Thousands protest in Turkey over Istanbul mayor’s conviction
Istanbul, Turkey Reuters Thousands of people rallied in Turkey on Thursday to oppose the conviction and political ban of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, chanting slogans criticising President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party before elections next year. A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Imamoglu, a popular rival to Erdogan, to two years and seven […]
Turkey blames deadly bomb on Kurdish militants; PKK denies involvement
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Turkey blamed Kurdish militants on Monday for an explosion that killed six people in Istanbul and police detained 47 people including a Syrian woman suspected of planting the bomb. No group has claimed responsibility so far for Sunday’s blast on the busy pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Kurdish-led […]
Six dead in Istanbul blast, Erdogan says it “smells like terrorism”
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Six people were killed and 81 others wounded on Sunday when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul in what Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”. Hundreds of people fled the historic Istiklal Avenue after the blast, as ambulances and police raced in. The […]
Ukraine claims control over Kyiv region as Russia looks east
Zaporizhzhia, UkraineReuters Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had seized back all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched the invasion. As Russian troops regrouped for battles in east Ukraine, towns surrounding Kyiv bore scars of five weeks of fighting. Dead civilians laid scattered over […]
Snow strands thousands in Turkey, Greece; threatens displaced Syrians in northern camps
Istanbul, Turkey/Athens, GreeceReuters Some Istanbul Airport flights resumed on Tuesday after nearly 24 hours of cancellations as heavy snowfall clogged roads and stranded thousands of people across Turkey and Greece. A police car drives past the Greek parliament building, following heavy snowfall in Athens, Greece, on 25th January. PICTURE: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis. In Athens, thousands were […]
Shock proofing: Can Istanbul stand up to the next big earthquake?
TESSA FOX, writing for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Istanbul…
Turkey offended by Pompeo’s plan to discuss religious issues
Ankara, TurkeyAP Turkey took offence at a US statement that said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would promote religious freedom during an upcoming visit to Istanbul and called Wednesday on Washington to focus on racism and hate crimes in the United States instead. The State Department said in a statement Tuesday that Pompeo would travel […]
Essay: Former Byzantine churches are being converted to mosques – this threatens Istanbul’s cosmopolitan identity
In an article first published on The Conversation, academics ILAY ROMAIN ORS and TUGBA TANYERI ERDEMIR say converting former Byzantine churches to mosques in Turkey could endanger the cosmopolitan identity of cities like Istanbul…
Essay: Why Hagia Sophia remains a potent symbol of spiritual and political authority
In an article first published on The Conversation, ANNA BIGELOW, associate professor of religious studies at Stanford University, looks puts the recent move to declare the Hagia Sophia a mosque in its historical context…
Hagia Sophia’s history of conflict and faith
Ankara, TurkeyAP Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to join hundreds of worshippers Friday for the first Muslim prayers at the Hagia Sophia in 86 years, after a controversial high court ruling paved the way for the landmark monument to be turned back into a mosque. A government decree reopened the “jewel” of the […]