Prime Ministry

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants attacked a Kurdish-controlled post on the Syrian-Turkish border Nov 29 for the first time, a monitor and Turkish officials said.

The attack on the post separating the Syrian town of Kobane from Turkey was followed by fierce clashes between Kurdish and ISIL fighters.

Turkey’s intelligence agency, the police and the gendarmerie are to get exclusive authority on the personal data of citizens, according to a new draft law that is likely to stir further debate about “profiling” by the government.

A top prosecutor’s office in the Turkish capital Ankara has finally completed an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, charging 13 suspects with “political espionage.”

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has drafted the indictment in the investigation, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Nov. 18

Turkey’s Chamber of Architects has penned a letter to Pope Francis, calling on him not to attend a ceremony set to be held at the country’s new presidential palace during his upcoming visit as the guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Pope Francis is set to be the first house guest at the Presidential Palace, colloquially known as the Ak Saray (White Palace), on Nov. 28.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, with his almond mustache and typical Pinocchio smile on his face was boasting at an Ankara meeting how under his government, Turkey will be steered to a prosperous centennial of the republic and beyond.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has commented on the amount of money spent on the construction of the controversial new presidential palace, otherwise known as "Ak Saray," admitting that the amount was “not small” and “could be discussed.”

The cost of Turkey’s controversial new presidential palace, which has been heavily criticized by the opposition for overspending, currently stands at 1.37 billion Turkish Liras ($615 million), surpassing earlier estimates, according to fresh data provided by Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.

Turkey has spent over $600 million on a new presidential jet and presidential palace this year, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek has revealed, noting that the budget purse strings will be loosened for the facility more next year.

The Turkish government is set to send a motion to Parliament on the deployment of troops to the Central African Republic as part of an EU peacekeeping force, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has announced.

“The sending of a motion to Parliament has been decided by our Prime Ministry,” Arınç told reporters late Nov. 3, speaking after a Cabinet meeting.

Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkır has reiterated that his ministry will make required interventions on the much criticized homeland security bill, if the bill’s content is found to be against EU norms.