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The Star
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Turkey evacuates thousands as firefighters battle wildfires
People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Turkey, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ANKARA (Reuters) -Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkey on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heat-wave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. Wildfires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as the central province of Usak were largely brought under control, but blazes in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. A wildfire broke out in a forested area between the Gursu and Kestel districts of Bursa, home to much of Turkey's auto industry, on Saturday. Part of a highway connecting Istanbul with the western city of Izmir was briefly closed on Saturday night due to the fire. Huge flames engulfed trees in areas close to homes in Bursa as smoke covered the sky over the city, footage showed. Some 1,765 people in Bursa's Kestel district were evacuated, Yumakli said, adding that 2,000 firefighters were struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. "We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days," Yumakli said, referring to the heat-wave. Temperatures in several regions in Turkey were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkey's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; editing by Giles Elgood)
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Turkey evacuates thousands as firefighters battle wildfires
People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Turkey, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk/File Photo ANKARA - Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkey on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heat-wave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. Wildfires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as the central province of Usak were largely brought under control, but blazes in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. A wildfire broke out in a forested area between the Gursu and Kestel districts of Bursa, home to much of Turkey's auto industry, on Saturday. Part of a highway connecting Istanbul with the western city of Izmir was briefly closed on Saturday night due to the fire. Huge flames engulfed trees in areas close to homes in Bursa as smoke covered the sky over the city, footage showed. Some 1,765 people in Bursa's Kestel district were evacuated, Yumakli said, adding that 2,000 firefighters were struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. "We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days," Yumakli said, referring to the heat-wave. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Singapore Car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road South sinkhole removed; road remains closed for repairs Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Singapore Younger generation must inherit and strengthen Singapore's multiculturalism: David Neo Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 Temperatures in several regions in Turkey were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkey's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history. REUTERS
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Top Turkish officials to visit Pakistan Wednesday, source says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk/File Photo ANKARA - Turkey's foreign and defence ministers will visit Pakistan on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss bilateral ties, regional issues, and defence industry cooperation, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Tuesday. Turkey has strong ties with Pakistan and expressed solidarity with it during its military conflict with India in May, angering India. During the visit, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will express Turkey's desire to deepen ties in every field and offer Ankara's support in taking steps toward regional peace, the source said. Fidan will stress the countries "need to strengthen their cooperation in the defence industry," the source said. Ankara also has cordial ties with India, but after its support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products, while New Delhi also cancelled Turkey-based aviation service provider Celebi clearance over "national security" reasons. REUTERS
The Star
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Erdogan says Russia's proposal for Istanbul talks heightens hope for peace
FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the audience at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk/File Photo ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Russia's proposal to hold another round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2 had heightened Ankara's hopes for peace. NATO member Turkey has maintained good relations with both sides since the start of the war. It hosted an initial round of peace talks in March 2022 - a month after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour - and again on May 16, the first direct meeting between Moscow and Kyiv in three years. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will also meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on Friday. Speaking to reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan said Ankara was in contact with both countries, and added that the recent momentum in peace efforts was an opportunity to reach lasting peace. "The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace," he was cited as saying by his office on Thursday. Russia is under increasing pressure to agree a ceasefire, and while delegates from Moscow and Kyiv did not agree on one in Istanbul this month, they agreed to trade 1,000 prisoners of war and share their views on the contours of a truce. Fidan, speaking to Turkish media representatives on a train ride from Poland to Kyiv, said that while the sides' demands for a ceasefire were different, they needed to converge their views to reach an agreement, adding other actors needed to help too. "The Russians have goals regarding the war, of course. These are goals they set themselves. They have targets regarding land, regarding the annexation of certain areas. How acceptable these are for the international community, in terms of international law, that is all debatable," he said. "I don't really evaluate that this will be tied to a legal process too much," he added, saying he could call U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following his talks in Kyiv. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Huseyin Hayatsever. Editing by Mark Potter)
