"One good thing about being a Muslim woman is you never have to worry about having a bad hair day!" -- Claire Rivero
"And what sort of lives do these people, who pose as being moral, lead themselves? My dear fellow, you forget that we are in the native land of the hypocrite." -- Oscar Wilde
"Heaven is purpose and principle. Purgatory is paper and procedure. Hell is rules and regulation." -- Dee Hock
Official data revealed on 2 October that the annual inflation rate in Turkey has jumped to a new peak, reaching its highest point in 24 years, at 83.45 percent in September.
The inflation of the Turkish lira accelerated for 16 consecutive months, increasing by 3.08 percent on a monthly basis, compared to a Reuters poll forecast of 3.8 percent.
Between August and September 2022 specifically, inflation rose 3.25 percent, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Authority.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Saturday that Ankara could block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO if the two countries don’t fulfill a deal they signed with Turkey on joining the alliance.
Sweden and Finland have signed their ascension protocols to join NATO, which sent their prospective memberships to each alliance member’s parliamentary bodies. So far, 28 out of 30 members ratified their memberships, with only Hungary and Turkey remaining.
Turkey announced on Sunday the launch of a new military operation targeting members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in its countryside, state media reported.
The "Eren Blockade" autumn winter operation was launched by around 1,600 personnel and is supported by Turkey's advanced arsenal of drones in an effort to remove PKK forces from rural areas of Turkey, state-owned Anadolu Agency said, citing Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
The PKK is a Kurdish armed group struggling for the increased cultural and political rights of Kurds in Turkey.
Two weeks ago the US took the historic step of lifting defense trade restrictions on Cyprus. This will take effect for the fiscal year 2023, and the policy will be amended October 1st, according to prior statements of Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Banks in Turkey will no longer accept the Russian Mir payment system, as reported by the Turkish NTV broadcaster on Wednesday, 28 September.
According to a person speaking on behalf of the Russian Kremlin, this decision is due to weeks of “unprecedented pressure” exercised by the United States.
Turkish Airlines has extended its cancellation of flights to and from Belarus and Russia.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the national carrier of Turkey operated passenger flights to and from Minsk (MSQ) in Belarus as well as Rostov (RVI), Sochi (AER), and Yekaterinburg (SVX) in Russia.
The Istanbul-based air carrier announced that it will not resume flights to the named destinations until at least December 31, 2022.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt plan to join BRICS, and their potential membership bids could be discussed and answered at next year’s summit in South Africa, Purnima Anand, the president of the organization, told Russian media on Thursday.
“All these countries have shown their interest in joining [BRICS] and are preparing to apply for membership. I believe this is a good step, because expansion is always looked upon favorably; it will definitely bolster BRICS’ global influence,” she told Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his NATO-member country’s intention to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), suggesting Ankara is seeking alternatives to its problematic ties with the West.
Erdogan, who made the remarks after attending last week’s SCO summit in Uzbekistan, was also quoted as saying by the Turkish media that the SCO’s 2023 meeting in India will be a venue to discuss this prospect further.
Turkey’s plans to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have sparked an angry reaction in Berlin, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz slamming Ankara’s decision to seek membership in the Russia and China-led economic and security bloc.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Israel after the country’s 1 November parliamentary elections, a senior Turkish official told Middle East Eye.
Erdogan will meet an Israeli prime minister on Tuesday for the first time since 2008, when he met Ehud Olmert in Ankara.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office confirmed over the weekend that he would meet Erdogan in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.