According to the UN, a quarter of a million people have fled to Syria as a result of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Lebanon. And Turkey is bracing for a new exodus as the numbers are expected to rise.
A small port in Turkey is serving as an alternate route for people fleeing Lebanon, as the majority of flights out of the country have been canceled and ticket costs have skyrocketed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants Russia to participate in talks with Syria on the return of millions of refugees.Erdogan’s call this week for dialogue with Syria follows a spate of protests and rioting by Turks who want their government to stop hosting refugees from Syria’s 13-year-old civil war.
Turkey says it is preparing to launch a major military operation against Kurdish rebels who are based in Iraq. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, vows to end what he says is the threat posed by the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which has been fighting Turkey for decades.
As part of Turkey’s new bid to crack down down on organized crime, Istanbul police are now using some of the most expensive sports cars in the world. Seeking to attract foreign investment, Ankara hopes to avoid international scrutiny over money laundering.
After an attack on an Istanbul church by the Islamic State, Turkish security forces are detaining hundreds.Authorities are warning of further attacks against Jews and Christians.
Turkey’s border with Armenia may soon reopen after more than 30 years following Azerbaijan’s recapture of the Nagorno-Karabakh area from ethnic Armenians.
Anger over the deaths and destruction was expected to sway the May 14 elections in favour of the opposition in Turkey’s earthquake disaster zone. However, as Turkey heads for a runoff, the region is more supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan than all of Turkey is.
In February’s earthquakes in southeast Turkey, many voters lost their homes, valuables, and loved ones. However, they turned out to cast their ballots on Sunday in what observers believe may be the country’s most important elections in decades.
The opposition and human rights observers are concerned about a surge of mass arrests that have been taking place in Turkey’s largely Kurdish area ahead of the elections on May 14.