Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A bus slammed into two trucks and caught fire on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring 18 others, officials said.

The crash occurred on a highway near the town of Tutak, in Agri province in eastern Turkey that borders Iran and Armenia. The cause of the crash was under investigation, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Television footage showed thick black smoke billowing from the scene.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the deaths while addressing a ceremony for the inauguration of projects for rural areas.

06 Nov 2022; MEMO: Sweden has reaffirmed its decision to distance itself from Kurdish militant groups in its bid to join NATO, as it attempts to secure Turkiye's approval to join the military alliance.

Earlier this year, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the potential threat it would pose to them. While that bid was approved by 28 of the alliance's 30 member states, Turkiye and Hungary refused to approve it.

ANKARA, November 4. /TASS/: Turkey will focus its efforts on the extension of the Ukraine grain deal, which expires on November 19, the Turkish presidential office cited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday.

"It was noted during the talks that following the top-level diplomatic efforts with Russia and Ukraine, the functioning of the grain corridor was resumed and it was decided to focus efforts on the extension of the grain deal in the near future," it said.

04 Nov 2022; MEMO: Turkiye, on Friday, pledged to send grain and fertilisers to the least-developed and developing countries, especially in Africa, Anadolu News Agency reports.

03 Nov 2022; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday that Greece's militarisation of at least 16 out of its 23 islands in the eastern Aegean Mediterranean Sea threatens Ankara's security, calling on Athens to comply with international law, Anadolu news agency reported.

ISTANBUL, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Turkish annual inflation climbed to a new 24-year high of 85.51% in October, official data showed on Thursday, slightly below forecast, after the central bank cut its policy rate despite surging prices.

Inflation has surged since last year, when the lira slumped after the central bank began cutting its policy rate in an easing cycle long sought by President Tayyip Erdogan.

ANKARA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Six grain vessels left Ukrainian ports on Thursday after Russia resumed its participation in the UN-brokered deal which allows grain exports through the Black Sea, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

The number of ships leaving Ukraine's ports reached 426, and the amount of grain transported exceeded 9.7 million tons, Akar said in a statement.

"We will intensify our efforts on the extension of the grain initiative, which will expire on Nov. 19," he added.

02 Nov 2022; MEMO: NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, is due to arrive in Turkiye on Thursday for a three-day visit, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry said Stoltenberg will be received by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The NATO Chief will also meet Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu and National Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar.

ANKARA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Turkey's president said on Wednesday his party could put to a referendum constitutional amendments to protect women's right to wear a headscarf, in a move some Turks see as an attempt to outflank the opposition on a once-deeply divisive issue.

President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) met the opposition on the issue as parties vie for support ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections set for next June, with polls showing support for Erdogan's government slipping.

02 Nov 2022; MEMO: Luxury yacht Eclipse, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, yesterday docked on the Marmaris coast in Turkiye's southwestern city of Mugla.

Anadolu Agency quoted sources as saying that the yacht was "164-metres in length and 22-metres width with 6-storeys."

The sources added that the yacht was valued at "some €340 million ($336 million)," noting that it had a "helipad, a swimming pool, luxurious rooms and a gym."

They also pointed out that the yacht was set to dock at the port for a week.