Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has announced that 706 children are currently living with their mothers in Turkish prisons, according to a report by the Gazete Duvar news website on Friday. Tunç revealed some prison statistics in response to a parliamentary question from human rights advocate and MP from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy...
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Flooding and landslides kill 14 in Bosnia and Herzegovina
At least 14 people have died in flooding and landslides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a spokesman for the government of the Herzegovina-Neretva canton told Bosnian media on Friday. The mountainous region about 30 kilometres north of the city of Mostar, in the south of the country, is the worst affected. Local media reported that heavy...
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Turkey detains 13 students over alleged Gülen links
Turkish police have detained 13 students in an operation based in the southern province of Mersin over their alleged links to the Gülen movement, a faith-based group targeted by the government, the İhlas news agency (İHA) reported on Thursday. The detentions were carried out as part of simultaneous raids conducted in the provinces of Mersin,...
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Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September to 49.4 percent
Turkish annual inflation slowed less than expected in September to 49.4 percent, official data showed Thursday, a figure that analysts said could disappoint central bank officials after a series of interest rate hikes, Agence France-Presse reported. Turkey’s central bank began to raise rates last year in efforts to battle soaring prices, after President Recep Tayyip...
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Turkey captures 2 former judiciary members in ongoing crackdown on Gülen movement
In the most recent turn of events in Turkey’s ongoing crackdown on the faith-based Gülen movement, authorities have apprehended a former judge and a former prosecutor who were being sought due to their alleged ties to the movement, the private DHA and IHA news agencies reported. The Gülen movement, inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen,...
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Ex-NBA player says NYC mayor withdrew support from him on Turkey’s orders
Former NBA player and activist Enes Kanter Freedom has said New York City Mayor Eric Adams withdrew his support for him due to orders from the Turkish government since Freedom is a follower of the faith-based Gülen movement, labelled as a terrorist organization by Turkey. Adams is charged with bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting...
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First deployment of NATO ARF to focus on readiness, support to KFOR
Approximately 200 personnel from NATO’s newly established Allied Reaction Force (ARF) will deploy to the Western Balkans from 30 September to 16 October 2024, to conduct training to ensure its readiness and to support the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). This is the first time any element of the ARF has deployed since the organisation was...
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Turkish court sentences builder of apartments that collapsed in 2023 quakes to 865 years
A Turkish court on Friday handed down a prison sentence of 865 years and 62 life sentences to a man behind the construction of a building that collapsed on February 6 2023, killing 96 when two powerful earthquakes hit Turkey, Agence France-Presse reported, citing local media. The 14-story apartment block in the southern Turkish city...
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Outcry in Turkey Over Prosecution of Teenage Girls for Socializing
POLITURCO / ZAMAN.MK A wave of outrage has swept through Turkey following the indictment of 15 teenage girls for activities as simple as socializing, attending the opera, and studying together. Prominent figures from various sectors of Turkish society, including artists, politicians, and human rights activists, have spoken out against the case, which they view as...
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Euractiv: Albania to formally open EU negotiation clusters on October 15
The Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER) has given a green light to the formal opening of the first clusters of Albania’s accession negotiations with European Union, decoupling it from North Macedonia on the EU path, Euractiv reports. The European Union adopted a decision to couple the membership path of North Macedonia...