Author: Aiyla Halil

Turkish MPs have ratified Sweden’s bid to join Nato in a long-delayed vote that represents a big step forward on the Nordic nation’s path to membership. Sweden applied to join in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey withheld approval amid a row over what it called Sweden’s support to Kurdish separatists. Turkish President Erdogan is expected to sign the legislation within days. It leaves Hungary the sole Nato member yet to ratify Sweden’s accession. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted on social media: “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of Nato”. And…

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s latest list of U.S. weapons it says it needs to fight the Russian military includes sophisticated air defense systems, F-18 “Hornet” fighter jets, drones, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, according to documents seen by Reuters. Officials from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense presented a “list of armaments to meet the needs of defense forces of Ukraine” during a closed-door session of a conference in Washington on Wednesday attended by government officials and defense industry executives.00:28Climate change protesters turn Venice canal green The comprehensive list included weapons Ukraine already has in stock like Abrams tanks and 155 millimeter…

At a time when US defense giants such as Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon experienced a drop in combined revenue, Turkey’s defense firms reported exceptional increases, but analysts say Turkey’s military-industrial complex has a long way to go before it produces true global giants. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) report “Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies, 2022,” many leading Western arms manufacturers saw their combined revenues shrink, yet four Turkish companies’ revenues went up by 22%, which made them the main driver of sales growth in the Middle East region and represented the largest annual…

KYIV, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Some 151 ships have used Ukraine’s new Black Sea shipping corridor since it was set up in August, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Friday, citing a senior government official. A total of 4.4 million metric tons of cargo, including 3.2 million tons of grain, has been shipped via the corridor, Yuriy Vaskov, deputy minister for renovation and infrastructure, was quoted as saying. A U.N.-backed deal that had allowed safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea collapsed in July after Russia withdrew. In response, Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” hugging the western…

An 83-year-old Greek woman has offered her life savings to buy her town an ambulance, after having been disappointed by delayed responses over the years whenever her late husband or herself had needed to be admitted to hospital. Athena Papachristou, who is a retiree farmer, donated the new ambulance to the local branch of the Greek National Centre for Emergency Response in Missolonghi, western Greece, under the condition that it will be used to serve the needs of the town’s hospital only. On a humoristic note, the elderly benefactress has also asked that the ambulance gives a little toot in…

A lenticular cloud, in the shape of a hat, has formed on the snowy summit of Mount Ağrı, Türkiye’s highest peak, following widespread snowfall across the country. Standing at an elevation of 5,137 meters, Mount Ağrı is now covered in a white blanket from its peak to its foothills. This unique cloud formation, commonly called a “hat” by locals, envelops the summit of the mountain, which is located on the borders of Iran, Nakhchivan and Armenia. The cloud phenomenon is visible in these neighboring countries. It has attracted the attention of both amateur and professional photographers, as well as the…

Türkiye’s domestically produced naval vessels were on display as part of a military drill exploring humanitarian aid scenarios Thursday in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ships from a total of eight nations, their crews and dozens of observers gathered off the coast of Türkiye’s southern Antalya province for the first day of the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation organized and orchestrated by the Turkish Naval Forces. Navy Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and reporters from observing nations watched the maneuver from the domestically built TCG Anadolu, which took part in a drill for the first time since its launch. The operation’s mission was to transport…

ISTANBUL, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Turkey will make efforts to rebuild damaged infrastructure, hospitals and schools in Gaza if a ceasefire is achieved there, Turkish media on Saturday reported President Tayyip Erdogan as saying. “If a ceasefire is reached, we will do whatever is necessary to compensate for the destruction caused by Israel,” Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a trip to Berlin, where he held talks with German leaders. “We will make efforts to rebuild the damaged infrastructure in Gaza and rebuild the destroyed schools, hospitals, water and energy facilities,” he was cited as saying by broadcaster A…

State will collect over 1.06 billion euros from the concession of the 22% stake in the bank. Greece has secured revenues of 1.066 billion euros from the disposal of 22% of National Bank, a process oversubscribed eight times. As Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis underlined, this is the “most successful transaction in the last three years in the EU in terms of the demand manifested and the minimization of the discount on the offering price,” set at €5.30 per share from a provisional price range of €5-5.44. Demand for the HFSF shares at National exceeded all expectations,…

ISTANBUL, Oct 28 (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan addressed hundreds of thousands of supporters at one of the largest pro-Palestinian rallies since the Israel-Hamas war began, courting his Islamist political base a day ahead of the centenary of Turkey’s secular republic. “Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan told the crowd in Istanbul, who waved Palestinian flags. “We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel…