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☆ At Stake in the Istanbul Mayoral Race: Turkey’s Political Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Ben Hubbard | Safak Timur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The contest to run city hall in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and economic dynamo, is in many ways between one man who is on the ballot and another who is not. The first is the incumbent, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rising star in the political opposition who won in a surprise victory in 2019 and is widely seen as a potential contender for the presidency. The second is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who served as Istanbul’s mayor decades ago and has wanted to return his hometown to the control of his governing Justice and Development Party since Mr. Imamoglu’s win. The outcome will be decided by municipal elections on Sunday that will in many ways shape Turkey’s political future.

Persons: Ekrem Imamoglu, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu’s Organizations: Development Party Locations: Istanbul, Turkey’s

☆ Turkey's local elections — and whoever wins Istanbul — could dictate the future of the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As the sunsets, a ferry boat glides across the waters of the Golden Horn with the Suleymaniye Mosque and the city of Istanbul, Turkey in the background. Vw Pics | Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once said that whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. This is odd but also shows how important it is to win Istanbul," Tunca said. Major Turkish cities like Istanbul and the capital Ankara will be key races to watch. Istanbul Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu speaks at the 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day celebrations held at the Maltepe Event Area on May 19, 2023 on Istanbul, Turkey.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu, Erdogan, People's Party's, Murat Kurum, Arda Tunca, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Umit Bektas, Tunca, Kristin Ronzi, RANE, Erdogan's, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Hakan Akgun, Turkey's, Ronzi Organizations: Getty, Istanbul, sympathizing, Development Party, AK Party, Imamoglu, AK, CNBC, European Union, NATO, Reuters, Party, Imamoglu's CHP, Turkey's, CHP Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Arab, Turkish, Ankara, East, North Africa

☆ Opinion: Trump gives Biden one big lift
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Former President Donald Trump’s favorability ratings are only slightly better. The bipartisan legislation to control the flow of migrants across the southern border was blown up by opposition from Trump. One thing that is going right for Biden is Trump himself. “I want to vote for Donald Trump in November, wrote Marc A. Thiessen in the Washington Post. … Just like office holders have released their tax returns (up until former President Donald Trump), I would like to see more candidates release their physical and mental health assessments,” Schurman observed.

Persons: Oscar, ” Ramy Youssef, hungers, Max McCandles, Godwin Baxter, “, Frankenstein, Willem Dafoe, McCandles, Baxter, who’s, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Clay Jones, Trump, Ruth Ben, Ghiat, “ Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Saddam Hussein, —, — Donald Trump, ‘, ” Ben, Donald Trump, Marc A, Thiessen, Will, that’s, Dana M, Peterson, Erik Lundh, Will RFK, Mary ’, Aaron Rodgers, Julian Zelizer, Kamala Harris, Andrey Spektor, Hunter Biden, Andrea Hailey, We’re, Frederick D, Dennis Aftergut, Bill Bramhall, Hilary Krieger, Gary Schmidt, ” Bradley Schurman, …, Schurman, Robert Hur, Jack Ohman, Patrick T, Brown, Hur, Republicans “, Biden’s, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Willis, Fani Willis, Willis ’, Nathan Wade, Wade, Norman Eisen, Danya Perry, Joshua Kolb, Scott McAfee, Wade’s, ” “, ’ Biden, ” Jose Antonio Vargas, “ It’s, ” Dana Summers, Garry Pierre, Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, America sneezes, Frida Ghitis, TikTok, ” Ghitis, Catherine, Princess, Kate, George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, ” Rosa Prince, Louis ’, William, ’, ” Prince, Ekaterina Kotrikadze, Jonathan I, Fareed Zakaria, Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Kristen Stewart’s, queerness, Doug Heye, MAGA Trump, Dean Obeidallah, Katie Britt’s, Amy Hanauer, Naomi Walker, Robert Downey Jr, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Arturo Holmes, Jeff Yang, Jack Palance, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, they’d, ” Yang, Cord Jefferson, Lily Gladstone, “ Gladstone, she’s, Leonardo, DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Emma Stone’s, Bella, ” Stone Organizations: CNN, Trump, Hamas, GOP, Washington Post, Mar, Hungarian, ”, Conference Board, Will RFK Jr, White House, American Enterprise Institute, Biden, Union, Republicans, Twitter, Pew Research Center, Content Agency Haiti, Haitian Times, Haitian, America, Kensington Palace, AP, Reuters, Agency, North, Hollywood Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ohio, Washington, Ukraine, Afghanistan, America, Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, he’s, Florida, Texas, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Maryland, China, Wales, Kensington, North America, La, American

☆ Opinion: Trump’s praise of dictators tells us all we need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Opinion Ruth Ben-Ghiat | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, Saddam Hussein: What do they have in common? Some of it is no doubt Trump airing his fantasies of the kind of authority he could exert as president. He praises Hitler, Chinese leader Xi, Russian President Putin and others because of their absolute power, not in spite of it. Thus Xi, in Trump’s telling, is “strong like granite. But Americans are the most important audience for the stream of praise he directs to autocrats.

Persons: Ruth Ben, Ghiat, Strongmen, Mussolini, CNN — Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Saddam Hussein, —, — Donald Trump, “, Jim Sciutto, Trump, Hitler, Xi, Putin, ”, ” Trump, Hussein, Erdogan, Kim, autocrats Organizations: New York University, CNN, GOP, Trump, Turkish, White Locations: Russian, Trump’s, Ukraine, Russia, Hollywood, Iowa, Turkey, cybercrime, Germany

☆ The pope raises eyebrows after saying Ukraine should have the 'courage of the white flag' and negotiate with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pope Francis said Ukraine should have the 'courage of the white flag' and negotiate with Russia. AdvertisementPope Francis has sparked controversy after saying Ukraine should have the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. "You are the heirs of the great Russia. The great Russia of the saints, of the kings, of the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, that great imperial Russia, cultivated, with so much culture and humanity," he said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Istanbul March 8, 2024 Ozan Guzelce/dia images via Getty ImagesBut Russia and Ukraine continue to speak at cross purposes.

Persons: Pope Francis, —, Edgers Rinkēvičs, Matteo Bruni, Bruni, Zelenskyy, Darya, Alexander Dugin, Dugina, Dmytro Kuleba, Francis, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Peter the Great, Catherine II, Oleh, " Bruni, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozan Organizations: Service, RSI, Catholic Church, Ukrainian Foreign, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kremlin, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Swiss, Turkey, Visegrad, Latvian, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Istanbul, Turkish, Crimea

☆ Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join. As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time. Video Ad Feedback Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid 01:05 - Source: CNNShortly after the Turkish vote, Orban told NATO chief Stoltenberg that his government would also support Swedish membership.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orban, Sweden’s, ” Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban, Stoltenberg, Putin, Luke McGee, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm, Swedish, Gripen, “, United, Russia, Ukraine, Union, EU, Sweden’s, Budapest, Kyiv Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Swedish, “ Sweden, Sweden, United States, Atlantic Treaty, Eastern Europe, Russia’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Stockholm, EU, Europe, Israel

☆ Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban lauds new phase with Sweden ahead of vote on its NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jennifer Hauser | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country had opened a new phase with Sweden during a joint press conference with Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Friday as Budapest prepares to ratify Stockholm’s long-delayed NATO bid. Orban, who said last week that the Hungarian Parliament would vote on ratification on Monday, met with Kristersson on Friday and announced at the press conference that Hungary had bought four fighter jets from Sweden. “Being members together in NATO we [will be] able to reconstruct the full trust towards each other,” Orban added later. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in 2022 and Finland joined NATO in April 2023 – doubling the alliance’s border with Russia. But Sweden’s bid was mired in challenges.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Orban, Kristersson, “, ” Orban, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Katalin Organizations: CNN, Swedish, Budapest, NATO, Russia, Gripen, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union Locations: Hungarian, Sweden, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Turkey

☆ Turkey didn't get the F-35, but the new fifth-generation fighter jet it's been working on just made its first flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Turkey's first domestically made fighter jet successfully completed its maiden flight, and a new video captured the moment for the new fifth-generation aircraft. It's a major step forward for Turkey's efforts to acquire a fifth-generation fighter. The country was previously kicked out of the US-led F-35 program in 2019 as a consequence for purchasing S-400 air-defense systems from Russia. Turkey's aim is to field fifth-generation fighter jets that will eventually replace the country's F-16 fleet. Wednesday's flight heralds a promising step forward for Turkey, especially after it was expelled from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

Persons: —, Turkey's, yerli, Temel Kotil, Recep Erdogan, Samuel King Jr, Fielding Organizations: Service, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish Air Force, Eglin Air Force Base, US Air Force, senior Defense Department, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Turkey, Russian, NATO, Turkish

☆ Turkey is back in from the cold with NATO and F-16 moves, but thorny issues remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey spent nearly two years — along with Hungary — holding up Sweden's accession to NATO. Within hours of Ankara's decision, the U.S. approved a $23 billion sale for F-16 fighter jets to Turkey that had been delayed since 2021. It's worth noting that Hungary has yet to approve Sweden's NATO bid, and remains the only member of the alliance standing in the way of the Nordic country's accession. Turkey seemingly has a unique position that allows it to push the envelope and cross lines with its NATO allies. "My approval of Turkey's request to purchase F-16 aircraft has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden's NATO membership.

Persons: Turkey Recep Erdogan, It's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it's, Victoria Nuland, David Lepeska, Ben Cardin Organizations: NATO, Conference, Hungary —, UAE, Democratic, Senate Foreign Relations Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Hungary, Sweden, Washington, Russian, Turkish, Eastern

Autocracies – governments in which one person possesses unlimited power – are on the rise. Meanwhile, the percentage of electoral democracies – political systems that hold meaningful, free and fair elections with multiple political parties – has gone down. Starting in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, the global share of autocracies decreased dramatically as democracy started to gain more of a foothold around the world, according to V-Dem’s analysis. And despite the relative rise in autocracies in recent years, there were still 58 elected democracies globally compared to 30 closed autocracies in 2022. In 2022 there were also 58 electoral autocracies, which “hold multiparty elections but their quality or conditions around them are not sufficient to be classified as an electoral democracy,” according to V-Dem experts.

Persons: ”, Thomas Carothers, –, “, Barbara Wejnert, Carothers, Viktor Orbán, Recep Tayyip Edrogan, Narendra Modi, Subianto, it’ll, “ It’s, ” Carothers, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Trump’s Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, University of Buffalo, Global Democracy, European Union, Brookings Institution, The Washington, New York Times, Reuters Locations: Indonesia, autocracies, China, Russia, Hungary, Turkey, India, Indonesian, U.S

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut returned home to a hero’s welcome Monday, portrayed as a symbol of the country’s advances in technology and aerospace. Alper Gezeravci was greeted by bouquet-laden children at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport as he returned from a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. His space flight, for which Turkey paid roughly $55 million, was the third such journey organized by Houston-based Axiom Space with NASA and SpaceX. A new page has been opened in space science and technologies for Turkey.”Turkey established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026. They enjoyed a few extra days at the space station, waiting for the weather to improve in the splashdown zone.

Persons: — Turkey’s, Gezeravci, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, “, Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Walter Villadei, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, Michael Lopez, Alegria Organizations: Ankara’s, International Space, Turkey, NASA, SpaceX, ” Industry, Technology Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Turkey, ”, Florida, Houston, ” Turkey

Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could grow less dependable regardless of who wins. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesBiden, in contrast, has made support for Ukraine a key priority and moral imperative. But many of America's European NATO allies are worried that with or without Trump, the U.S. is becoming less reliable. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “currently on the phone a lot with my colleagues and asking them to do more” to support Ukraine. Dalton, a former U.K. ambassador to Iran, said prospects for the Middle East would be “slightly worse” under Trump than Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron’s, Trump, Germany’s Angela Merkel, Britain’s Theresa May, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán “, ”, Biden, Richard Dalton, Olaf Scholz, “, Scholz, Macron, ” Macron, Boris Johnson, ” Johnson, Putin, Johnson, ” Bronwen Maddox, ” Trump, hasn't, —, Dalton, implore Biden, Itamar Ben, Israel, Turkey’s Erdogan, Sergey Lavrov, George W, Zhao Minghao, ” “, Jiwon, Kirsten Grieshaber, Dasha, Suzan Fraser, Nomaan Merchant Organizations: U.S, Trump, NATO, Congressional Republicans, Centre, Politics, University College London, Mail, Associated Press, Hamas, White, Russian, CBS, Biden, Fudan University Locations: U.S, gridlock, Congress, Ukraine, Europe, United States, British, German, Germany, ” Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Tehran, Dalton, Israel, Gaza, Turkey, Shanghai, Seoul, South Korea, Berlin, Dasha Litvinova, Tallinn, Estonia, Ankara, Washington

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The work to tame inflation in Turkey — namely through interest rate hikes — will continue “with determination,” the country’s new central bank chief said Thursday, offering some certainty about efforts to right the battered economy following his precedessor's surprise resignation. The duty of the central bank is to ensure and maintain price stability,” Karahan told reporters in Turkey’s capital, Ankara. Erdogan, who has previously fired central bank governors who spurned his unorthodox policies, appointed the new economic team after getting reelected in May. The Turkish central bank most recently raised its key interest rate by 2.5 percentage points in January, when inflation reached nearly 65%. Despite such hikes, inflation remains high — consumer prices rose to an eye-watering 64.86% in January from a year earlier, according to figures released Monday, up from 64.77% in December.

Persons: Fatih Karahan, Goldman Sachs, Karahan, Mehmet Simsek, ” Karahan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, ”, Erkan, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, ___ Robert Badendieck Organizations: Finance, Turkish Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Ankara, Turkish, Ukraine, Istanbul

She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

☆ A Year After a Devastating Quake: Container Cities, Trials and Grief
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ben Hubbard | Safak Timur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At 4:17 a.m. on Tuesday, thousands of people in cities across southern Turkey gathered to cry, light candles and chant against the government, marking the moment a year ago that a powerful earthquake devastated the region. The 7.8-magnitude quake, followed by a second violent tremor hours later, damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings, killing more than 53,000 people in southern Turkey and another 6,000 people in northern Syria. It was the area’s broadest and deadliest earthquake in hundreds of years. Many accused building contractors of cutting corners to increase their profits and the government of failing to enforce safe building standards. That vow remains only partly fulfilled, and efforts to hold people accountable over faulty constructions are proceeding slowly.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan Locations: Turkey, Syria

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey has seen its fifth central bank leader depart in as many years as Hafize Gaye Erkan, the first woman in the top role, stepped down after just eight months in the job. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesHere are key things to know about the central bank shakeup and what it means for Turkey's battered economy:WHY IS THERE A NEW CENTRAL BANK LEADER? Erkan resigned after weeks of media stories about her father’s undue influence in the central bank’s Istanbul office. Previous changes in central bank leadership has seen Erdogan row back on efforts to bring inflation under control through interest rate hikes. He was brought in as the bank’s deputy head at the same time Simsek took over the Finance Ministry and Erkan was appointed to lead the central bank.

Persons: Hafize Gaye Erkan, Goldman Sachs, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, — Erkan, ”, Fatih Karahan, Mehmet Simsek, Erdogan, Erkan, Karahan, Simsek's, Simsek, Liam Peach, Selcuki, ” “ It’s, ” Selcuki Organizations: —, Finance, WHO, FATIH, Finance Ministry, University of Pennsylvania, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Amazon, Capital Economics, Istanbul Economy Research Locations: ISTANBUL, — Turkey, Turkey, Istanbul, Simsek, U.S, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Columbia, New York, Ankara

ISTANBUL (AP) — Millions of people across Turkey on Tuesday will mourn the loss of more than 53,000 friends, loved ones and neighbors in the country's catastrophic earthquake a year ago. To mark what it calls the “Disaster of the Century," the government has arranged a series of events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of disaster in southern Turkey. Hatay, which lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border, was the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake. Including the 6,000 people killed in neighboring Syria, the quake left more than 59,000 dead. He also will take part in handing over completed homes to survivors, and then spend the rest of the week touring other cities in the earthquake zone.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Ozel Organizations: Republican Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Hatay, Ulu, Syrian, Syria, Kahramanmaras, rehouse, Gaziantep

☆ Turkey's inflation sees biggest monthly jump since August, nears 65% year-on-year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

President of Turkey Recep Erdogan addresses journalists during the final national press conference during the high level NATO summit in Litexpo Conference Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12, 2023. Inflation in Turkey for the month of January saw its biggest monthly jump since August, rising 6.7% from the month prior, while year-on-year inflation hit nearly 65%, according to the Turkish Central Bank's figures released Monday. This is a breaking news story, please check back later for more.

Persons: Turkey Recep Erdogan Organizations: NATO, Conference Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkish Central

☆ Turkey’s Central Bank Chief Steps Down Amid Long Inflation Battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey appointed a new central bank governor early Saturday, hours after the abrupt resignation of his previous appointee, who said she was stepping down because of “a major reputation assassination campaign.”The departing central bank chief, Hafize Gaye Erkan, was the fifth in five years, and the first woman to hold the post. The bank’s deputy governor, Fatih Karahan, was swiftly promoted to take her place. The surprise change-up came about eight months into a shift in Turkey’s economic program aimed at taming a yearslong cost-of-living crisis that has been painful for many Turks. Annual inflation as of last month was about 65 percent. In an apparent effort to reassure investors, senior officials said that Ms. Erkan’s departure did not signal a change in policy.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ”, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Fatih Karahan, Erkan’s Locations: Turkey

☆ Rental markets are cooling, but it 'doesn't mean they're falling,' Harvard researcher says. Here's what that means for renters
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Recep-bg | E+ | Getty ImagesRent costs are beginning come down after record-high asking prices. "Rental markets are cooling, but in a lot of places, it doesn't mean they're falling. It means they're growing at a slower pace," said Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, senior research associate focused on affordable housing at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Prices are beginning to come down as supply boosts vacancy and demand slows from record highs in 2022. Increasing the supply of higher-rent Class A units often encourages tenants to upgrade to new units, making prices in those units level out and boosting vacancy in Class B and C units, Airgood-Obrycki said.

Persons: Whitney Airgood, Susan M, Wachter, Obrycki Organizations: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Prices, Finance, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Here’s, Airgood

ISTANBUL (AP) — Two gunmen took seven hostages at a factory owned by U.S. company Procter & Gamble in northwest Turkey on Thursday, according to media reports, apparently in protest of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Turkish media published an image of one of the purported suspects inside the factory, a man wearing what appeared to be a rudimentary explosives belt and holding a handgun. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been particularly outspoken, referring to Israeli “war crimes” and comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The photograph of the suspect carried in the Turkish media shows him with a black-and-white Arabic headscarf covering his face. He is standing next to a graffitied wall showing the Turkish and Palestinian flags with the slogan “The gates will open.

Persons: Ismet Zihni, Suheyla, “, ‘ We’ve, ”, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Adolf Hitler, Bruce Shipkowski Organizations: U.S, Procter, Gamble, Health Ministry, Police, G Turkey, Embassy, Associated Press Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Gebze, Kocaeli, Cincinnati, Istanbul, U.S, Turkish, Ankara, Trenton , N.J

☆ Istanbul church shooting victim was a Muslim, says local official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Scott Mclean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The lone victim of Sunday’s ISIS-claimed shooting at the Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul was a Muslim, according to a local official. “During the attack, a citizen from Bayburt at the entrance, a Muslim citizen, lost his life,” said the mayor. A funeral ceremony for Tuncer Murat Cihan, the victim of the shooting, is held on Monday. Dilara Senkaya/Reuters“According to the priest, he was constantly going to church and the priest knew this person and referred to him as ‘a good person,’” added Genc. ISIS has claimed responsibility for a shooting, according to a statement from the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency, citing a security source from the terror group.

Persons: Sukru Genc, ”, Ali Yerlikaya, Tuncer Murat Cihan, Dilara Senkaya, ” Genc, BirGün, Genc, Witold Lesniak, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, “, ” Erdogan, Davut Gul, Anadalou Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Santa Maria Catholic Church, Turkish, Reuters, Polish Locations: Istanbul, Sariyer, Bayburt, Turkish, Tajikistan, Russia, Turkey

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has agreed to meet with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán, who invited Kristersson to Budapest to discuss Sweden’s accession into NATO, Swedish media reported Thursday. Orbán's invitation comes as Hungary and Turkey remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance. Turkish legislators have endorsed Sweden’s NATO membership, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance. Lawmakers ratified Sweden’s accession protocol 287 to 55, with ruling party members saying the country’s tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to winning approval. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO’s 31st member, after Turkey’s parliament ratified the Nordic country’s bid.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orbán, Kristersson, ” Kristersson, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin Organizations: STOCKHOLM, NATO, Lawmakers, Sweden’s, Nordic Locations: Swedish, Budapest, Hungary, Turkey, Brussels, Ankara, Ukraine, U.S . Turkey, Stockholm, Sweden, Finland

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by another 2.5 percentage points on Thursday, pressing ahead with a series of hikes aimed at combating inflation that reached nearly 65% in December. Erdogan is a longtime proponent of an unorthodox policy of cutting interest rates to fight inflation, which runs contrary to mainstream economic thinking. The European Central Bank is expected to keep its record-high benchmark rate steady at its meeting Thursday, following a rapid series of hikes over more than a year. Hafize Gaye Erkan, a former U.S.-based bank executive, took over as central bank governor in June, becoming the first woman to hold that position in Turkey. Previously, Erdogan had fired central governments who reportedly resisted his push to cut interest rates.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Merrill Lynch, Mehmet Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, ” Organizations: European Central Bank, Turkish Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Ukraine, U.S

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