Asked at a press conference if he had considered resigning over the Ankara attack, interior minister Selami Altinok denied that there had been failures in security preparations for the planned peace rally. Only hours after the Ankara bomb attacks, the PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire and called on its fighters to halt all guerrilla attacks in Turkey, according to the Firat news agency. … [Read more...] about Turkey terror attack: mourning after scores killed in Ankara blasts
Turkey
Turkey hit by protests over government response to suicide bombings
Bulent Kenes, chief editor of the English-language paper, Today’s Zaman, was arrested at its Istanbul offices on Friday and sent to jail by court order. A crowd of about 200 people gathered at the paper’s offices to chant support for Kenes as he was taken away and held banners saying “Free media cannot be silenced”. … [Read more...] about Turkey hit by protests over government response to suicide bombings
Turkey bomb blasts: government blamed as thousands take to streets in Ankara
The two explosions occurred in an interval of a few seconds near the central train station on Saturday morning as thousands started to gather for a peace march, which was organised by several leftwing groups including labour unions and the HDP to call for an end to the escalating violence between the Turkish government and the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s party (PKK). … [Read more...] about Turkey bomb blasts: government blamed as thousands take to streets in Ankara
Turkey bombings: innocent hearts beating for peace are brutally stopped
Saturday’s explosions seem to be part of a series of attacks. The first bomb was in Diyarbakir in June, again at a pro-Kurdish HDP rally. Then came the news from Suruç, where university students whose only aim was to restore playgrounds for children in Kobane were massacred by Islamic State. And now Ankara. … [Read more...] about Turkey bombings: innocent hearts beating for peace are brutally stopped
Turkey-Greece tensions: Erdogan urges EU to be ‘impartial’ in Mediterranean row
The dispute is set to top the agenda at the European Council meeting scheduled for September 24-25. Some member states have called for a hardline approach, including sanctions against Turkey, while France had sent frigates and fighter jets to the region in support of Greece. … [Read more...] about Turkey-Greece tensions: Erdogan urges EU to be ‘impartial’ in Mediterranean row
