Latest News from Turkey
Detained Syrian journalist freed without charges in Turkey
A Syrian journalist detained in Turkey while applying for a residence permit says he has been freed.
PKK frees three abducted Anadolu Agency reporters
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has released three reporters working for Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency after abducting them in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern province of Mardin.
Bulgaria 'Declares Turkish Diplomat Persona Non Grata'
Bulgaria has declared persona non grata a Turkish diplomat working at the Consulate General in Burgas, a diplomatic source has said.
The decision is explained with the fact he is carrying out activity that breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation, Focus News Agency quotes the source as saying.
Syria's Assad says he is ready for truce if 'terrorists' don't exploit it
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Feb. 20 he was conditionally ready for a ceasefire, under the condition that a number of countries, including Turkey, which he accused of "sending terrorists and weapons" into Syria, halt their support to insurgents. Damascus refers to all insurgents fighting against the Syrian army and its allies as terrorists.
Double car bombing kills 46 in Syria's Homs: Monitor
At least 46 people were killed and dozens injured on Feb. 21 in a double car bomb attack in the central Syrian city of Homs, a monitor said.
Soldier succumbs to wounds three days after PKK attack
A wounded soldier has succumbed to his wounds at the Gülhane Medical Academy (GATA) in Ankara, three days after sustaining injuries in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attack in southeastern Diyarbak?r province.
Turkey expects US solidarity with no question marks: PM
Ankara expects the United States, a long-time ally in the struggle against terrorism, to consider any attack on Turkey as an attack on itself without any hesitation, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has said, while commenting on a recent split on the the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Ankara will get new security mechanism, Turkish PM says after deadly attack
Turkey will develop a new security approach and mechanism for the capital city of Ankara, PM Davuto?lu said, following a nearly five-hour security meeting with his seniors and officials in the aftermath of a Feb. 17 car bomb attack that claimed 28 lives
Turkish police block convoy to support Artvin anti-mine protesters
Police and soldiers have dispersed a group that arrived in the Black Sea province of Artvin to lend support to locals and environmentalists groups that have been protesting a new gold mine.
The police used tear gas against the group of about 1,000, which tried to go into the city, passing over the barricades on Feb. 20.
Some protesters were reportedly detained.
Two Serbs abducted in Libya believed killed in US raids on ISIL
Two Serbian embassy staff members abducted in Libya in November are believed to have been killed on Feb. 19 in U.S. air strikes on a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) training camp, Serbia's foreign minister said on Feb. 20.
Turkish authors mourn death of Umberto Eco
Turkish writers mourn Umberto Eco, Italy's world-known author and philosopher, who died Feb. 19 at he age of 84.
The writer of several groundbreaking books Eco had been suffering from cancer and passed away at 10.30 p.m. [2130 GMT] local time, Italian media reported.
Best-selling Turkish crime novelist Ahmet Ümit described his sorrow on social media on Feb. 20.
Greece’s borders to remain open until March 6
Upon the completion of European Council’s meeting, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that “it was a difficult meeting” on two very important issues, ‘Brexit’ and refugee crisis.
Turkey Never Sought to Interfere in Bulgaria's Politics - Ambassador
Turkish Ambassador to Sofia Suleyman Gokce has refuted claims that his country has pressured Bulgarian politicians into taking sides.
Ankara "has never asked any Bulgarian politician to take sides with regard to another political or publicly important figure in Bulgaria," he told private national bTV station on Saturday.
Obama calls Erdo?an, shares Turkey's Syria concerns
Turkey's presidency said U.S. President Barack Obama had shared his concerns over the Syrian conflict and promised his support on Feb. 19, hours after a tense exchange between the two NATO allies over the role of Kurdish militants.
INTERVIEW: Niyazi Berkes' life a window onto Turkey's national story
The life of Turkish intellectual Niyazi Berkes bridged the Ottoman and Republican eras and provides a useful window through which to explore his turbulent times. The left-leaning Berkes was invested in the Kemalist project of the early Turkish Republic, but circumstances later forced him into voluntary exile at the beginning of the Cold War.