October 2016

France ‘sees drop’ in Islamophobic attacks

21 October 2016 0

French-Muslim group says recorded Islamophobic attacks, threats fell by around 50 percent There was a decline in Islamophobic attacks on Muslims in France since January, the country’s National Observatory Against Islamophobia claimed on Thursday. However, the group warned that growing “cyber hate” against Muslims remained a serious issue. Some 149 anti-Muslim acts were recorded between January and September 2016 compared to 323 incidents in the same period last year, according to Abdallah Zekri, head of Read More

Turkish Air Force to join Mosul operation: Defense Min.

19 October 2016 0

Turkey’s defense minister confirmed Tuesday the country’s air force will join the operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh. Fikri Isik’s remarks came on Tuesday evening in Rome at the Turkish embassy. Addressing reporters after a South-Eastern defense ministers meeting, Isik said: “We have come to an agreement with coalition forces that our air force will join the Mosul operation.” When asked to evaluate Turkey being invited to a meeting on Mosul in Paris in the Read More

Turkish PM slams foreign media’s coverage of Turkey

16 October 2016 0

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has accused international media outlets of launching a “black propaganda” campaign against Turkey following the July 15 coup attempt. Speaking at a meeting with union leaders in Istanbul Saturday, Yildirim said: “Turkey is faced with a perpetual perception operation run by international media outlets.” He said the purpose of such a “perception operation” was to given an impression that there was “no stability in Turkey”, “there is war in Turkey”, “there Read More

Russia, Turkey sign Turkish Stream agreement

11 October 2016 0

Turkey and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement for the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project in Istanbul on Monday. Energy Minister Berat Albayrak and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak signed the agreement following a meeting between the two countries’ Presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, which continued for 140 minutes in Istanbul. Earlier Monday, Putin indicated the need to develop the Turkish Stream natural gas project during talks with Erdogan. The project, announced by Read More

Blast near police station in Istanbul injures 5 people

6 October 2016 0

A bomb-laden motorcycle exploded near a police station in Istanbul, injuring five people, including one critically on Thursday, the city’s governor tweeted. According to Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin, the attack took place in Bahcelievler district, located on the European side of the city. Preliminary reports based on police sources said the blast took place in an area near the Yenibosna police station at around 3.50 p.m. (GMT 1250). The explosion also damaged nearby cars and Read More

HSBC rules out rumours about exiting the Turkish market

3 October 2016 0

The CEO of HSBC Turkey, Selim Kervanci, has ruled out earlier rumours of a possible exit from the Turkish market. In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Kervancı said: “HSBC has exited 17 to 18 countries and territories. In some countries, [HSBC] no longer provides private banking services. In Turkey, we have been through a restructuring process. We have absolutely no intention of selling the bank or moving out of the country.” Ruling out rumours that Read More