Author: Aysel Nermin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Turkish people “have not, and will not give in to those trying to confine us to shallow waters.” “Whoever tries to limit Turkey’s horizon to 782,000 square kilometers is, if not ignorant, is certainly a stranger to these lands,” he told a military event marking so-called “Victory Day” that commemorates Turkey’s victory in the last battle of the Greek-Turkish War in 1922.Unmute Remaining Time -0:00Fullscreen “How can we turn our backs on Jerusalem, where our forefathers ruled in peace, tranquility, and prosperity for four centuries? How can we turn a blind eye…

The U.S. military should reassess its force posture in Europe and reduce its reliance on revolving door-style unit rotations, a major think tank’s analysts concluded in a Monday report. The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ transnational threat team based their study on official documents, open-source materials and interviews with subject-matter experts. The report’s authors recommend that the Army abandon the rotational armor brigade deployment model that “eats up … the Army’s force structure and long-term readiness.” Currently, two armor brigades are deployed to Europe. Instead, the report said, the service should permanently station an Armored Brigade Combat Team in Poland to…

Sri Lanka is set to double or triple the number of universities and merge the existing vocational training institutes, in an effort to enhance its human resources pool and propel the nation forward, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said.He said that a programme would commence next year focusing on utilising both university education and vocational training for the country’s development.“Our goal is to significantly increase the number of universities in the country, potentially doubling or tripling their current count. Simultaneously, leveraging new technology allows students in Sri Lanka the opportunity to earn degrees from foreign universities, without leaving the country. We envision…

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu highlighted that Marmaray, a vital transport lifeline for individuals caught in adverse weather conditions impacting Bosporus traffic, accommodated an additional 392,000 passengers during the period from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3. Uraloğlu emphasized the significant impact of foggy weather on transportation, especially in Istanbul, which resulted in the cancellation of some ferry services. As a consequence, travelers navigating through the Bosporus turned to Marmaray for their commute. He noted that Marmaray typically offers 287 train services between Gebze and Halkalı on weekdays, increasing to 297 on weekends. During the specified period, extra train services…

Two Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) officials denied on Sunday the suspension of negotiations with Israel regarding the release of hostages and prisoners. A Hamas source speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity said, “I have not heard of the matter,” referring to media reports that the faction is suspending negotiations due to the Israeli targeting of Gaza hospitals. Separately, Zaher Jabarin, a Hamas official overseeing prisoners affairs told Xinhua that the movement is “open to concluding an agreement regarding the hostages in Gaza if appropriate security and field conditions are available for that.” Media reports earlier in the day said…

Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. “A ceasefire and an end to the fighting cannot be delayed. A ceasefire is by no means a diplomatic statement. It is the only hope for the people of Gaza to survive,” Zhang told the UN Security Council emergency meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli situation. Noting that the current round of conflict has been going on for 35 days and the situation continues to deteriorate, he said: “We call on all parties, especially the major power that has a unique influence…

Truck drivers en route to European destinations find themselves stuck in a kilometers-long queue at Türkiye’s Hamzabeyli border gate to Bulgaria, prompting complaints about the handling capacity of customs. Truckers transporting goods purchased from various Turkish cities to European countries have amassed a 15-kilometer queue at the Hamzabeyli gate in northwestern Edirne province. The drivers, enduring varying wait times from hours to days, express concerns about the challenges they face while awaiting their turn. Mustafa Öztürk, a driver carrying fabric and auto spare parts from Istanbul to Hungary, shared his frustration at the sluggish progress. Despite waiting for hours, Öztürk reported only advancing…

The Turkish Naval Forces Command conducted Sunday the largest official parade in history including the passage of 100 warships through Istanbul Strait in honor of the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye. The ships including TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship capable of staying at sea for 50 days, commissioned earlier this year were set to participate in the official parade in the Istanbul Strait. Türkiye’s first national frigate, TCG Istanbul, which has not yet entered the inventory of the navy, was also to take part in the parade. During the passage, under the command of the Navy Commander Admiral,…

With daily life recently coming to a standstill due to persistent snowfall, intense precipitation and storms in almost all provinces, an expert has asserted that the infrastructure of cities needs to be overhauled in accordance with new climate change-induced extreme weather events. “City infrastructures lack resilience. Taking Istanbul as an example, a significant majority of sewage and wastewater structures were built 30 years ago. It is imperative that these be renewed to align with the new climate conditions,” prominent meteorologist Orhan Şen told daily Milliyet. Starting from the morning of Nov. 19, heavy snowfall, rain and strong winds wreaked havoc on almost every…

Azerbaijan believes there is no other alternative to normalizing its relations with archrival Armenia, according to its Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. “We currently await Armenia to respond to our suggestions, and if they accept our terms, we are prepared to continue our dialogue,” Bayramov told a news conference alongside his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Baku on Saturday. The top diplomats met in the Azerbaijani capital during a regional visit by Baerbock, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, to discuss the current cooperation agenda between their countries and regional and international security issues. The ministers also exchanged updates on the current…