A powerful explosion has rocked the Turkish capital, Ankara, near a local state authority office, injuring at least 15 people. Officials suspect a bomb may have been planted in a vehicle prior to the Tuesday blast. Police immediately cordoned off the area in the event of a secondary explosion. Several media outlets had reported two […]
Explosion Shakes Turkish Capital
Posted September 20th, 2011 at 5:08 am (UTC-5)
Turkish media say a powerful explosion has killed at least two people in the capital, Ankara. Reports from the scene say several vehicles were on fire following the blast Tuesday. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.
Bomb Threat Postpones Turkish President’s Speech in Germany
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 5:20 pm (UTC-5)
German police evacuated a university in Berlin and postponed a speech by Turkish President Abdullah Gul after someone telephoned in a bomb threat. Authorities searched the building at Humboldt University Monday but found nothing. Mr. Gul carried on with his speech on Turkish-German relations while pro-Kurdish demonstrators marched near the school. Mr. Gul met earlier […]
Turkey to Monitor Cyprus’ Offshore Drilling in Mediterranean
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 4:08 pm (UTC-5)
Turkey has promised to begin offshore oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean as soon as this week, after Cyprus ignored Turkish warnings and started drilling. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that the Turkish military would use frigates, aircraft and torpedo boats to constantly monitor developments in the eastern Mediterranean. Earlier, Turkish […]
US Urges Turkey to Smooth Relations With Israel
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Turkey to smooth over its growing diplomatic dispute with Israel. Clinton met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Monday in New York, as world leaders gathered for the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting. She called on Turkey to “keep the door open” with Israel. The United […]
Turkish President’s Speech in Germany Canceled by Bomb Threat
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
German police evacuated a university in Berlin where Turkish President Abdullah Gul was to give a speech after being notified of a bomb threat. Mr. Gul was scheduled to speak about Turkish-German relations on Monday at Humboldt University, but police cancelled the speech and asked people to leave the venue. German news reports say a […]
Turkish Military to Monitor Cyprus’ Offshore Drilling in Mediterranean
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
Turkey has promised to begin offshore oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean as soon as this week, after Cyprus ignored Turkish warnings and started drilling. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that the Turkish military would use frigates, aircraft and torpedo boats to constantly monitor developments in the eastern Mediterranean. Earlier, Turkish […]
Cyprus Begins Offshore Drilling Despite Turkish Warnings
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Cyprus has begun exploratory offshore gas and oil drilling in the Mediterranean despite warnings from Turkey. Cypriot energy chief Solon Assigns said Monday U.S. firm Noble Energy has started drilling inside Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone south of the island, close to Israeli waters. Cyprus has commissioned Noble Energy for the project, which has been operating […]
UN, EU Call for Restraint in Turkey-Cyprus Gas Dispute
Posted September 19th, 2011 at 9:23 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations and the European Union have asked Turkey and Cyprus to show restraint in a dispute over gas exploration rights in the Mediterranean. A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Monday called on both sides to reach a settlement as soon as possible. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz warned earlier […]
Three Chechens Gunned Down in Turkey
Posted September 16th, 2011 at 4:45 pm (UTC-5)
Turkish news media say that three Chechens were shot and killed in Istanbul Friday. Reports quote witnesses as saying that one or more attackers fled the scene after shooting from a car. Further details were not immediately available. At least three other Chechens have been killed in attacks in Turkey since 2008. Chechen groups have […]
