Latest News from Turkey

Municipality distributes 20 tons of free vegs, fruits as Russia announces sanctions

A municipality in the southern district of Osmaniye has distributed 20 tons of vegetables and fruits formerly destined for Russia among the public for free, as Russia announces new sanctions on Turkish exports to Russia.

German firms hurt by Russian sanctions against Turkey

German companies doing business in Russia have suffered collateral damage from Moscow's sanctions against Turkey, a business group said on Dec. 18.

The impact of sanctions on those companies has been "considerable," said the president of the German-Russian chamber of commerce, Rainer Seele.

"Two-thirds of them have been hit," he said.

Turkish packagers rank third at global awards

Turkish packaging manufacturers received a total of 13 awards in the WorldStar 2016 Competition, ranking third in the world, said the Packaging Manufacturers Association (ASD) in a written statement on Dec. 17.

Turkish company to invest in special pipe production for oil, gas pipelines

Turkey's leading steel making company, Tosyal? Holding, has said it will invest in the production of a special type of pipe to be used in oil and gas pipelines in a press release on Dec. 17.

"We will start our facility investment with the planned annual production of 500,000 tons in 2016 and our plan is to complete the construction in the following year," said the company.

Domestic mobile phones become popular amid sharp lira losses

As the Turkish Lira continued to lose value against the dollar and euro over the past several months, the use of domestically produced mobile phones has seen a dramatic rise in the market, increasing up to 30 percent, according to sector representatives.

Izetbegovic: Kosovo won't be recognized due to RS resistance

Relations with Serbia are improving, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will not recognize Kosovo in the foreseeable future, Bakir Izetbegovic has said.

Izetbegovic, the leader of the SDA party and the Bosniak (Muslim) member of the country's tripartite presidency, made these statements for Turkey's Anadolu news agency.

Minimum wage raise to increase Turkey's GDP by 0.4 points: Economy minister

The planned raise in the minimum wage will make around 0.4 points contribution to Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) growth, Economy Minister Mustafa Elita? said in a televised interview on Dec. 18.

Turkey world's top refugee hosting country: UN

Turkey was the country hosting the most refugees in the world in the first half of 2015, with 1.8 million registered refugees on its territory as of June 30, according to a new U.N. report.

Daily Sabah: Bulgaria Needs Turkey More Than Ever

In an article published in Daily Sabah on Thursday, columnist Ilnur Cevik argues that Bulgaria needs Turkey more than ever.

Cevik's article follows the recent one-day working visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Bulgaria on Tuesday.

According to him, Davutoglu's visit brought a couple of forgotten realities to light.

Turkish banks raided in Russia over 'money laundering' claims

Four Turkish banks in Russia were raided by agents from Russia's Federal Security Forces (FSB) to investigate "suspicions of money laundering" on Dec. 17, according to sources.

Zorlu shares surge on hopes Turkey normalizing Israel ties

Shares in Turkey's Zorlu Energy, which is involved in energy projects in Israel, surged as much as 10 percent on Dec. 18 after an Israeli official said a preliminary deal had been reached with Turkey to normalize relations.

The announcement, which comes at a critical time for both countries, could have widespread implications, particularly when it comes to energy.

CHP leader: Putin's threats against Turkey unacceptable

Turkey does not tolerate Russian President Vladimir Putin's "unacceptable" threats, the country's main opposition leader has said, while also criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu for not appropriately managing the crisis between Ankara and Moscow after Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) shot down a Russian fighter jet last month on its Syrian border.