Middle East & North Africa

By Murat Paksoy and Hanife Sevinc

ISTANBUL

31 July 2018; AA; Representatives of minority communities on Tuesday said they were free to follow their faith in Turkey, denying allegations that they were being victimized.

In a joint declaration, Turkey's minority community representatives -- including followers of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches -- said that people of different faiths live "freely".

By Yilmaz Kazandioglu

31 July 2018; AA; HAKKARI, Turkey

A roadside bombing by the PKK terrorist organization killed the wife and baby of a Turkish soldier in the southeastern province of Hakkari, the local governor’s office said Tuesday. 

The bomb exploded when a car carrying the civilians passed through the Yuksekova district.

The mother died on the spot, while the 11-month-old child succumbed to his wounds at the Yuksekova Public Hospital. 

An operation to nab the terrorists is under way in the region.

31 July 2018; AFP; A Turkish court on Tuesday rejected an appeal to release from house arrest a US pastor whose detention on terror-related charges has strained relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington, state media reported.

The court in the Aegean region of Izmir rejected an appeal by the lawyer for Andrew Brunson, who ran a Protestant church, to have him released from house arrest and have his travel ban removed, state-run Anadolu news agency said.

SANAA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's top Houthi rebel official on Tuesday offered a unilateral initiative to his group's foe Saudi-led coalition forces to halt war in the Red Sea.

"We declare our initiative to halt naval military operations for a specific period and it could be extended and include all battle fronts on the ground if this move is reciprocated by the leadership of the coalition," chief of Houthi Supreme Political Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said in a statement carried by Saba news agency.

Tehran , July 30, IRNA - India’s Ministry of Petroleum has claimed that crude imports from sanctions-hit Iran witnessed a massive jump this June in comparison to last year; disproving reports published by global research agencies that India had heavily cut down crude purchases from Iran due to American sanctions.

JERUSALEM, July 30 (NNN-XINHUA) - Israel said, it intercepted on Sunday, a Gaza-bound European ship, in the latest attempt by international activists, to break the 11-year Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

The motor vessel, named "Al Awda," or "The Return" in Arabic, was contacted by the Israeli military in international waters, some 49 nautical miles from the port of Gaza, the flotilla's organisers said.

TEHRAN, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran will file a lawsuit with international tribunals against U.S. fresh sanctions on importing handwoven Iranian rugs, Press TV reported Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump "has wrongly sanctioned the art industry, which is a symbol of culture and intellectual property of the Iranian people," said Fereshteh Dastpak, head of Iran National Carpet Center.

"According to international protocols, what belongs to a nation could not be sanctioned," Dastpak noted.

Tehran, July 29, IRNA – US is a sanctions addict and it has imposed sanctions on an array of nations more than any other countries in the world, Iran's Foreign Minister said Sunday.

29 July 2018; AFP; Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi was released from prison Sunday after serving eight months for slapping two Israeli soldiers, an episode captured on video that made her a symbol of resistance for Palestinians.

Tamimi, 17, and her mother Nariman arrived in their village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, where they were met by crowds of supporters and journalists.

"The resistance continues until the fall of the occupation, and of course the (female) prisoners in jail are all strong," Ahed Tamimi said, her voice barely audible above the crowd.

29 July 2018; AFP; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the US in comments published Sunday that sanctions would not force Ankara to "step back" after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed.

"You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions," Erdogan said in his first comments since relations soured after Trump threatened the measures on Thursday if Pastor Andrew Brunson was not released.