Ahmet Arslan

Turkey’s Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan, announced on Tuesday that he has banned Turkish tourist ships from reaching the Greek islands.

According to the information, this decision comes as a “response” to the seizure by the Greek authorities of Turkish ships, for violations of specific international safety provisions.

The Transport Ministry issued a ban on Turkish-flagged commercial yachts and regular passenger ships sailing to Greece as of Sept. 25 after the Greek authorities seized 11 vessels for allegedly violating a maritime regulation overseeing the quality of international sea transportation.

The government is working on a regulation to have drivers' licenses temporarily suspended if they commit a red light violation twice, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated on Sept. 12.

"In the event of a repetition of red light violations, along with the imposition of a monetary fine the temporary suspension of the driver's license will come into effect," Soylu said.

One soldier was wounded in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) car bomb attack in the Lice district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Sept. 10, Doğan News Agency has reported.

A PKK militant inside a bomb-laden car refused to obey stop calls by gendarmerie forces at the Duru Gendarmerie Military Post some 15 kilometers away from the district at around 6 a.m.

The International Atatürk Airport will become an exposition area once Istanbul's giant third airport starts operating, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan has stated.

The United States lifted a three-month-long ban on in-cabin electronic devices, such as laptops and tablet computers, on flights from Turkey early on July 5. 

Turkish officials now have eyes on the United Kingdom to follow suit after a technical delegation finalizes security inspections in airports across Turkey, just as the U.S. did. 

Turkey's transport minister and the Turkish Airlines chief executive have said they expect the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin of U.S.-bound flights from certain countries will be lifted on July 5.

Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency on July 4 as saying the ban would be lifted on July 5 following a visit by a U.S. delegation.

A top official has refuted claims about the unprofitability of the recent three major transport projects creating an extra burden on state funds.

A delegation from the United States will visit Turkey soon to examine whether the country's key airports are complying with its latest security standards. Following these checks, the U.S. laptop ban may be lifted, a top Turkish official said on July 2.

The government is set to complete a legal framework that will make it possible for ships passing through Turkish straits to extend their waiting time from two days to seven, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan has said. 

Arslan said on June 29 in Ankara that the move was part of a bid to turn the region into a lucrative fuel feeder spot.