Turkey

A soldier has been killed and two others wounded in clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Sur district of the southeastern Diyarbak?r province where an ongoing curfew has been in place since Dec. 2, 2015. 

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some European allies want ground troops deployed in Syria but there is no consensus in the coalition and a strategy for such an operation has not been seriously debated, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu said. 

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras travels today to Brussels to meet with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and see what are the intentions of EU states on the two major issues: the refugee issue and the completion of the Greek program review.

The United Nations Security Council does not have any consensus at the moment on Turkey's strikes on northern Syria, the council's president for February has told reporters, correcting previous statement that all member states asked Turkey to "comply with international law" on Feb. 16. 

The European Commission should "forcefully remind Bulgaria of EU laws and standards" and call on authorities to investigate "credible reports of abuses," Human Rights Watch has said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Saudi Arabian King Salman spoke by phone late on Feb. 16, with both describing attacks by Russia and Syrian government forces north of Aleppo as "worrisome," sources at Erdo?an's office said. 

Romania's tourism authority is to launch a promotion campaign on the Russian market with holiday packages focused on health and wellness, in a move to diversify tourism products that focus on mountain and seaside resorts.

More tourists from Israel and China are also expected following recent moves to ease their access.

Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil has called for tourism representatives to create a task force and to focus on Asia and Africa as the sector players have voiced their concerns amid escalating risks affecting the country's tourist numbers. 

The most interesting news of yesterday (Feb. 16) was about a statement by an unnamed Turkish official who said the government was "asking allies" about the possibility of a land operation into Syria. The official reportedly said Turkey would only get involved in such an operation if it was "with allies."

In Jerusalem, over the hill where Jesus Christ was believed to be crucified, carried into a cave and resurrected, rises the holiest church of the Christian world.

In 1852, the roof of the church was damaged and the sectarian groups who ran the church could not agree on who was to repair it while the Ottomans who ruled the city did not care about it.