Turkey

Compounding the atmosphere of mistrust amid an upsurge of militant activity by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), another member of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) lost his life on Oct. 30, a day after he was shot by two masked gunmen in Diyarbakır, the largest city in the predominantly Kurdish populated southeastern Anatolian region.

Turkey’s tourism income jumped by 11 percent to $12.9 billion in the third quarter of 2014 from the same period of the previous year, Turkish Statistics Agency TÜİK revealed on Oct. 30.

“Tourism continues to break records in Turkey despite the instability surrounding the country,” Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik said through a written statement.

Hope is waning of saving 18 Turkish miners trapped by a flood in a mine in the south of the country, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız acknowledged on Oct. 30, as rescue efforts entered a third day.
      

Turkey ranks 55 out of 189 countries in the World Bank’s latest annual Ease of Doing Business report, dropping four spots from last year mainly due to the rise in company registration fees Turkey ranked 55 out of the 189 countries surveyed for the World Bank’s latest annual Ease of Doing Business report, dropping four spots from last year.

Just as we yesterday celebrated the 91st year of the foundation of the Turkish Republic, this year also marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, which brought an end to the Ottoman Empire.

Another soldier was killed in Turkey’s southeast on Oct. 29, hours after the Turkish army reiterated that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was responsible for the recent killing of three soldiers in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

Another soldier has been shot in Turkey’s southeast, hours after the Turkish army reiterated that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was responsible for the recent killing of three soldiers in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

Three mining companies have been mining without informing each other, Turkey's leading mining association says in a statement on the latest mine disaster, adding that the Energy Ministry did nothing to rectify the matter A mining accident in the Central Anatolian province of Karaman that left 18 workers 375 meters below the ground on Oct.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will chair his first National Security Council (MGK) meeting on Oct. 30 since becoming president in August.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will also participate in the gathering for the first time since being assigned to their posts.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists have attacked an oil and gas field in Syria, killing at least 30 pro-regime forces and security guards, a monitoring group said Oct. 29.
      
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was launched on Tuesday night and fighting continued through the night.