Turkish prosecutor asked Istanbul court to transfer the case investigating Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, his fiancee stated. The Istanbul court is trying 26 Saudi officials in absentia for the killing of Khashoggi. The prosecutor said the trial should be stopped and the case transferred to Saudi Arabia, at the latter’s request. “The
Is Turkey-Israel gas pipeline project on the agenda as an alternative to Russian streams? Erdoğan answered Turkish journalist’s questions on March 31 on his way back from Uzbekistan about possible energy ties with Israel as President Isaac Herzog paid a visit to Turkey last month, stating that a gas pipeline crossing through Turkey is on
Turkey’s election law changed once more with the votes of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members. Election threshold lowered to 7 percent from 10 percent and alliance regulations reverted. Turkey’s parliament legalized the draft law prepared by the AKP-MHP alliance to make changes in the law ahead of the
As the cost of living increases, Turkey’s government took measures such as VAT reductions. Nonetheless, inflation cannot be reduced with tax cuts unless the reasons that escalate it are eliminated. Early this week, the VAT rates on some basic goods were reduced from 18 percent to 8 percent. A similar practice was applied for some
The second high-level political meeting between Russia and Ukraine was held today, March 29, in Istanbul. The first meeting after Russia’s offensive on Ukraine started on February 23 was held in Turkey’s Antalya between Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Dimitro Kuleba on March 10. President Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Foreign Affairs
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) submitted a new draft law to the parliament, which stipulates a further punishment to mention corporations in public that can be regarded as “defamation.” That stirred a debate since Turkey’s public has long been calling a number of construction moguls involved in mega
One of two tables is being set up in Istanbul Turkey for the 6 opposition party leaders get together to overthrow the ruling alliance through elections. Their main agenda is to find a strategy as a precaution against ruling party’s recent change of the election law to protect the number of ruling seats in the
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey’s (DİSK) 16th General Assembly convened in 2020 with a claim to build “Labor’s Turkey and Labor’s World.” Some critics often labelled that goal as “ambitious” and “unrealistic”. However, when we look at 2022’s Turkey and World that witnessed Ukraine Crisis just after Covid 19 pandemic, I can
A few hours after the end of the March 24 Extraordinary NATO summit of world leaders to stop Russia its invasion of Ukraine, I was at a Presidential Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Hall in Ankara for a charity concert. Well known pianist Alexander Romanovsky, who is Russian from his father’s side and Ukrainian from his mother’s