Debates have been raging for weeks in Turkey about the extent of coronavirus infections and deaths, with the government resisting announcing the actual numbers. In September, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca was forced to admit that the daily statistics released were not the total number of infections, but for patients showing symptoms. The confession that the […]
British diplomatic staff in Ankara and Istanbul fell silent on Friday morning to remember twelve of their colleagues who died in a terror attack at the British Consulate in Istanbul seventeen years ago. The twelve were among 15 victims who were killed when a lorry loaded with explosives was detonated in front of the British […]
Turkey’s parliament has approved a motion that allows Turkish troops to be deployed in Azerbaijan for the next 12 months. The troops will join Russian forces as observers in Nagorno-Karabakh, helping to uphold the peace deal brokered by Russia and signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan on 10 November. The motion [‘tezkere’], submitted to Parliament on […]
A court in Diyarbakır has found a police officer not guilty of killing Kemal Kurkurt, a young man shot dead during the Nevruz celebrations in 2017. The Diyarbakır Seventh Heavy Penal Court acquitted the policeman, identified only by his initials Y.Ş., despite overwhelming evidence disputing the officer’s defence that he and his colleagues were trying […]
Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix lived up to all expectations. A thrilling race fought in wet, difficult conditions that saw Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton come from sixth on the grid to win and claim the seventh World Drivers’ title of his career. Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completed the podium. Valtteri Bottas – the […]
After a nine year absence, Formula 1 (F1) returns to Istanbul for Round 14 of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Turkish Grand Prix. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton comes into the race in fine form, His victory at Imola, Italy, a fortnight ago gives him an 85-point lead against his nearest rival and Mercedes […]
Official data shows Turks were holding record amounts of foreign currencies (forex) and gold totalling $221.04 billion during the last week of October. The data, from Turkey’s Central Bank, reflects the ongoing woes of the Turkish lira, which has lost 30% of its value against the dollar since the start of the year. The lira’s […]
Officials have confirmed 20 people have been killed in Turkey along with two teenagers on the Greek island of Samos after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean region. The fatalities in Turkey were in the western province of Izmir, where over 780 people were also injured, with several in a critical condition. Dozens remain […]
Passengers have flocked to use Istanbul’s new Mecidiyeköy–Mahmutbey extension after it opened at midday today, Wednesday 28 October. The 18 km extension forms part of the M7 metro line that runs from Kabataş to Mahmutbey on the European side of the city, connecting eight districts of Istanbul. To commemorate the opening one day before Turkey’s […]
Daylight Saving Time (DST) kicks in on Sunday, 25 October 2020. As a result, clocks will go back an hour in various parts of the world, including Britain, and North and South Cyprus, but not in Turkey, which opted out of DST in 2016. Clocks switch over to DST at 2am Sunday morning, allowing those […]
