Author: Sidika Ayaz

Copenhagen (13/11 – 37.5) When Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as Sri Lanka’s president in July after a popular uprising ousted his predecessor, the South Asian island nation was engulfed in its worst economic meltdown in 75 years. Since then, President Wickremesinghe has managed to a keep a lid on mass protests, improve supplies of essentials and on Monday, secured a nearly $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that opens the door to restructuring about $58 billion of debt and receive funding from other lenders. He has done that despite a deeply unpopular government, his own party commanding just one…

London (07/11 – 70) President Ranil Wickremesinghe, at the helm of the United National Party (UNP), has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for Sri Lanka’s tumultuous economy, tackling persistent challenges with a steadfast determination that has garnered widespread support across the national and international communities. Upon assuming office, Wickremesinghe confronted an array of pressing issues, including severe electricity shortage resulting in daily power cuts, soaring inflation, an all time low foreign reserve value and scarcities in essential commodities such as fuel and milk powder. Swift and strategic actions within his first six months in power yielded tangible results, with the electricity…

London (05/11 – 44.44) Benjamin Wey, a Chinese-American financier, founder of Fintech Holdings and a history of legal trouble, is suing Sri Lanka for $250 million. Wey claims that he was assured by Sri Lanka’s central bank governor that the country would repay a $250 million bond. However, Sri Lanka defaulted on the bond in April 2022. Wey is seeking to collect the full amount of the bond, plus interest. He has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit is a major setback for Sri Lanka, which is already facing a severe…

ATHENS, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Greece’s economy is expected to expand by 2.5% this year due to strong domestic demand, investments and European Union funds but growth will slow to 2% next year, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. The Fund’s 2023 estimate is higher than that of the Greek government, which puts growth this year at 2.3%. The IMF, one of Greece’s official lenders during its debt crisis which erupted in late 2009, said that economic activity had been strong in the first half of the year. “High frequency data suggests that overall economic momentum remained robust in…

Greece will steadfastly continue to assist in the de-escalation of the crisis in the Middle East in every possible way, as a reliable interlocutor of all parties, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said during a meeting with the ambassadors of Arab countries in Athens, diplomatic sources said on Friday. “This is made possible by the strategic relationship it has built with Israel but also by its traditionally close ties with the Arab world,” added Gerapetritis, according to the same sources. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, responding to the request of the ambassadors in Athens of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United…

The countdown to the commencement of duty for the Turkish Naval Forces’ new fleet has officially begun. The TCG Istanbul frigate is set to be delivered to the Naval Forces Command in December while the offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) TCG Akhisar and Koçhisar are on schedule for delivery in 2024, further enhancing the naval capabilities and strength of the Turkish Naval Forces. The provisional delivery of TCG Piri Reis, the first of the new type of submarines developed domestically, is meanwhile expected to be made in February 2024, the local media reported Monday. It will be the national power of…

An İstanbul court has accepted a new indictment seeking a prison sentence of up to 12 years for Ogün Samast, the convicted murderer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, on charges of “committing crimes on behalf of an armed terrorist organization without being a member of that organization,” the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday. The 52-year-old Dink, editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian bilingual Agos weekly, was shot dead with two bullets to the head outside the newspaper’s headquarters in central İstanbul on Jan. 19, 2007 by Samast, then a 17-year-old jobless high school dropout. Samast was arrested the following day.…

The Ministry of Citizen Protection’s plan to equip and operate 2,400 cameras on frontline police officers’ uniforms and vehicles is on schedule for execution. Kathimerini presents the project’s details, outlined in a 109-page document that has been under consultation for the last few days. It specifically provides for the purchase of 2,000 body cameras that will be integrated into the uniforms of police officers and 400 vehicle cameras, which will be mounted on patrol cars and motorcycles of the Hellenic Police (ELAS). The purchase will be done through an open tender, which will be announced in the first 10 days…

A total of 589,112 endangered sea turtle hatchlings, including 445,592 loggerheads and 143,520 green turtles, have emerged from their eggs and made their way to the sea on the 20 beaches along Türkiye’s southern coast this year, according to local experts. Nearly all sea turtle species, which spend almost all of their lives in the sea and only come ashore between May and September to lay eggs, are in danger of extinction. Conservation efforts are being carried out on 20 Turkish beaches where sea turtle eggs are found. Maintaining known nesting areas is crucial for the species’ survival, as they…

Türkiye’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has consistently demonstrated a steadfast commitment to humanitarian causes, particularly in the face of dire circumstances such as the ongoing crisis in Gaza. With a history of advocating for justice and compassion, Diyanet has taken a proactive role in addressing the plight of the Palestinian people and has emerged as a key voice, not only within the Islamic world but on a global stage. Only in November, the key religious authority organized several meetings to raise awareness and mobilize the Turkish and global society. On Nov. 7, Diyanet organized an event, where the role…