Turkey

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Turkish PM Tries to Quell Anger Over Fire

Deadly blaze in Germany raises ethnic tensions

(Newser) - Turkish PM Recep Erdogan today visited the site of a questionable Sunday fire in Germany that killed nine ethnic Turks and inflamed tensions between the country, Der Spiegel reports. Charges that the fire was arson, and that rescue workers were slow to respond, have captured headlines in Turkey; Erdogan mourned...

Prof Guilty of Insulting Turkish Founder

Suspended sentence may mean trouble for country's bid to join EU

(Newser) - A Turkish court today handed a political science professor a 15-month suspended sentence for insulting the country's founder. Attila Yayla had suggested that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was not as progressive as official portrayals indicate. The conviction heightens scrutiny of the country's commitment to freedom of expression as it pursues EU...

Turkey to Lift Head Scarf Ban at Universities

Agreement alarms secular elite, which fears Islamist rule

(Newser) - Turkey is expected to do away with a 2-decade-old ban on women wearing head scarves at the nation’s universities as early as next week. The prospect alarms the country’s secular elite, who see the country on a slippery slope to Islamist rule, Der Spiegel reports. “The logic...

James Spain Dead at 81
James Spain Dead at 81
Jan 6, 2008 12:00 PM CST

James Spain Dead at 81

Career diplomat served as US Ambassador in Tanzania, Turkey & Sri Lanka

(Newser) - James Spain, a career diplomat in the US Foreign Service, passed away of natural causes in Wilmington, NC at age 81 on January 2, 2008.  Ambassador Spain's life was devoted to serving his country first in the US Army as a photographer on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in occupied...

Turks Launch Second Straight Air Strike in Northern Iraq

Bombs fall on Kurdistan but no casualties

(Newser) - A fleet of Turkish warplanes bombarded northern Iraq for a second straight day today in its ongoing campaign against Kurdish separatists. The air strike lasted for an hour but resulted in no casualties because the area's villages had already been evacuated, reports the Washington Post. Once again the US sympathized...

Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes
Turkey Hits Kurds With
Air Strikes
Dec 22, 2007 3:33 PM CST

Turkey Hits Kurds With Air Strikes

Claims rebels suffer 'heavy losses' but no fatalities

(Newser) - Turkey bombed Kurdish rebel targets in Northern Iraq today, claiming strikes on "infrastructure" but no fatalities, the BBC reports. Ten planes reportedly attacked the al-Amadiyah region, which Kurdish officials say is abandoned for fear of military strikes. Turkish officials said the militant PKK "suffered heavy losses in terms...

Campbell's Sells Godiva
Campbell's Sells Godiva
Dec 21, 2007 11:59 AM CST

Campbell's Sells Godiva

Soup maker gets $850M, will focus on core businesses

(Newser) - To ensure that its bottom line stays “M'm! M'm! Good,” the Campbell Soup Company sold its upscale Godiva chocolate brand yesterday for $850 million. Yildiz Holding of Turkey beat out Starbucks and Hershey’s to nab the Belgian chocolatier, which racks up $500 million in annual sales, the...

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq
Dec 18, 2007 6:14 AM CST

Turkish Troops Cross Into Iraq

Ground operations follow air raids on Kurdish rebels

(Newser) - Turkey sent hundreds of troops across the Iraqi border today to battle Kurdish separatists, the first large-scale ground incursion since tensions rose in the fall, Reuters reports. About 300 lightly armed troops arrived in a semi-autonomous mountainous region, Iraqi officials said. Ankara had no immediate comment on the operation, which...

Iraq Pumping More Oil Than Before War

Increased security at northern pipeline credited with boost

(Newser) - Thanks largely to increased security, Iraq is now producing more oil than it was before the war began in 2003, according to the International Energy Agency. The output is up to 2.3 million barrels per day from 1.9 million barrels daily at the beginning of the year. Protecting...

Turkish Air Strikes Target Kurdish Rebels

Attack inside northern Iraq the first since US invasion

(Newser) - Turkey launched its first air strike since 2003 on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq early this morning, targeting a mountainous region near the Turkish border where the government says the PKK has its leadership council and camps. About 50 warplanes were used in the offensive, the AP reports, which lasted...

Publisher Faces Prison for Book on Armenians

Accused of 'insulting Turkishness' with book urging reconciliation

(Newser) - A Turkish publisher goes on trial today in Istanbul for violating that country's controversial law against "insulting Turkishness." Ragip Zarakolu is accused of contravening the notorious Article 301 by publishing a book by a London-based author promoting reconciliation between Turks and Armenians. The trial of a relatively moderate...

Turkey Claims Strike on Iraqi Kurds

Rebels deny report, and Washington claims ignorance

(Newser) - Turkey launched an “intense intervention” in Northern Iraq today, inflicting losses on PKK fighters—at least according to Ankara. A PKK official denies the strike, and Washington claims ignorance, Reuters reports. But Turkey says that its artillery, helicopters, and special forces struck a Kurdish base with 50-60 militants. "...

Passenger Jet Crashes in Turkey, Killing 57 Aboard

Plane from Istanbul disappeared just before landing in southwestern Turkey

(Newser) - A passenger jet carrying 57 people crashed in southwestern Turkey, killing all aboard, the BBC reports. The MacDonnell Douglas 83, operated by budget airline Atlasjet, disappeared from radar just before landing in the town of Isparta. The cause remains under investigation, but the Turkish PM said the tail may have...

Court Upholds $1B Judgment for Motorola

Rejects claim that fraud damages amount to 'economic death sentence'

(Newser) - A federal appeals court has upheld a finding of $1 billion in punitive damages against the Uzan family of Turkey for defrauding Motorola out of $2 billion in start-up loans, the Wall Street Journal reports. The family had argued that the damages were so high that they amounted to an...

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US
Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US
Nov 21, 2007 9:09 AM CST

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US

Rebel group leader vows 'no surrender' against Turkey or US

(Newser) - The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the rebel group based in northern Iraq that the United States considers a terrorist organization, has spoken out to warn of resistance to any Turkish cross-border incursion. In a report by a pro-Kurdish news agency, a leading PKK commander warned that his group...

Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture
Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture
Nov 19, 2007 10:33 AM CST

Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture

Melting glaciers inundated Black Sea, scattered farmers

(Newser) - The real-life inspiration for the biblical flood may have been responsible for the widespread adoption of agriculture in Europe, according to a new study. About 8,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, ice sheets melted, causing massive flooding in the Black Sea basin. That forced...

Turkish Gunships Strike Kurdish Outpost in Iraq

Turkish Prime Minister warned a strike was 'nearing'

(Newser) - Turkish helicopter gunships have struck a suspected Kurdish guerrilla base inside the Iraqi border, AP is reporting. Turks targeted an area near the town of Zakho before dawn today. Iraqi officials said there were no casualties in the attacks on what they characterized as "abandoned villages"  that housed...

Turkey Listens to EU, Will Ease Up on Free Speech

Amendment to law is part of bid for EU membership

(Newser) - Readying itself for possible EU membership, Turkey's government will soften a law that curbs free speech, the AP reports. An amendment expected to pass parliament will limit penalties for Article 301, which punishes "insulting Turkey or Turkish identity" with up to three years in prison. The announcement came hours...

Oil May Break $100 Barrier This Week

Some see 'violent correction' once $101.70 is shattered

(Newser) - With oil prices poised to break $100 a barrel this week, potentially punching through the inflation-adjusted record of $101.70 in 1980, speculation shifts to how long it will stay there. The steep rise—27% in 3 months—could set the stage for a dramatic fall. "We probably are...

Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers
Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers
Nov 4, 2007 4:53 PM CST

Rebel Kurds Free Turkish Soldiers

Move could deter war; Turkey's PM to meet Bush tomorrow

(Newser) - Kurds freed eight Turkish soldiers today, a move that may cut the odds of a Turkish invasion into northern Iraq, Reuters reports. But Turkey still wants Kurdish rebels arrested and training camps shut down. Britain's defense secretary called the release "a significant move," but added, "We need...

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