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Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek defends his government’s decision to ban Twitter, accusing the website of failing to comply with court orders.
Turkish government banned Twitter on Friday, after users shared information about allegations of corruption against high-level officials.
Analysts say Twitter users have found many ways of circumventing the ban, which was widely criticized.
Twitter has so far made no public comment on the ban, but the company on Friday posted a message in both English and Turkish telling users how to send tweets via text messages.
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek defends his government’s decision to ban Twitter, accusing the website of failing to comply with court orders
There are estimated to be about 10 million Twitter users in Turkey.
Mehmet Simsek, who accepted that banning social-media sites “doesn’t reflect well” on his government, insisted that the ban was not a crackdown on free speech.
“The Turkish telecommunications watchdog has made a number of statements saying that they have asked Twitter on a number of occasions to remove some content on the back of court orders and Twitter has been refusing to comply,” he said.
“I don’t think any global company, whether it’s a media company, whether it’s an industrial company, it shouldn’t see itself [as being] above the law.”
The minister said it now looked as if Twitter was working with the Turkish authorities to get the ban lifted.
A senior Turkish government official told Reuters that talks with Twitter on ending the ban “were going positively”.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was said to have been angry that people have used Twitter to spread allegations of corruption about members of his inner circle.
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Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has challenged PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ban on Twitter.
Twitter users across the country reported that the site had been blocked on Thursday.
Like many others, President Abdullah Gul evaded the ban to tweet that the “shutdown was unacceptable.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is angry that people used Twitter to spread allegations of corruption in his inner circle.
“I don’t care what the international community says at all. Everyone will see the power of the Turkish Republic,” the prime minister said in a speech on Thursday.
President Abdullah Gul took to the site on Friday to say that websites should only be blocked if courts found they had violated personal privacy.
He said it was not “technically possible to totally block access to platforms used all over the world” and added that he hoped the decision would “not last long”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is angry that people used Twitter to spread allegations of corruption in his inner circle
The EU said it was worried about the move, with Stefan Fuele, the EU commissioner for enlargement, saying he was “gravely concerned” by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policy on free speech.
European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes described the blocking of the site as “groundless, pointless, cowardly”.
Turkey’s lawyers’ association asked a court to overturn the ban, arguing it was unconstitutional and violated Turkish and European human rights laws. Turkey’s main opposition party also said it would try to have the decision reversed.
Those Twitter users who managed to circumvent the ban took to the service to voice anger at the move.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan took action against Twitter after some users had posted documents reportedly showing evidence of corruption relating to his office – a claim he denies.
His spokesman said the prime minister had been forced to act after the social media company had failed to respond to a court ruling in Turkey to remove some links.
Some users trying to open twitter.com were redirected to a statement by Turkey’s telecommunications regulator citing a court order to apply “protection measures” on the website.
Twitter has so far made no public comment on the court order but a spokesman said it was looking into the outage. Twitter also posted a message in both English and Turkish telling users how to send tweets via text messages.
There are about 10 million Twitter users across Turkey.
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Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 15-year-old Berkin Elvan who died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in last year’s anti-government protests had links to terrorism.
Berkin Elvan spent nine months in a coma after being hit by a tear gas canister as he went to buy bread.
His death triggered more clashes with the police in over 30 towns and cities.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments could further inflame political tensions, correspondents say.
In a campaign speech ahead of local elections on March 30, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the teenager was connected to “terrorist organizations”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 15-year-old Berkin Elvan had links to terrorism
“This kid with steel marbles in his pockets, with a slingshot in his hand, his face covered with a scarf, who had been taken up into terror organizations, was unfortunately subjected to pepper gas,” he said in the speech broadcast on state TV.
Berkin Elvan’s funeral took place in Istanbul on Wednesday, providing a focus for further expressions of discontent with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Police fired water cannon and tear gas at protesters near Taksim Square, while his coffin was carried through the city’s streets.
Tens of thousands of mourners chanted anti-government slogans and Berkin Elvan’s mother accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan of killing her son.
Berkin Elvan’s death brought to at least eight the toll from last year’s unrest, including one policeman.
The protests began over plans to develop Istanbul’s Gezi Park into a new mosque and shopping centre, but escalated into national demonstrations against what opponents see as Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism.
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The funeral of Berkin Elvan – a teenage boy injured during Istanbul anti-government protests last year – has gathered tens of thousands of people on the streets of Turkey’s biggest city.
Berkin Elvan, 15, spent 269 days in a coma before his death on Tuesday.
Many of the protesters echoed his mother’s claim that Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was Berkin’s “killer”.
Police in the capital Ankara fired tear gas to disperse several thousand protesters who had gathered in the central Kizilay square.
Berkin Elvan was 14 when he was struck on the head by a tear gas canister while going to buy bread during last year’s unrest.
“Berkin’s murderers are the AKP police,” protesters shouted in Istanbul, referring to PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The crowds, shouting anti-government slogans, lit a huge fire as they made their way to a cemetery for the burial of the teenager.
“The rage of mothers will suffocate the killers,” screamed others.
Tens of thousands of people have marched through Istanbul for Berkin Elvan’s funeral (photo Reuters)
Berkin Elvan’s death triggered violent protests in at least 32 towns and cities across the country on Tuesday – reminiscent of last year’s unrest.
President Abdullah Gul expressed his sadness and appealed for calm, urging everyone “to do everything to prevent this from happening again”.
He said Turkey was going through difficult days and that the “mind of the state has become overwhelmed by anger and hatred.”
The president added: “Little 15-year-old Berkin Elvan is the latest victim of this atmosphere.”
Correspondents say Berkin Elvan became a symbol of the heavy-handed tactics used by police to rein in the biggest demonstrations against the prime minister.
His death brought the toll from last year’s unrest to at least eight, including one policeman.
Berkin’s mother, Gulsum Elvan, had challenged Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who praised police “heroism” during the protests.
“It’s not God who took my son away but prime minister Erdogan,” the tearful mother told reporters on Tuesday.
The renewed unrest is likely to add to pressure on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government has been rocked by an escalating corruption scandal ahead of elections that could decide his fate.
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General Ilker Basbug, the former Turkish army chief who was sentenced to life for his role in a plot to overthrow the government, has been freed from prison in Istanbul.
A local court ordered the release of Gen. Ilker Basbug, a day after Turkey’s constitutional court overturned his sentence citing a legal technicality.
Ilker Basbug, who was in charge of the Turkish military from 2008 to 2010, was sentenced to life in August 2013.
Dozens of people were charged over the alleged plot. Ilker Basbug was found guilty of leading a shadowy network of hard-line nationalists known as Ergenekon.
The group was said to have plotted to topple the current government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Ilker Basbug was found guilty of leading a shadowy network of hard-line nationalists known as Ergenekon
Turkey’s constitutional court ruled on Thursday that Ilker Basbug’s imprisonment had violated his rights.
The court trying him had failed to publish a detailed verdict on the case, it said.
Speaking outside the prison in Istanbul, where he had been held for over two years, Gen. Ilker Basbug said: “Those who acted with hatred and revenge kept us here for 26 months. They stole 26 months from my life.”
His lawyer, Ilkay Sezer, welcomed the release but said there were “many more people in jails who are suffering severe health problems and who have been victims of these courts”.
Hundreds of people were jailed in 2012 and 2013 in two high-profile cases, called Sledgehammer and Ergenekon.
In January, the high command of the armed forces and opposition both demanded a retrial for the officers.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan later said he favored a retrial, in what many saw as a political turnaround.
In February, the Turkish parliament abolished the specially appointed courts that tried the officers, increasing the possibility of retrials for those convicted.
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that his government could ban Facebook and YouTube, arguing that opponents are using social media to attack him.
However, President Abdullah Gul later called such a ban “out of the question”.
Allegations of corruption against Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been repeated on the social media sites.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that his government could ban Facebook and YouTube, arguing that opponents are using social media to attack him
The leaks included a phone conversation in which, allegedly, he and his son discussed how to hide huge sums of money. Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it a montage.
The prime minister’s Islamist-rooted AK Party faces key local elections on March 30.
“We will not leave this nation at the mercy of YouTube and Facebook,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Turkish broadcaster ATV.
“We will take the necessary steps in the strongest way.”
Asked if that could include barring the social media sites, he said: “Included.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the two sites were being used for “all kinds of immorality, all kinds of espionage”.
A major corruption investigation has targeted government allies of the prime minister – and he has responded by moving hundreds of police officers and prosecutors to other duties.
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The Turkish parliament has passed a bill to shut down private preparatory schools, many of which are run by influential preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Fethullah Gulen is embroiled in a bitter feud with PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has accused the US-based cleric of plotting against his government.
The schools are a major source of income for Fethullah Gulen’s 50-year-old Hizmet (“Service”) movement.
The law says the schools must close by September 1, 2015, local media reported.
Millions of students attend Fethullah Gulen’s preparatory schools in Turkey
Millions of students attend the schools to prepare themselves for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state secondary schools and universities.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that abolishing the preparatory schools is part of a reform of an “unhealthy” educational system that ranks Turkey below most other developed countries in literacy, maths and science.
Until recently, Hizmet has generally avoided overt involvement in politics and Fethullah Gulen still denies he meddles.
Tensions between former allies Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen were exacerbated in 2013, when thousands of alleged Hizmet sympathizers in the police and judiciary were demoted while prosecutors with alleged links to the movement aggressively pursued investigations against allies of the prime minister.
The sons of two former ministers in Turkey’s government have been freed amid major corruption investigation.
Baris Guler and Kaan Caglayan, arrested in December, were among dozens of people held in an investigation into bribery relating to public tenders.
The inquiry enraged PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who saw it as a “plot” against him.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with a purge of top police and judicial officials.
Azeri businessman of Iranian origin Reza Zarrab was also released on Friday.
Azeri businessman of Iranian origin Reza Zarrab was also released on Friday
The son of a third cabinet minister was also arrested in December, but was soon released.
The three ministers – Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler – resigned in December as the police investigation intensified.
All three denied any wrongdoing.
Police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.
Earlier this month Suleyman Aslan, the former chief executive of Halkbank, was also released.
Suleyman Aslan is suspected of money-laundering in connection with the alleged bribery. When they searched his home police found $4.5 million (3.2 million euros) in cash hidden in shoeboxes.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters in the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party see the investigation as a plot masterminded by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamist cleric based in the US.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan has angrily condemned as fabricated an audio recording that appears to show him talking to his son about hiding large sums of money.
The Turkish prime minister said the recording, allegedly tapped and posted on social media, was a “treacherous attack”.
It appears to reveal Recep Tayyip Erdogan asking his son Bilal to dispose of millions of euros in cash from a house.
The opposition has called for the prime minister’s resignation.
The recordings, which could not be independently verified, were said to be of four conversations dating back to December 17, when the sons of three ministers and business allies of the prime minister were detained in a high-level corruption investigation.
Correspondents say that the inquiry has presented a major challenge to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 11 years in power ahead of key local elections in March.
However, neither the prime minister nor his party’s spokespeople have denied that the voices on the recording belong to Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son.
Their statement so far is that their voices were “montaged” to implicate them.
During the conversation, a voice can be heard discussing how to reduce the funds to “zero” by distributing them among several businessmen.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has angrily condemned as fabricated an audio recording that appears to show him talking to his son about hiding large sums of money
At one point, the second voice says some 30 million euros ($40 million) remains to be disposed of.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office issued a statement late on Monday night saying the release of the recordings was part of a sustained campaign to unseat him.
“Those who created this dirty conspiracy targeting the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey will be brought to account within the law,” it said.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a late-night meeting with the head of intelligence and then spoke out publicly on Tuesday, telling lawmakers from his AK Party the recording was a “shameless montage” and an attack on him personally.
“We will bring legal action against these [wire-tapping] activities. If we let it go on, there will be no privacy for families, nor for the state in this country,” he said.
By late Tuesday morning, the recording had received more than 1.5 million hits on YouTube in less than 24 hours.
The previous day, Turkish government officials said thousands of people, including senior politicians and other leading figures, had had their telephones illegally tapped over three years with the aim to blackmail and fabricate criminal cases.
Two pro-government newspapers, Yeni Safak and Star, alleged that the taps were ordered by prosecutors said to be loyal to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The prosecutors have denied the accusations.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gulen, his former ally, of orchestrating December’s corruption investigation against key AKP figures and of trying to form “a parallel state” in Turkey.
One of the prosecutors named in the stories, Adem Ozcan, denied the allegations.
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Turkish pro-government media have claimed a group of anti-government prosecutors have illegally wiretapped thousands of prominent figures.
Targets reportedly included government ministers and business leaders.
The prosecutors, who are said to be loyal to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, have denied the accusations.
Fethullah Gulen has been accused of running a “parallel state” in Turkey, controlling groups of police, lawyers and politicians. He denies the claims.
The latest allegations came in two pro-government newspapers, Yeni Safak and Star.
Fethullah Gulen has been accused of running a “parallel state” in Turkey, controlling groups of police, lawyers and politicians
The Star reported that “Gulenists” had wiretapped more than 7,000 people since 2011 on the pretext of trying to uncover terrorism plots.
One of the prosecutors named in the stories, Adem Ozcan, denied the allegations.
“There was definitely no monitoring or phone-tapping of thousands of politicians, writers, NGO representatives and businessmen in the framework of this dossier in the way that the newspaper stories say,” he said in a statement.
Fethullah Gulen has denied using his influence to start investigations into allegations of government corruption.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gulen, a one-time ally who lives in self-imposed exile in the US, of trying to attack the government.
Four ministers have resigned in the aftermath of the corruption inquiries.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to fight on, in what is seen as the biggest challenge to his government in his 11 years in office.
Hundreds of Turkish demonstrators marching in Istanbul in protest at new laws tightening government control of the internet clashed with riot police.
Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square, the city’s main square.
President Abdullah Gul is under pressure not to ratify the legislation.
The new legislation includes powers allowing authorities to block websites for privacy violations without a court decision.
The opposition says it is part of a government attempt to stifle a corruption scandal.
Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied accusations of censorship, saying the legislation would make the internet “more safe and free”.
The Turkish parliament approved the bill last week.
As well as allowing Turkey’s telecommunications authority to block websites without first seeking a court ruling, it will also force internet providers to store data on web users’ activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.
Internet access in Turkey is already restricted and thousands of websites blocked.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the internet, describing Twitter as a “scourge” and condemning social media as “the worst menace to society”.
Both Twitter and Facebook were widely used by anti-government protesters to spread information during demonstrations last year.
The corruption scandal broke in December with the arrest of businessmen close to the prime minister and three ministers’ sons.
Since then, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has sacked hundreds of police officers and executives from banking and telecoms regulators and state television.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the scandal is an attempt by a US-based cleric with influence in the police and judiciary to unseat him. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies this.
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Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill that would tighten government controls over the internet.
The new law will allow Turkey’s telecommunications authority to block websites without first seeking a court ruling.
It will also force internet providers to store data on web users’ activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.
The opposition has criticized the move as an assault on freedom of expression.
Internet access in Turkey is already restricted and thousands of websites blocked.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the internet, calling Twitter a “scourge” and condemning social media as “the worst menace to society”.
Both Twitter and Facebook were widely used by anti-government protesters to spread information during demonstrations last year.
Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill that would tighten government controls over the internet
The new measures were adopted after hours of debate in parliament where Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) dominates with 319 of the 550 seats.
At the start of the debate, opposition MP Hasan Oren compared Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Adolf Hitler.
“When you came to power you talked of enhancing democracy in Turkey – now you are trying to implement fascism,” he said.
“Remember that Adolf Hitler used the same methods when he rose to power.”
However, Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said there was “no such thing as internet censorship” in Turkey.
“We are freer compared to many other countries and have freedom of the press,” he said.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the new powers meant Turkey’s telecommunications agency would be able to “gather communications data about all internet users without any legal limits or restrictions” and with users “never… able to know when and how this information is gathered”.
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Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Brussels for talks on Turkey’s EU membership bid, amid EU concerns over a purge of senior Turkish officials.
The negotiations are beset by problems.
EU politicians have voiced concern about the state of Turkey’s democracy, including the independence of its courts and media freedom.
Several of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s allies have been arrested over a corruption scandal. He blamed a “foreign plot” and sacked prosecutors and police chiefs.
The scandal has pitted Recep Tayyip Erdogan against a former ally, US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, who has many supporters in the police and judiciary.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s trip to Brussels is his first in five years.
He will meet European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who chairs EU summits, and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Turkey’s accession talks resumed in November, after being suspended for nearly three-and-a-half years. The negotiations were launched in 2005.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Brussels for talks on Turkey’s EU membership bid
However, several EU countries, notably Germany, France and Austria, have deep reservations about Turkey joining the EU. Critics believe it is culturally far-removed from Europe, and that because of its sheer size it could change the nature of the EU.
Supporters say it would be a dynamic addition to the bloc.
There are 35 policy areas, or chapters, in which candidate-states must meet EU standards in order to join the 28-member bloc. So far Turkey and the EU have only opened 14 chapters, and just one has been provisionally closed.
Eight chapters remain frozen because of a long-running trade dispute between Turkey and Cyprus.
The EU’s 2013 progress report on Turkey criticized “excessive force” used by police against demonstrators, along with other human rights violations.
Last week Turkey adopted a law making it a crime for doctors to provide emergency first aid without government authorization.
Some medical professionals see it as a tool to prevent doctors and other medics from treating protesters injured in clashes with police. The US-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) says action was taken against medics during anti-government protests last June.
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About 350 police officers have been sacked in Turkey’s capital Ankara, following a corruption probe targeting people close to the government, reports say.
Officials, mostly from outside the city, have been named to replace them.
Hundreds of police have been dismissed or reassigned across Turkey since last month’s corruption investigation. Three cabinet ministers resigned after their sons were detained in the raids.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the police and judiciary of a “dirty plot”.
The arrests were carried out as part of an inquiry into alleged bribery involving public tenders, which included controversial building projects in Istanbul.
Hundreds of police have been dismissed or reassigned across Turkey since last month’s corruption investigation
Those detained in the December 17 raids included more than 50 public officials and businessmen – all allies of the prime minister.
The latest round of police sackings and reassignments were carried out under a government decree published at midnight.
Those removed from their posts include chiefs of the financial crimes, anti-smuggling and organized crime units, the private Dogan News Agency reported.
The move comes as the government is trying to contain the fall-out from the corruption inquiry.
Many believe the arrests and firings reflect a feud within Turkey’s ruling AK Party between those who back Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an influential Islamic scholar living in self-imposed exile in the US.
Members of Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement are said to hold influential positions in institutions such as the police, the judiciary and the AK Party itself.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would not allow “political plotting”.
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Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he favors the retrial of hundreds of military officers convicted of plotting to overthrow the government.
The move comes after Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s senior adviser suggested that the officers had been framed by the police and judiciary.
Hundreds of people were jailed in 2012 and 2013 in two high-profile cases, called Sledgehammer and Ergenekon.
Correspondents say the remarks represent a political turnaround.
“Our position on a retrial is a favorable one,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Sunday.
“First we must establish the legal grounding for fresh trials.”
It comes as political tensions run high over alleged corruption in the Turkish government.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the police and judiciary of orchestrating a probe which led to the resignation of his ministers.
The ruling AK Party is rooted in political Islam and has moved to curb the power of the Turkish military, which sees itself as guardian of the modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he favors the retrial of hundreds of military officers convicted of plotting to overthrow the government
The prime minister now appears to have taken the side of the military he once opposed. In recent days, the army has filed a criminal complaint calling for retrials.
During the early years of his administration, Recep Tayyip Erdogan formed an unofficial alliance with prosecutors in an effort to remove the military from politics.
This effort culminated with two major trials relating to separate alleged plots – Sledgehammer and Ergenekon. They were seen as major challenges to Turkey’s secularist traditions.
But in December, some of the same prosecutors involved in those investigations ordered the arrest of a number of the prime minister’s own allies.
Three ministers resigned after their sons were arrested, along with dozens of others, over alleged wrongdoing in construction contracts and deals with Iran.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the investigation as a “dirty plot”.
The armed forces then suggested that this “plotting” also included the convictions of officers, and demanded a retrial.
The former armed forces chief, General Ilker Basbug, was among dozens of people given long jail terms. Lawyers, politicians and journalists were convicted, along with many military officers.
Analysts say the latest dispute over corruption is part of a power struggle between Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is said to have many followers within Turkey’s police and judiciary.
For decades, the armed forces were the ultimate arbiter in Turkish politics.
Between 1960 and 1997, the military forced out four civilian governments.
But over the last decade, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has changed the balance of power in Turkey.
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Turkish army has released a statement saying that it does not want to get involved in “political arguments”, amid a major political corruption scandal.
The crisis has forced PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reshuffle his cabinet following the resignations of three ministers.
The ministers’ sons were among dozens of people detained as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe.
The scandal has caused Turkey’s lira to fall to a new low against the dollar.
Turkish corruption scandal has forced PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reshuffle his cabinet following the resignations of three ministers
Meanwhile, Turkey’s top administrative court has blocked a government decree ordering police to inform their superiors before launching investigations.
The government introduced the decree last week after a series of police raids on senior figures as part of the corruption inquiry.
The Council of State’s ruling on Friday, blocking the regulation, is seen as the latest setback in Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to stop the political fallout from the scandal.
The Turkish army’s statement, posted on its website, comes in response to a suggestion in the media by an ally of the prime minister that the corruption scandal might be a plot to trigger a military coup.
“The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) does not want to be involved in political debates. On the other hand, the TSK will keep on closely following the developments regarding its corporate identity and the legal positions of its members,” the statement said.
Turkey has a history of military takeovers but its power has been curbed during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decade in power.
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministerial resignations over a corruption inquiry.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan named 10 new ministers – almost half of his total roster – after talks with President Abdullah Gul.
One of those who quit, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, had urged Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down himself.
Police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.
Erdogan Bayraktar, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler quit after their sons were taken into custody.
All three deny any wrongdoing.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministerial resignations over a corruption inquiry
In Istanbul, protesters held a street rally against corruption in the government. There were reports of clashes with riot police late on Wednesday evening.
Commentators believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is said to have many followers within Turkey’s police and judiciary.
Supporters regard the Hizmet movement inspired by Fethullah Gulen as the benign, modern face of Islam, but critics question its motives.
Fethullah Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the investigation, left Turkey in 1999 after being accused by the then government of plotting to establish an Islamic state. He was cleared of that charge but has never returned to Turkey and now lives in Pennsylvania.
The government has dismissed dozens of police officials who were either involved in the investigation or thought to be linked to Fethullah Gulen.
Journalists have been prevented from entering police buildings, leading to claims that the government is trying to impede the investigation.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted the new cabinet line-up to President Abdullah Gul late on Wednesday.
Among those who lost his job was EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis.
Egemen Bagis is accused of being involved in the corruption scandal – but has not been detained or formally charged.
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Turkey’s Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler have resigned after their sons were charged amid a corruption inquiry that has hit the government.
Twenty-four people have been charged as part of the investigation, including the head of state-owned Halkbank.
In a statement, Zafer Caglayan condemned the inquiry as an “ignoble operation”.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to “break the hands” of rivals who used the inquiry to undermine his rule.
Zafer Caglayan said he was stepping down “so that all the light may be laid on this ignoble operation that targets our government”
Zafer Caglayan’s son Kaan and Baris Guler, the interior minister’s son, have both denied accusations of involvement in bribery relating to urban development projects and the allocation of construction permits.
Zafer Caglayan, in his statement, said he was stepping down “so that all the light may be laid on this ignoble operation that targets our government”.
In response to the police crackdown, a number of police commissioners have been removed from their posts, including the head of police in Istanbul.
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The sons of two ministers have been charged in Turkey in connection with a huge corruption investigation.
The head of the state-owned bank and at least a dozen other people also face charges.
The suspects are accused of abusing their power by taking or facilitating bribes.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the investigation as a “dirty operation” against his government.
The controversial arrests began on Tuesday when police launched a series of dawn raids in Istanbul and Ankara.
On Thursday the head of Istanbul’s police was forced from his position, and more than 30 senior police officers have reportedly been sacked.
The sons of two ministers have been charged in Turkey in connection with a huge corruption investigation
The corruption investigation has targeted people close to Receo Tayyip Erdogan’s administration.
Baris Guler, the son of Interior Minister Muammer Guler and Kaan Caglayan, son of Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan was among those detained, as is the chief executive of the state-owned Halkbank, Suleyman Aslan.
They were put under formal arrest on Saturday morning.
The son of a third minister – Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar – was among those released after hours of questioning.
Commentators in Turkey report that the arrests and firings reflect a feud within Turkey’s ruling AK Party between those who back Recep Tayyip Erdogan and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic scholar living in exile in the US.
Members of Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement are said to hold influential positions in institutions such as the police, the judiciary and the AK Party itself.
Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government of trying to cover up the scandal.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party, called for ministers implicated in the investigation to be sacked.
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Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced a corruption inquiry as a “dirty operation” against his government.
Some 52 people – including three sons of cabinet ministers – were arrested in dawn raids on Tuesday in connection with a high-profile bribery inquiry.
Five police chiefs who oversaw raids in Istanbul and Ankara were sacked for “abuse of office”, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
“We will not allow political plotting,” he said.
However, the deputy prime minister promised not to stand in the way of the judicial process.
“We will always respect any decision made by the judiciary and will not engage in any effort to block this process,” Bulent Arinc said.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the corruption inquiry as a “dirty operation” against his government
Commentators in Turkey believe the arrests – and subsequent firings – are evidence of a new dramatic fault-line in Turkish politics, one within the AK Party itself.
The feud is believed to involve supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an influential Islamic scholar living in exile in the US who once backed the ruling AK Party, helping it to victory in three elections since 2002.
Members of Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement are said to hold influential positions in institutions from the police and secret services to the judiciary and the AK Party itself.
In recent months, the alliance began to come apart and in November the government discussed closing down private schools, including those run by Hizmet.
Fethullah Gulen has been living in the US since 1999, when he was accused in Turkey of plotting against the secular state.
The five police commissioners sacked include the heads of the financial crime and organized crime units, who were both involved in the earlier arrests, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.
Also dismissed were the heads of the smuggling unit, the anti-terrorism branch and the public security branch, the paper says.
In a brief statement, the police said they had reassigned some staff, in some cases due to alleged misconduct and others “out of administrative necessity”.
The mass arrests were carried out as part of an inquiry into alleged bribery involving public tenders.
The sons of Interior Minister Muammer Guler, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar were among those detained.
Turkish ambassador to Cairo has been expelled, a day after PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi to be freed.
Relations with Ankara would be lowered to charge d’affaires, officials said.
On Friday, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated his criticism of the July overthrow of Mohamed Morsi and urged the Egyptian authorities to free him.
Egypt’s foreign ministry accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan of provocation and interfering in his country’s internal affairs.
Responding to Cairo’s decision to expel Ambassador Huseyin Avni Botsali, Turkey also announced the downgrading of ties and barred the Egyptian ambassador, declaring him “persona non grata”.
Turkey has been a vocal critic of the military overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, who is in prison awaiting trial on charges of inciting murder and violence.
Responding to Cairo’s decision to expel Ambassador Huseyin Avni Botsali, Turkey also announced the downgrading of ties and barred the Egyptian ambassador
He is one of thousands belonging to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood who have been detained in a crackdown the interim authorities have portrayed as a struggle against “terrorism”.
Hundreds of people have also been killed in clashes with security forces.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his criticisms on Friday, condemning the violent dispersal of pro-Morsi protesters in August.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs”.
He said Turkey was “attempting to influence public opinion against Egyptian interests, supported meetings of organizations that seek to create instability in the country”.
A bitter row over the August crackdown led both countries to recall their ambassadors.
Turkey’s ambassador to Cairo returned in September, but the Egyptian ambassador to Turkey was never reinstalled.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, like Mohamed Morsi, has his roots in political Islam. Ankara and Istanbul have hosted a series of meetings of the international Muslim Brotherhood.
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For the first time since 1999, four Turkish women MPs have appeared in parliament in Ankara wearing headscarves.
The lawmakers are members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has roots in political Islam.
Last month, Turkey lifted the headscarf ban in a number of state institutions.
The ban was one of the most contentious laws in Turkey, pitting backers of the secular constitution against those who favour Islamic rights.
“I will no longer take off my headscarf,” Gonul Bekin Sahkulubey, one of the four MPs, was quoted as saying by Turkey’s Milliyet newspaper.
Last month, Turkey lifted the headscarf ban in a number of state institutions
“I expect everyone to respect my decision.”
A number of fellow MPs gathered around their colleague to take pictures.
Supporters of the women said their move was yet another step towards normalizing the wearing of headscarves.
However, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) accused the governing party of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan of undermining the country’s secular traditions.
The CHP also said the move was an election gimmick ahead of municipal polls next March.
This is the first time MPs have worn the headscarf in parliament since an abortive attempt in 1999.
Back then, lawmaker Merve Kavakci arrived in the assembly in a headscarf for her swearing-in ceremony – only to be booed out of the building.
The reversal of the ban was part of major political reforms – including new Kurdish rights – announced last month by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the move as “a historic moment”.
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Marmaray tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait has been opened in Turkey, creating a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul.
The Marmaray tunnel is the world’s first connecting two continents, and is designed to withstand earthquakes.
The railway tunnel was inaugurated on the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for years championed the undersea engineering project, first conceived by an Ottoman sultan in 1860.
Work began in 2004, but archaeological excavations delayed construction.
The underwater section runs for 0.8 miles (1.4 km), but in total the tunnel is 8.5 miles (13.6 km) long.
Japan invested $1 billion of the $4 billion total cost of the project, named Marmaray, which is a conflation of the nearby Sea of Marmara with “ray”, the Turkish word for rail.
The Turkish government hopes the new route under the Bosphorus will eventually develop into an important trading route.
Marmaray tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait has been opened in Turkey, creating a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul
In theory it brings closer the day when it will be possible to travel from London to Beijing via Istanbul by train.
The Marmaray project will upgrade existing suburban train lines to create a direct link joining the southern part of the city across the Bosphorus Strait.
Istanbul is one of the world’s biggest cities, with about 16 million people. Some 2 million people cross the Bosphorus every day via just two bridges, causing severe traffic congestion, the AFP news agency reported.
The rail service will be capable of carrying 75,000 people per hour in either direction.
“While creating a transport axis between the east and west points of the city, I believe it will soothe the problem” of congestion, said Istanbul’s Mayor Kadir Topbas.
Critics of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan have seen the tunnel as one of his grandiose construction projects for the city where he used to be mayor.
Detractors of his proposals, including a third airport, a parallel canal, a third bridge over the Bosphorus and a second tunnel – for cars, south of Marmaray – say they illustrate Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “pharaonic” ambitions.
Authorities came under fire earlier this year when protesters opposed plans to redevelop Istanbul’s Gezi Park. Widespread violence between anti-government demonstrators and security forces ensued.
Marmaray tunnel is still not fully operational after Tuesday’s opening, AFP reports.
“The part that is in service is very limited. All that has been delayed until much later,” said Tayfun Kahraman, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Urban Planners.
“We are wondering why this inauguration is happening so soon.”
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Turkey is to open a railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait, creating a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul.
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for years championed the undersea engineering project, conceived by an Ottoman sultan in 1860.
Work began in 2004 but archaeological excavations delayed the construction.
Japan invested $1 billion of the $4 billion total cost of the 0.8 mile tunnel, designed to withstand earthquakes.
The Bosphorus tunnel is scheduled to be inaugurated at 11:00 a.m., local time.
The railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait creates a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul
The Turkish government hopes the new route under the Bosphorus will eventually develop into an important trading route, extending from China all the way to Western Europe.
Critics of Recep Tayyip Erdogan have seen the tunnel as one of his grandiose construction projects for the city where he used to be mayor.
Detractors of his proposals, including a third airport, a parallel canal and a third bridge over the Bosphorus, say they illustrate Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “pharaonic” ambitions.
Authorities came under fire earlier this year when protesters opposed plans to redevelop a park in Istanbul. Widespread violence between anti-government demonstrators and security forces ensued.
The rail tunnel will not be fully operational after its official opening on Tuesday, the news agency AFP reports.
“The part that is in service is very limited. All that has been delayed until much later,” said Tayfun Kahraman, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Urban Planners.
“We are wondering why this inauguration is happening so soon.”
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe will be present at the official opening in recognition of the Bank of Japan’s status as the project’s principal financial backer.
City officials say the tunnel will relieve pressure on the two existing bridges, as well as ease traffic congestion and pollution.
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The EU has agreed to resume membership talks with Turkey.
The European affairs ministers meeting in Luxembourg said the talks would restart on November 5th, after being stalled for three years.
The EU had first agreed to re-launch negotiations in June, but postponed the talks after members criticized Turkey’s crackdown on anti-government protests.
Turkey first applied for full membership of what was then the European Economic Community in 1987.
The ministers of the 28 EU members based their latest decision on a recommendation by the European Commission.
In its 2013 progress report on Turkey published last week, the Commission had criticized as excessive the use of force by Turkish police in dealing with widespread demonstrations.
The EU has agreed to resume membership talks with Turkey
But it recognized that Turkey had introduced judicial reforms. It also praised the announcement last month by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan of a series of political reforms, including increased rights for Kurds.
Linas Linkevicius, the foreign minister of Lithuania, which currently holds the EU presidency, congratulated Turkey on the resumption of the negotiating process, which he said was overdue.
“Time to catch up!” he tweeted on Lithuania’s official EU presidency site.
Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union (then the European Economic Community) since 1963.
Turkey met the last condition for accession talks in 2005, but negotiations have stalled over a range of issues, including concern over freedom of speech and democracy, treatment of religious minorities, judicial reform, and ongoing tensions with Cyprus, an EU member.
During that time Ankara has watched other countries overtake Turkey in the queue for membership.
Croatia became a full member of the EU in July, while Serbia achieved official candidate status earlier this year.
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