Turkey Sees Sharp Decline Ä°n Foreign Arrivals From Russia

The number of foreign arrivals from Russia to Turkey declined significantly in the first month of 2016, temporary data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Feb. 29.

A total of 22,106 people from Russia visited Turkey in January, a decline of 56.7 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

Russia has been the second largest source of foreign tourists visiting Turkey, but the number of Russian tourists began to decline after a diplomatic crisis erupted between the two countries in November 2015.

Tourism representatives from Turkey's hottest tourism destination, the southeastern province of Antalya, have claimed the worse is still to come.

One tourism player claimed that only 55 Russians visited Antalya in February.

"Antalya hosted just 55 Russian tourists in February. This is a huge loss. We have seen a decline of almost 100 percent in the number of Russian tourists over this year. The number of German visitors also decreased by around 30 percent in February due to rising security concerns after the suicide bomb attack in Istanbul last January," said the head of the Antalya Urban Council Tourism Work Group, Recep Yavuz.

The number of foreign arrivals dropped by 6.44 percent to 1.17 million in January compared to the same month of the previous year, according to the ministry data.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced an action plan on Feb. 22 to support Turkey's tourism sector, which has been negatively affected recently by tensions with Russia and security concerns.

The support package included a 255-million-Turkish-Lira ($87 million) grant and several mechanisms which will enable tourism firms to restructure their debts. - Antalya

Source: Turkey Sees Sharp Decline İn Foreign Arrivals From Russia

Iran and Turkey: Why two regional heavyweights needs to de-escalate

It's a bitter irony that Iran, a big Muslim nation located at the crossroads of the world's energy hub, doesn't maintain cordial relations with several major countries in the Muslim world, and in many cases, these bilateral relations have been unsteady and frosty, if not non-existent.

Iran's relations with Egypt, the most populous Arab country, have been underdeveloped and diminutive since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. A sign of change was the visit by ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi to Tehran in August 2012 to attend the 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit.

The visit was reciprocated by former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who travelled to Egypt in February 2013, the first such trip by an Iranian leader since 1979. However, since the 2013 coup in Egypt, the two nations have not taken serious steps to bolster their ties. Egypt still doesn't have an embassy in Tehran, and is simply represented by a small interest office.

The same holds tru e for Iran's relations with Jordan. As Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, Iran distanced itself from the Arab country, and relations never noticeably warmed, even though the Rouhani administration has been willing to revive the lost ties, and some visits were exchanged by the two countries' officials.

Iran-Morocco relations have also experienced intermittent ups and downs. In March 2009, King Mohammed VI of Morocco severed diplomatic relations with Iran, citing Tehran's purported efforts to promote Shia ideology in the North African kingdom and its alleged interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain. It was only in 2015 that the two countries decided to restore diplomatic relations.

It goes without saying that the history of Iran's relations with Saudi Arabia, the other major, indispensable Muslim powerhouse has been marred with disputes and tensions, culminating in the recent sparring over the execution of the noted Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al- Nimr by the Arab kingdom on 2 January, to which Iran protested sternly.

The whole episode ended in the dismal suspension of diplomatic relations between the two countries – a decision made by the Saudis unilaterally after the rampage at the Saudi diplomatic mission in the Iranian capital by a mob. Saudi's move was replicated by several other Arab, Muslim nations including Bahrain, Djibouti, Comoros, Somalia and Sudan. 

Excluding all these Muslim nations, Iran's relations with Turkey have been exceptionally close and robust, even though punctuated with small rivalries that have been quite insignificant against the backdrop of several decades of affable exchanges between the two neighbours. There's a sizeable Azeri-speaking minority in Iran comprising nearly 24 percent of the population. They associate with the people of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan both culturally and linguistically, and the representations of Turkish culture are widely popular among t hem, including movies, music and literature.

Turkey is a popular tourism and business destination for Iranians. According to stats from Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 1.7 million Iranians visited Turkey in 2015, ranking Iran the sixth leading source of visitors to Turkey tourists among some 90 countries.

While the Iranian passport suffers from a lack of international recognition and credit, Turkey is one of the few notable countries that offer visa-free travel to Iranians for up to 90 days. That's why many Iranian families prefer to spend their holidays in Turkish cities without being concerned about visa limitations.

Moreover, Turkey is currently the most convenient place from which many Iranians wishing to travel to the United States and Canada apply for visas to the two North American countries in the longstanding absence of their embassies in Tehran – a big misfortune for Iranian students, scholars, journalists, sportsmen, artists and ordina ry citizens.

At the same time, business ties linking Iran and Turkey have been significantly strengthened in recent years, with European Commission data indicating that Iran was Turkey's fifth largest trade partner in 2014.

It's quite evident that both nations benefit from growing trade ties, especially as Turkey relies on Iran as a dependable supplier of energy. In 2014, 26 percent of Turkey's crude oil imports came from Iran. One year earlier, Turkey imported 20 percent of its natural gas from Iran. With Turkey mostly counting on Russia as a major supplier, it's conceivable that with the recent spats with Moscow, Turkey's thirst for Iran's LNG will increase considerably.

And above all, Turkey loyally sided with Iran at the height of tensions over its nuclear programme, and along with Brazil, was one of the only two UN Security Council members to vote against Resolution 1929 in June 2010 that imposed stringent sanctions against Iran to force it aban don uranium enrichment and other sensitive parts of its nuclear activities.

Tensions over Syria

Given all the connections that make Iran-Turkey relations binding and resilient, there have been sporadic tensions between the two regional heavyweights over the question of Syria since the eruption of civil war in the Arab country in 2011.

Turkey had made it clear from the outset that the solution to the multi-sided armed conflict in Syria would be the installation of a government without Bashar al-Assad. Turkey's Recep Tayyib Erdogan soon became impatient with Assad's "savagery" and severed diplomatic relations with Syria in March 2012.

Iran, however, found itself the closest ally of Syria in the region and saw Bashar al-Assad as one of its few stalwart friends in the Arab world. Iran has been committed to keeping Bashar al-Assad in power, and the embattled Syrian president is perhaps indebted to Iran for retaining authority in the middle of what seems to be one of the most devastating proxy wars in contemporary times, having already claimed at least 250,000 lives in five years.

Even though the differences between Iran and Turkey surged over the crisis in Syria, moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exercised considerable restraint and tried to diffuse tensions.

However, he was not the only leading player to have an impact. Hardliners in Tehran, who own giant media conglomerates and dominate national television, staged a massive propaganda campaign against Turkey, and specifically targeted Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing his family members of buying smuggled oil from the Islamic State terrorists – something which enraged the Turkish leader and prompted his blunt response. Iran's state TV aired commercials openly discouraging Iranian citizens from travelling to Turkey, an "ISIS patron."

In June 2014, President Hassan Rouhani, defying the hardliners, paid a visit to Turkey to signal that Iran-Turkey relations wo uld improve unfalteringly. The presidents of the two countries chaired the first meeting of a joint committee for strategic cooperation that was set up for the first time. In April 2015, President Erdogan returned Rouhani's visit by travelling to Tehran, even as the Iranian president was under immense pressure to call off the trip. More than 60 Iranian MPs had asked for the visit to be cancelled and the hard-line media and activists vociferously warned Rouhani against the consequences of a trip by Erdogan to Tehran.

Islamic solidarity

It's completely understandable that the Syrian dilemma has pitted Iran and Turkey against each other as they are both involved in a quest for regional supremacy. Even some commentators espouse the dynamics of Shia-Sunni competition as a determining factor. Moreover, being in Bashar al-Assad's camp or opposing him mostly has to do with the geopolitical interests of each side.

However, collaboration between Tehran and Ankara has been goi ng on for decades so persistently and peacefully that it transcends the fate of Bashar al-Assad, and should not be affected by what seems to be a fringe issue between the two neighbours. Of course the destiny of the crisis-hit people of Syria matters, but as far as reason is concerned, it is long-standing relations between Turkey and Iran that supercede this particular conflict.

After all, Syria is a war-stricken country that needs serious international humanitarian assistance and committed multilateral diplomacy on the part of all the actors involved to get out of the current predicament. One or two nations cannot change the future of such a turbulent region by fighting ceaselessly.

It's neither up to Iran nor Turkey to decide the future of Syria, as it's something that has to be left to the Syrian people to choose. By clashing over whether Bashar al-Assad should be part of the transition process in Syria or not, Iran and Turkey simply complicate the status quo whil e making the distance between them more distant.

As the former Turkish president Abdullah Gul once said, Iran and Turkey share a border that has not changed since 1639. The relations between Iran and Turkey should not fall prey to the parochial gambits of the hardliners who always ignore the national interests of their people and fail to comprehend the reality of what defines the limits of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence.

Tensions that keep Iran and Turkey apart would be detrimental not only to the two nations but to the entire Muslim world, the same way as sectarian hostilities between Iran and Saudi Arabia undermine Islamic solidarity.

While Iran preaches Islamic union and solidarity between the Shias and Sunnis, it should put this ideal into practice and prove that it's determined to come to terms with several Sunni countries that surround it and work with them in a meaningful way, both to serve its people, and to benefit the entire region.

- Kourosh Ziabari is an award-winning Iranian journalist and media correspondent. He is staff writer with Iran Review and a reporter with the California-based Fair Observer. He has also contributed to Huffington Post, Your Middle East, International Policy Digest, Gateway House and Tehran Times.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shows him (R) meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran on 7 April, 2015 (AFP/HO/ KHAMENEI.IR).

Source: Iran and Turkey: Why two regional heavyweights needs to de-escalate

Turkey’s Erdoğan embarks on major trip to Africa

By Daily news Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit four West African countries next week, in a new sign of Ankara's desire to be a major influence in the region.

Erdoğan was scheduled to begin his visit in Ivory Coast on Feb. 28, before continuing to Ghana and then to economic powerhouse Nigeria. He will wrap up the trip in Guinea on March 3, his office said in a statement released over the weekend.The visit is aimed at deepening Turkey's "strategic partnership with Africa and developing relations with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)," the statement said. It will be the first time a Turkish president has visited Ivory Coast and Guinea, it added.

Erdoğan, who in January last year visited Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, is spearheading a drive to expand Turkey's presence in Africa.

Turkey has more than tripled the number of embassies it has in Africa since 2009, while national flag carrier Turkish Airlines has dozens of destinations on the continent.

Bilateral trade between Turkey and all of Africa was worth $23.4 billion in 2014, while bilateral trade with sub-Saharan countries has increased tenfold since 2000, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Turkey is also moving to increase its presence outside its traditional sphere of influence in the lands of the Ottoman Empire, as Erdoğan visited Chile, Ecuador and Peru this year.

During his latest tour of Africa, Erdoğan has been accompanied by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Economy Minister Mustafa Elitaş, Energy and Natural Sources Minister Berat Albayrak, Defense Ministerı İsmet Yılmaz and Environment and Urban Planning Minister Güldemet Sarı.

While announcing the tour at a press conference on Feb. 26, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said Erdoğan was also planning to visit Somalia "within this year" as part of an East Africa tour.

"During this visit, we will have a chance to see the ongoing projects in education, healthcare, infrastructure, the airport and port projects on site. Moreover, as you know, we have built our biggest embassy in the world in Somalia. The construction is almost completed. During his visit, Mr. President will inaugurate this embassy," Kalın said.

In January 2015, Erdoğan visited the Somali capital, under tight security to launch Turkish-sponsored development projects including an airport terminal. The visit took place only a few days after five people were killed in a suicide attack on a hotel housing the Turkish delegation in Mogadishu on Jan. 22.

Hundreds of soldiers and police officers had shut down much of the capital's streets, where on Jan. 22 five people were killed in a suicide attack on a hotel housing the Turkish delegation in Mogadishu.

Somalia's al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels – who are fighting to overthrow the country's internationally-backed government – said they carried out the bombing.

Click here for reuse options!

Source: Turkey's Erdoğan embarks on major trip to Africa

Turkey's Erdogan to embark on major trip to Africa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power since 2014. By Adem Altan (AFP)

Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit four west African countries next week, including Nigeria, his office said Saturday in a new sign of Ankara's desire to be a major influence in the region.

Erdogan will began his visit in Ivory Coast on Sunday, before travelling on to Ghana and then to economic powerhouse Nigeria. He will wrap up the trip in Guinea on Thursday, it said.

The visit was aimed at deepening Turkey's "strategic partnership" with Africa and developing relations with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the presidential statement said.

It will be the first time a Turkish president has visited Ivory Coast and Guinea, it added.

Erdogan, who in January last year visited Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, is spearheading a drive to expand Turkish presence in Africa.

Turkey has more than tripled the number of embassies it has in Africa since 2009 while flag carrier Turkish Airlines has dozen s of destinations on the continent.

Bilateral trade between Turkey and all of Africa was worth $23.4 billion in 2014 while bilateral trade with sub-Saharan countries has increased tenfold since 2000, according to the foreign ministry.

Turkey is also moving to increase its presence outside its traditional sphere of influence in the lands of the Ottoman Empire and Erdogan this year also visited Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

More Africa » Comments:This article has 1 comments, leave your comment.
Source: Turkey's Erdogan to embark on major trip to Africa

Summer holidays in Spain set to be more expensive this year as Britons shun Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey over safety fears

Experts warn that more holidaymakers are heading to Spain this summer

Comes as interest in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey has crumbled

Last minute deals to Spain 'unlikely to exist this year' one expert claims 

By Lee Boyce for Thisismoney.co.uk

Published: 02:14 EST, 26 February 2016 | Updated: 02:14 EST, 26 February 2016

220

View comments

Families are being warned that summer holidays to Spain are more expensive than last year with experts urging people to book trips soon or face disappointment.

The price rises come as interest in some destinations has crumbled with families looking to head to 'safer' Spain rather than countries in areas of the world caught close to conflict.

Searches to Tunisia have fallen 88.5 per cent, Egypt by 80.4 per cent and Turkey 54.6 per cent, according to data of flights, hotels and holidays from Travelsupermarket, with tourism in these countries likely to be badly affected this summer.

Meanwhile holidays across Europe are likely to be more costly due to the falling value of the pound against the euro. At the beginning of July last year, one pound would have bought around 1.41 euros. Today it would only buy 1.27 euros, which means holiday cash would not stretch as far. 

Summer sun: Holiday experts are warning that Spain is far more in demand this summer

The exchange rates will continue to move in the run up to the summer, but some experts have warned that the uncertainty caused by the Brexit referendum and an adjustment should Britain vote to leave the EU could see the pound fall even further.  

Travelsupermarket is warning holidaymakers to book their summer holidays soon following an increase in demand for popular destinations at the expense of others, before availability plummets and prices increase.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at Travelsupermarket, said: 'British holidaymakers are switching away from destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean this year in favour of Spain and Portugal.

'But there has also been a huge increase in searches for long haul tropical getaways. We're clearly prepared to consider travelling further, now stalwarts such as Tunisia are considered "out of bounds", with very large increases in interest for long haul lovelies such as the Maldives and Thailand.'

The Travelsupermarket data found a 150 per cent increase on searches to Costa Rica, thanks largely to increased availability of flights, a 92.7 per cent rise in Thailand interest and 60.8 per cent to the Maldives - but these are all from relatively low levels.

In terms of Spanish summer holidays, interest is up 42.8 per cent from a far higher base point and even interest in wint er breaks for the end of the year is up 21.4 per cent. 

Portugal is also proving popular, with searches up 32.2 per cent compared to last year.

Travelsupermarket says Turkey is currently £352 cheaper than Spain for a family of four for a comparable holiday for key summer dates, despite flight times to Turkey being nearly double that of Spain.

Pricier: According to Travelsupermarket, Turkey is far cheaper than Spain this year - while Kayak says four star hotels in Spain are typically 22% more expensive. Pictured, Levante Beach, Benidorm

Separate data from travel search engine Kayak shows the average four-star hotel in Spain between 1 June 2015 and 31 August last year cost £95.29. 

This has risen to £116.55 for the same time period in 2016 - a 22 per cent hike - thanks to early demand and also a weakened pound again st the euro.

Loella Pehrsson, regional director of Kayak UK, said: 'This rise is more than we would usually expect to see year-on-year and it is likely that the factor of demand plays the main role here.

'Travellers from the UK to Spain should also bear in mind, that if the pound continues to weaken against the euro this will affect their holiday budget too, meaning Britons will get slightly less euros for their sterling when heading on a summer trip to Spain this year compared to last year.'

Thomas Cook last week announced it has moved 400,000 room capacity away from Turkey and other operators could follow suit.

A spokesman for the tour operator told This is Money that higher than average selling prices for the summer are due to a shift in customer demand for more expensive destinations such as Spain.

In its quarterly r eport last week, it said: 'We have rebalanced our programme to include more holidays to the Western Mediterranean in anticipation of changes in customer demand.'

Thomas Cook: The tour operator has moved 400,000 room capacity away from Turkey as people shun the country for their summer holidays

Turkey in particular will see a much quieter vacation season. Russian tour operators are currently prohibited from flying to Turkey – and until last year it accounted for a staggering 40 per cent of outbound tourism from Russia. Holidaymakers across Europe are also turning to other 'safer' places to holiday.  

One This is Money reader said he recently entered a local independent travel agent, which he has used for years to book family holidays.

He was told by the agent that holidays to Spain were far more expensive than last year because people have been put off of traditionally popular countries for summer sun, such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia, due to safety concerns.

Bob Atkinson also adds that the late deals market is likely to be very limited this summer. He says: 'Last minute deal hunters are likely to be disappointed, unless they are prepared to go anywhere.

'The increased demand for some destinations is going to mean less choice as summer approaches and, as a result, increased prices.

'Often I'd argue that there are deals to be had for those who prefer to book last minute. But, late deals are unlikely to exist for Spain this year.'

Somewhere different? Bob Atkinson says countries like Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia could be a good bet for your summer holiday

Alternative summer: How about Montenegro? 

Bob Atkinson says there are other destinations away from the p opular resorts which Britons' might want to consider.

He said: 'Spain offers fantastic value for money with airlines and tour operators adding departures like never before.

'If you're set on Spain but are struggling to find the holiday you want in popular resorts, try Galicia in Northern Spain or Asturias – under the radar beautiful northern Spain locations without the crowds.'

Bob also suggests Eastern Europe is an off the radar option worth considering. He says: 'If you want to be a bit different, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro can save you tons of cash and offer beautiful lakes, mountains and beaches to choose from.

'Other good bets for value are Malta and Greece. Greece has had a hard time economically and is ready to embrace and entice you with great priced meals and drinks, to ensure your money goes further.'  

Holiday Money Deals of the Week
Source: Summer holidays in Spain set to be more expensive this year as Britons shun Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey over safety fears

ISIL obtains components for bombs in Turkey and Iraq

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

Fighters of the Islamic State terror group purchase a decent part of components for explosives in Turkey and Iraq.

According to the report of the British Conflict Armament Research, fighters buy chemical agents and detonators in Turkey and Iraq. Proximity is the main reason given which the IS uses goods, sold by Iraq and Turkey, to make explosives.

Terrorists purchase components to create weapons in over 20 countries, including the US, China, Brazil, and Japan. Because of a long chain of deliveries, companies which sell components, may not be aware of their destination.

Most frequently they purchase ammonium nitrate in Turkey and Iraq, and use a Nokia 105 cell phone as a device to fire an explosive due to radio contact.

Also read: ISIS terrorists obtain chemical weapons

IS may get hold of nuclear weapon

Pravda.Ru

Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

US allies don't understand why fight against ISIS

Source: ISIL obtains components for bombs in Turkey and Iraq

The unrest to have an effect on the Turkey’s tourism industry

Mark Warner, one of the UK's biggest tour operators, has pulled out of Turkey, amid concerns about the growing unrest in the country.

The announcement follows news that Elixir Holidays, a luxury specialist in Turkey, collapsed on Wednesday, leaving around 300 forward bookings. On the same day a large explosion in the capital Ankara had killed at least 28 people.

Another tour operator that specialises in Turkey and North Cyprus, Anatolian Sky, has said that with each attack "there is a noticeable slow down" in interest in the country.

Akin Koç, managing director of Anatolian Sky, told Telegraph Travel that the company had begun to notice that first-time visitors to the country were increasingly cautious.

"Mark Warner's decision to pull out this season is undoubtedly a blow for the destination but my understanding is that it is the most suitable decision for their business model at this time," he said.

"We know that the Turkish government and security forces are taking the ongoing security situation extremely seriously and monitoring the level of threat from all sources."

"Our phones are continuing to ring and we are still receiving enquiries for holidays in Turkey, although with each incident that makes the headlines, there is a noticeable slow down," he added.

A spokesman for Mark Warner could not confirm the number of customers affected by its decision to cancel its sole Turkish offering, the Sea Garden Beach Resort in Bodrum, but the spokesman said "the time is right to bring out operations in Turkey to an end".

The unrest has already begun to have an effect on the country's tourism industry. Thomas Cook cut capacity to Turkey by 29 per cent in the wake of the Istanbul bombing, while Tui Group, which includes Thomson, has reported a 40 per cent slump in summer holiday bookings to the country.

In January, a number of cruise lines announced that ships would avoiding Istanbul and the beach resort of Kusadasi, citing "ongoing safety concerns".

Costa Crociere has followed suit, last week dropping calls to Istanbul on its neoRiviera itinerary in favour of Rhodes due to "ongoing guest concerns". A statement from the cruise line said it was "carefully monitoring" its other routes that include Turkey.

Last August Exclusive Escapes, which specialised in upmarket villa and travel packages, went bust. Its website read at the time: "It's no secret that 2015 has been one of the toughest years to date for tourism in Turkey, largely due to its geopolitical situation."

Source: The unrest to have an effect on the Turkey's tourism industry

South Dakota talks turkey, hoping to increase the state's wild turkey population

GF&P Wildlife Program Administrator Chad Switzer said several units — designations of land that often follow county borders — have turkey populations that are below desired objectives.

"In most of our units, we want to increase that population," Switzer said.

However, GF&P also wants to keep turkey depredation — damage caused by turkeys on private land — at low levels.

To balance these two objectives, GF&P invited conservationists and landowners to join its Wild Turkey Stakeholder Group, founded in July. The stakeholder group is made up of GF&P officials, members of the National Wild Turkey Federation and South Dakota landowners who agreed to create a five-year plan that will support healthy turkey population and keep landowners happy.

The group has come together about six years after a similar plan expired in 2010. Switzer said the new plan will likely be similar to the expired document, but it will be "much more comprehensive."

The plan is expected to include background on turkey ecology and biology, research findings and surveys conducted across the state, information regarding private and public land management and a section regarding the involvement of the public in turkey management.

Perhaps the most important inclusion for GF&P, Switzer said, is two hunting strategy tables: one for the Black Hills and one for prairie units.

The tables will help GF&P staff evaluate turkey populations and provide tools to maintain, increase or decrease population numbers.

Because GF&P has been operating loosely under the guidelines of the expired turkey management plan over the past six years, Switzer said he doesn't expect the stakeholder group's recommendations to noticeably impact hunters or landowners.

"I don't foresee any significant changes toward our sportsmen or towards the tools we provide to the landowners, but it will more clearly spell out why we're doing what we're doing to be more transparent to our public," Switzer said.

The 22 members of the stakeholder group gathered in Pierre in September, November and again this month.

The group is seeking comments from other GF&P officials and plans to send a news release for public review in March.

"Whether you're a turkey hunter or not, we want to hear from the public as to any thoughts, concerns or suggestions they have on the plan or in regards to turkey management," Switzer said.

Spring turkey season

Spring turkey hunting season opens on April 9 and closes on May 22, except for Davison, Hanson and Lincoln counties, where the season closes on April 30. Archery season opens on April 2.

Switzer expects hunters to find turkey numbers that are similar to what they saw in 2015, but he hopes more restrictions to the fall turkey season over the past few years leads to more birds in the field.

For the past three or four years, GF&P has restricted the number of turkey licenses issued for the fall turkey hunting season in an attempt to grow populations around the state. Switzer said licenses issued for the spring season have largely remained the same.

"We haven't tweaked it too much for our spring hunters, and that's when most of our turkey hunters want to be hunting turkeys is in the spring. It's a highly desirable species to hunt in the spring, not so much in the fall," Switzer said.

This spring, 5,654 single tom — one male bird — prairie licenses will be available, and 1,350 double tom — two male birds — prairie licenses will be available, a reduction of about 4 percent from last year, Switzer said. There is no limit to licenses issued in the Black Hills.

"The Black Hills are always a destination for turkey hunters with the number of birds and the vast amount of public hunting opportunities," Switzer said.

Licenses are available for 42 units around the state, excluding areas in north and central South Dakota, including Aurora, Buffalo, McCook and Miner counties.

Licenses are actually valid for any turkey with a beard, which, along with adult males, applies to up to 20 percent of Black Hills female turkeys, which Switzer called "interesting."

Still, Switzer said most South Dakota hunters are selective and specifically target male birds.

Source: South Dakota talks turkey, hoping to increase the state's wild turkey population

5 best honeymoon packages under Rs 1.5 lakh

Planning to go abroad for your honeymoon? We have the perfect destinations for you that will not burn a hole in your pocket. Kriti Saraswat-Satpathy | Last Updated: February 24, 2016

Your honeymoon is one of the most memorable holidays that you will take in your lifetime which means it should be special. In our previous series on honeymoon destinations, we told you about packages to Indian destinations such as Kerala, the best places in Rajasthan, the offbeat northeast, the serene Andaman and the beautiful Himachal. But if you are looking for destinations abroad that are exotic yet not too expensive on the pocket, here's where you should go.

1. Thailand

The land of smiles will surely give you a reason to smile with your loved one. Thailand is an affordable honeymoon destination for Indians due to its proximity and low currency conversion. A shopper's delight, Bangkok is perfect for mall hopping. It is also home to a number of temples and Buddhist shrines. Its buzzing nightlife is also quite popular. But if you'd rather relax on the beach, there is Pattaya and also islands like Krabi, Phuket and Koh Samui. These are perfect for couples with their white sand beaches where you can chill with a drink, try water sports and click the perfect honeymoon selfies.

ALSO SEE The ultimate 10-day Thailand tour package

Cost: A tour package of 6N/7D will cost about Rs 110,000 for a couple including flight tickets and accommodation in standard to mid-range hotels.

2. Dubai

Dubai's glittering skyline and breathtaking architecture is also a honeymoon option for couples looking for a getaway not too far away from home. Though only a couple of hours away, there is a world of a difference between the two nations that makes Dubai an exotic honeymoon destination. Go for a desert safari, enjoy a Dhow cruise on the Dubai creek, shop till you drop at its various malls and see the Burj Khalifa, the tallest artificial structure in the world. And if you have more time on hand, you could also visit other UAE nations like Abu Dhabi and Oman that are only a few hours away.

ALSO SEE How to get a visa for Dubai

Cost: A Dubai-Abu Dhabi trip of 5N/6D will cost about Rs 142,000 for a couple including flight tickets and accommodation in standard to mid-range hotels.

3. Mauritius

This former French colony is one of the best island nations in the Indian Ocean and one of the most preferred honeymoon destinations. Mauritius is lined with sandy beaches and azure blue waters that make for a perfect romantic getaway. Don't worry, apart from beaches you will also find waterfalls, lagoons, reefs, rainforests and hills here. Visit the North Island for its famed beach resorts and the South Island for its trekking trails and a bit of the country's history. And if you want to experience pure luxury, go to Ile Aux Cerf Island where you will find a golf course and some of the most beautiful beaches.

Cost: A 6N/7D package will cost you about Rs 120,000 for a couple including flight tickets and accommodation in standard to mid-range hotels.

4. Turkey

Perhaps a lesser-explored nation which is slowly gaining popularity thanks to the number of Bollywood movies that have been shot here, Turkey is also a beautiful honeymoon destination about six hours away from India. It has everything – from beaches, snow-capped mountains, to a buzzing nightlife and history and architecture. Go to Istanbul for the perfect blend of cosmopolitan culture juxtaposed against history and art. Explore Cappadocia on a hot air balloon and explore the ruins of Greek and Roman empires at the ancient city of Ephesus. And if you want your dose of sunny beaches, visit Antalya.

Cost: A 6N/7D honeymoon package will cost about Rs 140,000 for a couple including flight tickets and accommodation in standard to mid-range hotels.

5. Bali

This Indonesian island draws several honeymooners for its romantic beaches and buzzing nightlife. Whether you want to try water sports like snorkelling or scuba diving or simply rejuvenate your senses with a Balinese spa, it makes for a great honeymoon destination. Though you will spend a lot on the airfare, the cost of living in Bali isn't too high so you can have a luxurious time once you are here. Visit Nusa Dua for its beautiful and calm beaches and explore it on a rented bike. Or if you love to party, go to Seminyak for its famed pubs and nightlife. And if you love spas, go to Ubud which is one of Asia's top spa destinations.

ALSO SEE Why your next vacation should be in Indoesia's Raja Ampat

Cost: A 6N/7D honeymoon package will cost you about Rs 125,000 for a couple including flight tickets and accommodation in standard to mid-range hotels.

Disclaimer: The fare mentioned is an approximate figure which may differ from the actual cost of your trip depending on your choice of accommodation and season of travel. 

First Published: February 24, 2016
Source: 5 best honeymoon packages under Rs 1.5 lakh

Terror alerts mean Bristol holiday-makers are turning their backs on Turkey

Comments (1)

HOLIDAY-makers in Bristol and the South West are voting with their feet following a spate of terrorist attacks in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A leading travel agent has revealed that people booking their annual break are turning their backs on destinations such as Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey.

Some industry commentators have said that prices in Spain and France have soared as a result of the exodus.

And this week Thomas Cook announced that it has switched 400,000 seats this summer from Turkey to Spain, with the same number again held in reserve.

The Foreign Office has warned people not to travel to Tunisia following two terrorist attacks including one in which 33 Tui customers were killed in the resort of Sousse.

Airlines in the UK are still banned from flying to Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt, with no sign when airports in Egypt will be given the all clear.

Turkey has also been badly hit with terror attacks in the country are occurring more frequently.

The fact Turkey shares a border with Syria and there has been an increase in unrest has led to a fall in bookings. Last month ten tourists were killed by a suicide bombing which took part in the heart of Istanbul.

The attacks took place in the heart of the tourist district and resulted in cruise ships canceling excursions to the city.

Miles Morgan is one of the best known independent travel agents in the South West.

And he has noticed a marked shift in his customers' holiday habits this year.

Mr Morgan is also warning that people who want to go to Spain should book as soon as possible or run the risk of missing out altogether.

He said: "In all of my 30 years working in the travel industry I have never seen such a shift in business from the Eastern Mediterranean resorts back to the old favourites of Spain and the Canaries.

"Whilst airlines are reacting to this trend and moving their planes to the more popular places such as Majorca and the Canary Islands the sheer number of people changing their holiday plans will mean it will be the hotels, apartments and villas that will sell out well before the start of the summer getaway."

Mr Morgan added: "The changes n the market have come about because of the fear of terrorism in the Eastern Mediterranean after incidents in both Tunisia and Istanbul. I really feel for workers in the travel industry in Turkey in particular."

He added: " I think everyone now understands we live with a constant threat wherever we are these days but the sheer size of Turkey means that the beach resorts are many hundreds of miles away from the current areas of unrest.

"If there were bombings in Aberdeen it would probably not affect the holiday plans of people travelling to Newquay but that is exactly what is happening at the moment."

Mr Morgan said: "You can never say anywhere is 100 per cent safe these days but certainly the public are viewing Spain as a safer option.

"I have no doubt this will result in much lower prices for the Eastern Med."

The travel agent is warning people who want to book for Spain to do so sooner rather than later or run the risk of losing out all together.

According to reports bookings to Turkey by British holidaymakers are down by nearly half.

Meanwhile Egypt's main resorts and the whole of Tunisia are still on the Foreign Office list of destinations that should be avoided.

Thomas Cook Airlines fares to the Canaries for the first full week of the school summer holiday is 79 per cent higher than to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

From Manchester, fares to Las Palmas are 23 per cent higher than to Dalaman, even though the distances are identical.

A spokesperson for the travel association Abta said: "Spanish hoteliers have always taken a sensible approach to pricing taking a long, rather than a short-term view.

"However, realistically such significant increases in demand are bound to put pressure on their natural instinct to keep prices down."

Source: Terror alerts mean Bristol holiday-makers are turning their backs on Turkey

Turkey-Bollywood connection: Why a group from Turkey sent SRK this amazing FAN video

Dilip Merala | Last Updated: February 23, 2016

Bollywood is known for its passionate romantic affairs. No, this is not about the stars of the film industry. Here, we are referring to the hook-ups between Bollywood and destinations. It started with Raj Kapoor and Switzerland in Sangam. Years later, Yash Chopra carried on the legacy showing us young romance in the stunning Swiss landscapes making it our preferred choice for a honeymoon. While Rakesh Roshan took us to New Zealand for Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Nikhil Advani gave us a tour of New York in Kal Ho Na Ho. Tarun Mansukhani's Dostana was shot completely in Miami while Don 2 explored Berlin in Germany. But the one destinations which has slowly been taking the Bollywood silver screen by storm is Turkey.

ALSO SEE If Bollywood celebrities were places, what would Sunny Leone be?

Turkey is not the conventional green grasslands and rainbows landscape for cliche romantic songs. It offers much more. From spectacular mosques to bustling market places, Turkey reminds you of a bygone era taking you back in time. Over the past few years, several Bollywood movies have been shot in Turkey. Abhishek Bachchan's Guru had several scenes in Istanbul including the song Mayya Mayya. Ek Tha Tiger also takes us through some scenic Turkey locales.

The recently released Dil Dhadakne Do revolves around a cruise to Turkey and shows many portions of the beautiful country. It is therefore no surprise that locals in Turkey are now well-versed with Bollywood. And no points for guessing who their favorite star is! Yes, it is none other than the dimpled romantic King of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan.

CHECK OUT Why does this Bollywood superstar stay in Chandni Chowk's one bedroom flat?

Shah Rukh once posted on a micro-blogging site explaining his connection with Istanbul that his father always wanted to visit Kashmir, Rome and Istanbul with him. Now, when SRK vacations there with his kids, he feels his father will be pleased. Shah Rukh Khan has a huge fan following in Turkey. Every now and then, his fans post videos dancing to his songs or lip-syncing his dialogues. Recently, soon after the release of SRK's famous FAN anthem, his fans from Turkey made a video expressing how much they admire him. This video deserves the title of a true FAN video. Check it out.

First Published: February 23, 2016
Source: Turkey-Bollywood connection: Why a group from Turkey sent SRK this amazing FAN video

Cityscape Turkey eyes Qatari investments

DOHA: Qatari investors will have a unique opportunity to discover Turkey's diverse real estate landscape and meet with leading local and international developers and market experts at next month's inaugural Cityscape Turkey exhibition, which will be held from March 24 to 26 at the Istanbul Congress Center.

The latest addition to the Cityscape portfolio of global events, the new destination showcase follows on the back of the success of the Turkey pavilion at Cityscape Global 2015, with a surge in investor interest prompting the launch of a dedicated in-country exhibition.

In 2015, over 500,000 GCC residents visited Turkey with investments from the Gulf accounting for almost 30 percent of total transactions. According to Turkey's Ministry of Land Registry, 277 Qatari citizens purchased property in 2015 amounting to 484,000 square metres. Investment from the GCC state has more than doubled in the last 24 months, and doubled again in terms of total square meterage. Most interestingly, the total square meterage purchased per capita is the highest among all countries at over 1,700 square metres per person.

"Turkey appeals to the Qatari investor on multiple levels from the comfort factor of cultural similarities such as halal food and plentiful mosques, through to the cosmopolitan positioning of a city like Istanbul, or the upscale resort communities found on the various coasts, an abundance of quality retail locations and growing presence from renowned international hotel chains. Couple this with steady high returns and a wealth of prime developments that meet stringent international construction standards, and you have a formula for investment success," said Wouter Molman, Director, Cityscape Global.

The sixth largest European economy with current GDP in excess of $800bn, Turkey is also the 17th largest economy in the world and sixth most popular tourism destination, attracting 37 million international visitors in 2014. The coun try's real estate sector continues to attract significant levels of foreign direct investment, reaching almost US$5 billion in the first nine months of 2015, according to Gyoder, the country's association of real estate investment companies.

FDI inflow to the real estate and construction sector totalled $4.8bn in 2015 and is expected to top $10bn in the medium term. Infrastructure development is also being prioritised, with a third Istanbul airport in the pipeline, and with the Turkish government is putting real estate development at the top of its economic agenda.

The Turkey event will bring together over 50 high profile exhibitors across 7,000 square metres of exhibition floor space, with more than 5,000 regional and international visitors expected to attend. In a unique and innovative move, the Cityscape Turkey team will also invite a select number of prospective Qatari investors to attend through its exclusive invitation-only hosted buyer programme.

"We w ant to connect serious investors with participating developers and reputable brokers directly and, under this programme, we will bear the cost of their five-star hotel accommodation and airport transfers and arrange a series of pre-qualified one-on-one meetings to fast track the experience and showcase a tailored collection of quality projects and existing developments that meet clients' exacting requirements," remarked Molman.

Current investment hotspots for Qatari nationals are Turkey's capital, Istanbul, as well as Trabzon on the Black Sea coastline, and Yalova and Bursa in the northwest of the country.

"As of 2016, Qatar now ranks in the top 10 of inward real estate investment, and is the 17th largest foreign purchaser of real estate in the country, which confirms the attraction of Turkey as a secure investment environment and a destination that delivers on quality, backed by a stable economy and acknowledged regulatory transparency, both of which are also ke y to ensuring investor confidence," said Ali Agaoglu, Chairman of Agaoglu.

The 2012 amendment to Turkey's reciprocity law, which made it easier for foreigners to invest in the market, and purchase a maximum of 60 hectares – increased from the original 2.5 hectares - has also boosted demand from Qatari investors.

Steady growth in terms of house prices has been recorded over the last three years, with residential rental rates in key cities also rising by 20 per cent over the last 24 months, as per Gyoder. According to Reidin, the online real estate information service, Istanbul, Antalya and Bursa have demonstrated the highest monthly return on residential investment at 0.49 percent. Key exhibitors at the inaugural showcase include Agaoglu, DAMAC Properties, DKY Insaat, EGE Yapi, Green Valley Real Estate, Kuzu Group, Metropol Istanbul, Ofton, Piyalepasa, Polatyol, Quasar Istanbul, Sinpas and Suryapi.The Peninsula

Source: Cityscape Turkey eyes Qatari investments

Turkey PM unveils plan to boost struggling tourism sector

Home» Top News » World Top News

Monday, 22 February 2016 18:18

Posted by Imaduddin

ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday announced a multi-million-dollar aid package for the country's struggling tourism industry which has been hit by a crisis with Russia and security concerns.

Davutoglu said that a total of 255 million Turkish lira ($86.5 million) in financial aid would be given to Turkish tourist agencies while there would also be measures to help firms restructure debt.

"These measures will be implemented quickly and we think that the package will rejuvenate the tourism sector," Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara.

"We are in a sensitive time but we will overcome the difficulties of the tourism sector and we will defend our positions as one of the most attractive destinations," he added.

Davutoglu denounced what he said was a campaign of "black propaganda" carried out from abroad against Turkey's tourism industry which was being helped by opponents of the ruling party.

The industry has been shaken by security concerns as Turkey wages a two-pronged offensive against Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Kurdish militants.

A suicide bombing on January 12 blamed on jihadists killed 11 German tourists in the heart of Istanbul's tourist district.

Last week, 28 people were killed in the capital Ankara in an attack on buses carrying military staff. The radical Kurdish group that claimed the attack then threatened to attack tourist sites.

TUI, the world's biggest tourism group, said earlier this month it had seen bookings to Turkey drop by 40 percent while several prominent cruise operators have cancelled lucrative port calls in Turkey this summer.

The sector is key to the economy: according to official statistics, foreign tourism brought in almost $31.5 billion in revenues in 2015.

Turkey's tourism industry also suffered a huge blow with the crisis between Ankara and Moscow which began when Turkish jets shot down a Russian war plane on the Syrian border on November 24.

The Russian foreign ministry recommended that its citizens do not visit Turkey and Russian agencies stopped selling package tours to the country.

The number of Russians visiting Turkey almost halved in December from the same period a year earlier, official statistics showed.

But Davutoglu expressed confidence that Russians would return and emphasised they were still welcome.

"Russian tourists have not been coming to Turkey for a short time. They came, liked it, and came again. You won't change this with a political decision."

"I am sure that Russian tourists will once again find their way" to Turkey, he said.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2016

Source: Turkey PM unveils plan to boost struggling tourism sector

It's 'Destination Qatar' for students competing in international D.I. tourney

NORTON SHORES, MI – Two middle school students are embarking on a trip of a lifetime Sunday when they take off for Qatar to compete in a Destination Imagination competition.

Kennedy Schulist and Miah Lipps, both eighth-graders at Mona Shores Middle School, will travel with two chaperones to Doha, Qatar, in the Persian Gulf region. Theirs is one of two American teams competing in the Qatar Destination Imagination tournament; the other is from Minnesota, said Alexis DeCatur, the girls' D.I. team manager.

They will join teams from around the globe, including Turkey, Korea, Poland and China, for the competition in which teams develop creative solutions to complex challenges, using theatrical performance, engineering, design and other approaches.

The girls' team quickly jumped at the chance to compete when a notice of the opportunity was issued by the Michigan Destination Imagination group, DeCatur said. They also got busy with fundraising. Of the five members of the Mona Shores Middle School team, only Kennedy and Miah were able to go on the trip, DeCatur said.

"It's a great educational experience, great cultural experience for the team," she said, adding that the girls have done a lot of research on the country's culture and customs.

The girls fly out on Sunday, and will return Feb. 29.

They will compete in the competition's Project Outreach challenge. The challenge requires teams to identify a community need and address it, representing their actions through a live presentation that includes skits and props.

The Mona Shores team chose to help West Michigan Teen Challenge, a faith-based residential counseling program in Norton Shores that helps young people struggling with such issues as substance abuse. DeCatur said the girls held a spaghetti dinner, sold poinsettias and held other fundraisers to pay for new windows and bunk beds for the Teen Challenge facility.

DeCatur and the director of Michigan Destination Imagination will serve as chaperones for the girls on their trip to Qatar.

Lynn Moore is a reporter for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email her at lmoore8@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: It's 'Destination Qatar' for students competing in international D.I. tourney

EU to hold migrant summit with Turkey

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy, the migrants' No. 2 destination after Greece, called for cuts in European Union subsidies for countries that close themselves off, though that would have to wait until the next European Union budget cycle starts in 2020. A British official, however, said significant gaps remained on key issues. The leaders were due to reconvene at the dinner table at 1900 GMT.Earlier another official said talks were at a critical juncture and leaders had been asked to book hotels for an extra night as negotiations could extend into tomorrow.

He said that "if we can get a good deal I'll take that deal, but I will not take a deal doesn't meet what we need".

The plan was signed in November 2014 between Turkey and the EU, by which Turkey agreed to shield EU borders from the flood of refugees in trade for $ 3 billion and a brand new take a look at its EU membership bid.

British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.

European migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned in a letter to Mikl-Leitner that such plans would "be plainly incompatible" with EU law and Austria should reconsider them.

"The numbers are still too high at this stage, which will have to be improved", said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a...

A meeting of the leaders of 11 European Union countries with Turkey had been planned before the full summit yesterday but was cancelled after Turkey's premier Ahmet Davutoglu pulled out following a bomb attack in Ankara.

"The fact that every policy being discussed is strongly contested is fueling doubts as to whether the EU and its members will be able to match their rhetoric with concrete actions by cooperating more closely", Janis Emmanouilidis at the European Policy Centre think-tank wrote in an analysis.

In neighboring Germany, Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said Berlin views Austria's quota plans "with a certain skepticism". If Merkel can convince her European comrades to alleviate the burden from Turkey, the Turkish government promised to provide Syrians with work permits in an attempt to keep them from moving on to Europe.

Countries like France that share the euro currency worry that protections for Britain and other non-eurozone nations would offer unfair advantage to Britain's financial center, the City of London. This will be backed by a pledge to respect the passport-free area's border control rules. "I don't think such package deals are wise", Schulz said, referring to the risk of Britain leaving the bloc.

Source: EU to hold migrant summit with Turkey

Irish tourists avoiding Islamic State risk areas this summer

Irish sunseekers have abandoned Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey as tourist destinations and are instead opting for Spain and Portugal due to terrorism fears.

According to the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), recent terror attacks in places such as Egypt and Tunisia have resulted in Irish people rushing to book alternatives such as the Canary Islands and the Iberian Peninsula, which have seen a large increase in bookings during the winter period.

The ITAA said 75% of its members expect Spain to be their most popular destination this year, while Portugal has also seen a large portion of family holiday bookings.

With advance bookings at some of the highest levels in years, some travel agents have warned it could lead to higher holiday prices for those who don't book early.

Earlier this month, British travel company TUI, which owns operators Thomson and First Choice, said summer holiday bookings to Turkey had fallen by 40% after recent terrorist attacks.

TUI also said holiday bookings to Tunisia and Egypt had also been hit by terrorism fears, and that even Paris had been affected due to the IS attacks carried out there last November.

The threat of IS has influenced Irish tourists and they are heeding the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which advised tourists to "exercise caution" if visiting Turkey, as the threat from terrorism there "remains high". It has advised against "all non-essential travel" to Tunisia and Egypt. It also warned of "a heightened threat of terrorist incidents, including targeted attacks against foreigners, and a continuing threat of civil unrest" in Egypt.

Two attacks in March and June in Tunisia last year left almost 60 people dead, including three Irish people.

Thousands of tourists left the region in the aftermath of the attacks which were claimed by IS. In October, a Russian plane which had taken off from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh crashed killing 224 people in what was a suspected terrorist attack. The resort has been described as a "ghost town" in the months since. In the last two months there have been explosions in the Turkish capital Ankara and Istanbul.

ITAA CEO Pat Dawson said it was clear that Irish holidaymakers were "uneasy" about travelling to regions that have been affected by terrorist attacks in recent months.

"All our members are saying Turkey is slow to move at present," said Mr Dawson. "The Sunway Cork to Turkey charter is gone for example. There is nothing to Tunisia — that's not going to happen. However, that part of the world and, in particular Turkey, is often a late-seller also, which can lead to good prices. However, there's no doubt that people are uneasy. As a result, people are flocking to Spain. We expect 1.5m Irish people to go there this year, that's up from 1.3m last year."

Editor of Travel Extra, Eoghan Corry, said if German tourists abandon their traditional summer destination of Turkey and head for Spain, it could put pressure on prices Irish customers pay.

"The key is not what we do but what could happen if 25m Germans decide they don't want to go to Turkey as they usually do and go and throw their beach towels over the whole of Spain," he said.

"Suddenly, you have a big displacement problem and the pressure on places for Irish holidaymakers. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have both told me that advance bookings to Spain are the highest they've seen."

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

Source: Irish tourists avoiding Islamic State risk areas this summer

Kurdish dilemma: The US could hurt Turkey if it's not careful

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu today blamed Kurdish militants in Turkey and Syrian Kurdish fighters for the Ankara bombing that left some 28 people dead and 45 others wounded yesterday.

Russia, which has been carrying out air strikes in support of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's forces, has called on the council to press Turkey to halt its shelling of Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Of the fatalities, 27 were Turkish service members.

The U.S. doesn't want to cut off the last viable nonregime anti-ISIS ground force in Syria.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington was not in a position to either confirm or deny Turkey's charge the YPG was behind the attack. "NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism".

The northern Syrian town of Azaz is the flashpoint for a wider conflict, with also threatening to destroy the Syrian Menagh air base if the Kurds refused to withdraw.

Tourist Shawn Winrich was taking photos of Pearl Harbor when he saw a helicopter "essentially coming straight at us" at a popular tourist destination that attracts thousands of visitors daily. To further complicate the matter, Prime Minister Davutoglu quoted a Syrian official and pointed the finger at the Syrian government as well. The PYD and YPG denied any involvement in the attack.

The TAK, which is a splinter group of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), vowed to continue its attacks.

Analysts underline the fact that the YPG has never used a vehicle bomb attack until now and that it would be hard to see how this terror incident will help their strategy.

The bomber was named as Salih Neccar, from the predominantly Kurdish border town of Amouda. He added that the YPG was a "tool of the Syrian regime".

Turkey considers the PKK, PYD and YPG to be terror outfits but the USA designates only the PKK as a terrorist organization and regards the YPG as a "reliable partner" in northern Syria fighting Daesh. The YPG is the military branch of the PYD, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party. While Turkey remains at odds with the Kurds, those groups are still receiving support from the United States in Syria for their fight against Islamic State forces there.

The YPG has exploited the Russian-backed offensive, seizing ground from other opposition groups.

Noteworthy, spokespeople for the United States administration earlier stated that Turkey was acting inadequately in relation to the Kurds.

Seventeen world and regional powers including Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia were invited to the first gathering of the task force aimed to forge a temporary truce in Syria's five-year civil war that has killed at least 250,000 people and displaced at least 11 million people, according to United Nations estimates.

It said the raids took place in cities from Izmir on the Aegean to Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast. The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal military secrets, said a mixed coalition of rebel fighters were permitted to pass into Turkey and enter Syria again in order to prevent the city of Azaz from falling into SDF hands.

Source: Kurdish dilemma: The US could hurt Turkey if it's not careful

Poultry Industry is Work Destination for Many Valley Refugees

Harrisonburg is a designated resettlement area, accepting up to 200 refugees each year.  Many of them find employment at one of the big poultry processing facilities in the area, an industry requiring a lot of manual labor and not a lot of English. WMRA's Jessie Knadler spoke to the head of the Perdue facility in Bridgewater to get a sense of the benefits and challenges of this workforce dynamic.

First thing's first: Perdue's Bridgewater facility – the company's only facility in the region -- is where the cooking happens—anything from nuggets, cutlets, strips to fully cooked whole birds.

KENNY LAMBERT: I'm running about a million and a quarter on chicken a week and on the turkey side I'm running about a million and a third and I can pretty easily on the turkey side go up to about two million.

Director of Operations Kenny Lambert is referring to pounds—his facility produces millions and millions of pounds of cooked poultry product every week bound for grocery stores nationwide. Five hundred and eighty employees make it happen. Forty two percent of them are immigrants. Other than the Harrisonburg public school system, you're not going to find a more multicultural mix than at a poultry factory.

LAMBERT: Currently our countries are made up of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Bosnia, Russia, Kenya and right now we have a couple of people from Uganda.

Perdue doesn't break the numbers down to determine how many of those immigrants are refugees. Essentially, the company's hiring credo is, if you can do the job, you have a job, English not mandatory.

LAMBERT: It's really the demographics of the area. We're not signaling to hire anyone specifically based on race or religion or anything like that.

Still, working with a 42 percent non native American workforce presents its challenges—specifically, language barriers between managers and employees, whom Perdue calls "associates."

LAMBERT: If an associate comes to us and asks us to help them find an English as Second Language [class] we'll help them find a class that's suitable for the time that they have, and the hours that they have and we'll subsidize it, we'll help pay for the class. They're quite expensive.

Employees have to be with the company for at least six months to apply for this benefit. Classes are usually taught through the Dayton Learning Center.

And it works both ways. Lambert is now fluent in Spanish, and can speak some Bosnian and Russian, as result of working for Perdue.

He didn't take me to see the processing area to witness where all the nationalities converge but he did say that associates are assigned to problem solving teams that are intentionally mixed.

LAMBERT: We want folks to mesh together and to become more of a family, more of a team in the processing area. We really don't want to segregate and create barriers.

There's also a common misconception that immigrants or refugees come to the United States for a higher standard of living. That's not always the case. Plenty undergo a loss of professional prestige in exchange for the relative safety of living in the United States.

LAMBERT: We have a gentleman who is here from Cuba. He is a lead on a packing line and in Cuba he was a dentist. We also had a lady, she started off here as an hourly associate….and in Cuba she was an architect.

White collar professionals end up doing manual labor for the first time in their lives, which can be an adjustment.

LAMBERT: We had two different chemicals and they were cleaning chemicals in the production area and a Bosnian guy called me over and he wrote the equation for the two chemicals and he solved the equation and pointed out the fact that the two chemicals when they came together could be dangerous. This guy was very highly educated in chemistry.

Regardless of the training and skills newcomers bring with them, Lambert values the melting pot of new perspectives.

LAMBERT: They're bright, contributing people who interact very well with the work groups and actually have come up with very ingenious ideas for ways to improve the process.

Source: Poultry Industry is Work Destination for Many Valley Refugees

It pays to be cautious, but don’t cross Istanbul, Turkey off your travel itinerary just yet

1 of 29

A couple kiss as they pose for a friend taking photographs, with Istanbul's skyline in the background. Istanbul is a thoroughly modern place, but it traces its roots back to 660 B.C. It's the former seat of the opulent Byzantine and Ottoman empires and is divided into European and Asian sides by the Bosphorus Strait, offering a wealth of history and stunning scenery. EMRAH GUREL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

Interior of the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) mosque in Istanbul. TON KOENE, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Friends enjoy the unofficial national drink of Turkey, Raki, and food by the Sea of Marmara shoreline on the European side of Istanbul. RAMIN RAHIMIAN, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Interior of the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) mosque in Istanbul. TON KOENE, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. CLAUDIO BEDUSCHI, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Constantinople (later Istanbul) with the Bridge over Bosphorus, circa 1885. JT VINTAGE, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

View from Galata Tower in Istanbul. HERMES IMAGES/TIPS IMAGES, ZUMAPRESS.COM

1 of 29

Shoppers look at goods at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul. HERMES IMAGES/TIPS IMAGES, ZUMAPRESS.COM

1 of 29

Muslims pray at the Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul. HE CANLING, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Diners eat at a restaurant in Istanbul. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

The Istanbul Archaeological Museum houses one of the world's best collections of Hellenistic and Roman antiquities. Ancient artifacts stand in a garden courtyard. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

A tourist takes a picture of the courtyard of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul. PETER KNEFFEL, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Two men check out crafts at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey. The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world and a main tourist attraction for this metropolis. HE CANLING, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

A woman looks at souvenir items inside Istanbul's centuries-old Grand Bazaar. EMRAH GUREL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

Suleymaniye Mosque, named after Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled the Turkish empire for 46 years, is seen in the background as the sun sets over Istanbul. EMRAH GUREL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

The New Mosque, with Istanbul's skyline and the Bosporus in the background. EMRAH GUREL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

The Blue Mosque is near Sultanahmet Square, a home base for tourists. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

Tourists look at and photograph the Medusa heads inside the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. The Cistern was created by Roman Emperor Justinianus in the 6th Century as the city's water supply. JACK KURTZ, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

Guests visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The Sarcophagus of Mourning Women (mid-4th Century B.C.) is in the foreground and the Alexander Sarcophagus (last quarter of the 4th Century B.C.) is in the background. LUCAS VALLECILLOS VWPICS/ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

People fish off the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey. HERMES IMAGES/TIPS IMAGES, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

The halls of the spice bazaar are packed with bins of dried fruits, olives, spices and teas. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

A recent aerial photo shows the roof of Istanbul's centuries-old Grand Bazaar. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, was used in the 2012 James Bond movie "Skyfall." ALI AKSOYER , THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

A view of the Golden Horn, which connects the Bosporus to the Sea of Marmara, in Istanbul. AYMAN OGHANNA, THE NEW YORK TIMES

1 of 29

A veiled woman and young girl walk beside a bathhouse in the Cihangir neighborhood of Istanbul. Cihangir, a once predominately Greek neighborhood, is now a trendy home for artists and writers. AYMAN OGHANNA, THE NEW YORK TIMES

1 of 29

People walk inside Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. EMRAH GUREL, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1 of 29

The Bosphorus Strait separates Asia from Europe. Visitors can travel it via ferry from Istanbul. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

A ferry cruise takes visitors along the Bosphorus Strait. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 29

Muslim girls view the city from the Golden Horn. ANTONIO J. GALANTE, ZUMAPRESS

1 of 29

A cemetery cat stands guard - sleepily - in Istanbul. LORI BASHEDA, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Getting there: We flew Air France from LAX to Istanbul for $1,200 round trip with a short layover in Paris (but you can get a long layover to spend some time in the city before continuing to your destination). Flight time is about 14 hours. There are many flights to Istanbul, though, most with layovers in cool cities such as Berlin and Vienna.

Lodging: We stayed at the Neorion for $200 a night; breakfast buffet and afternoon mezze spread included, plus a cocktail every night at sunset on the rooftop deck with views of the Bosporus. It's walking distance to all main Old City sites. The rooms were spotless and service amazing. There is a spa on the lower level. We got massages there one day and they inexplicably took them off our bill upon checkout. Information: +90-212-527-90-90; neorionhotel.com.

• Istanbul is in the northwestern portion of Turkey. On Feb. 4, the U.S. Department of State warned U.S. citizens against traveling to southeastern Turkey after an increased threat of terrorist attacks. The advisory reminded travelers that terrorists have targeted tourist sites, U.S. government buildings, police and other areas throughout the country, and that the threat of kidnapping continued, particularly in the southeast. Travelers are advised to avoid southeastern Turkey, particularly near the Syrian border; to stay away from large crowds; and to be on alert near popular tourist sites.

As headlines last summer told of Syrians pouring over the border into Turkey, I cannot tell a lie, it sort of scared me.

Intellectually, I know that every border crosser isn't a terrorist, that most of them are just trying to escape the raging civil war, but which is which?

We were headed to Istanbul. Would we be welcome there? Was this the right time to go?

Yes to both, it turns out.

The people I met were some of the nicest I have encountered on any of my travels to bucket-list European cities, and the only time I didn't feel safe was cabbing it from the airport with a driver who jumped curbs to drive on the sidewalk when traffic stalled.

Istanbul has one foot in Europe and the other in Asia. We stayed in the Old City, on the European side.

Yes, some of the locals were pushy when it came to hawking their rugs, so look out for that. But overall, they were friendly. We got an education. And not just about mosque etiquette, but also about the danger of misconceptions and the importance of travel.

Most every time we told someone (or they guessed) that we were from the United States, the response was the same: I've never been there. I want to go. I'm trying to get a visa. A few of them even broke into "Hotel California" or "California Dreamin'."

We met one young Syrian, wearing an Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt and a ponytail, working in a spice shop near our hotel. He told us he had been thrown into prison by Syrian President Bashar Assad's henchmen for being a Satanist because he's into heavy metal. Upon release, he was kidnapped by rebels. He escaped after a few months of forced labor and made it to Turkey. His dream destination: Phoenix.

He cursed the terrorists over cups of tea. They have hijacked our religion, he said.

Another night we got off a metro at the wrong spot. And that was the last train. It was after midnight. Two young Turkish guys saw me and my husband and teen daughter huddled around a map in the dark. When we told them our hotel, the Neorion, was near the Blue Mosque, they informed us we were about 4 miles away. They would take us there. On foot, no less.

We walked the dark, empty streets trading stories about our countries. There was a lot of laughing. When we got back to the hotel around 1:30 a.m., a cafe was just closing up across the street. We all decided to grab some sodas before the men walked another few miles to catch a ferry home.

When it came time to pay, they had gotten to the waiter before us.

"But we owe you a soda at least!" we insisted.

"No, you are our guests," they said.

We took a group selfie and waved goodbye.

Nights in the Old City are quiet. But days are a dizzying panoply of exotic sights and sounds. Trams clang down rails in the middle of the street. Taxis honk. Ships blow their horns in the distance down by the Golden Horn estuary. Seagulls cry. Cats are – everywhere: skulking, stretching, sleeping.

Shopkeepers guess our language. Hola! Hello! Turkish delights! Come in! Let me help you spend your money!

Women in white scarves sit cross-legged on pillows in cafe windows, cooking pita dough on hot grills. Tourists and locals pack outdoor tables, eating puddings and pancakes stuffed with potatoes.

The main drinks are little glasses of Cay (Turkish black tea) and sweet, muddy Turkish coffee. You can order a hookah pipe off the menu and a fruity tobacco to smoke in it.

Five times a day, the call to prayer rings out from mosques across the Old City (over loudspeakers, so everyone can hear), hypnotizing and haunting. The first arrives before the sun comes up, loud enough to wake us in our dark hotel room.

Ninety-eight percent of the residents here are Muslim, but Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city with just as many women wearing color-coordinated headscarves as women with bare heads and skirts, although the skirts are a modest knee-length and I saw no spaghetti straps. (If these people woke up at the Huntington Beach Pier on a summer day, they might pass out.) It is also a gay-friendly city.

Parts, like Taksim Square, draw a younger crowd, drinking Raki, a yogurt-anise firewater, in cozy, narrow back streets lit with colorful lanterns. At night, musicians strum guitars and waiters call out to passersby to sit for a fried oyster sandwich or beer.

We were there for the history, though, so we spent most of our eight days in the Old City, crowned a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Civilization began here as a Greek colony in 600 B.C. It remained Byzantium until Emperor Constantine the Great arrived around the year 300, pronouncing it the new capital of the Roman Empire.

The underground Basilica Cistern, built by the Romans, still holds water, and you can go down to stroll the dark chamber by lantern glow and hunt for giant stone Medusa heads. (James Bond floated in the cistern in 1963's "From Russia With Love.")

In 1453, Constantinople, by now the largest and wealthiest of all European cities, fell to the Ottomans. The cavernous Hagia Sofia, considered one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, was turned into a mosque. It is now a museum; a religious mashup of gilded mosaics and altars and minarets.

One day we took a cab across town to a section of the crumbling stone walls that Constantine built to keep enemies out. You can still climb them for views.

Better yet, visit the mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. Built on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn, it offers some of the best views of the Old City and the ferries and ships traveling the Bosporus, a strait of sparkling blue that separates Asia from Europe.

Or you can travel the Bosporus yourself. We took a three-hour ferry cruise for $5, past old palaces and small fishing boats and cruise ships the size of Vegas hotels.

To rest, we sometimes ducked into mosques. Scarves are lent to wrap around your waist and cover your head if you haven't brought your own. Inside it is cool and quiet and you can sit on the Persian rugs and marvel at the tile work. More than 20,000 handmade blue tiles decorate the interior of the Blue Mosque, in patterns of tulips, trees and fruits.

Outside the Blue Mosque is Sultanahmet Square, home base for tourists. Once the Hippodrome, where Romans raced chariots, it is now a picturesque park of benches, flowers and grass where you can sit by a fountain or buy roasted chestnuts from carts.

This is where a suicide bomber blew himself up in January, killing 10 tourists.

The Grand Bazaar is a short walk from here. The oldest mall in the world, it is a chaotic maze. Less overwhelming but still packed like a tin of sardines is the Spice Bazaar, halls lined with colorful bins of dried fruits and olives and spices and teas.

We returned exhausted every night to drink wine on the rooftop terrace of our hotel and watch the sun set over the minarets and domes that decorate the skyline.

We also went back to our hotel in the afternoons for mezze breaks. Every day from 2-6 p.m., the Neorion set out a spread of cheese sandwiches and salads plus hot soup and rice.

Breakfast was a feast of figs and compotes and grilled vegetables and breads. All of it included in the $250 a night rate.

One of my favorite spots was the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, home to one of the best collections of Hellenistic and Roman antiquities in the world. Ancient artifacts dot a shady garden courtyard where you can sit with a drink and watch the cats slink among the ruins.

Another big cat hangout is the cemeteries: pretty little parks with iron gates and elaborate gravestones, many of which have herbs and flowers growing out of them like Chia pets.

On the last morning, I woke and hustled a few blocks from my hotel to the Hagia Sofia for a Turkish bath in a hamam that Sulieman the Magnificent built in 1553 for his wife and harem.

A woman who didn't speak English doused me with gold-plated bowl after bowl of hot water and then scrubbed me with bubbles on a warm slab of white marble. It was ridiculously extravagant and cost $110.

But still, I would do it again. On my next trip to Istanbul.

Source: It pays to be cautious, but don't cross Istanbul, Turkey off your travel itinerary just yet

Turkey’s PPGI exports down 30 percent in 2015

Information Provided By:

SteelOrbis Elektronik Pazaryeri A.Ş. ("SteelOrbis")19 Mayıs Mahallesi, Atatürk CaddesiŞeref Yazgan İş Merkezi, No: 72, Kat: 7, D: 18Kozyatağı – 34736Istanbul, Turkey

Trade Registration Number : 541892MERSİS Number : 0470048178400014Customer Relations Officer : Sinem AlpkayaTel : +90 216 468 10 50Fax : +90 216 386 41 08

This Information Form has been drawn up in order to provide information to the customer ("Customer") who seeks a free trial on an electronic environment for the purpose of benefiting from the services offered by the SteelOrbis website at "www.steelorbis.com" prior to acceptance of the Membership Contract, and it allows the Customer to gain clear information on the terms and conditions of the membership to be established as well as to review the text of the Contract in question.

The following successive steps shall be taken in order to establish a free trial:

- The Customer selects the "Free Trial" option on the home page at http://www.steelorbis.com.- The Customer provides all information requested in the "Free Trial Application" form displayed on the screen and confirms it.- SteelOrbis sends an account activation e-mail to the e-mail address of the Customer provided in the application form.- The Customer clicks on the activation link sent to his/her e-mail address and activates his/her account. The website Membership Contract is presented to the Customer during the account activation process.

Storage of the Membership Contract:

You can either save the Membership Contract on your computer or make print-outs of it for storage. The Membership Contract accepted and confirmed by the Customer is not kept by SteelOrbis. You can always get access to the standard Membership Contract displayed on the website. However, as amendments may be made to the standard Contract, it may include some variations in comparison with the text approved by you. Accordingly, it may not be possible for you to access on the website the text you originally approved.

Data entry errors:

The information you should provide for membership application and the fields you should fill in are indicated during each step of the operation. You are obliged to provide such information. If you leave the required fields blank, the system will issue a warning. Please fill in all necessary fields. Prior to the completion of the operation, all data entered by you in the previous step will be displayed once more. Please make sure that the information provided by you is accurate and complete before finally confirming the operation; any missing or incorrect information should be completed or corrected. Any amendment or correction on the information provided by you after the confirmation may be performed by means of website logins after the establishment of the membership.

Our confidentiality policy:

Please click here to review our confidentiality policy.

Source: Turkey's PPGI exports down 30 percent in 2015