Author: Feray Deniz

Australia and Turkey are in a standoff over which country should host the 2026 UN climate summit, with both sides determined to win. The issue came to a head during COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Australia’s climate minister made a last-minute visit to Turkey in an attempt to reach a compromise, but Turkish officials refused to drop their bid. Turkey’s deputy environment minister, Fatma Varank, argued that Turkey’s Mediterranean location would help reduce emissions from flights and emphasized its smaller oil and gas industry compared to Australia. Turkey also noted its energy reliance on fossil fuels, but at a lower…

Moscow (28/2). Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that non-governmental organizations in Central Asia have stepped up their anti-Russian activities amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. Shoigu said this at the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense on February 27. According to him, there are more than 100 “large pro-Western non-governmental organisations” operating in Central Asia, which have more than 16,000 representative offices and branches. “Against the backdrop of the special military operation, these NGOs have significantly increased their anti-Russian activities in order to reduce military-technical, economic and cultural cooperation between the Central Asian states and Russia.…

German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to set up at least four factories in Ukraine to produce artillery shells, military vehicles, gunpowder, and anti-aircraft weapons, the AFP reported on March 14. This could present a boost for Ukrainian defense production amid ammunition shortages and dwindling supplies from the U.S. “Ukraine is now an important partner for us, where we see a potential of between 2 and 3 billion euros ($2.18-$3.27 billion) per year,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said during a presentation of the company’s 2023 results, the AFP wrote. Previously, the company signed a contract with the Ukrainian Defense Industry (Ukroboronprom) in October 2023 to…

“A concrete kennel, measuring 2.5m x 3m. Most often, it is unbearable due to the cold and dampness. Water collects on the floor, and the window is tiny. The walls are thick, stifling any airflow, and not even the cobwebs stir. There is no ventilation, leaving one feeling suffocated at night, akin to a fish out of water. An iron bunk, reminiscent of those found on sleeper trains, is bolted to the wall.” This is how Alexei Navalny described the cell in which he spent 308 out of 1125 days in solitary confinement. His imprisonment amounted to both physical and…

In the midst of the increasingly alarming threat of climate change, international cooperation is certainly the key to saving our planet. As the two largest economic and political powers in the world, China and the United States have a crucial role in addressing environmental issues, especially related to climate problems that must be fixed immediately before it gets worse. Moreover, the United States and China are the two largest carbon emitters in the world, so they are indirectly responsible for the issue. Collaboration between the two is crucial as their greenhouse gas emission contributions significantly affect the global climate balance.…

Nyon, Manchester, Milan (19/12 – 31) The group phase of the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League is to conclude this month. Names of the sixteen clubs who will compete in the knock-out phase have been released. On Monday, 18 December 2023, UEFA conducted the draw for the last-16 round, at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Defending champion Manchester City came out from the draw with the biggest smile as they will face off with the arguably easiest opponent. Pep Guardiola’s team will Danish champion Copenhagen, who were down at 37th in the UEFA club coefficient ranking. As the current title holder,…

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to Greece on Thursday on a visit designed to set the historically uneasy neighbors on a more constructive path. Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will oversee joint Cabinet talks and trade consultations. A series of cooperation deals will be signed as part of a so-called “positive agenda,” aimed at bypassing long-standing and often volatile disputes. After years of tension and a looming risk of military confrontation, the NATO allies are seeking to rebuild trust and deliver a timely message of cooperation in the troubled eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan and Mitsotakis, both reelected this year, are respectively…

Hellenic Public Properties Co, HPPC, the company managing the real estate assets of the Greek state, suffered Distributed Denial-of-Service, DDoS, attacks on November 8, media reported on Wednesday. Opposition MPs accused the conservative government of treating cyber security “supertficially” and demanded a national strategy to deal with the issue. “Cyber security is treated by the Greek government and in particular by the Ministry of Digital Governance superficially in terms of communication and as a simple modern technological international trend … The cyber attack on the HPPC calls for a coordinated and unified national cyber security strategy,” said opposition SYRIZA MP George Karameros.…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which have found themselves at odds over recent years, are indicating a rapprochement is underway as a result of negotiations over major defense projects. Following the Arab Spring — pro-democratic protests and uprisings across the region that started in 2011 — the two countries differed on several geopolitical issues. For instance, during the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis, when the UAE decided to cut political and economic ties with the Gulf nation, Turkey opted to support Doha. However, in the last year they have focused on strengthening bilateral ties through agreements in the…

At least three Ukrainian drones attempted to attack a Russian nuclear plant located some 110 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, Russia’s state nuclear plant operator said Friday. Rosenergoatom stressed that the incident at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant did not cause any damage or affect the plant’s operations. “We confirm that on the evening of Oct. 26, 2023, an attack by three enemy drones on the Kursk NPP was stopped,” Rosenergoatom said in a statement. “This [attack] did not affect the operation of the plant,” it added. “There are no casualties or damage. Law enforcement agencies are working at the site.”…