house was being knocked down, with five members of his family inside. Angry and alarmed, he rushed home. By the time he got there, a mec... More »

Greek gunboat on patrol nudged by Turkish cargo vessel: Navy

ATHENS (Reuters) – A Greek gunboat was nudged by a Turkish cargo vessel early on Friday while on patrol for unauthorized migrant crossings in the Aegean Sea, the Greek navy said. The gunboat “Armatolos” was on patrol off the island of Lesbos as part of a NATO ... More »

Dutch arrest four men on suspicion of planning attack on Turkish…

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch prosecutors said on Monday they had arrested four men suspected of planning an attack on the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. In a statement, the national prosecutor’s office identified the four as Moroccan-Dutch, and evidence of the... More »

Temasek stake values ‘Salt Bae’ Turkish restaurant owner at $1.2…

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Singapore’s Temasek and Britain’s Metric Capital have bought into Nusr-Et steakhouse owner D.ream in a deal valuing the Turkish firm at $1.2 billion. Nusr-Et was made famous by butcher-turned-social media star Nusret Gokce, who went viral ... More »

Putin to visit Ankara for talks with Turkey, Iran

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day visit to Turkey from Tuesday where he will meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the Kremlin said on Monday. Putin and Erdogan will also officia... More »

Turkish chefs savor sweet success with world record baklava

ANKARA (Reuters) – A group of chefs in Turkey claimed a world record for the largest baklava on Thursday with a giant tray of the pastry dessert weighing over half a ton. The giant baklava was presented at a “Gastronomy Summit” in Ankara, where dozens of visit... More »

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