The Dispatch

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Hasankeyf, Turkey

A general view of Hasankeyf, an ancient city with roots going back 10,000 years and located along the Tigris (Dicle) River in south-east Turkey's Batman province before the hydro electric…

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Hackers acting in Turkey’s interests believed to be behind recent cyberattacks

Reuters reports that sweeping cyberattacks targeting governments and other organizations in Europe and the Middle East are believed to be the work of hackers acting in the interests of the…

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Only 189 migrants returned to Turkey despite EU refugee pact

Despite a 2016 refugee agreement between the European Union and Turkey, only 189 illegal migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea to Greece were returned to Turkey in 2019, according to new…

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Photo Story: Aftermath of the earthquake in Turkey

A series of photos of the rescue work amongst the rubble after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday hit Turkey, also affecting parts of Syria, Georgia and Armenia. At least…

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Erdogan says Haftar cannot be expected to respect Libya truce

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar could not be expected to respect a ceasefire called between his forces and pro-government troops in…

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Death toll from Turkey’s earthquake rises to over 30 victims

The death toll from Friday's powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey rose to 31, the country's disaster relief agency said. So far, 1,547 people have been reported injured as rescue workers…

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6.7 magnitude earthquake in Turkey kills 18, injured 500 as 30 persons reported trapped under buildings – Updated

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 rocked eastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least 18 people and causing some buildings to collapse. The quake injured more than 500…

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Turkey lashes out at EU over refugee deal

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday accused the European Union of failing to honour a refugee deal, strongly criticizing the bloc for failing to pay Turkey the amount it…

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Turkish authorities prepared to quarantine infected patients from China

The coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China is not of any particular risk to Turkey, the country's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday. Turkish authorities will quarantine infected patients from…

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Serbia strives to address air pollution

Following ombudsman Zoran Pašalić’s decision to start the review of the work of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia and six municipal authorities due to air pollution, the…

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EU denies reports of further Turkey aid cuts

An EU spokesman on Sunday denied media reports from the previous day that claimed the bloc had agreed to massive new cuts to pre-accession aid to Turkey. Germany's Funke Media Group…

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Erdogan calls on Europe to support Turkey’s moves in Libya

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called on Europe to support its work in Libya, where it is providing military support to the internationally-recognized government, if it wants to end the…

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EU cuts pre-accession aid to Turkey by 75%

The EU has cut pre-accession aid to Turkey by 75%, according to a letter sent to the European Parliament by EU foreign affairs commissioner Josep Borrell and seen by the…

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Chances of Libyan breakthrough in Berlin in doubt, Erdogan threatens to “teach a lesson” to Haftar

Turkish threats to “teach a lesson” to Libyan strongman Gen. Khalifa Haftar following a breakdown in Tuesday’s cease-fire talks in Moscow has cast serious doubt over the chances of a…

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Erdogan says Turkey starting troop deployment to Libya

Turkey is beginning to send troops into Libya in support of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, days before a summit in Berlin which…

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Turkey still confident the cease-fire in Libya would hold

Turkey said it was still confident the cease-fire in Libya would hold despite strongman Khalifa Haftar’s refusal to sign a permanent truce. Haftar walked away from talks in Moscow aimed…

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Croatian Presidency priorities discussed in the European Parliament

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented the priorities of the Croatian presidency to the European Parliament and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Under the motto “A Strong Europe in a…

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Photo Story: High air pollution in Belgrade

People are seen walking during a polluted day in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday 15 January 2020. An air quality index (AQI) rated Belgrade air as unhealthy. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in talks with Turkish President in Ankara

A handout photo made available by the Turkish President's Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (L) in Ankara, Turkey, 13…

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Croatian President laments corruption embedded in Croatian society

Corruption is embedded in Croatian society at school where children who cheat in tests are celebrated as “heroes”, the country’s president has said. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is leaving her position…

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EU to host international donors’ conference for Albania to help with reconstruction after earthquake

The European Union will organise an international donors' conference on 17 February in Brussels to support the reconstruction efforts in Albania after the earthquake that struck the country at the…

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Eight children among refugees found dead off the coast of Turkey

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Coast Guard shows a Turkish Coast Guard diver searching for refugees who were lost from a sunken boat on Cesme sea offshore…

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Tunisia refuses Turkish request to use its territory to intervene in Libya

Tunisia has “categorically” refused the use of its territory in the on-going Libya conflict between the UN-recognised government based in Tripoli and the army of General Khalifa Haftar, a government…

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Turkey and Russia to inaugurate TurkStream pipeline

The Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are set to open the TurkStream pipeline on Wednesday. The meeting will take place in Istanbul to inaugurate the…

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Egyptians MPs call for boycotting Turkish products

Egyptian MP Ismail Nasr El-Din and other colleagues called on his government to boycott Turkish products. Nasr El-Din said the call comes in response to the blatant transgressions by the…

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Photo Story: Serbian Orthodox Yule Log Tradition in Nis

Residents carry branches of an oak tree which will be used as a yule logs, onto the hills above the village of Vrmdza, some 30 kilometres from the southern Serbian…

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Ex PM Zoran Milanovic wins Croatian election

Zoran Milanovic, Croatia's center-left former prime minister, has won the country's presidential election, defeating center-right incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in a second-round vote. Milanovic, of the Social Democrats (SDP), won 52.7% of the vote according to results…

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Croatia to elect new leader amid EU presidency (Update)

Croatia’s bitterly contested presidential race is headed for a runoff this weekend to decide whether a conservative or a liberal will become the new head of state while the country…

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Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev resigns

North Macedonia's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, handed in his resignation on Friday, with a caretaker Cabinet set to assume control in order to organize the country's elections, due to take…

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Trump warns Turkey against military intervention in Libya, Greece, Israel and Cyprus also criticize decision

President Donald Trump warned his Turkish counterpart against sending troops to fight in Libya hours after the Turkish parliament voted to authorize such a move. Trump and Turkish President Recep…

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Turkey’s parliament set to approve sending troops to Libya

Turkey's parliament is to vote on whether to send Turkish troops to Libya, to back the UN-recognised government in the capital, Tripoli, that is battling forces loyal to a rival…

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Erdogan warns up to 250,000 people fleeing from Syria’s Idlib towards Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that up to 250,000 migrants were fleeing from the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib towards Turkey, adding that Ankara was trying to prevent them…

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Turkish Airlines expanding fleet, opening 4 new routes in 2020

Turkish Airlines will open four new routes in 2020 as it expands and updates its fleet, according to the chairman of Turkey's flag carrier. "We finished all procedures to launch…

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Croatia takes over EU presidency

Croatia first-ever presidency of the European Union will start from 1 January 2020, for a six month period. Joining in 2013, Croatia is the most recent EU member state.…

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The Year in Pictures – November: Earthquake in Albania

Locals look at a destroyed house after an earthquake in Durres, Albania, 27 November 2019. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the country on 26 November 2019, leaving at least 50…

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Falling populations pose ‘existential’ risk, Croatia warns EU

The EU must confront an “existential” problem of population decline faced by a swath of its member states, Croatia’s prime minister has warned. Andrej Plenkovic, the country’s centre-right prime minister,…

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Turkey readies to approve troop deployment to Libya, Merkel, Erdogan and Putin discuss diplomatic solution

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday said the motion signed by Turkish president on troops deployment to Libya is to be submitted in parliament today. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan…

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Croatia finds former prime minister guilty of corruption and graft related to energy supply

A Croatian court found the head of Hungarian energy group MOL and Croatia's former prime minister guilty of graft on Monday, marking the latest development in a nearly decade-long legal battle…

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Croatians believe that the fight against corruption must be the priority of Croatia’s EU Presidency

CROSOL – the Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity, in collaboration with Ipsos Puls, has published the results of a public opinion poll on Croatia’s presidency of the EU Council…

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Turkish president, German chancellor discuss Syria, Libya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Syria and Libya, an official statement said on Sunday. According to the statement issued…

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Turkey to speed up Libya troop deployment deal

Turkey’s foreign minister warned that the Libyan conflict risks sliding into chaos and becoming the next Syria, as he sought to speed up legislation to allow it to send troops…

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Erdogan confirms Turkey to send troops to Libya

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey will send troops to Libya now that the north African country requested it, and he will present deployment legislation to the…

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Seven dead as migrants’ boat sinks in Turkey’s Lake Van

Seven people died and 64 were rescued when a boat carrying migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan sank on Thursday in eastern Turkey’s Lake Van, the governor’s office in Bitlis…

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Erdogan warns Europe, says Turkey cannot handle new migrant wave from Syria

Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx if violence…

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Photo Story: Bulgarian Vespa Club Christmas gathering

Motorcyclists wearing Santa Claus outfits ride their 'Vespa' mopeds past the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral during a Bulgarian Vespa Club gathering in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 21 December 2109. Photos: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV…

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Istanbul bans carriage rides to protect the horses

Istanbul authorities announced a three-month ban on the carriage rides following mounting alarm over the welfare of the horses. Up to 400 are dying on the islands a year from…

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Another earthquake rocks Albania

A new earthquake of magnitude 4.3 struck Albania on Thursday evening. The Albanian seismological institute said the epicentre was nine kilometres north of Durres. The American USGS gave the intensity…

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Photo Story: Pollution in Pristina

A face mask is placed on the St. Teresa statue during a smog and heavy air pollution in the morning in Pristina, Kosovo, 19 December 2019. Air pollution in…

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Erdogan says 50,000 people migrating from Syria’s Idlib to Turkey

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that 50,000 people were migrating from Syria’s north western region of Idlib to Turkey and slammed Muslim nations for not supporting his plans…

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Egypt asks UN to not register memoranda between Libya and Turkey

In a letter to UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, Egypt has described the two memoranda signed between the government of Tripoli and Turkey as void and…

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Turkish parliamentary committee approves security and military agreement with Libya

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament approved on Monday the memorandum of understanding signed last month between Libya and Turkey on security and military cooperation. According to Anadolu…

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Turkey agrees to cooperation with Russia to end war in Libya

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu has disclosed that Ankara had agreed to a Russian proposal on joint work to end the war in Libya. The Turkish minister explained during his participation…

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Erdogan threatens to close Incirlik air base

Turkey could shut down its Incirlik air base, which hosts U.S. nuclear warheads, in response to threats of U.S. sanctions and a separate U.S. Senate resolution that recognized mass killings…

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Threat of Mediterranean war grows as Turkey renews military pledge to Libya

The threat of a military clash in the Mediterranean has drawn nearer following talks in which Turkey has underlined its willingness to send troops to Libya to defend the country’s…

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EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey: €6 billion to support refugees and local communities in need fully mobilised

The European Union has fully mobilised the €6 billion operational budget of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, in line with its commitment to the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement.…

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Turkey hints it could bar US from using key air bases

Turkey’s foreign minister suggested Wednesday that the United States could be barred from using two strategic air bases in retaliation to possible U.S. sanctions against his country, the state-run Anadolu…

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Erdogan: Turkey Ready to Send Troops to Libya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is ready to deploy soldiers to Libya following the announcement of a security agreement with the Libyan government. Ankara has been actively…

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