Tag: Turkey

Erdogan urges cooperation against terrorism in Macron call

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron he wants their countries to cooperate to fight terrorism, as Ankara moves to ease tensions with Paris. The two leaders, who have clashed over a range of issues including the conflicts in Syria and Libya as well as the eastern Mediterranean, spoke in a video call for the first time since September. According to a statement by the Turkish […]

Erdogan gets jab as Turkey unrolls Chinese vaccine

by Burcin Gercek and Ozan Kose in Istanbul ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stripped down to a black t-shirt and got vaccinated on Thursday as the nation of 83 million people began rolling out China’s Sinovac jab despite conflicting data about its efficacy. The 66-year-old Turkish leader was whisked into an Ankara hospital by a bevy of security guards before emerging about an hour later to stress the importance of officials […]

Turkey launches vaccination drive with China’s Sinovac after trials there showing 91.25% efficacy

  ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish doctors and nurses rolled up their sleeves on Thursday as the nation of 83 million people launched a coronavirus vaccination drive with China’s Sinovac jab. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca received the first shot of CoronaVac live on television after formally approving the vaccine Wednesday despite contradictory data about its efficacy rate. Preliminary studies involving more than 7,000 volunteers in Turkey showed CoronaVac to be 91.25 percent effective. But a […]

Indonesia okays emergency use of Sinovac, as Turkey announces start of vaccination this week

  (Eagle News) — Indonesia has given emergency use approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac BioTech Ltd., and is set to start vaccination using the vaccines. As this developed, Turkey also announced that it would start vaccination using the Chinese-made vaccine by Thursday or Friday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself announced the start of the vaccination in Turkey In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reported that no less than Indonesian President Joko Widodo […]

Turkey hit by 5.5 magnitude quake: USGS

  ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, with initial reports indicating no immediate casualties. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said there were no reports of material damage or casualties so far. The USGS said the quake was registered in the Sivrice district in Elazig province at 0637 GMT and struck at a depth of 10 kilometres. The Turkish government’s disaster agency AFAD reported a […]

Turkey to start using China’s Covid-19 vaccine Sinovac after strong results

    ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey will receive its first shipment of China’s Sinovac coronavirus vaccine within days as preliminary domestic tests showed it was 91% effective, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. Ankara in the next few days will also sign a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech for 4.5 million doses, with the option to buy 30 million more from the US pharmaceutical giant and its German partner, Koca said Turkey will initially receive […]

Three-year-old girl rescued 91 hours after Turkey quake

by Luana SARMINI-BUONACCORSI with Raziye Akkoc in Ankara BAYRAKLI, Turkey (AFP) — A three-year-old girl was pulled from rubble Tuesday, 91 hours after a powerful earthquake hit western Turkey, offering a ray of hope for grieving families as the death toll soared past 100. But only hours after Ayda Gezgin was miraculously recovered in the hard-hit town of Bayrakli, rescuers found the body of her mother Fidan, 38, in the same room of their destroyed […]

Two children rescued days after deadly Turkey quake

by Luana SARMINI-BUONACCORSI BAYRAKLI, Turkey (AFP) — Rescuers pulled two children from the rubble in a town in Turkey on Monday, providing hope nearly three days after a major earthquake hit the Aegean, killing 94 people and damaging or destroying dozens of buildings. Three-year-old Elif Perincek was rescued 65 hours after the 7.0-magnitude quake left a trail of destruction in western Turkey and eastern Greece on Friday, Turkey’s AFAD emergency authority said. Local media showed […]

Major quake death toll rises to 49 in Turkey

  BAYRAKLI, TURKEY (AFP) — Rescue workers were searching eight buildings in Izmir Sunday, despite dwindling hope for survivors, as the death toll of a powerful magnitude earthquake which hit western Turkey rose to 49. The 7.0-magnitude quake has also injured 896 in Turkey, the Turkish emergency authority AFAD said, after striking on Friday afternoon near the west coast town of Seferihisar in Izmir province. More than 200 people were in hospital, AFAD said, and […]

Rescuers race to find Turkey quake survivors, 39 dead

  by Raziye Akkoc Agence France Presse Rescuers raced against the clock to save people trapped under rubble in Turkey and Greece on Saturday as anguished mourners buried the first victims of a powerful earthquake that claimed 39 lives. The 7.0-magnitude quake killed 37 people and injured nearly 900 in Turkey after striking on Friday afternoon near the west coast town of Seferihisar in Izmir province. Also killing two teenagers on their way home from […]

At least 26 dead, as rescuers search for survivors in major quake in Turkey, Greece

  by Raziye AKKOC with Hélène COLLIOPOULOU in Athens Agence France Presse Rescuers dug through heavy blocks of concrete with their bare hands Saturday in a desperate search for survivors from a powerful earthquake that levelled buildings across Greece and Turkey, killing at least 26 people. The quake struck late Friday afternoon, causing a mini-tsunami on the Aegean island of Samos and a sea surge that turned streets into rushing rivers in a town on […]

UPDATED: At least 14 dead, buildings collapse as major quake hits Turkey, Greece

  by Gokan GUNES with Hélène COLLIOPOULOU in Athens Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Rescuers dug through heavy blocks of concrete with their bare hands on Friday in a desperate search for survivors from a powerful earthquake that levelled buildings across Greece and Turkey, killing at least 14 people. The quake caused a mini-tsunami on the Aegean island of Samos and a sea surge that turned streets into rushing rivers in one town […]