Latest News from Turkey

Aviolet charter airline established at Belgrade airport

BELGRADE - Avoilet, a new charter airline from Serbia, which is owned by Air Serbia, has been opened at the Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade.

The flights will cover Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey during this year's summer season, Air Serbia said on Friday.

Aviolet will use Boeing B737-300, which have a spacious economy class with 144 seats.

Turkish official’s Ottoman-style circumcision triggers public outcry

A deputy governor in the western Turkish province of Bursa recently organized an Ottoman-style circumcision ceremony for his son near the tomb of a sultan, drawing public criticism and prompting officials to announce his retirement on May 30.

Erkin, Erdinç score in Turkey's 2-0 win against Honduras in friendly

MevlÃ¼t ErdinÃ§ and Caner Erkin scored in the second half as Turkey beat World Cup-bound Honduras 2-0 in an international friendly on Wednesday night.

ErdinÃ§ opened the scoring in the 70th minute with a shot from in front and was involved again in the 83rd when he passed to Erkin, who drove a shot into the back of the net.

Turkey’s top soldier warns against social media as gov’t to purchase software against illegal shares

Social media has become a factor threatening countries in the new world order, Turkeyâs chief of staff, Gen. Necdet Ãzel, said May 29 at a military drill in Ä°zmir.

âDifferent threats have occurred in the new world order. Countries are being subjected to colorful changes and seasonal revolutions formed by information technology and social media, Ãzel said.

Kidnapping children

Well, indeed, thank God there has been no bloodshed. However, the issue is growing; the outlawed Kurdistan Workersâ Party (PKK) has mentioned a âcome back.â

In Turkey, anomaly is the new normal

Not just because this is the land of young men who apologize when they are (physically) slapped by their prime minister, or are insulted by him.

Just last week an Islamist newspaperâs front-page headline explained in big, bold letters why the mining disaster in the town of the slap-fetish happened: The bossâ son-in-law is Jewish!

Is the climate changing?

The separate meetings with Turkish and Greek Cypriot negotiators held by French Foreign Ministry executives in Paris created some nerve on the Greek Cypriot side. In the very near future, negotiators Kudret Ãzersay and Andreas Mavroyannis will travel to London, for talks at the foreign office thereâ¦

Laser scanners, sensors to protect key Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline

The Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) that will carry Azeri gas to Turkey will be shielded and monitored with high-technology lasers, sensors and cameras against potential threats he Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), a $12 billion investment that is projected to carry Azerbaijani gas to western Turkey, will be constantly monitored and protected via high-tech methods, accor

Swedish FM Carl Bildt urges Turkey to revise Internet policies

Serkan DemirtaÅ serkan.demirtas@hdn.com.tr Revising Internet policies and continuing necessary economic and political reforms are in the interests of Turkey, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has suggested, stressing that the countryâs only path forward is through Europe.

Allowance for GDO-contaminated food sparks safety concerns

The Turkish Agriculture Ministry has permitted the production and sale of foods that have genetically-modified organism (GMO) contaminants with a regulation that triggered reactions from specialists, who dubbed the move as illegal and dangerous.