Turkey

ANKARA; 7 May 2019; AA: Turkey has condemned Washington's recent statement on Ankara-led drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean continental shelf.

"Turkey has made its position explicitly clear regarding its continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2004," said a Foreign Ministry statement on Monday.

ANKARA; 7 May 2019; AA: Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Monday announced that a do-over election in Istanbul will be held on June 23.

The council members accepted the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's objection to the local election results in Istanbul with seven votes in favor and four against.

According to the YSK, the decision was taken as some presiding officers and polling staffs, who are supposed to be civil servants as per Turkish law, served during the elections.

7 May 2019; DW: Turkey brushed off criticism from the European Union and the United States on Monday, defending its plans to drill for natural gas and oil off Cyprus.

"The legitimate rights of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus over the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean are not debatable," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara.

6 May 2019; MEMO: Turkey’s national flag carrier has extended its free city tours range by offering evening Bosphorus tours to transit passengers in Istanbul, says Anadolu Agency.

Within the scope of the “Touristanbul” project, Turkish Airlines enables transit passengers who stay from six to 24 hours in Istanbul Airport to see the historical and natural beauties of the city, Abdullah Yormaz, tour marketing manager of Turkish Airlines, told reporters Monday.

ANKARA; 6 May 2019; AA: The Indian Embassy in Ankara on Sunday celebrated the Holi festival of colors, marking the traditional beginning of spring.

"The festival of colors, Holi as we call it in India, is actually the advent of spring, and for us, it’s also the Indian new year," Sanjay Bhattacharyya, India’s ambassador to Turkey, told Anadolu Agency.

ANKARA; 5 May 2019; AA: A growing list of news agencies, advocacy groups and leaders condemned an Israeli attack on Anadolu Agency office in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes hit the building with at least five rockets after warning shots, Anadolu Agency’s correspondent in Jerusalem reported. No injuries or death were reported.

5 May 2019; DW: Israeli forces have hit Turkey's state-run news agency in the Palestinian enclave Gaza. Turkish President Erdogan has fiercely denounced the attack, which is likely to increase tensions between Israel and Turkey.

An Israeli airstrike hit the office of Turkey's state-run news agency in Gaza, Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday, calling it a "new example of Israel's unrestrained aggression."

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says a man accused of spying for the United Arab Emirates has committed suicide in prison.

The man was one of two suspects arrested in Istanbul earlier this month on charges of “political, military and international espionage.” The suspects have not been identified.

Anadolu Agency said Monday one of them hanged himself at Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul. It did not provide further details.

ANKARA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Ankara and Tehran will seek a bartering system to pass through the U.S. sanctions after Washington announced its decision to end sanction waivers for countries importing Iranian oil, a move could further jeopardize the strained relations between the two NATO allies.

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided not to extend the sanction waivers allowing major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they expire in early May, White House said Monday.

ANKARA; 23 Apr 2019; AA: Bodies of two Turkish citizens, who lost their lives in Sri Lanka bombings, have been brought to Turkey, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday.

Bodies of Serhan Selcuk Narici and Yigit Ali Cavus will be sent to their hometowns -- Istanbul and Adiyaman -- for funerals, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restriction on speaking to media.