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☆ How Merve Emre became the hottest — and most reviled — name in literary criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +40 min

Last winter, the 37-year-old literary critic and Wesleyan professor Merve Emre stood in front of a microphone in Rachel Comey's Soho boutique. While the others had largely opted to pull boldfaced names from the Review's archives — like a 1985 Gore Vidal piece about Tennessee Williams — Merve Emre would be reading Merve Emre. Emre has penned so many introductions for new anthologies and reissues that one fan joked on Twitter: "every new baby in 2024 comes with an introduction by merve emre." Courtesy of Merve Emre. Over her cocktail, Merve Emre told me what my profile on Merve Emre should be about.

Persons: Merve Emre, Rachel Comey's, Emily Greenhouse, Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams — Merve Emre, Emre, Diane Williams, who's, Everyone's, Elena Ferrante, Jonathan Franzen, Rachel Cusk, Susan Sontag, Michael Roth, Reading Emre, merve emre, John Guillory, Dorothy Parker, Christopher Hitchens, Jon Fosse, Stephanie LaCava, Batuman, Lawrence, Alison Roman, Frank Gehry, Jason Stanley, someone's, they're, Anna Shechtman, Anne, Maggie Doherty, doesn't, Emre Emre, Roald Dahl's, Matilda, Myers, Briggs, you've, I've, Bain, Chris Bierly, I'd, Amy Lombard, Ferrante, She's, Christian Nakarado, Leo Carey, Jason, Nakarado, hasn't, Emre's, Altan, Emre lasered, Ara Osterweil, McGill, Beyoncé, Osterweil, Al Jazeera, sensitively, Ivy pricks, she's, Michael Berube, He'd, he'd, James Joyce, Simone de Beauvoir, Merve, Sarah Chihaya, —, Mary Butts, Leonora Carrington, Susan Taubes, Taubes, Durga Chew, Christian Lorentzen, Orhan Pamuk, Lena Dunham, Chew, Bose, Yale's, it's, she'd, Taylor Swift, Elif Batuman, Swift, Janet Malcolm, Charlie Kaufman, Roth, we're, What's, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, It's, Elizabeth Morache, Rebecca Zisser, David Bergman Organizations: The New York, McGill, Times, New York Magazine, The, Yorker, Wesleyan University, Reading, Twitter, McGill ,, Wesleyan, Ivy League, Yale, Shapiro Center, Creative, NBA, Harvard, Bain & Company, Insider Yale, HBO, Congress, NPR, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, New York, Yahoo, Oxford, Oxford . McGill, University of Oxford, Penn State, Fordham University, Boston, Intelligence Squared, Yale Science, University, Whitney Museum, Netflix Locations: Rachel Comey's Soho, McGill , Oxford, Columbia, Norwegian, New Haven , Connecticut, New Haven, Adana, Turkey, New York, Cambridge, Montreal, United States, chiseling, Turkish

☆ Turkey shocks with big rate hike to 25% to cool raging inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey’s central bank hiked its key interest rate by a surprisingly large 7.5 percentage points to 25% Thursday, signaling a new determination to address rebounding inflation as part of a broader policy U-turn. The poll, conducted last week, showed that interest rates were not expected to rise to 25% until the end of the year. The rate hike “sends a very strong signal that the [bank] is determined to rein in inflation and the initial market response is very positive,” said Piotr Matys, senior FX analyst at In Touch Capital Markets. Erdogan’s past drive to slash interest rates sparked a currency crisis in late 2021 and sent inflation above 85% last year. The currency is down about 68% in two years largely due to Erdogan’s previously outspoken opposition to high rates and influence over the central bank.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, ”, Piotr Matys, “, Erdogan, ” Erdogan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, — Osman Cevdet Akcay, Fatih Karahan, — Organizations: Analysts, Touch, Wall Street

☆ VIEW Turkey cements policy shift with super-sized rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A logo of Turkey's Central Bank is pictured at the entrance of its headquarters in Ankara, Turkey October 15, 2021. "We should recall that sudden changes in interest rates usually have a delayed effect. "This was also the steepest rate hike since the CBT management reshuffle after the elections in May. We think the strong rate hike meant to address market concerns that the CBT wanted to avoid significant rate hike." TIMOTHY ASH, BLUEBAY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LONDON"Really solid move by the CBRT (central bank) to hike policy rates arguably above expectations by 750bps to 25%."

Persons: Cagla, GRZEGORZ DROZDZ, TIMOTHY ASH, 750bps, Hatice Karahan, Hatice Gaye, PIOTR MATYS, Governor Erkan, Erdogan, LIAM PEACH, Erkan, OZKARDESKAYA, SWISSQUOTE Organizations: Turkey's Central, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Turkish, EMERGINGMARKETWATCH.COM, SOFIA, GENEVA

☆ Turkey surprises with bigger-than-expected interest rate hike to 25% in bid to tame inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Exterior of the Turkish Central Bank, known as Turkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankasi in Ankara. In volatile trade after the announcement, the embattled Turkish lira gained ground against the U.S. dollar and euro. Ongoing firm inflation rates pushed the central bank to recently revise its inflation forecast for the year-end from 22.3% to 58%. On Thursday, the bank said it expected year-end inflation to sit in the "upper bound of the forecast range." The central bank on Thursday attributed the ongoing stickiness of national inflation to strong domestic demand, wage pressures, exchange rates, persistent services inflation and tax regulations.

Organizations: Turkish Central Bank, Reuters, Turkish, U.S . Locations: Ankara, Turkey's, London, Turkish

France, which widened its heatwave red alert in the south of the country, said it would scale back production at a nuclear power plant as high temperatures curbed cooling water supply. The strait, linking the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, is a major shipping route for commodities such as oil and grains. It said some areas of southern France would experience temperatures of 42 degree Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit). The authorities widened a heatwave red alert for the south of the country, while officials urged some mountain climbers to postpone their activities and told grape pickers to work in the morning to avoid the extreme heat. Italy issued heatwave red alerts about "emergency conditions" that the health ministry says could endanger the healthy as well as the frail in 17 of its 27 main cities for Wednesday and Thursday, including Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice.

Persons: Firefighters, Vassilis Kikilias, herder, Saint Alban, Karolina Tagaris, Alexandros Avramidis, Ezgi, Zhifan Liu, Forrest Crellin, Nacho Doce, Violeta Santos Moura, Crispian Balmer, Charlie Devereux, Edmund Blair Organizations: Migration Ministry, Residents, Civil, European Union, EDF, Saint, Fundacion Madrina, Firefighters, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Athens, Turkey, Dardanelles, France, Italy, ATHENS, ISTANBUL, Europe, Greece, Menidi, Amygdaleza, Fyli, Alexandroupolis, Evros, East, Asia, Turkey's, Canakkale, Meteo, Spain, Tenerife, Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice

Oleg Panteleev, head of the AviaPort aviation think-tank in Moscow, said Russian airlines have "solved the problem" of operating under Western sanctions. When those firms stopped providing services – Lufthansa Technik said it suspended sales to Russia from Feb. 28, 2022 – Russian airlines turned to a pool of far smaller suppliers. Ivan Melnicov, chief executive of Air Rock and another aircraft parts distributor in Moldova called Aerostage Services, denied selling products to Russia. Most of the shipments listed in Russian customs records as having been made by Air Rock and Aerostage took circuitous routes, transiting through the UAE or Kyrgyzstan. He said Skyparts had procured one of the Northrop Grumman parts from a U.S. supplier but denied ever sending it to Russia.

Persons: Paul Hanna, Northrop, Oleg Panteleev, Kirill Skuratov, Northrop Grumman, Ivan Melnicov, Melnicov, Aerostage, Kafolati Komil, Mahmadbashir Yakubov, Kafolati, Skyparts FZCO, Lisa Barrington, Saeed Abdulloev, Skyparts, Karine Bukrey, Ramses Turizm, Bukrey's, Ramazan, Bukrey, Akpinar, Nordwind, Valery Pashaev, Pashaev, Maurice Tamman, David Clarke, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Ural Airlines Airbus, Palma de Mallorca, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Northrop Grumman, Central Asia, Airbus, Boeing, Ural Airlines, Northrop, United Arab Emirates, Western, Reuters, of Commerce, European Union, Russian, S7 Airlines, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Aeroflot, Lufthansa Technik, Engineering, Rock Solutions, Air Rock, Aerostage Services, Airlines, UAE, Istikloliyat, Skyparts, Nordwind Airlines, Thomson Locations: Palma de, Spain, Russian, Yekaterinburg, U.S, Moscow, Russia, Central, Ukraine, Tajikistan, UAE, Turkey, China, Kyrgyzstan, Swiss, Germany, Moldova, Air, Moldovan, Saudi Arabia, Komilchon, Ural, Dubai, United Arab, Turkish, Antalya, Nusret, Technic, New York

Brent crude was down 36 cents at $84.10 a barrel by 11:45 a.m. EDT (1545 GMT). China, the world's second-largest economy, is considered crucial to shoring up oil demand over the rest of the year. Amplifying demand concerns, U.S. central bank officials have not ruled out further interest rate hikes to contain inflation. A preliminary Reuters poll showed that crude oil and gasoline inventories were expected to have fallen last week, with data from American Petroleum Institute due later on Tuesday. Separately on Monday, Shell (SHEL.L) said it was investigating a possible leak on the 180,000 bpd Trans Niger oil pipeline, though no force majeure has been declared.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Jim Ritterbusch, majeure, Natalie Grover, Paul Carsten, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Tomasz Janowski, David Evans, David Goodman, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Shell, West Texas Intermediate, Saudi, Ritterbusch, Associates, American Petroleum Institute, of Commerce, Shell, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, China, Russian, Galena , Illinois, U.S, Iraqi, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi, Niger, London, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ Oil dips on possible easing of tight supply, China woes hurt demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Crude oil struggled to keep its head above water on signs of supply tightness easing," said Brian Martin and Daniel Hynes, analysts from ANZ Bank in a note to clients. Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss several issues including the resumption of oil exports through the Ceyhan oil terminal, a source in the minister's office told Reuters on Monday. Meanwhile, gloom over the economic outlook in China, the world's second biggest oil consumer, continued to pressure oil prices and heighten worries about fuel demand. Putting a floor to oil prices, U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories were expected to have fallen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed, as the American Petroleum Institute industry group is due to release data later on Tuesday. U.S. economic data over recent weeks has bolstered expectations for the Fed to keep rates higher for longer, putting a dampener on the demand outlook for oil and a broad range of consumer goods.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Brian Martin, Daniel Hynes, Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Muyu Xu, Katya Golubkova, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, . West Texas, ANZ Bank, Reuters, International Chamber of Commerce, of, Petroleum, Eurasia Group, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Information Administration, U.S . Department of Energy, PMI, Federal, Jackson, Fed, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, OPEC, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, China, Beijing, Eurasia, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ Forest fire shuts down Turkey's Dardanelles Strait for maritime traffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Maritime traffic from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been suspended due to the ongoing forest fire in the Turkish northwestern province of Canakkale, the transport ministry and a shipping agency said on Tuesday. "The traffic at Dardanelles was suspended for both directions on Tuesday at 18:45 (1545 GMT) hours due to the aircraft intervening in the forest fire in the region by safely taking water from the sea," Tribeca shipping agency said. The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow and historically significant passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, serves as a vital shipping route for vessels travelling between Europe and Asia. "Tugboats are prepared to intervene if the fire approaches the seafront, providing additional support to the ongoing firefighting operations," the Transport Ministry said in a statement. Reporting by Ece Toksabay Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bill Berkrot Organizations: Tribeca, Transport Ministry, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Marmara, Turkish, Canakkale, Dardanelles, Europe, Asia

☆ Iraq oil minister in Turkey to discuss resuming northern oil exports -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss several issues including the resumption of oil exports through the Ceyhan oil terminal, a source in the minister's office told Reuters on Monday. Iraqi oil minister will meet his Turkish counterpart to discuss energy issues, on top of which is the resumption of Iraq's northern oil exports via Turkey's Ceyhan port, said an oil official. Turkey halted Iraq's 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of exports through the northern Iraq-Turkey pipeline on March 25 after an arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Turkey wants to negotiate regarding the size of damages it was ordered to pay in the arbitration ruling and also seeks clarification on other open arbitration cases. "Iraq's oil minister is in Turkey to discuss obstacles delaying the resumption of oil exports and how to resolve lingering issues," said an oil ministry official who is close to the Iraqi northern oil exports operations.

Persons: Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Ahmed Rasheed, Ahmed Elimam, Susan Fenton, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, International Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce, ICC, Kurdistan Regional Government, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, Paris, Iraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad, Ceyhan, Kurdistan

☆ Antalya and Bodrum: The bohemian paradise that became a magnet for superyachts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Richard Quest | Joe Minihane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNNWhile the hotels and beaches are what most travelers come to Antalya for, you don’t need to go far for proper Turkish traditions. A Turkish breakfast is something to behold. Then, you can read your newspaper or do whatever and then you can lay down and have a little nap.”Dilek Gorpe: Turkish breakfast is best consumed slowly. There is a deep respect for the landscape and the old ways, which makes Antalya feel very special indeed. CNNBack in Antalya, there’s the chance to feel that sense of wonder afforded by Bodrum’s bohemian side, but in a wholly different setting.

Persons: Dilek Gorpe, CNN Gorpe, It’s, extraordinaire Sahir Erozan, ”, didn’t, Sahir Erozan, CNN Erozan, “ It’s, it’s, Cemil İpekçi, ” Bodrum, “, Alexander the Great, Paul Organizations: CNN, Ottomans, ” Locations: Antalya, Bodrum, Europe, Turkish, Perga

☆ Turkey says UN peacekeepers intervention of Turkish Cypriot roadworks unacceptable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Scuffles broke out on Friday between U.N. peacekeepers and Turkish Cypriot security personnel when peacekeepers tried to prevent roadworks starting in an area the U.N. says is part of a buffer zone under its jurisdiction. Erdogan also said Turkey will continue to side with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Turkish Cypriot authorities want to build a road that would give residents of Pyla/Pile, a village in the U.N.-administered buffer zone, direct access to territory under Turkish Cypriot control. Turkish Cypriot authorities say the peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, overstepped its boundaries. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar characterised the road project as essential.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Anitkabir, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Erdogan, Scuffles, Ersin Tatar, Ezgi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme Military Council, Presidential Press, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Peacekeeping Force, Turkish Cypriot, Thomson Locations: YAS, Ankara, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, Cyprus, Pyla, U.N, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot

Parents are able to sit and observe their children play with the cats through a glass partition as they sip their coffee. "The idea came from my childhood passion for cats since and I wanted to pass it on to people," said Mea'bed. The cafe is home mainly to Persian cats, but also Turkish angora and hybrid felines. For Hala Abu Maghaseeb, 14, who has so far not convinced her parents to get her a pet cat, the cafe was a pleasant and welcome surprise during her summer school break. Some Gazans were less impressed, arguing on social media that most residents were too impoverished to welcome such a project.

Persons: Naeema Mea'bed, Hala Abu Maghaseeb, Rewa Abdel, Hadi, Nidal al, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Turkish, Rewa

☆ DP Eurasia to file for bankruptcy of Russian Domino's Pizza franchisee
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 21 (Reuters) - DP Eurasia (DPEU.L) will file for bankruptcy for its Russian business and exit the country, the operator of the Domino's Pizza brand in Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia said on Monday. In December, the company said it was considering options for its Russian operations, including a divestment, like other Western firms which have exited Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Some have managed to negotiate swift exits, often selling at huge discounts or handing the keys to local management. The pace of exits has now slowed substantially but the rules are even harder to navigate for those remaining. DP Russia, the third-largest pizza delivery company in the country, operated about 142 stores.

Persons: Eva Mathews, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Savio D'Souza Organizations: DP Eurasia, Eurasia, DP Eurasia's Turkish, DP Russia, Thomson Locations: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Turkey begins rolling back costly FX-protected deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a reversal, the central bank now wants lenders to set a new goal of transitioning KKM accounts into regular lira accounts, in part by dissuading companies and individuals from renewing the KKM accounts. According to a separate decree in the Official Gazette, the central bank also raised lenders' reserve requirement ratios for FX deposits, further nudging customers into regular lira accounts. KKM accounts have since ballooned to some $117 billion, or 3.1 trillion lira, around a quarter of total bank deposits. To cover KKM depreciation costs, the central bank paid an estimated 300 billion lira ($11 billion) in June and July, when the lira plunged again. The central bank said the KKM move would "enforce macro financial stability by supporting lira deposits" and pledged more such steps.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Hakan Kara, Jonathan Spicer, Azra, Deepa Babington, Frances Kerry Organizations: Turkish Lira, REUTERS, Rights, Official Gazette, Bilkent University, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Rights ANKARA

☆ UN peacekeepers hurt in Cyprus buffer zone clash with Turkish forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.N. peackeepers were manhandled by personnel in Turkish Cypriot police and military uniforms, a witness said. Turkish Cypriot bulldozers had moved U.N. trucks, cement bollards and barbed wire in the United Nations-administered buffer zone splitting the island. The controversy is centred around plans by Turkish Cypriot authorities to build a road traversing the territory which the United Nations says is under its control. Turkish Cypriot authorities are planning to build an 11.5 km road linking Pyla/Pile to a neighbouring community which lies in breakaway north Cyprus. It had been in talks with Turkish Cypriot authorities over their plans, and work had started without the requisite agreement from the U.N., Siddique said.

Persons: Scuffles, Aleem Siddique, Siddique, Michele Kambas, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United Nations, Turkish Cypriot, . Security, UN, Greek Cypriot, The United Nations, Turkish, Thomson Locations: NICOSIA, Turkish Cypriot, Cyprus, Turkish, British, United States, Britain, France, United, Pyla, United Nations, Greek

☆ Middle East - Latest News, Investigations and Analysis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Elvan Kivilcim | Ghassan Adnan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, Demand for Gold and Dollars SoarsPeople are pouring money into assets that they see as a safer bet than the Turkish lira, which has declined by more than 80% in the past five years.

☆ The US is quietly warning its Middle East partners about the cost of stocking up on Chinese-made weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese arms sales in the Middle East have increased by 80% over the past decade, a result of Beijing's expanding relationships there and its willingness to deliver arms faster and with fewer stipulations than Washington. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty ImagesMiddle Eastern countries, led by the Arab Gulf states, have for decades been major buyers of US-made weapons. Chinese arms sales to the region are "substantial and expected to continue to increase," said Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at Chatham House. "But it's just one factor among many, including varying threat perceptions of Iran among the Arab Gulf states as well as varying levels of trust between the Arab Gulf governments themselves." Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Loong, KARIM SAHIB, Colin Kahl, Biden, Kahl, We're, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Ahmed Aboudouh, Aboudouh, James Hodgman, Russia's, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Emily Hawthorne, RANE, that's, Hawthorne, Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, Xi, ANDY WONG, Kahl's, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, US Central Command, Senate Armed Services Committee, Dubai Airshow, Getty, Chatham House, Pentagon, Getty Images, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Al Udeid, Base, US Air Force, Tech, Air Defense, Turkey, NATO, East, Khalifa, UAE, US, Abu Dhabi Crown, Gulf Cooperation Council Locations: China, Washington, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, AFP, British, Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, East, North Africa, Qatar, Russia, Europe, Gulf, UAE, Yemen, Ankara, Turkey, Prince, Xinhua, Khalifa, Abu, Arab Gulf, Iran

☆ A passenger plane flew into Ukrainian airspace trying to avoid a storm, but made it through the warzone OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Turkish passenger plane flew through Ukrainian airspace on July 25 for several hours. The airline — a new Turkish company called BBN — said the pilots were avoiding a storm. The plane, an Airbus A320-200 operated by Turkish company BBN Airlines, was flying from Oslo, Norway to Antalya, Turkey on July 25. Ukraine closed its airspace when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, forbidding civilian aircraft to enter. The area the plane flew has not seen heavy fighting, which has been concentrated hundreds of miles to the east.

Persons: — Organizations: Civilian, Service, Airbus, BBN Airlines, New, Russian, Freebird Airlines, NRK, Ukraine's Ministry, Transport Locations: Turkish, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's, Oslo, Norway, Antalya, Turkey, Chernivtsi, Russia, Norwegian, Romania

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ Singapore arrests 10 foreigners, seizes S$1 bln assets in money laundering probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Caroline Chia/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Singapore police have arrested 10 foreigners for alleged money laundering and forgery offences, in a case involving about S$1 billion ($737 million) of cash, properties, luxury cars and other assets. Other seizures included bank accounts, cash, luxury bags, jewellery, watches, electronic devices and some documents with information on virtual assets. The foreigners were aged between 31 and 44, and their nationalities include Chinese, Turkish, Cypriot, Cambodian and Ni-Vanuatu, Singapore police said. In a separate statement, the Singapore central bank said it has been "in touch with the financial institutions (FIs) where the potentially tainted funds have been identified. ($1 = 1.3572 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Caroline Chia, Chen Lin, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Singapore, Cypriot, FIs, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Vanuatu

☆ Russian Ruble at Weakest Level Since Early Days of Ukraine War
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Chelsey Dulaney | Georgi Kantchev | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia’s central bank raised interest rates last month but it wasn’t enough to stop a slide in the ruble. Photo: Sergei Bobylev/Zuma PressThe ruble’s decline picked up pace in recent weeks, and on Monday the currency fell below 100 to the U.S. dollar for the first time since the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. So far this year, the ruble has lost almost 30% of its value against the dollar. Only a handful of currencies including the Turkish lira, Nigerian naira and Argentine peso are having a worse year.

Persons: Sergei Bobylev Organizations: Zuma, U.S, Argentine Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Boeing front-runner in wide-body jet talks with IndiGo -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A person is seen inside an IndiGo airlines ticketing office at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, May 30, 2023. IndiGo (INGL.NS) is in talks to buy Boeing's 787 family of twin-aisle aircraft, which has been pitted against Airbus A330neo jets, said the sources who are familiar with the matter. Reuters first reported in March that IndiGo was in talks with Airbus and Boeing for the wide-body jets. So far, IndiGo has been an exclusive buyer of Airbus narrow-body jets and a deal for wide-body planes would be a departure from that strategy. Earlier this year it began international operations with a Boeing 777, its first twin aisle aircraft taken from partner Turkish Airlines, which provides the pilots.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, IndiGo, Aditi Shah, Jason Neely, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Boeing, Reuters, India's, Airbus, Air India, Turkish Airlines, KLM, Thomson Locations: Chhatrapati Shivaji International, Mumbai, India, Africa, West Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe

☆ Ships backed up in Black Sea lanes as Russia warning shots raise tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Merchant ships remained backed up in lanes around the Black Sea on Monday as ports struggled to clear backlogs amid growing unease among insurers and shipping companies a day after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo vessel. After an inspection, the vessel continued its journey towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail along the Danube river, Russia said. Palau-flagged vessel Sukru Okan transits Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2023 this screen grab from a video. Romania on Monday said that it aimed to double the monthly transit capacity of Ukrainian grain to Constanta to 4 million tonnes in the coming months. Sunday's incident cast a pall over plans announced by Ukraine last week for a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea to release cargo ships trapped in Ukraine's ports since the outbreak of war.

Persons: Vasily Bykov, Kviv, Izmail, Gard, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Joseph Schulte, BSM, Jonathan Saul, Conor Humphries Organizations: Merchant, Insurance, REUTERS, UN, Group, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Palau, Izmail, Musura, Romanian, Constanta, Istanbul, Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Norwegian, Odesa

☆ Romania deploys ship, chopper to find stray Black Sea mines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Romania's navy said it deployed a ship and a helicopter on Monday to scout for stray mines on the country's Black Sea coast, after a pier in the seaside resort of Costinesti was lighly damaged in an explosion. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and mines have since then been laid in the Black Sea by the combatants. Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish military diving teams have been defusing those that have drifted into their waters. The sea is crucial for shipments of grain, oil and oil products and is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia. Romania's navy said its divers were still investigating whether the explosion at the pier, which claimed no victims, was caused by a mine.

Persons: Luiza Ilie, John Stonestreet Organizations: European Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Costinesti, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgarian, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Turkey, Mangalia, U.S

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