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[1/5] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with people in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 8, 2023. "The earthquake definitely changes our opinion because the first responders and tents were very late to arrive," he said. How big a challenge Erdogan faces is difficult to determine, given the lack of polling in the region. One party official said they would "re-direct" residents' focus to efforts to rebuild and stress no one but Erdogan could do this quickly. The region voted 65% or more for the AKP and its nationalist ally the MHP in the last election in 2018.

[1/4] Ibrahim Kurt helps salvage belongings from a collapsed home in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Nurdagi, Turkey, March 5, 2023. This 20-year-long rapid construction came crashing down in just two minutes," said Hasan Bal, 52, a retired teacher who lost 10 immediate relatives in the magnitude 7.8 quake. The initial quake on Feb. 6 tremor sliced directly through Nurdagi, leaving it among the worst hit communities in Turkey's deadliest modern disaster. Residents say cheap credit had helped the town expand, reflecting a nationwide building boom that has defined Erdogan's two decades in power. Aslan said her family is thankful for a furnished container home where they live for now on the outskirts of town.

Arslan, her husband and their three children survived for five days trapped under the rubble of their five-storey apartment building. I have no fears now that my family is beside me," Havva said as she sat beside a wooden picnic table after a family breakfast. On the night the quake hit, the parents and the three children rushed to hold each other when the violent shaking struck. As walls collapsed around them, the floor beneath gave way and the Arslan family fell one floor down, with the four floors above crashing down around them seconds later. "'My name is Fatmagul Arslan', I shouted.

Speaking at party headquarters in Ankara, the leader of Turkey's right-wing IYI Party, Meral Aksener, said the other five parties in the alliance had put forward Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), as their presidential candidate. But Aksener said her party, the second biggest in the alliance, would not "bow down" to pressure to accept him. "It is no longer a platform through which potential candidates can be discussed but a table that works to rubber-stamp a single candidate," she said. "Just like over the past 20 years, the opposition turned out to be President Tayyip Erdogan’s greatest asset," Piccoli wrote. "With the main opposition bloc in disarray, Erdogan is now much better positioned to prevail on 14 May."

There had been conflicting signals over the likely timing of the presidential and parliamentary elections since last month's earthquake, with some suggesting they could be postponed until later in the year or could be held as scheduled on June 18. Erdogan has faced a wave of criticism over his government's handling of the deadliest quake in the nation's modern history. Now he also must contend with criticism over the response to the quake in a region that traditionally backed him. The quake also injured 108,000 people in Turkey. Some two million people were registered as having fled the region, which has been hit by more than 11,000 aftershocks, AFAD said.

☆ New Turkey quake kills one person, flattens more buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The latest aftershock, with a magnitude of 5.6 and depth of 6.15 km, hit three weeks after a massive quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Turkey has arrested 184 people suspected of complicity in the collapse of buildings in this month's earthquakes and investigations are widening, a minister said on Saturday. On Sunday, AFAD announced that the death toll in the devastating quake three weeks ago had risen to 44,374. More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in Turkey by the disaster, the worst in the country's modern history. After the latest tremor, AFAD issued a fresh warning on Twitter telling people not to enter or even stand near damaged buildings in the earthquake zone.

Days after Turkey's worst earthquake in modern history, Erdogan vowed to rebuild the southern disaster zone within a year, an undertaking conservative estimates put at $25 billion and others expect to be far higher. Authorities say more than 380,000 units in 105,794 buildings are in urgent need of demolition or have collapsed, out of 2.5 million structures across the region. "We will rebuild these buildings within one year and hand them back to citizens," he said. They devastated southern Turkey in the dead of winter, with overnight temperatures near freezing, leaving many emergency tents inadequate for the homeless. "FRIENDLY COMPANIES"The bill to rebuild houses, transmission lines and infrastructure is around $25 billion, or 2.5% of GDP, U.S. bank JPMorgan said in a report.

☆ Rescue efforts wind down in Turkey, many left to mourn without a funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

People gather for a funeral in a large graveyard, in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake outside Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 17, 2023. Rescue efforts in earthquake-hit Turkey were winding down on Sunday, nearly two weeks after the country's deadliest disaster in the modern era, with many praying only for bodies to mourn. The head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Yunus Sezer, said the search and rescue efforts would largely end on Sunday night. Workers from Kyrgyzstan tried to save a Syrian family of five from the rubble of a building in Antakya in southern Turkey. As rescue efforts continued one worker yelled into the rubble: "Take a deep breath if you can hear my voice."

☆ Istanbul bourse rises nearly 10% after quake closure, govt measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

RAPID NEW REGULATIONSTurkish authorities pushed through new regulations including measures incentivizing company share buyback programs, and increasing obligatory pension fund allocation for stocks. The general assembly decision mandate for share buybacks was also waived, allowing listed companies to start share buyback programmes with just a management board decision. Additional measures could still be needed to stabilize the stock exchange, according to Tunc Satiroglu, strategist and founder of financial consulting firm Kanal Finans. The cancellations followed multiple market-wide circuit brakers in the two trading days following the earthquake, which failed to halt the slide to no avail. "I expect the stock market to be more stable...

[1/2] Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey February 14, 2023. "I don't think it's time to talk about elections," an AKP official told Reuters, citing the state of emergency. He said the priority was to set an election date and get the High Election Board to start preparations. The AKP official expected the disaster to erode votes for the ruling alliance given the suffering, and the loss of life and property. The constitution sets a two-term limit for presidents, but they can seek another term if parliament calls an early election before the second term expires.

☆ Ceyhan loadings of BTC pipeline oil could begin within two days, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary Manual loadings while BTC control room repaired -officialKirkuk loadings resumed on TuesdayISTANBUL, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Turkey's Ceyhan port could resume loading oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in one or two days using "manual" procedures, a Turkish official and a shipping source said on Saturday. It is the storage and loading point for the BTC pipeline which carries oil from Azerbaijan as well as the Kirkuk pipeline from Iraq. The Kirkuk pipeline resumed flows on Tuesday evening and a tanker docked at Ceyhan to load that day. The control room for BTC pipeline loadings there was damaged, the Turkish official said, but added loadings were expected to resume "manually" while the control room is repaired. Loadings could begin within a day or two days, a shipping source said, quoting information received from the terminal.

☆ Turkish company to send ships to house 3,000 in earthquake zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Turkey's Karadeniz Holding said on Saturday it would send two humanitarian aid ships that can each house 1,500 people to help the relief effort in the southern province of Hatay, hit by a major earthquake that has claimed more than 20,000 lives. "The company is working with the authorities to send lifeships Suheyla Sultan and Rauf Bey to Iskenderun-Hatay, the company said, adding this would be its first humanitarian mission. The so-called lifeships, built for humanitarian aid missions, have accommodation, fridges, TVs and heating, as well as facilities for education, healthcare and food, the company said. "We focused all our energy to this project to serve people in the area impacted by the earthquake. Reporting by Can Sezer Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Twitter restricted in Turkey two days after quake, says NetBlocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Twitter has been restricted in Turkey on Wednesday, the Netblocks internet observatory said, two days after a major earthquake that has killed more than 11,500 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria. Users of the platform including opposition figures, academics and non-governmental organisations protested the move, with communications already difficult in the quake zone due to limited reception. "How come Twitter is restricted on a day communication saves lives? Akdeniz said it was immediately unclear what caused the restriction, adding that access to Tiktok was also limited in Turkey. Reporting by Can Sezer and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Daren Butler and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Shipping containers ablaze at Turkey's Iskenderun Port, operations halted
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Antony Paone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ISKENDERUN, Turkey, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of shipping containers were ablaze at Turkey's Iskenderun Port on Tuesday, shutting down operations and forcing freight liners to divert vessels to other ports. Leading global container shipping group AP Moller Maersk said there had been significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure around the earthquake epicentre, including at the Port of Iskenderun. We are currently planning to divert containers to nearby hubs within operational feasibility or hold at transhipment ports - including Port of Mersin (in Turkey) and Port Said (in Egypt)," it said. [1/3] Smoke rises from burning containers at the port in the earthquake-stricken town of Iskenderun, Turkey, February 7, 2023. German container shipping line Hapag Lloyd said it was taking shipments from Mersin given the closure of Iskenderun.

☆ Turkey oil pipelines undamaged, flows continue after quake -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - There is no damage to the Kerkuk-Ceyhan pipeline carrying oil from Iraq to Turkey, or to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and oil flows are continuing on both after a major earthquake hit Turkey, an energy official told Reuters on Monday. However, operations at the Ceyhan oil terminal in southern Turkey were suspended, the Tribeca shipping agency said, adding that an emergency meeting was being held on the issue. The magnitude 7.8 quake struck southern Turkey and northwest Syria early on Monday, killing more than 500 people and injuring hundreds as buildings collapsed across the region, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble. Earlier state pipeline operator BOTAS said natural gas flows were halted to Gaziantep, Hatay and Kahramanmaras provinces and some other districts as a result of damage to a gas transmission line. Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Can Sezer; writing by Daren Butler; editing by Jonathan Spicer and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey to host summit of gas buyers, sellers next month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Turkey will hold a natural gas summit on Feb. 14-15 to bring together gas supplier countries and Europe's consumer countries in Istanbul, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Monday. "We will bring together supplier countries from the Middle East, Mediterranean, Caspian and Middle Asia with consumer countries from Europe," Donmez said. In October, Russia's President Vladimir Putin proposed setting up a gas hub in Turkey following explosions that damaged Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea. Some Western capitals were concerned that a Turkish hub including Russian gas could allow Moscow to mask exports that are sanctioned by the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has the infrastructure and experience in gas trade and authorities are taking steps for it to be a hub where regional benchmark prices are set, Donmez said.

☆ Turkey signs 10-yr gas deal with Oman -Turkish energy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Botas Nehir Boya Emprime Sanayi Ticaret AS FollowISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Turkey signed a natural gas purchase agreement with Oman to buy an annual 1.4 billion cubic metres of gas for 10 years, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Monday. Speaking at an event in Istanbul, Donmez said that a delegation from Turkish state energy company BOTAS was in Oman for the agreement. Reporting by Can Sezer Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ship traffic to resume at Turkey's Dardanelles Strait after brief suspension
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ship traffic at Turkey's Dardanelles Strait is set to resume after a brief suspension due to a vessel's engine failure, the Tribeca Shipping Agency said on Friday. Northbound traffic will resume at 1500 GMT and southbound traffic will resume at 1545 GMT, it said. Traffic was suspended in both directions at 1335 GMT. The vessel whose engine failed was proceeding to the strait exit with two tug escorts, it said in an earlier not. Reporting by Can Sezer; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Alex Richardson and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkish cbank to provide 2% support to firms that convert forex from abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Turkey's central bank said on Thursday it will provide 2% foreign exchange conversion support to companies that bring forex into the country from abroad, sell it to the central bank and pledge not to buy forex for a period determined by the bank. After selling 40% of the forex they bring into the country to the central bank under pre-existing rules, companies will be allowed to deposit the remaining amount into conversion accounts under a scheme that protects lira deposits against forex depreciation, the bank said. It said companies who pledge not to buy more forex than they have sold to the central bank for a period determined by the bank will be given support equal to 2% of the amount they converted and deposit in such accounts. The move aims to support the bank's liraization targets in commercial activities, the bank said, adding that lenders will determine whether the forex sold to the central bank and deposited in lira protected accounts is obtained from abroad. Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Can Sezer; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Missile hit Turkish-owned ship in Ukraine's Kherson port -video, sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A Turkish-owned general cargo ship was struck by a missile in the port of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, sparking a fire, according to video footage from the scene and shipping sources. The missile hit the bridge of the vessel named Tuzla on Tuesday, maritime security company Ambrey said, causing the fire. A shipping source said there are twelve Turkish ships trapped in Ukrainian ports, including in Kherson, that are not covered by the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal. "There has been an attack yesterday night, most probably to the port, and an explosive charge seems to have hit the ship. Turkish ships in Kherson are manned by a skeleton crew so there are no injuries or casualties," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

☆ Erdogan tells Putin ceasefire needed in Ukraine peace efforts -presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Vladimir Putin in a phone call that peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a "vision for a fair solution", the Turkish presidency said on Thursday. Erdogan and the Russian president have spoken repeatedly since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February. "President Erdogan said calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution," the readout said, adding that Erdogan reminded Putin of the positive outcomes of the grains corridor deal. Ukraine is a major global grain producer and exporter, but production and exports have fallen since Russia invaded and started blockading its seaports. The two leaders also discussed Syria, with Erdogan telling Putin that concrete steps needed to be taken to clear Kurdish militants from the Syrian border region, the readout said.

[1/6] Commercial vessels, including oil tankers, wait at an anchorage in the Black Sea off Kilyos near Istanbul, Turkey, December 9, 2022. A total of 28 oil tankers are in a queue seeking to leave the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, the Tribeca shipping agency said on Friday. Turkey's maritime authority said it would continue to keep out of its waters oil tankers that lacked appropriate insurance letters. A shipping source said four of the tankers waiting to cross the Dardanelles were scheduled to go on Saturday with tug escorts. Millions of barrels of oil per day move south from Russian ports through Turkey's Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits into the Mediterranean.

☆ Twenty oil tankers wait to cross Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait -shipping agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) - One more tanker took to 20 on Friday the number of vessels waiting in the Black Sea to pass through Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Mediterranean, the Tribeca shipping agency said, amid talks to disperse the build-up. On Thursday, dismissing pressure from abroad over the lengthening queue, Turkey's maritime authority said it would continue to keep out of its waters oil tankers that lacked the appropriate insurance letters, and it needed time for checks. Eight tankers were also waiting for passage through the Dardanelles strait into the Mediterranean, down from nine a day earlier, Tribeca said, making a total of 28 tankers waiting for southbound passage. It requires vessels to provide proof of insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosphorus strait, or when calling at Turkish ports. Reporting by Daren Butler and Can Sezer; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey says to continue blocking oil tankers without proper insurance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's maritime authority said on Thursday it would continue to block the passage of oil tankers without appropriate insurance letters, adding that the insurance checks on ships in its waters was a "routine procedure." A Turkish measure in force since the start of the month has caused shipping delays. It requires vessels to provide proof of insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosphorus strait or when calling at Turkish ports. Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Can Sezer; Editing by Jonathan SpicerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Number of oil tankers waiting at Bosphorus rises by five - Turkish agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The number of oil tankers waiting in the Black Sea to cross Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on the way to the Mediterranean rose by five to 16 on Thursday, a shipping agency said, amid talks between Western and Turkish officials on steps to resolve the tanker queues there. A British Treasury official has said those talks were happening after the G7 and European Union rolled out new restrictions on Dec. 5 aimed at Russian oil exports. But a separate Turkish measure in force since the start of the month has caused a logjam, requiring vessels to provide proof they have insurance covering the duration of their transit through the Bosphorus strait or when calling at Turkish ports. The Tribeca shipping agency named five new tankers longer than 200 metres waiting north of the Bosphorus strait to cross southbound towards the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to the 11 named a day earlier. At the Dardanelles strait further south, nine tankers were waiting to cross southbound, down from 12 a day earlier, the agency said.

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