Turkey, US in row over Erdogan’s remarks on Israel

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong-worded criticism against Israel and the United States over the former’s military operations in Gaza has transformed into a diplomatic spat between Ankara and Washington, with Erdogan calling for the U.S. to be “self-critical” over its Israel policy.

“If America is still saying that ‘Israel is using its right to self-defense’ then it should be critical of itself. It’s America who is offensive,” Erdogan told TGRT on July 20 in an interview.

Turkey, Iran to establish high level cooperation council during Erdogan's Tehran visit

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan departed for Tehran Jan. 28 for his first meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Turkey and Iran will sign an agreement to establish a high-level cooperation council during the visit, after Western countries eased sanctions on Tehran over an interim nuclear deal.

Paying a two day visit to Tehran, Erdogan will hold talks with Rouhani, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, and the religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. He will also deliver a speech at the international institute of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, a visit to Turkey by President Hassan Rouhani will also be on the agenda. Spokeswoman Marzihe Afkham described the visit as “very important.”

Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan clinch major energy pipeline deals

Iraqi Kurdistan has finalized a comprehensive package of deals with Turkey to build multi-billion dollar oil and gas pipelines to ship the autonomous region's rich hydrocarbon reserves to world markets, sources involved in talks said on Wednesday.

The deals, which could have important geo-political consequences for the Middle East, could see Kurdistan export some 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil to world markets and at least 10 billion cubic meters per year of gas to Turkey.

Turkey threatens to deploy army to end unrest

Turkey has said it may bring in the army to help end nearly three weeks of nationwide anti-government protests.

The warning came as two major union federations went on strike on Monday over police violence against demonstrators.

The government raised the threat of putting soldiers on the streets after a weekend of violent clashes prompted by the eviction of campers occupying Istanbul's Gezi Park, the epicentre of the protest movement.

Turkey unions strike over crackdown

Members of two union federations in Turkey have gone on a one-day strike over the forced evictions of protesters from Istanbul's Gezi Park, the focal point of fierce anti-government demonstrations that swept much of the country over the past two weeks.

Labour groups representing doctors, engineers and dentists are also said to have joined the strike on Monday. The striking groups represent about 800,000 workers.

The Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said the strike was "illegal" and warned of police action.

US concerned about Turkey protests, says Biden

Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden says only Turks can solve the problem of anti-government protests sowing unrest in Turkey. But he says the US is concerned and isn't indifferent to the outcome.

Thousands have joined rallies voicing discontent with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year rule. The protests spread after police cracked down on a peaceful sit-in over an Istanbul park's demolition.

US, Germany warn their citizens about potential violence in Turkey

The U.S. Embassy to Turkey has issued a warning to its citizens in Turkey about potential violence, the Hürriyet Daily News has learned.

The embassy issued a warning letter for the attention of American citizens, reminding of the tension in the country that has been ongoing since last week.

The Daily News has also learned that U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone has canceled a trip to the U.S. due to the ongoing unrest in Turkey. He had been due to attend an American-Turkish Council meeting.

Twenty two year-old man killed in Turkey protests: report

ANKARA: A 22-year-old man died in a hospital after being shot during anti-government protests in southern Turkey, the NTV television reported Tuesday.

“Abdullah Comert was seriously wounded… after gunfire from an unidentified person,” the station reported, quoting a statement from the local governor’s office in the Hatay province.

He died in hospital on Monday, the private station added.

Turkey offers pipelines to Cyprus, Israel

Energy-hungry Turkey has offered to cooperate with its oil and gas-rich southern neighbors for the exploration and transportation of their hydrocarbon products to world markets via Turkey. It has particularly called out to Israel and Cyprus, which recently had problems over the legality of the licenses issued for petroleum exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

Bomb suspicion diverts Turkish plane en route to Afghanistan

A Turkish Airlines plane en route to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, returned to Turkey after an abandoned mobile phone found onboard caused panic.

An Airbus 320 with flight number TK-706 left Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport with 135 passengers at 3:05 this morning, but a mobile phone alarmed the cabin crew when no one claimed ownership.

The captain decided to land after informing police, who took strong precautionary measures in the apron.
The plane landed at Atatürk Airport nearly 2.5 hours after taking off.