Ankara news stories on Newser

Docs Perform First Quadruple Limb Transplant

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:58:05 CST

Doctors in Turkey say they have performed the world's first quadruple limb transplant on a man who lost both arms and legs at age 13, Sky News reports. The 20-hour operation at a hospital in Ankara required more than 50 doctors working on the patient, 27-year-old Sevket Cavdar. "We have...

Deadly 6.0 Quake Rattles Turkey

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:18:10 CST

At least 51 people were killed early today when a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Turkey. Minarets toppled, buildings crumbled, and panicked residents fled their homes in 6 villages near the epicenter some 350 miles east of the nation's capital of Ankara. Rescuers were rushing to free people trapped...

Turkey Eases Controversial 'Insult' Statute

Jason Farago — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:06:27 CDT

The Turkish parliament has approved changes to a notorious law that makes it a crime to "insult Turkishness," reports the Financial Times . Ankara legislators today amended the notorious Article 301, reducing the maximum sentence and requiring the justice minister to approve all prosecutions. But while nationalists are outraged, civil rights...

Pelosi Vows to Push Turkish Genocide Vote

Wesley Oliver — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:13:07 CDT

Nancy Pelosi vows to take the Turkey-genocide vote to the floor despite renewed Turkish threats and Republican jabs, the New York Times reports. Turkey’s army chief warned today that “military relations with the United States can never be the same" if the vote passes. GOP lawmaker John Boehner called it...

Bomb Threat Leaves US Air Base on Alert

Sam Gale Rosen — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:13:58 CDT

The US air base in Spangdahlem, Germany, received a phoned-in bomb threat last night, and German police and the American military personnel have secured the facility. Although officials say they doubt the threat is credible, they're taking no chances. "It is being taken very seriously given the current situation and...

Turks, Kurds in Tense Standoff at Iraqi Border

Colleen Barry — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:42:16 CDT

As the Turkish military continued its aggressive saber-rattling along the border with Iraq this week, the US finds itself in a tough spot. The Turks want a green light to go after Kurdish separatist guerrillas hiding in northern Iraq; the Kurds want protection. “Now the U.S. has to choose,...

Turks Finger Kurds Over Bombing

Peter Fearon — Thu, 24 May 2007 05:51:07 CDT

Turkish authorities identified the suicide bomber in Tuesday's Ankara bombing yesterday, and pointed the finger at the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group headquartered in northern iraq. The Financial Times reports the bombing has renewed calls for Turkey to attack guerrilla bases in Kurdistan, a move which would have serious repercussions...

Bombing Rocks Turkish Capital

Sam Gale Rosen — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:28:27 CDT

An explosion shocked the Turkish capital yesterday, killing six and injuring at least 100 in a busy marketplace. The bombing comes at a delicate time for the country, the New York Times observes, as Parliament clash with the governing party over the place of Islam in the secular democracy.