Ramadan begins

Muslims in Turkey celebrate the start of the holy month of Ramadan Thursday.

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Turkish airliner hijacked over the weekend

A Turkish airliner was hijacked in Northern Cyprus Saturday. The plane made an emergency landing in Antalya and after 5 hours of negotiations the hijackers surrendered.

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AK Party is re-elected

Turkish voters re-elect the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Sunday. With almost 47% of the overall vote it is estimated that AKP will hold 341 seats in parliament.

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Formula 1 annuls $2.5 million fine

Formula 1 waives the Turkish motor sports federation’s half of the $5 million fine for having a N. Cyprus leader present the winner’s trophy at last years race.

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Egyptian president arrives in Ankara

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrives in Ankara for a two-day visit. He is expected to discuss topics such as Cyprus, Iraq and the new Palestinian government.

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Turkish Cypriot leaders refuse conditions for opening Nicosia crossing

Turkish Cypriot officials reject Greek Cypriot conditions for opening a crossing in Nicosia. One condition is that Turkish Cyprus remove its troops from the area.

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FM Gul to meet with Chaney and Rice in DC.

FM Gul will travel to US this weekend to meet with VP Chaney and Condoleezza Rice, they are expected to discuss critical topics such as the Cyprus issue and terror.

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Northern Cyprus begins destruction of Lokmaci Gate

N. Cyprus begins the destruction of the Lokmaci Gate in Nicosia. The gate is a metal footbridge separating the Turkish and Greek shopping streets in the city.

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Erdogan feels EU talks freeze is unjust

Erdogan: EU’s partial freezing of Turkish accession is unjust. UN should intervene in Cyprus dispute.

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EU suspends 8 chapters of Turkey’s accession talks

EU ministers agree on a partial suspension of Turkey’s accession negotiations on Monday. Eight of the 35 chapters in the membership talks will be frozen.

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