turkey - Shore News Network

Erdogan meets Hamas leader in Turkey, discusses efforts for regional peace

ReutersApril 20, 20240

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and reach a fair and lasting peace in the region during a meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday, his office said. It was the first meeting between Erdogan and a Hamas delegation headed by Haniyeh since Israel began its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh’s visit to Turkey took place three days after he met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha. “Issues related to Israel’s attacks on lands of Palestine, particularly Gaza, efforts for adequate and uninterrupted delivery of

Turkey tells U.S. it is worried about escalation of Middle East crisis, Turkish source says

ReutersApril 14, 20240

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken in a call on Sunday that Ankara was worried about the potential spread and escalation of the crisis in the Middle East after Iran’s attacks on Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source said. Fidan told Blinken that the root cause of the crisis in the region was the war in Gaza, and that an immediate ceasefire and unhindered access of humanitarian aid was needed in the enclave, the source said. Fidan also urged countries with influence over Israel to send the “correct messages” to prevent further escalating

Turkey gains new wave of female mayors after opposition’s poll success

ReutersApril 3, 20240

By Burcu Karakas ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Gulistan Sonuk, 31, sailed to election victory in Turkey’s conservative heartland at the weekend, part of a wave of new women mayors who dealt President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party and its allies a watershed defeat. The nationwide local elections nearly tripled the number of female mayors to 11 out of the 81 provinces, and included five women taking charge of major urban centres. Sonuk, of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, said the vote was a statement on gender equality and male chauvinism. “The election took place between two sharp lines. One was the mentality

Pro-Kurdish party challenges election outcomes in eastern Turkey

ReutersApril 2, 20240

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party called on Tuesday for authorities to reverse a block on one of its mayors taking office after local elections, and said it was challenging other results over what it called “illegal voters” that prevented it winning. The challenges by DEM – parliament’s third largest party, which performed well in the mainly Kurdish southeast – mark the biggest dispute over the results of Sunday’s nationwide local vote in which President Tayyip Erdogan’s party was trounced. Abdullah Zeydan, DEM candidate in the city of Van, won 55.5% of votes versus 27.2% for the candidate from

Turkey election monitors say ‘more needs to be done’ to ensure freedom of expression

ReutersApril 1, 20240

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s local elections on Sunday were competitive and gave citizens many options but took place in a “starkly polarised environment” where more needs to be done to ensure freedom of expression, a European group of observers said on Monday. Turkey’s opposition logged a thumping victory over President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party (AKP) in the local polls, reasserting themselves as a political force. It marked the worst defeat for Erdogan and the AKP in their more than two decades in power, and could signal a change in the country’s divided political landscape. “Election day was overall calm and

Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkey

ReutersApril 1, 20240

By Daren Butler and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party’s defeat in Turkey’s local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist voters, casting uncertainty over his reform plans. Sunday’s vote marked Erdogan and his AK Party’s (AKP) worst defeat in more than 20 years in power, revitalising the opposition party and strengthening Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s standing as the president’s main rival. Redrawing a political map long dominated by the AKP, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) won the popular vote for the

Exclusive-Russia struggles to collect oil payments as China, UAE, Turkey raise bank scrutiny

ReutersMarch 27, 20240

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian oil firms face delays of up to several months to be paid for crude and fuel as banks in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) become more wary of U.S. secondary sanctions, eight sources familiar with the matter said. Payment delays reduce revenue to the Kremlin and make them erratic, allowing Washington to achieve its dual policy sanction goals – to disrupt money going to the Kremlin to punish it for the war in Ukraine while not interrupting global energy flows. Several banks in China, the UAE and Turkey have boosted their sanctions compliance

Turkey to discuss ‘new mechanism’ for Ukraine Black Sea grain exports with Russia – minister

ReutersFebruary 4, 20240

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will discuss a new mechanism to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his upcoming visit to Turkey, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday. Putin is expected to visit Turkey on Feb. 12 to meet Erdogan, a Turkish official previously said, in what will be the Russian leader’s first trip to a NATO ally since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There are efforts to find “new methods” to transport Ukrainian grain to the world markets, Fidan said in an interview with private

Exclusive-Canada to re-start Turkey arms exports after Sweden NATO backing -sources

ReutersJanuary 26, 20240

By Jonathan Spicer ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Canada and Turkey have reached a deal to restart Canadian exports of drone parts in exchange for more transparency on where they are used, and it would take effect after Ankara completes its ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid, two sources told Reuters. After 20 months of delay, Turkey moved swiftly this week to endorse Sweden’s membership in the western military alliance, including a parliamentary vote and presidential sign-off, leaving Hungary as the sole ally yet to ratify it. Turkey is expected to send the final documents to Washington as soon as Friday, which would

US envoy sees rapid F-16s sale to Turkey after Sweden NATO bid sign-off

ReutersJanuary 25, 20240

By Jonathan Spicer ISTANBUL (Reuters) -The U.S. ambassador to Turkey said he anticipates that President Tayyip Erdogan will give a final sign-off on Sweden’s NATO membership within days, triggering rapid steps toward U.S. Congress endorsing a sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. In an interview on Thursday, Ambassador Jeff Flake said that once the formal ratification document is received in Washington, the U.S. State Department will immediately send Congress notification of the $20 billion F-16s sale. Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing a major hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of

US says it is looking forward to Turkey finalizing Sweden’s NATO process

ReutersJanuary 24, 20240

By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday welcomed the Turkish parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership bid this week and urged Ankara to formally finalize the process. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a briefing that Washington was looking forward to Hungary, which has yet to approve Sweden’s NATO bid, moving along in the process. “We look forward to (Turkish) President (Tayyip) Erdogan taking…steps he needs to within that system to formally finalize that process as well as we look forward to receiving Turkey’s instrument of ratification … in Washington,” Patel said. “And we look

Turkey, Iran agree on need to avoid escalating Mideast tensions -Erdogan

ReutersJanuary 24, 20240

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi agreed at a meeting on Wednesday on the need to avoid steps that could further threaten Middle East stability three months into the Gaza war. Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticised Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and backed legal steps for Israel to be tried for genocide. Unlike its Western allies and some Arab nations, NATO member Turkey does not consider Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose Oct. 7 attack on Israel led to

Explainer-What Turkey gained in delaying Sweden’s NATO bid

ReutersJanuary 23, 20240

By Huseyin Hayatsever and Jonathan Spicer ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament backed Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing a last major hurdle toward enlarging the Western bloc after 20 months of delays that frustrated some of Ankara’s allies and extracted some concessions. In May 2022, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan raised objections to requests by Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. The Nordic states made the bids after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Turkey ratified Finland’s bid in April 2023 but, along with NATO member Hungary, has kept Sweden waiting. Hungary has made no specific demands of Stockholm,

Turkey to reinforce military bases in N.Iraq after 12 soldiers killed

ReutersDecember 28, 20230

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will reinforce its newly established permanent bases in northern Iraq in the coming months, after 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in the region, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. The twelve were killed last week in northern Iraq in clashes with the militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) based there. “In recent years, we have built hundreds of kilometres-long roads in northern Iraq for our permanent bases. We carry out the same activities in new places we have controlled,” Erdogan told a televised meeting in Ankara. “By the arrival of spring, we will have

Turkey tells U.S. to keep promises on F-16 sale -source

ReutersDecember 27, 20230

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken in a call on Wednesday that Turkey expected the United States to act in line with their NATO alliance and keep its promises on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, a Turkish diplomatic source said. The call came at the request of the U.S. side, a day after a Turkish parliamentary commission voted to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid, the source added. The parliament’s general assembly must also approve the bid for it to be ratified. “Fidan stated that, regarding the sale of F-16s,

WTO panel rules against Turkey in metals duties dispute with US

ReutersDecember 19, 20230

GENEVA (Reuters) -A World Trade Organization dispute panel ruled on Tuesday that Turkey should repeal additional duties imposed on the United States in retaliation for U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs, after Ankara’s measure was found to be “inconsistent” with WTO policy. “The Panel recommends that Turkey bring its WTO-inconsistent measure into conformity with its obligation,” the panel said in a report, referring to the Turkish duties. Turkey acted after Washington imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminium imports in March 2018 based on the Donald Trump administration’s “Section 232” national security investigation into steel

Turkey finds no financial abuse by firm US targeted over Hamas ties

ReutersDecember 19, 20230

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey said it had reviewed the financial activities of a company whose shareholders were sanctioned by the United States on the grounds of providing aid to Hamas and found there was no abuse of its financial system. The United States issued sanctions aimed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 27, with three primary shareholders of Turkish real estate investment fund Trend GYO, including its chairman and a board member, among those targeted. At the time, Trend GYO denied providing financial support to the group. Turkey’s Treasury said in a statement late on Monday that the

Renault to slash production costs for cars, expand in Turkey

ReutersDecember 7, 20230

PARIS (Reuters) -Renault said on Thursday it aims to cut the production costs of its cars by as much as 50% in the next four years including by increasing the use of digital and artificial intelligence technology. Renault said that, between now and 2027, it would aim to cut its production costs per vehicle by 30% for internal combustion vehicles, and by 50% for electric vehicles. The carmaker also wants to reduce vehicle development times to two years from three years, it said in a statement. Renault already uses more than 300 AI applications to trace car parts such as

Turkey arrests alleged British crime boss in Istanbul

ReutersDecember 6, 20230

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey said on Wednesday it had captured the leader of a British gang involved in drug smuggling, illegal gun trade and robbery in an operation in Istanbul. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Shaun Monaghan, leader of a gang operating in northeast England, was being sought by an Interpol red notice. Monaghan arrived in Turkey in October and the Interpol notice was published on Tuesday, Yerlikaya said. Turkish police had found Monaghan to be living in Istanbul’s Fatih district and captured him on Wednesday, he said. Video published by the interior ministry showed narcotics police arresting a man

Turkey frees U.S. consulate employee whose jailing strained ties -Bloomberg

ReutersNovember 27, 20230

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish former employee of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul was recently released from prison, Bloomberg News said on Monday, three years after he was convicted of aiding a terrorist organisation in a case that strained bilateral ties. A Turkish court sentenced the employee, Metin Topuz, to eight years and nine months in jail in June 2020. It was one of a series of developments that put the NATO allies at odds in recent years. Topuz’s lawyers were not immediately available to comment on the report, which Bloomberg attributed to people with knowledge of the matter. The

How To Salvaged a Burned Turkey on Thanksgiving Day

Jessica WoodsNovember 23, 20230

Thanksgiving, a day synonymous with feasting and gratitude, can quickly turn stressful when faced with a culinary mishap like a burned turkey. However, all is not lost. With a few creative solutions, Thanksgiving dinner can still be memorable and enjoyable. The first step in rescuing a burned turkey is to assess the damage. If only certain parts of the turkey are burned, those can be carefully removed. The unburned parts are often still edible and can be presented after a little makeover. Slicing the turkey into pieces and arranging them on a platter can help mask any imperfections. If you

Turkey central bank ramps up interest rates to 40%

ReutersNovember 23, 20230

LONDON (Reuters) – Turkey’s central bank delivered a larger-than-expected 500 basis point interest rate hike on Thursday, lifting its benchmark to 40% but also flagging that the pace of monetary tightening was set to slow down and the end of the cycle was in sight. Below reaction from analysts to the decision: LIAM PEACH, CAPITAL ECONOMICS, LONDON “(Turkey’s central bank) suggested that it is very close to the end of the tightening cycle. A final 250bp hike in December now looks likely. For the central bank to have any chance of achieving single digit inflation this decade, rates will need

Police Issue Guidelines for This Weekend’s Howell-Wall Turkey Bowl Football Game

Phil StiltonNovember 22, 20230

WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Wall Township Police Department has issued a set of guidelines for attendees of the upcoming Annual Thanksgiving Football Game between Wall and Manasquan. The department seeks to ensure a safe and orderly environment for all spectators during this eagerly awaited event. Key guidelines include: The Wall Township Police Department extends its best wishes to both teams and looks forward to a successful event. These measures are intended to promote a family-friendly atmosphere and ensure the safety and enjoyment of all attendees.

Over 1,000 Turkey Meals Distributed by Director Vicari and Volunteers

Phil StiltonNovember 20, 20230

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Joseph H. Vicari, Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, emphasized the importance of supporting needy community members, particularly during holidays. This sentiment was echoed during a recent turkey meal giveaway event organized in collaboration with the Fulfill Food Bank of Ocean and Monmouth County. The event at The JBJ Soul Kitchen in Toms River saw more than 1,000 turkey meals distributed to senior citizens and families. Vicari, alongside a team of dedicated volunteers, facilitated the distribution, ensuring those in need received meals ahead of Thanksgiving. Multiple locations across the county will offer Thanksgiving meals

West Lampeter Turkey Hill Robbed With Gun and Aeresol can

Leo CanegaNovember 15, 20230

WEST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, PA – The West Lampeter Township Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred on Tuesday, at the Turkey Hill store on Willow Street Pike. Two Hispanic males, one armed with a handgun and the other with an aerosol can, demanded money before fleeing the scene on foot. The incident took place in the early hours, around 3:26 a.m. The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. The police department is seeking information from the public and asks anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact them directly.