Turkey: Wildfires Trigger Evacuations in Çanakkale and Tekirdağ

Wildfires broke out in Çanakkale’s Ayvacık and Tekirdağ’s Şarköy districts, damaging homes, livestock, and historical sites. In Ayvacık, fires spread to nearby villages, prompting evacuations and damaging a mosque and a geothermal plant. In Tekirdağ, a fast-moving fire crossed into Çanakkale province, forcing evacuations in several villages. Hundreds of firefighters, vehicles, and aircraft are battling the flames in both regions.

Turkish security forces capture 23 suspected IS members: minister

STORY: Turkish security forces capture 23 suspected IS members: minister SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage DATELINE: April 26, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:50 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the operations of Turkish security forces (courtesy of Turkish Interior Ministry) STORYLINE: Turkish security forces have apprehended 23 suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group in recent operations, according to a statement by the country's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Thursday. The police conducted simultaneous raids in several provinces, including Canakkale, Hatay, Konya, Sakarya, Tekirdag, Yalova, and Yozgat, Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X, without revealing the specific timing of these operations. Between June 1, 2023, and April 22, 2024, a total of 1422 operations were carried out against the IS group. As a result, 2,991 suspects were captured, according to the minister. The IS has conducted a series of deadly attacks in Türkiye since 2015, including the rec

5 killed, 10 injured in road accident in NW Türkiye

STORY: 5 killed, 10 injured in road accident in NW Türkiye SHOOTING TIME: March 21, 2024 DATELINE: March 21, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:24 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of rescue teams working in the area where the traffic accident took place 2. various of fire brigade teams trying to rescue the injured trapped in the vehicle 3. various of medical teams treating the injured STORYLINE: At least five people were killed and 10 others injured in a road accident in northwestern Türkiye on Thursday, local media reported. According to Ihlas news agency, the accident occurred in Tekirdag province when a lorry collided with a passenger minibus. Ihlas said ambulances and rescue teams swiftly responded to the scene, and the injured were promptly transported to nearby hospitals. In the photographs published by the news agency, many paramedics and firefighters are seen rescuing the wounded. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Xinhua News Agency correspondents r

Turkish security forces arrest 72 suspects in anti-narcotic operations

STORY: Turkish security forces arrest 72 suspects in anti-narcotic operations DATELINE: Sept. 25, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:19 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the anti-narcotic operations of Turkish security forces across Türkiye (courtesy of Ihlas news agency) STORYLINE: Turkish security forces detained at least 72 suspects in anti-narcotic operations across seven provinces, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on Sunday. The operations were carried out in the provinces of Agri, Mugla, Diyarbakir, Tekirdag, Sakarya, Aydin and Bingol, according to the statement. It added that 9.5 kg of cannabis and various narcotics weighing 0.5 kg were seized in Sakarya, 13 kg of cannabis in Bingol, and some 2.2 kg of cannabis and 1.6 kg of methamphetamine in Aydin. In addition, some 15,680 pills were seized in Tekirdag, 80 kg of powdered cannabis, 834,000 hemp plants, etc., in Diyarbakir, and 2 kg and 25 kg of liquid methamphetamine in Mugla and Agri, respectively. "We will

Türkiye detains 17 in operation against IS financing network

STORY: Türkiye detains 17 in operation against IS financing network DATELINE: Sept. 23, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:00 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of special operations police raiding the house in Türkiye (file) 2. various of Tekirdag Palace of Justice in Türkiye 3. various of suspects arrested in the operations STORYLINE: Turkish police have detained at least 17 people for their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) in a massive operation against the terrorist group's financing network launched on Friday, local media reported. The operation centers in the northwestern province of Tekirdag and covers nine provinces, the state-run TRT broadcaster said. According to TRT, one of the suspects was believed to be the "treasurer" of the IS. The IS has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Türkiye since 2015, while the country's counter-terrorism forces have been carrying out operations against members of the group in the country. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporti

Türkiye seizes 50 migrant smugglers: interior minister

STORY: Türkiye seizes 50 migrant smugglers: interior minister DATELINE: July 28, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:04 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of migrant smugglers caught in operations being taken to police headquarters in Istanbul, Türkiye 2. various of illegal immigrants caught during inspections being put on buses and deported in Türkiye STORYLINE: Fifty migrant smugglers have been seized by Turkish police in operations across three provinces, the interior minister said on Thursday. The raids took place in Istanbul and the northwestern provinces of Edirne and Tekirdag, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Twitter. Of the 50 seized smugglers, 30 were detained, and two were placed under judicial control, Yerlikaya added. He did not provide further details about the remaining suspects. The minister promised that Türkiye would not provide a safe haven for migrant smugglers. Türkiye is a transit country for many illegal immigrants who leave for Europe on risky journeys

Türkiye's summer wheat harvest hampered by severe drought

STORY: Türkiye's summer wheat harvest hampered by severe drought DATELINE: July 19, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:03 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of combine harvesters working in the field in Türkiye 2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): CEMAL POLAT, Head of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Tekirdag Branch STORYLINE: Halim Orta, a wheat farmer in the Thrace region, one of the granaries of Türkiye, had high hopes for the summer harvest when he sowed seeds in October last year. But the yield fell far short of expectations due to the severe drought that had badly affected agriculture throughout Türkiye. "The average wheat crop this year in my field dipped by about 20 percent due to uneven rainfall and dry season in general," Orta told Xinhua. Farmers planted wheat on nearly 4.5 million hectares of land in the region, mainly in Edirne, Kirklareli and Tekirdag provinces, to meet around 15 percent of domestic wheat needs. "The lack of precipitation, water stress, and agricultural drought su

Spring rains in Türkiye's Thrace region boost farmers' hopes: media

STORY: Spring rains in Türkiye's Thrace region boost farmers' hopes: media DATELINE: June 17, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:46 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT/ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a dam used for irrigation in Türkiye 2. various of wheat harvest 3. various of Istanbul in Türkiye 4. various of a dam, whose water level has decreased due to a lack of seasonal rains in Istanbul, Türkiye STORYLINE: Above-average rainfall received across Türkiye's western Thrace region in the spring alleviated concerns about a continued drought in the country that would affect grain production, state media reported on Friday. The cities of Edirne, Kiklareli and Tekirdag received more rainfall than average in the spring months, which increased water levels in lakes, ponds and dams, boosting hopes of farmers in the region after a dry autumn, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. If the region, a major breadbasket for the country, continues to receive a good amount of rainfall, its wheat crop yield is expec

Turkish opposition member Muharrem Ince

Turkish opposition member Muharrem Ince

Muharrem Ince from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party meets with reporters on the outskirts of Tekirdag, northwestern Turkey, on May 18, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Turkish opposition member Muharrem Ince

Turkish opposition member Muharrem Ince

Muharrem Ince from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party makes a speech in Tekirdag, northwestern Turkey, on May 18, 2018, ahead of the presidential election on June 24. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo