Turkey News Gazette

ANKARA: Three Black men filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against American Airlines, claiming that they were racially discriminated against when they were allegedly pulled off a plane over a body odor complaint. In an interview Wednesday with NBC News, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal said they did not know each other and were not seated together, according to the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, eight Black men were asked on Jan. 5 to leave a New York City-bound flight in Phoenix by American Airlines staff. Three of the men are now suing the carrier for racial discrimination. 'Being grouped and removed hits all these trigger points of things that I don't think should happen to Black people anymore,' Jackson said. Jean-Joseph said the men were made to look like criminals as they walked down the aisle of the plane. He said he had not flown since the incident and that he broke down as he relived it Wednesday as the lawsuit was filed. 'It still affects me,' he said. 'When I do get on a plane again, it's going to be something that haunts me.' In a statement, American Airlines said it was investigating the incident and that the 'claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.' 'We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,' the statement added. According to the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York, all eight men reboarded the flight about an hour later after expressing concerns about discrimination and the airline's inability to book them on a later flight. The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, the amount of which will be determined by a jury trial. Source: Anadolu Agency

Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, reaffirmed Cyprus' commitment to responsible economic policies, stressing their pivotal role in the country's economic growth and prosperity. During a media briefing, on Thursday, he welcomed the latest observations and recommendations released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding Cyprus. Letymbiotis commented on IMF's Executive Board's conclusions following its latest Article IV consultation with the country. He noted that, according to the IMF, Cyprus has swiftly rebounded from the pandemic and has proven resilient against various adverse shocks. "We welcome both the observations and recommendations of both the staff and the Executive Directors of the IMF," Letymbiotis said. He highlighted the IMF's recognition of Cyprus' remarkable resilience despite adversities and the country's dynamic macroeconomic and fiscal metrics. Letymbiotis emphasized that the fiscal policy aims to reduce debt while maintaining primary surpluses until public debt fal ls below 60% of GDP. Regarding structural reforms, Letymbiotis added, that IMF's view for further reforms aligns with the key priorities of the governance program, noting the need for reforms that will significantly contribute to the modernization of the state and the fortification of the economy. Letymbiotis pointed out that the IMF announcement on May 29 comes immediately after Moody's recent assessment on May 25, which upgraded Cyprus' economic outlook from stable to positive. He also referenced the spring forecasts of the European Commission, which ranked Cyprus among the top three countries in the eurozone with the highest growth rate in 2024. "These figures are the result of the prudent, serious, and responsible economic policy followed and implemented by the Government," he said. "It is this economic policy that we will continue to implement and follow, and it is precisely this economic policy that allows us to exercise effective social policy, strengthen key sectors and infrastructure in health, e ducation, security, and be able to face crises due to geopolitical developments," he said. When asked by a journalist if this means that further measures against inflation are forthcoming, Letymbiotis said, that the Government, in line with the fiscal data, will evaluate any additional or different measures. The Spokesman concluded by emphasizing the significance of the government's "responsible and prudent" fiscal policy, underscoring its role in cultivating a positive image for the country and transforming it into an appealing investment destination. Source: Cyprus News Agency

DIYARBAKIR: The 500-year-old Surp Sarkis Armenian Church in Trkiye's southeastern province of Diyarbakir will soon undergo major renovations. One of the historical Armenian churches in Diyarbakir, it is located in the Sur district and owned by the Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation. It had fallen into disrepair due to a lack of congregation and sustained damage during the twin earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023. The renovation project, approved and funded by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, aims to revive the church and will officially begin next week. Enhance tourism Speaking to Anadolu, Cemil Koc, head of the Culture Ministry's Directorate of Surveying and Monuments in Diyarbakir, said the church is classified as a first-class monumental structure. It is the second-largest Armenian church in Diyarbakir, after the Surp Giragos Armenian Church, Koc added. 'The structure consists of five naves parallel to the apse, featuring wide arches and a wooden-beam, earth-covered roof. The women's gallery, known as the last congregation area, has suffered damage to its columns and arches due to recent earthquakes and human factors.' 'Our renovation work aims to revive the church and contribute to the tourism of our region and country,' Koc said. He added that the renovation project began in 2021, with comprehensive surveys, renovation, structural, mechanical, and electrical plans approved by the conservation board in 2022. However, after the earthquakes, the church was found to have sustained severe damage, Koc said. "In response, the ministry provided a grant 5 million Turkish lira ($154,000) for this year. This will initiate the renovation process. Subsequent renovation will be supported by the Armenian community's resources and additional contributions. This initial phase marks the first step toward the church's revival," he added. Turkish Armenian patriarch to visit site Koc said the renovation work will begin next week with the Turkish Armenian patriarch set to pay a visit. "On June 27, Turkish Arme nian Patriarch Sahak Mashalian will visit Diyarbakir. During the visit, they will also make a community appeal for financial support," he said. Ergun Ayik, head of the Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation, described the church as a significant architectural landmark of the city. Previous renovation projects were prepared with support from the Diyarbakir Governorate and the Culture and Tourism Ministry allocated a fund following the earthquake damage, Ayik told Anadolu. "The contribution from the ministry is crucial for taking the first step. Once renovation begins, we believe significant contributions will come from both the local and international Armenian communities. The church site will also include eight guesthouses, a conference hall, a priest's house, and three workshops," Ayik said. He added that the restored church will also serve Diyarbakir's tourism sector. Source: Anadolu Agency

The first results for the June 9 elections will be known around 1930 on Sunday, while the final results will be given on Monday morning around 07:00 to 08:00, the Head of the Electoral Service of the Ministry of Interior Menelaos Vassiliou told CNA. With only 11 days before the elections, the Electoral Service is feverishly working to deal with procedural matters as the Government Printing Office is completing all printing required for the elections. Vassiliou told CNA that the number of voters is 705,357 which includes 568,608 Cypriots of which 834 are Turkish Cypriots. 21,640 are Europeans who vote for local government elections, 11,840 are Europeans who vote for the European elections and 103,269 Turkish Cypriots who reside in the occupied areas and vote for the European elections. He noted that around 9,000 people will staff the 1,845 polling stations. Overseas, in Greece, the United Kingdom and Belgium, 17 centers will operate in 13 cities. Vassiliou said the ballots will be distributed next week to t he heads of the voting centres. The cost approved for the elections is pound 6,650,000. The sorting of votes will take place at local polling stations. All proclamations will take place on Tuesday, June 11. Vassiliou pointed out that the peculiarity of the June 9 elections lies in the fact that for the first time there will be eight elections held simultaneously. As is known, there will be elections for members of the European Parliament, Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Municipal Councils, Community Leaders, members of Community Councils, Presidents of District Local Government Organisations and members of School Boards. In the upcoming elections for Members of the European Parliament and Local Administration, all citizens of the Republic aged 18 years and over who have their permanent residence in Cyprus, as well as citizens of other Member States of the European Union who reside in Cyprus and are registered in the relevant electoral rolls, have the right to vote. Meanwhile, the voting hours at polling stations ab road are: in Greece from 0700-1800 with an hour break from 1200-1300, in Belgium from 0800-1700 and an hour at midday and in the United Kingdom from 0800-1600 with a break from 1200-1300. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ANKARA: Iran on Thursday opened registration process for candidates hoping to run in the June 28 presidential election, to replace Ebrahim Raisi who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the five-day registration period will be followed by a week-long review of applications. All candidates must be approved by 12-member Guardian Council. The presidential vote was originally slated for 2025, but was brought forward following Raisi's unexpected death on May 19. He had won the 2021 presidential election. The crash also resulted in the deaths of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, as well as that of Malik Rahmeti, the governor of East Azerbaijan province, and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province. Mohammad Mokhber, Iran's first vice president, was appointed acting president after the crash. Source: Anadolu Agency

Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Thursday that Cyprus' initiative for a maritime humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, called "Amalthea" continues as normal. Speaking to journalists during a media briefing at the Presidential Palace, Letymbiotis noted that the operation of the temporary floating jetty, which was built by the US, has created the right conditions for the arrival and receipt of an increased volume of humanitarian aid in Gaza, adding that, approximately 14,000 pallets of humanitarian aid have arrived in Cyprus and 4,134 have already been sent based on the procedures for a secure control and departure mechanism of the Amalthea Plan. The Spokesperson said that more than 2,000 pallets have already been transported and unloaded on the shores of Gaza, while around 2,000 have been received for storage and distribution to the civilian population by humanitarian contractors operating in the Gaza Strip. In total, he noted, 11 itineraries have been carried out by suitable vessel s and more are expected in the near future. Furthermore, he said that during the day the French ship 'La Roire' is expected to depart carrying 150 pallets of humanitarian aid, while early next week a US ship is expected to depart carrying more than 3,000 tons of aid. Based on estimates, he said, the aid delivered and distributed so far is enough to feed tens of thousands of civilians for one month, while the target of being able to provide humanitarian aid to 500,000 civilians per month remains achievable. The Spokesperson said that, so far, the aid mainly concerns food, but noted that personal hygiene items, temporary shelters and medical care are part of the quantities sent for sea transport. The amount of the aid sent exceeds one million dollars, he added. "Additional aid from partners and interested parties is expected to arrive in Cyprus with the aim of transiting it to the civilian population of Gaza, based on the Amalthea Plan," he noted. Letymbiotis said that the Republic of Cyprus' Amalthea init iative, the maritime corridor for the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, "continues as normal". The Republic of Cyprus, he added, continues all procedures with the competent services and the partners involved, through a multinational coordination made possible thanks to the leadership that Cyprus has undertaken in the region. These procedures, he explained, include transport, control, inspection, loading and transfer to either a temporary secure storage or a suitable floating storage off Gaza. "As it has been demonstrated in practice, the operation of the temporary floating jetty, which was built by the US, has created the right conditions for the arrival and receipt of an increased volume of humanitarian aid in Gaza," he noted. Planning continues as normal, he said, "so that the Amalthea plan will fulfill its objective which is to increase the volume of maritime humanitarian aid as an additional transit route." Asked if the "Amalthea" project is affected by the development s in relation to the port of Larnaca, the Spokesperson said that it is not affected at all. Asked how aid will be provided since the US jetty is facing a problem, the Spokesperson said that the floating dock has the possibility of a storage of humanitarian cargo. He said that adverse weather conditions have slowed down the unloading of humanitarian cargoes but stressed that in no case has the operation been suspended. Letymbiotis noted that the information from the United States is that within the next few days, possibly the middle of next week, the pier should be able to receive humanitarian cargo again. He underlined that the transport and storage of humanitarian aid has not stopped. Replying to another question, he said that the information from the competent partners who distribute the humanitarian aid, is that a large part of the aid corresponding to the provision of aid and necessary food for tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza for a month has already been distributed. He added that all aspects should be taken into account and especially security, noting that it is a complex process. This process, he said, is being intensified and accelerated every day. Meanwhile, according to information, up until today, the Republic of Cyprus has received humanitarian aid for Gaza from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, Italy, the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the World Food Organization and the International Organization for Migration. Among others, Japan and Singapore have expressed interest while several EU Member States have expressed their intention to send aid. Finally, discussions are underway for new contributions from Romania, Slovakia, and Belgium, according to the same sources. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Trkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.? "Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, on the margins of the informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Prague," the ministry said on X. More information was not provided but according to diplomatic sources discussions between the two focused on a cease-fire in Gaza, progress on the two-state solution, the situation in Ukraine, and efforts to resolve conflicts in some African nations. Ankara's views on recent developments in Syria were also conveyed, and topics of interest to the alliance ahead of the NATO summit to be held in Washington were also discussed, the sources said. Source: Anadolu Agency

President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides held a meeting on Thursday with Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Nasser Kamel with whom they discussed issues concerning the Union, the situation in the Middle East, as well as gender equality. The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and Commissioner for Gender Equality Josie Christodoulou. In statements after the meeting, Kombos pointed out that Cyprus is an active member of the Union for the Mediterranean and noted that today a very important conference begins in Nicosia, which is co-organized by UfM and the Commissioner's office, attended by a large number of delegates and covered by important media outlets of the region. "It is our great pleasure to have here the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean. It is a partnership in which the Republic of Cyprus has invested a lot and will continue to invest in the next period," he said. Nasser Kamel said that as regards gender equality, Cyprus shows the way to all the countries of the Mediterranean, in all sectors, economic, political and others, so that they can outline what the Union for the Mediterranean can do to ensure that this important part of our societies (gender equality) is fully empowered to create sustainable development in the region. Kamel added that with President Christodoulides they also discussed about the tragic events in the Middle East, saying that they discussed the ways in which the effort for a ceasefire and reaching a solution for a sustainable and lasting peace in the region will be able to proceed. The deliberations of the two-day high-level conference entitled "Women for the Mediterranean", which is co-organized by the Union for the Mediterranean and the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, begins today and wraps up tomorrow in Nicosia. CNA acts as media sponsor of the event. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Slovenia's government on Thursday endorsed a motion to recognize Palestine as a state, local media reported. The government referred the motion to the National Assembly for final approval, Prime Minister Robert Golob said after the government session, according to the Slovenian Press Agency. The National Assembly is expected to vote on the motion next week, the agency reported. The country's Foreign Ministry also said that the process of recognizing an independent Palestine 'sends a strong signal to other countries' to follow the example of Slovenia, Ireland, Norway and Spain. The ministry further said the recognition of Palestine reaffirms Slovenia's role in the UN Security Council as a 'promoter of peace (and) security' and the country's long-standing position that 'a lasting solution to the MiddleEast conflict can only be achieved through a two-state solution.' 'I am glad that the Slovenian Government made a historic step. The Israelis and Palestinians have the right to raise their children in peace, security and prosperity in their own states. The recognition of Palestine is the only way for the two countries and peoples to coexist in peace,' Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said. 'The number of like-minded European countries is growing, which is a clear sign that the EU is assuming a more active role in the resolution of this conflict,' Fajon added. The move came just two days after Ireland, Norway and Spain formally recognized Palestinian statehood. On May 9, the Slovenian government launched procedures to recognize the state of Palestine, according to the agency. Israel has killed more than 36,200 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which killed around 1,200 people. The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine. Israel is accused of 'genocide' at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do no t commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency