News archive of October 2016

Three soldiers killed in a PKK attack in Turkey's east

Three soldiers were killed in an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in Turkey's eastern province of Hakkari on Oct. 31, Doğan News Agency has reported.

​Another soldier was wounded in the attack in Hakkari's Dağlıca area. 

Meanwhile, four PKK militants were 'neutralized' by security forces.

'Shared Values' initiative releases fresh interview series

A Doğan Holding initiative, the "Shared Values Movement," which aims to create a dialogue environment where various segments of Turkish society can express their belief in common values, has released a new series of interviews with notable public figures in the country such as Türkan Elçi, İpek Çalışlar and Ali Çarkoğlu. 

Greece slams EU over unequal distribution of migrants

Greece condemned the European Union on Monday for failing to fulfil its commitments to help ease pressure on Athens over migrants, a year after a burden-sharing agreement came into force.

Turkey issues biometric passports as part of visa deal with EU

Turkey will begin issuing new biometric passports in November in a bid to fulfill one of the remaining criteria required by the European Union to grant a visa waiver to Turkish citizens as part of March 18 deal between Ankara and Brussels, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Oct. 31.

ND leader repeats call for elections, expressing concern for economy, democracy

After a meeting with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed concern about the state of the country and repeated his call for snap elections.

After an hour of talks with Pavlopoulos, Mitsotakis said he had conveyed his "intense concern about the economic crisis and the undermining of democratic institutions."

Government to submit provision suspending TV license law

State Minister Nikos Pappas said on Monday that the government would later submit in Parliament a provision that effectively suspends an earlier law transferring the authority for conducting an auction for television licenses from the National Broadcasting Council (ESR) to Pappas.

250-year-old Ottoman school restored without authorization

A 250-year-old Ottoman-era building in Istanbul's Fatih district has undergone an unauthorized restoration, prompting investigations by authorities. 

The Yusuf Ağa Sibyan Mektebi, an Ottoman-era elementary school, currently under the administration of the Independent Art Foundation, was concreted and painted with tile color on its external front. 

R&D Spending in Bulgaria Up in 2015, Mostly Driven by Businesses

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) activity in Bulgaria increased by nearly a quarter compared to the year before, preliminary national statistics show.

The total amount allocated to R&D was BGN 847, which is 27.4% more than in 2014.

R&S intensity - its value as % of GDP - also went up, rising to 0.96% last year. It was 0.79% in 2014.

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