Author: Cemil Alan

Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain have temporarily closed their embassies in Ukraine due to heightened risks of airstrikes. Initially planned for a one-day closure on November 20, the shutdowns have been extended to November 21, with potential further extensions depending on the security situation. The Greek Embassy issued a statement urging citizens to avoid commuting and remain in safe spaces, emphasizing the closure was necessary for security. Similarly, the Italian Embassy advised citizens to seek the nearest shelter in case of an airstrike and follow strict safety measures. Portugal announced its embassy would remain closed for several days, with Foreign…

Hungary faces diplomatic embarrassment after Turkey swiftly ratified Sweden’s NATO bid, leaving Hungary as the sole holdout. Orban’s face-saving attempt to force a gesture from the Swedes received short shrift. A perfect diplomatic storm hit Hungary on Tuesday night, as Turkey’s parliament rushed to ratify Sweden’s NATO application, leaving Hungary, which together with Turkey has dragged its feet on ratification for about 18 months, found itself in the awkward position of being the final hurdle. Hungarian government officials had previously assured that Hungary would not be the last to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO. But Viktor Orban’s isolation within Euro-Atlantic alliances…

The past week of Russia’s war in Ukraine was remarkable, chiefly for something that happened thousands of kilometres to the east of a hardened battlefront. In an apparent sabotage operation of breathtaking audacity, Ukrainian operatives blew up two freight trains in east Siberia travelling on a track believed to be used to shuttle North Korean-made ordnance to the Russian front lines in Ukraine. Details were sketchy, but some facts have emerged. A freight train caught fire in the 15km-long (9.3-mile) Severomuysky Tunnel in the Republic of Buryatia on the night of November 29, the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s office reported.…

ANKARA, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Canada and the United States were insisting that Ankara ratify Sweden’s NATO membership bid before Canada resumes the export of drone cameras to Turkey, the text of an interview with media showed on Friday. Speaking with reporters on a flight from Athens late on Thursday, Erdogan said the United States agreed with Canada on the issue, but that Sweden’s NATO bid was to be decided by Turkey’s parliament, after he sent the bill there for consideration in late October.00:28Clashes at COP28 over fossil fuel phase-out When Erdogan signalled at a NATO conference…

The caretaker cabinet has agreed to allocate over €2 billion next year in aid for Ukraine, most of which will go on military support for the war against Russia. The government will have spent €4.2 billion in military aid by the end of this year. The Netherlands agreed at this summer’s Nato summit to continue its financial backing for Ukraine. “This is about our security,” defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said. “If Ukraine does not win this war then we have a much bigger problem which is going to cost us a lot more. So I think this is sensible expenditure.”…

The trial of 26 suspects linked to the pimping of a 12-year-old girl in the Athens district of Kolonos revealed last year will start on January 8, 2024, before a Mixed Jury Court. The list of defendants include Ilias Michos, a 52-year-old shopkeeper from Kolonos, who is facing charges of pimping and rape, and the victim’s 37-year-old mother, accused of pimping out the girl and child pornography, both aggravated felonies. The date of the trial was the nearest possible as the defendants, all temporary detainees, have already completed 12 months of pre-trial detention. Michos is accused of raping the girl…

More than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, who had crossed from Gaza into Egypt, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of Thursday, Turkey’s Anadolu agency reported. Two planes carrying the patients, many of them children, landed at Ankara airport shortly after 00:30 local time (21:30 GMT). Turkey has sent a ship loaded with material for field hospitals, ambulances and generators to Egypt to treat civilians who have been able to flee Israel’s war on the enclave. Israel is waging a war on Gaza, which has killed 11,500 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 27 patients had been…

Sudden changes in temperatures caused by global climate change in the Black Sea Region have adversely impacted hazelnut yields, as an expert suggests that hazelnut cultivation should done at higher altitudes to improve crop yield. Trees that experience a rapid increase in daytime temperatures throughout the spring season are susceptible to frost due to the persistence of low overnight temperatures. In recent years, hazelnuts have been affected by the presence of dangerous invading insect species. Additionally, global warming has led to frost events contributing to a reduction in hazelnut yields. Climate scientist Professor Dr. Mehmet Levent Kurnaz made some statements…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sharply criticized the United States and European countries for their support of Kurdish fighters in Syria, whom Ankara considers an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and for the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which he described as “politicized” rulings that “interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs.“ Fidan was speaking at budget talks in parliament on Monday. Turkey considers the the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to be an extension of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community. The YPG…

Israel’s attacks on Gaza have long since crossed the threshold of self-defense to turn into open oppression, brutality, massacres, and barbarism, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. “Nobody should expect us to stay silent while atrocities are happening before our eyes,” Erdogan said at a meeting of the Family Council in the capital, Ankara. Criticizing the EU for failing to push for a cease-fire in Gaza, Erdogan said: “How many more children must die for the EU Commission to call for a cease-fire?” “How many more bombs must fall on Gaza for the UN Security Council to take…