Latest News from Turkey
Magnitude-3.0 Earthquake Shakes Bulgaria's Smolyan Region
An earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale has been registered, in southern Bulgaria close to the border with Turkey, at 16:44 local time on Friday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) announced.
The epicenter was located 153 km southeast of Sofia, 32 km north of Smolyan city and 2 km northwest of the town of Luki, at a depth of 5 km, the EMSC said.
Merkel to Discuss Migrant Crisis with Davutoglu in Ankara Monday
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Ankara on Monday to meet with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as she tries to curb the migrant flow into Europe, international newswires have reported.
NATO says Russian air strikes 'undermining' Syria peace efforts
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said Feb. 5 that Russia's air strikes in Syria targeting rebel forces are "undermining" efforts to find a peaceful solution to the five-year war.
Syrian peace talks in Geneva earlier this week broke up acrimoniously as Moscow's long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad launched a fresh offensive against rebel forces in Aleppo with massive Russian backing.
No peace in Mid-East without solution in Syria: Turkish president
Assuring peace and security in the Middle East and ending the migrant crisis was not possible without solving what's at issue in Syria's political environment, Turkey's president has warned.
Minister warns on delay in EU funds
Volkan Bozk?r, Turkey's EU minister and its chief negotiator with the bloc, has warned the EU that a delay in the delivery of migration funds worth 3 billion euros to Turkey would also cause a delay in implementing more effective measures to handle refugees in the country.
Thousands of Syrians amass on Turkish border
Tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing violence in the war-torn country have amassed on the Turkish border, with more compatriots also expected to head toward the frontier.
Top cleric delivers Friday sermon in Mardin
Turkey's top cleric has personally delivered this week's Friday sermon in the southeastern province of Mardin on the same day as Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu paid a visit to the city in order to announce a much-anticipated plan to restore the country's southeast where an ongoing conflict has raged between security forces and militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Istanbul court accepts indictment against arrested Turkish journalists
An Istanbul court accepted the indictment prepared against arrested Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül on Feb. 5.
The Istanbul 14th Court of Serious Crimes accepted the indictment completed on Jan. 27, in which Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Gül face aggravated life sentences.
Find love at the French Consulate
Red will soon be the color at the French Consulate/Palais Français for lovers and couples, though not exactly on Valentine's Day. Instead, on Feb. 12, the hearts will beat to music and romance at the Amour LAB with its theme of "Je t'aime."
Turkish Cypriot presidency hopes elections on Greek side won't harm peace talks
Turkish Cypriot presidency has expressed its wish that the elections scheduled for May to elect Greek Cypriot administration will not harm the ongoing peace talks between the two sides.
No fall in KRG oil exports to Turkey
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq exported some 600,000 barrels of oil daily on average to Turkey last month, selling a total of 18 million barrels of crude from the autonomous region and neighboring Kirkuk.
Foreign investors back to buying on Borsa Istanbul
Foreign investors made $100 million worth of net purchase on Borsa Istanbul, Turkey's stock exchange, in January following a selling spree of $2.5 billion in November and December 2015, according to data gathered by Anadolu Agency.
Women's group heads to Turkey's southeast for 'peace watch'
A group of women from the Women for Peace Initiative set out on Feb. 5 for the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r, in a show of solidarity with women who have witnessed conflict and curfews in the country's eastern and southeastern regions.
Around 100 women from the initiative with banners and placards held a press conference in Istanbul's Kad?köy district before their departure.
Police officers get postponed fines for Gezi protest beatings
A local court in ?zmir has handed down a postponed monetary fine for an incident in which several students were beaten by two riot police officers, one of whom was photographed pulling a girl's hair, during the Gezi protests in 2013.
Germany's Merkel to pay snap visit to Ankara
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a one-day working visit to Ankara on Feb. 8 to discuss ongoing efforts by Turkey and the European Union to stem the flow of irregular migrants into the EU.