Author: Makbule Safet

London, Delhi, Mumbai (28/10 – 10) England’s title defense in the 2023 Cricket World Cup is practically over, after their fourth defeat in five group-stage matches. Jos Buttler and Co. are coming to the tournament in India as the defending champions, having won their first title in history with the 2019 edition. The 2023 Cricket World Cup turns out to be a disaster for Matthew Mott’s team. From day one onwards, England’s show in the tournament has been painfully dismal, losing by 9 wickets at the hand of New Zealand in the 5 October opening match. They seemed to have…

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday inaugurated the first church built with government backing in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey’s 100-year history as a post-Ottoman state. The Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church’s opening marks an important cultural and political moment for both Turkey and its powerful leader. Erdogan drew widespread condemnation during his two-decade rule for converting ancient churches into mosques and making Islamic conservatism into a leading social force. He has always countered that he was simply restoring the rights of pious Muslims in the staunchly secular republic founded by field marshal Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. Erdogan laid…

China and Europe should “unite and co-operate” against global uncertainties, Premier Li Qiang told the European Union chief on the sidelines of the annual G20 summit in New Delhi. Li’s call came as the European bloc grows warier of the risks of engaging China, defined as its partner, competitor and “systemic rival” since 2019. “Risk prevention does not preclude co-operation, interdependence should not be equated with insecurity,” Li told EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. Li urged the bloc to provide a non-discriminatory environment for Chinese firms, adding that…

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of a G20 summit in the Indian capital New Delhi on Sunday, Erdogan’s office said in a statement. Erdogan and Sisi discussed bilateral ties and energy cooperation between Turkey and Egypt, as well as regional and global issues, it said. Egypt and Turkey upgraded their diplomatic relations by appointing ambassadors to each other’s capitals in July after a decade of tension. Appointment of ambassadors marked a “new era” between Ankara and Cairo, Erdogan told Sisi during their meeting, according to the Turkish presidency’s…

COPENHAGEN, Aug 22 (Reuters) – Denmark has begun training eight Ukrainian pilots in flying F-16 fighter jets as part of its commitment to donate aircraft to Ukraine, the Danish armed forces said on Tuesday. Denmark and the Netherlands on Sunday pledged to donate F-16s to Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding wish by Ukraine that it says will help strengthen air defences and help its counter-offensive against Russia’s 2022 invasion. The eight pilots have arrived at the Danish military air base in Skrydstrup along with 65 personnel who will be trained in maintaining and servicing the jets, the Danish armed forces said in…

A new policy from Turkey’s central bank that aims to phase out a lira protection scheme has been met with opposition from private banks, and the currency fell to another record low on Tuesday. What happened: Turkey instituted “foreign exchange-protected accounts” known as KKM in December of 2021 in response to a plunge in the lira’s value. These accounts enabled lira depositors to receive guaranteed compensation from the state for any depreciation of the lira that exceeded the interest. On Sunday, Turkey’s Central Bank said that private banks must gradually convince depositors to convert their savings from KKM into normal lira accounts. However,…

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, August 6. More than 490,000 foreign tourists visited Tajikistan from January through June 2023, trend reports. According to the Statistical Agency of Tajikistan, this is almost a 30-percent increase compared to the same period in 2022. Overall, around 630,000 foreign citizens visited Tajikistan for various purposes, such as business trips, leisure, and other activities, during the first half of 2023, which is a 34 percent rise compared to last year’s indicators. The top countries from which tourists arrived in Tajikistan were Uzbekistan (413,000 tourists), Russia (151,000 tourists), Kazakhstan (15,500 tourists), China (8,600 tourists), Türkiye (5,300 tourists), the US (4,300…

Berlin (21/08 – 37) Kenes Rakishev, an international entrepreneur, philanthropist and former special envoy of the Kazakhstan government, is leading the charge for an upcoming Nasdaq listing of Borealis Foods Inc.. He is included in the “Top 50 Wealthiest Businessmen of Kazakhstan” and “Top 50 Most Influential Businessmen of Kazakhstan” lists by Forbes magazine. In Forbes’ list of the wealthiest businessmen in Kazakhstan for 2021, he holds the 9th position with a capital of 950 million dollars. Rakishev is President of Fincraft Group and Net Element; a global publisher of online destinations and business services on a custom technology platform…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is optimistic that a “great opportunity” now exists for the improvement of bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey. Athens and Ankara have often been at odds over a range of geostrategic issues, with relations being especially thorny in recent years. Deep disagreements persist over territorial boundaries in the Aegean Sea and over the status of Cyprus, for example. However, a sense of cautious optimism has developed in diplomatic circles since February this year when Greece dispatched assistance to Turkey in the wake of devastating earthquakes. Turkish foreign minister optimistic about Greece and Turkey’s bilateral relations…

MOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) – Russia has lifted restrictions on cargo vessels moving through the Kerch Strait between the Azov and Black seas, the head of the Russia-focused Sovecon consultancy told Reuters on Thursday. “The vessels started sailing today, but they say navigation will be closed at night-time, probably,” Andrey Sizov said. The movement of cargo vessels through the Kerch Strait was suspended by Russian authorities on July 16 following drone attacks on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. The Kerch Strait is the route for around a third of Russia’s grain exports. According to Refinitiv Eikon’s ship-tracking data, the grain carriers Vera…