Turkey

ISTANBUL, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that rate cuts would go on in his country, adding he would not allow Turkish people to be "crushed" by high interest rates.

Speaking in Turkey's western province of Izmir, Erdogan said his government would not give up its economic policies that focus on production, employment, and current account balance.

The Turkish central bank has cut its benchmark policy rate by 400 basis points since August to 15 percent, leaving the Turkish currency in a free fall against the U.S. dollar.

26 Nov 2021; MEMO: Turkey, on Thursday, rescued 37 asylum seekers who were illegally pushed back by Greece to Turkish waters in the Aegean Sea, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The asylum seekers, who were in a rubber boat and two life rafts, were brought ashore near the Bodrum district of the Aegean Mugla province, said security sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

All of them were later taken to the provincial migration office.

26 Nov 2021; MEMO: The European Parliament has today approved a further funding program for Syrian refugees in Turkey, as the country continues to host around 4 million of them.

EU lawmakers approved the amendment to its budget for this year, allocating an extra €149.6 million ($170 million) in funding for Syrian refugees staying in Turkey. It was passed with 588 votes in favour and 87 against it, as well as 14 abstentions.

ANKARA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates has allocated a fund of 10 billion U.S. dollars to invest in Turkey, Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, chairman of Abu Dhabi Development Holding, said on Wednesday.

The announcement came after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ankara on Wednesday, as the two sides have stepped up to restore ties after years of strain.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Interpol on Thursday elected a contentious official from the United Arab Emirates as its new president during the international law enforcement body’s annual General Assembly held in Istanbul.

Maj. Gen. Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, inspector general at the United Arab Emirates’ interior ministry and a member of Interpol’s executive committee, was elected for one four-year term, the global policing body announced. He has been accused by human rights groups of involvement in torture and arbitrary detentions in the UAE.

ISTANBUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A Turkish court resumed a trial over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, as a journalism watchdog described the case as "nearing deadlock" and said the hearing needed to include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role.

Khashoggi, a critic of Prince Mohammed, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. Turkish officials believe his body was dismembered and removed. His remains have not been found.

ISTANBUL, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey launched Tuesday massive operations against 112 soldiers and former military school students over their suspected links to a failed coup attempt in July 2016, Anadolu agency reported.

The orders came after prosecutors of Turkey's western Izmir city completed their investigations, and the operations covered 22 provinces.

So far, 76 suspects have been detained and the operations are continuing, the report said.

21 Nov 2021; MEMO: The fiancee of murdered Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged Canadian superstar Justin Bieber to cancel his appearance at Formula One (F1) in protest of a regime that kills its critics".

The pop star is due to perform at the iconic F1 race on December 5th in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

In an article at the Washington Post, Hatice Cengiz penned a letter to Bieber, saying his invitation to Jeddah "comes directly from [Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – MBS]".

20 Nov 2021; MEMO: Turkey's interior minister received an award, Thursday, from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in Rome, Italy, for an app developed by the Turkish government to help women deal with domestic violence.

The Women's Emergency Support Application (KADES), developed by Turkey's Interior Ministry, provides women with a hotline to report such violence and direct law enforcement officers to the scene.

20 Nov 2021; MEMO: Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar announced on Thursday that military operations in Syria would continue until the neutralisation of the last "terrorist", Aram News reported.

Akar confirmed that his country fulfils the humanitarian needs of around nine million "Syrian brothers" in Turkey and Syria.

"If we did not carry out these operations, our country and the whole region would have been facing a big threat and danger," he explained.