Magnitude 6.4 earthquake shakes Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria

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An earthquake of 6.4 magnitude struck off the coast of northern Greece on Saturday, sending panicked residents into the streets in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, officials said. In Turkey about 270 people were hospitalized, most with minor injuries, as a tremor shook buildings, the government disaster and emergency department said.

The quake also rattled Turkey’s most populous city, Istanbul, as well as the Aegean coastal city of Izmir and the popular tourism province of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast.

Turkey mine rescue ends, death toll at 301 - minister

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Turkey on Saturday announced the final death toll from this week's devastating coal blast as 301, after retrieving the bodies of the last two miners trapped underground. "The rescue operation was carried out to completion. There are no miners left underground," Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in the western town of Soma, site of the country's worst ever industrial disaster.

Another 485 miners either escaped or have been rescued since the explosion struck on Tuesday, AFP reports.

The disaster has led to a surge of popular anger in Turkey, fuelled by accusations of negligence by mine operators and what many saw as a heartless response from the government.

Just In: Turkey scrambles warplanes after blast on Syria border

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Several Turkish F-16 warplanes took off from base in southeastern Diyarbakir after large explosion close to Syrian border, local media reported on Sunday.

Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported that the warplanes were headed toward Syrian border, according to Bloomberg news agency.

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Turkey would support US-led no-fly zone in Syria

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Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would support a US-enforced no-fly zone in Syria, and warned that Damascus crossed President Barack Obama's "red line" on chemical weapons use long ago, according to an NBC News interview released Thursday.
A no-fly zone to prohibit Syrian military aircraft from hitting rebel targets has been mentioned by American lawmakers as one option the US could use to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
But setting up a no-fly zone would require US air strikes, and possibly forces sent into Syria, at the risk of casualties. There is little chance the United States would undertake that anytime soon, US security officials say.
Erdogan also said Assad has fired missiles with chemical weapons at his opponents, crossing Obama's so-called red line a "long time ago."
The US says it wants proof before taking any action.

Missing American mother of two found dead in Turkey

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A New York City woman who went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul was found dead yesterday Saturday February 2nd, and police were questioning 11 people in connection with the case, Turkey's state-run news agency said.

Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was to fly home. Her disappearance attracted a lot of interest in Turkey, where the disappearance of tourists is rare, andIstanbul police had set up a special unit to find her.

 

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the body of a woman was discovered Saturday evening near the remnants of ancient city walls and that police later identified it as Sierra's.

4,000 Nigerians in Turkey prisons – IG

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By Albert Akpor, Evelyn Usman & Daniel Eteghe.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, in Lagos, said that no fewer than  4,000 Nigerians  are in Turkey prisons over drug related and human  trafficking cases.
The IG who arrived from Turkey,  vowed to fish out killers of the four students of University of Port Harcourt and those at Mubi, in Adamawa State.Briefing  journalists on arrival at the Police Air Wing, Ikeja, Abubakar  explained that  his