• Turkey prepares for consequential election as Erdogan struggles to maintain power

    Turkey prepares for consequential election as Erdogan struggles to maintain power

    May 12, 2023 10:40 PM EDT

    This Sunday, more than 60 million Turks will cast their ballot to decide the country’s president. Turkey is a NATO member, part of the G20 and for two decades has been led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The opposition calls him authoritarian. He calls them terrorists. He now faces his toughest battle yet in an election...

  • Ukraine seeks to extend wartime grain deal at talks with Russia, Turkey and U.N.

    Ukraine seeks to extend wartime grain deal at talks with Russia, Turkey and U.N.

    May 11, 2023 09:11 PM EDT

    ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — The Ukrainian government is seeking to extend a wartime deal that allowed the country's grain to get to nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat, a top Ukrainian official said Thursday after the latest talks on prolonging the agreement ...

  • What the holy month means for Muslims in Turkey and Syria amid earthquake destruction

    What the holy month means for Muslims in Turkey and Syria amid earthquake destruction

    Apr 20, 2023 10:40 PM EDT

    Friday is Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. But in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, festivities have been muted by a mood of mourning and calls for help months after twin earthquakes killed at least 56,000 people there and left a trail of devastation. Amna Nawaz reports.

  • Turkey clears last hurdle for Finland's NATO membership

    Turkey clears last hurdle for Finland's NATO membership

    Mar 31, 2023 04:33 PM EDT

    ... more significant obstacles in its bid,” Hamish Kinnear, Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, wrote in emailed comments. “Turkey is unlikely to approve its acceptance into the alliance before the election in May. The Quran burning incident sparked popular rage in Turkey and ...

  • Turkey just approved Finland's bid to join NATO. What happens next?

    Turkey just approved Finland's bid to join NATO. What happens next?

    Mar 31, 2023 04:05 PM EDT

    HELSINKI (AP) — Finland received the green light to join NATO when Turkey ratified the Nordic country's membership late Thursday, becoming the last country in the 30-member Western military alliance to sign off. All NATO members must vote unanimously to admit a new country into the alliance. The decision ...

  • Turkey's president says he will support Finland's bid to join NATO

    Turkey's president says he will support Finland's bid to join NATO

    Mar 17, 2023 03:08 PM EDT

    ... said in a Facebook post that lawmakers for Fidesz, which holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, would "vote unanimously in favor.” Niinisto arrived in Turkey on Thursday and toured areas affected by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that killed more than 52,000 people in Turkey and Syria last ...

  • Humanitarian crisis persists for survivors in Turkey, Syria after devastating earthquake

    Humanitarian crisis persists for survivors in Turkey, Syria after devastating earthquake

    Mar 06, 2023 05:05 PM EDT

    “The reality is that if we do not move beyond the roughly 10% that we have, the U.N. and its partners will not be able to meet the humanitarian needs,” he said. Rodriguez added: “Turkey has been a country that has supported 4 million Syrian refugees over the ...

  • Earthquake recovery hampered by sheer scale of destruction in Turkey and Syria

    Earthquake recovery hampered by sheer scale of destruction in Turkey and Syria

    Feb 24, 2023 11:45 PM EDT

    In the two weeks since deadly earthquakes hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, the focus has shifted from rescue to rehabilitation. The task ahead is not only to reconstruct homes, but also to rebuild lives, especially for the youngest victims. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports.

  • Death toll from massive Turkey, Syria earthquake tops 47,000

    Death toll from massive Turkey, Syria earthquake tops 47,000

    Feb 23, 2023 06:49 PM EDT

    ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit parts of Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 continues to rise as more bodies are retrieved from the rubble of demolished buildings. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck the already battered province of Hatay this week damaged ...

  • LISTEN: Supreme Court hears case over big tech's liability for 2017 ISIS attack in Turkey

    LISTEN: Supreme Court hears case over big tech's liability for 2017 ISIS attack in Turkey

    Feb 22, 2023 03:04 PM EDT

    ... from liability on the internet, allowing them to grow into the giants they are today. If the court bars the lawsuit involving the attack in Turkey from going forward it could avoid a major ruling on the companies' legal immunity. That outcome would leave the current system in place, but ...