This is Beirut

Turkey Braces for Fourth Night of Protest as Mayor Arrives in Court

This is Beirut, 22/03 19:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Protests Ekrem Imamoglu Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Huge crowds gathered outside Istanbul City Hall late Saturday for a fourth night of protests over the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has blasted official allegations against him as "immoral and baseless". The demonstrations, which began in Istanbul on Wednesday, have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, ...

Istanbul Bar Association Board Dismissed Over 'Terror Propaganda'

This is Beirut, 21/03 20:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Protests Istanbul Bar Association

The Istanbul Bar Association's executive board was dismissed Friday on grounds of "terrorist propaganda" and "publicly spreading false information", according to a court ruling published online by a lawyers' association. Prosecutors had filed suit on January 15 several weeks after the Istanbul Bar Association demanded an investigation into the ...

Peace Hopes Remain Remote as Turkey's Kurds Mark 'Newroz'

This is Beirut, 21/03 17:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Middle East Turkey Kurds New Year

Three weeks after jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan urged his militants to disband, Turkey's Kurds were celebrating their Newroz New Year Friday with peace prospects still remote. The efforts to broker a solution to the decades-long Kurdish conflict have likely been complicated by the widespread unrest provoked by Wednesday's arrest of Istanbul ...

Turkish Lira Plunges, Marking Its Biggest Weekly Drop in Two Years

This is Beirut, 21/03 13:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey Lira

The Turkish lira has experienced a historic plunge, recording its steepest weekly decline in nearly two years, following the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul and leading opposition figure – a key opponent to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The lira lost 3.7% over five days, marking its worst performance since June 2023, with the ...

Azerbaijan, Armenia Say Peace Deal Ready for Signing

This is Beirut, 20/03 10:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Azerbaijan Armenia

Azerbaijan and Armenia said Thursday that they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving the Caucasus neighbours' decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on the text of a possible treaty. A deal to normalize ties would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for ...

Istanbul's Mayor Remains Under Arrest, New Rally Called

This is Beirut, 20/03 10:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Istanbul's powerful mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, remained in police custody Thursday over graft and terror allegations after his arrest the day before, as his party called for more protests in Turkey's largest city. Imamoglu of the main opposition CHP is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and his detention came just days before the ...

Turkey Detains Istanbul Mayor, Erdogan's main rival

This is Beirut, 19/03 15:31 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police detained Istanbul's powerful Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Wednesday in connection with two investigations into graft and "supporting terror," a move that the main opposition party slammed as a politically-motivated "coup". Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and his detention came ...

Iraq Says Seized One Ton of Captagon from Syria via Turkey

This is Beirut, 16/03 19:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iraq Syria Turkey Captagon

Iraqi security forces have seized more than a ton of captagon, an illegal stimulant, smuggled from Syria via Turkey, the interior ministry said on Sunday. Ministry spokesman General Moqdad Miri said the Narcotics Directorate "seized a truck from Syria, bound for Iraq, via Turkey, transporting 1.1 tons" of the synthetic drug in tablet ...

Turkey's Erdogan Tells Trump He Supports his Ukraine Efforts

This is Beirut, 16/03 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Turkey Ukraine Kyiv USA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US counterpart Donald Trump in a call on Sunday that he supported his "direct and decisive" initiatives to end the three-year war in Ukraine, his office said. NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors since the Russian invasion three years ago and has ...

Turkey Demands the Expulsion of Foreign Fighters From Syria

This is Beirut, 13/03 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Syria PKK EU

Turkey said on Thursday "terrorists" must lay down arms and foreign fighters must be expelled from Syria, after an agreement spearheaded by Syria's new authorities to disband armed groups. "As Turkey, we remain determined to fight against terrorism," a Turkish defense ministry source said. "There's no change in our expectations for an end to ...

Erdogan Says Syria's Agreement with Kurds Will 'Serve Peace'

This is Beirut, 11/03 20:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Syria Recep Tayyip Erdogan

An agreement to integrate autonomous Kurdish institutions in Syria's northeast into the new Syrian national government will "serve peace," Turkey's president said on Tuesday. "The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday will serve Syria's security and peace. The winner will be all of our Syrian brothers," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ...

Erdogan Pledges Turkey’s Ongoing 'Support' for Syria Amid Unrest

This is Beirut, 10/03 18:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)