Police in western Turkey caught a suspected PKK terrorist accused of martyring a soldier five years ago in the eastern Van province, security sources said on Wednesday. The suspect T.O., codenamed Welat, reportedly worked in the terrorist PKK in 2015-2019, added the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media. He reportedly took part in attacks martyring a soldier in the eastern Van province in 2016, blocking roads in Beytussebab in the eastern Sirnak province, and placing roadside bombs in Erziki in the eastern Hakkari province. Counterterrorism police teams caught him in Kutahya

Turkey’s benchmark stock index opened at 1,441.41 points on Wednesday, decreasing 0.24% or 3.46 points from the previous close. The stock exchange is trading for half a day today due to the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It will open on Monday after a three-and-a-half-day break. At Tuesday’s close, Borsa Istanbul’s BIST 100 index fell 1.1% to close at 1,444.87 points, with a daily trading volume of 18.1 billion Turkish liras (over $2.1 billion). One US dollar traded for 8.3100 Turkish liras as of 9.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT), up from 8.3010

Radovan Karadzic, a convicted war criminal responsible for the deaths of countless thousands during the 1990s Bosnia War, will be transferred to a UK prison to serve out the rest of his life sentence, the UK said Wednesday. “Radovan Karadzic is one of the few people to have been found guilty of genocide. He was responsible for the massacre of men, women and children at the Srebrenica genocide and helped prosecute the siege of Sarajevo with its remorseless attacks on civilians,” Foreign Secretary Dominick Raab said in a statement. “We should take pride in the fact that, from UK support

The attempt to seize land where Muslims have lived for centuries and the forceful evictions of Palestinians from their homes are crimes against humanity, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate said Tuesday. Ali Erbas said Israel’s actions are completely unacceptable, sharing the final declaration of a meeting on Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem held by the directorate on the instructions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Religious affairs directors or ministers from 60 countries took part in the extraordinary meeting and presented a unified front to the international community, said Erbas. The declaration said Jerusalem is a Muslim city that bears

Indonesia on Wednesday condemned the Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip which have claimed dozens of Palestinian lives. “Indonesia will continue to work with the Palestinian people and nation in fighting for their rights,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a virtual press conference. Marsudi said the country will continue to do its best to support Palestine in the UN General Assembly “Indonesia also proposed that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) immediately hold a special meeting to discuss this issue,” she said. Earlier on Monday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned the Israeli police violence against

Violent confrontations renewed at dawn Wednesday in the Old City of Jerusalem, especially inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, after Israeli police stormed its courtyards and fired rubber bullets and sound bombs. As a result, seven worshippers were injured and three of them were transferred to Al-Maqasid Hospital for treatment, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter. Clashes also erupted early Wednesday between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in many neighborhoods in the West Bank, especially in the refugee camps of Qalandia and Shuafat and in the towns of Issawiya, al-Tur, Anata, al-Ram, and Hizma. In Qalandia camp, four young men were

The US wants a de-escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestine, the White House said Wednesday. Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said senior US officials have had more than 25 high-level calls and meetings with senior officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, US partners and other stakeholders including Qatar, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt. “Our objective here is de-escalation as we look to protect the people in the region,” Psaki said at a news conference, as the Israeli army continues to carry out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. She said US engagement continues privately and through diplomatic channels, as well as with officials