Turkey

ISTANBUL, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a four-day lockdown on May 23-26 in the entire country to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The curfew will comprehend all the 81 provinces, Erdogan said, after attending a cabinet meeting via videoconference from Istanbul.

The lockdown would cover the Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim feast marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The travel restrictions for 15 cities, including Istanbul, were extended for another 15 days, the president also noted.

17 May 2020; MEMO: The Turkish presidential spokesman today voiced solidarity with Palestinian people as they observed the 72nd anniversary of the Day of Nakba, reported by Anadolu Agency.

In a statement marking the day, Ibrahim Kalin said Nakba, which defines the “great catastrophe” that the Palestinian nation was exposed to, signifies the 72-year-long occupation, unlawfulness, oppression and injustice.

ISTANBUL, May 17 (NNN-ANADOLU) – The construction of a bridge, which will connect Asia and Europe in northwestern Turkey, advanced to a next phase on Saturday with the completion of its towers.

A ceremony was held for the installation of the last steel block of 318-metre towers of the Canakkale 1915 Bridge, in the Canakkale province.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attended the ceremony via video-conference from Istanbul.

ISTANBUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The construction of a bridge which will connect Asia and Europe in northwestern Turkey advanced to a next phase on Saturday with the completion of its towers.

A ceremony was held for the installation of the last steel block of 318-meter towers of the Canakkale 1915 Bridge in the Canakkale province.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony via videoconference from Istanbul.

16 May 2020; MEMO: Turkey recently banned a Cypriot plane from flying over its skies, stating that Cypriot authorities did not obtain permission from Turkey, Arab48.com reported on Friday.

On Wednesday, Cyprus confirmed that it hired a plane carrying 36 tonnes of medical supplies needed for the fight against the coronavirus. The plane turned to Moscow after Turkey had refused to allow it to fly over its skies.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A court in Istanbul on Friday accepted an indictment against four pilots, an airline company official and two flight attendants accused of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan to Lebanon via Turkey, and set a trial date for July 3.

15 May 2020; MEMO: A team of researchers are believed to have discovered the earliest known evidence of a person being killed by a meteorite in what is today’s Iraq in the year 1888.

ISTANBUL, May 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkey’s coronavirus death toll topped 4,000 on Thursday, as the number of confirmed cases reached nearly 145,000.

In a tweet, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 55 more deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours while there were 1,635 new cases.

The total number of reported infections now stands at 144,749, making Turkey the ninth most COVID-19 affected country.

The 83-million strong country is gradually moving to a “new normal” as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the coronavirus pandemic is “under control”.

ISTANBUL, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg held a phone conversation over the developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Erdogan and Stoltenberg discussed cooperation opportunities in the fight against coronavirus and steps to be taken in the aftermath of the pandemic, Turkey's presidential office said in a written statement on Thursday.

Additionally, both leaders addressed regional issues, including issues of Syria and Libya, it added.

ISTANBUL, May 14 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish police, on Wednesday, seized several valuable historical artefacts, at an operation in an auction house in central Istanbul, local media reported.

Police teams captured a total of 78 artefacts that belonged to the Seljuk, Ottoman, and Safavid eras in the auction house, at the upscale Nisantasi neighbourhood, on the European side of the city, according to the Sozcu daily.