President seals Finland's NATO bid by signing required laws

HELSINKI (AP) — The Finnish president on Thursday formally sealed the Nordic country’s historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance. The move by President Sauli Niinistö means Finland...

Report: 119K people hurt by riot-control weapons since 2015

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — More than 119,000 people have been injured by tear gas and other chemical irritants around the world since 2015 and some 2,000 suffered injuries from “less lethal” impact projectiles, according to a report released Wednesday. Physicians for Human Rights and...

In boost to opposition, Kurdish party won't field candidate

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political party and its allies said Wednesday that they won't field a candidate to run in the country's May 14 presidential election, a move that could boost an opposition bloc's chances of unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With...

Killing of Kurds in northern Syria sparks protests, tensions

JINDERIS, Syria (AP) — Thousands of Kurds took to the streets of the earthquake-ravaged Syrian town of Jinderis on Tuesday to protest the killing of four men as they lit a fire to celebrate the Kurdish new year the night before. The attack on the Kurdish men rekindled tensions...

3 Kurds reportedly shot dead celebrating new year in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey-backed opposition fighters in Syria fatally shot at least three ethnic Kurds who were celebrating a holiday late Monday by lighting fires, Syrian opposition activists and pro-government media said. The shooting near the northwestern town of Jinderis, which...

Donors pledge $7.5 billion for Turkey, Syria after quake

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and international donors on Monday pledged seven billion euros ($7.5 billion) to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the neighboring countries last month. The European Commission said after the...

Qatar: 4,000 World Cup huts sent to quake-hit Turkey, Syria

Qatar has sent 4,000 cabins built to house fans at last year's World Cup to earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria, authorities said Monday. The Associated Press watched as the latest batch of pre-fabricated cabins was loaded onto a cargo ship in the Persian Gulf. The Qatar...

Ukraine, Turkey announce that wartime deal allowing grain shipments from Ukrainian ports has been extended

Turkey’s top diplomat visits Cairo in effort to mend ties

CAIRO (AP) — Turkey’s chief diplomat was in Cairo on Saturday for talks with Egyptian officials as the regional powers seek to mend their frayed ties after years of tension. Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, arrived in the Egyptian capital early Saturday. He was the...

Turkey's president says he will back Finland's NATO bid

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his government would move forward with ratifying Finland’s NATO application, paving the way for the country to join the military bloc ahead of Sweden. The breakthrough came as Finnish President Sauli...