Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An explosion at a rocket and explosives plant in Turkey caused a building to collapse on Saturday, killing all five workers inside, an official said.

The explosion occurred at around 8:45 a.m. at the compound of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation, on the outskirts of the capital, Ankara, Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters.

Sahin said the explosion was likely to have been caused by a chemical reaction during the production of dynamite. Prosecutors have launched a formal investigation, he said.

09 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a former Wall Street banker, Hafize Gaye Erkan, as the country's new Central Bank Governor – another move that could potentially mark a policy pivot away from economic unorthodoxy, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Erkan, Turkiye's first female Central Bank chief, was a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and co-CEO at First Republic Bank.

07 June 2023; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to re-submit a proposal to amend the constitution for parliament to consider, Anadolu has reported.

Erdogan made his comment during a press conference after convening his cabinet for the first time since winning the 28 May presidential election run-off. He stressed that the vision represented by the amendment is based on "stability and trust".

08 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's lira plunged 7 per cent to a record low on Wednesday in its biggest sell-off since a historic 2021 crash, a move traders said is a "strong signal" that Ankara is moving away from state controls toward a freely traded currency, Reuters reports.

According to the report, the currency has come under increasing pressure since President Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected on 28 May.

ANKARA, June 7. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday discussed the situation around the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky over the phone and suggested forming an international commission to investigate the incident with Russia's participation, the Turkish leader's office reported.

ANKARA, June 7. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday discussed the situation around the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky over the phone and suggested forming an international commission to investigate the incident with Russia's participation, the Turkish leader's office reported.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish lira tumbled to a fresh record low Wednesday, extending its slide against the U.S. dollar since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan started his third term.

The lira weakened by around 7% on Wednesday, hitting 23.18 against the dollar. The decline took the currency’s loss since Erdogan’s inauguration Saturday and appointment of a new government to more than 8%. The currency has weakened by around 20% since the start of the year.

The lira also weakened by more than 7% against the euro on Wednesday.

06 June 2023; MEMO: The flag carriers of Turkiye and Italy have signed a code-share agreement to expand destinations in the networks of both Turkish Airlines and ITA Airways, the airlines said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco was forced to divert and land at an airport in Russia's Far East after it developed a technical issue with one of its engines, the airline said on Tuesday.

The diversion of the Boeing (BA.N) 777 widebody aircraft comes amid a global debate over the use of Russian airspace by some carriers, with the chief of United Airlines (UAL.O) warning on Monday of the dangers of a plane being forced to land in Russia with American citizens on board.

ANKARA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's annual inflation slowed to 39.59 in May, the lowest level since December 2021, official data showed on Monday.

The slowdown was driven by a temporary measure offering free gas to households, offsetting price rises in other goods, analysts said.

The country's annual inflation was 36.08 percent in December 2021, 48.69 percent in January 2022 and 43.68 percent in April 2023.