by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Ankara: Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s flag carrier air company, hosted in Istanbul 28,000 passengers from 28 countries in its stopover project over the past two years, the company said Friday.
The national flag carrier added 16 countries, including Japan, China, and India, in its stopover service program, according to a statement from the company.
The free stopover accommodation service began in March 2017, the statement said.
“We aim to expand the scope of our project, which contributes to the development of our country’s tourism through new Istanbul Airport,” Ahmet Olmustur, Turkish Airlines’ chief marketing officer, said.
Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, currently has more than 330 aircraft, including passenger and cargo planes.
It flies to 306 destinations in 124 countries. Last year, Turkish Airlines carried 75.2 million passengers with a seat occupancy rate of 82 percent.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Yalova City (Turkey) : Turkish forensic officers have begun searching a luxury villa in Yalova, a city southeast of Istanbul, after launching an investigation there as part of a hunt for evidence that might lead to the remains of murdered Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A large contingent of forensic investigators arrived in various vehicles at the palatial villa close to the eastern shore of the Sea of Marmara looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the Washington Post columnist who was killed in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, Xinhua news agency reported.
Khashoggi, 59, had attended the consulate to deal with the paperwork for his impending marriage.
Irfan Fidan, chief prosecutor for Istanbul who heads the investigation into Khashoggi, ordered the search of the mansion, some 60 miles from Istanbul.
Local newspaper Hurriyet said the mansion belonged to a Saudi businessman and that a second property adjacent to it was also being searched.
Khashoggi’s disappearance has heightened tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi authorities have arrested 18 persons over Khashoggi’s killing and brought criminal charges against 11 of them.
Five of those arrested could face execution, authorities said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Istanbul : The Turkish city of Istanbul will host Thursday the International Symposium on Financing for Development, under the theme of “Thinking Innovative Solutions to Persistent Development Challenges”.
The two-day event is being organized by the Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), a subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The symposium will provide a platform for dialogue and discussions among policymakers, policy-advisors, practitioners and academicians to address the problems related to financing for development.
The current 57 member states of the OIC are highly diversified in terms of their level of economic development and many of them require a substantial amount of resources to finance their development.
These countries continue to face persistent development challenges, mainly due lack of adequate resources and ineffective use of existing resources. Meanwhile, there are also a growing number of OIC member states that have been active in supporting development in other developing countries, but their role in development assistance is not properly recognized at global levels.
In order to address the development finance challenges, alternative mechanisms are being voiced across the globe. A particularly strong mechanism that becomes increasingly popular is the Islamic finance instruments in financing for development, which can be instrumental for OIC countries in fostering development when effectively utilized.
In this connection, the symposium aims to identify the opportunities for innovative financing mechanisms, including Islamic finance instruments, as well as effective utilization modalities of existing resources for financing development in developing countries, with a particular focus on OIC member countries. It will also highlight and discuss the growing role of some OIC countries as development financiers and emerging donors in achieving global development goals.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia has confirmed that missing journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fist fight involving more than a dozen Saudi officials at the country’s consulate in Istanbul, the media reported on Saturday.
A statement carried on Saudi state TV on Friday night was the first official confirmation of Khashoggi’s death in Turkey 18 days ago, and the first acknowledgment by Saudi Arabia of its role in it, reports CNN.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place in this case and affirms the commitment of the authorities in the Kingdom to bring the facts to the attention of the public and to hold accountable all those involved,” it said.
The statement conceded that Khashoggi died as a result of the altercation after he had come to the consulate to obtain paperwork needed for his upcoming wedding to his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz.
Five high-ranking officials have been removed from their posts, including the deputy head of the Saudi intelligence service, and 18 Saudis have been detained, it added.
Khashoggi disappeared after going to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul at about 1.15 p.m. on October 2 to obtain the paperwork. She raised the alarm just before 5 p.m, while she was still waiting outside.
According to Saudi state media, citing official sources, the public prosecutor’s office investigated a number of suspects based on the information they received from Turkish authorities.
Preliminary investigations showed a suspect went to Istanbul to meet with Khashoggi with the possible intention of bringing the journalist to the Kingdom.
The Saudis have set up a commission, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that will restructure the Saudi general intelligence directorate and will have one month to release a report, state TV said.
The commission will consist of national security officials, the Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that he found the Saudi claim credible, CNN said.
He called the official statement from Riyadh a “good first step” and said talks with Saudi officials would continue, including raising some questions about their account of events.
“I think we’re getting close to solving a very big problem,” Trump said.
He added that Saudi Arabia has been a “great ally in the Middle East”, but that “what happened is unacceptable”.
Trump said he would work with Congress to develop a response to Khashoggi’s death, but said that he didn’t want sanctions to affect US arms sales to the Kingdom.
Trump said he would withhold a fuller comment until he speaks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia has been under intense pressure since Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Turkish officials, mostly speaking privately, have released a steady stream of gory details about what happened to the journalist at the consulate. They said he was killed soon after he entered the embassy, and his body dismembered.
None of the Saudi statements however, give any clue as to what happened to Khashoggi’s remains.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Istanbul : A major consultative workshop was held recently here for two days in Turkey on IsDB’s policy of engagement with the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in different member countries.
A joint effort by IsDB and SESRIC and partners in collaboration with IsDB Group Regional Hub Turkey, the event was held on the sidelines of the workshop on “enhancing humanitarian response and resilience through civil society organizations in OIC member states.” A host of experts and professionals attended the consultative seminar including those from Jordan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Somalia, the OIC, SESRIC, IsDB, UNDP, UNHCR, IITA, Turkish Red Crescent, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Save the Children, IFRC in Africa, IHH, Doctors Worldwide Turkey, and Islamic Relief Worldwide.
The consultative workshop came in line with the Global Agenda 2030 as the IsDB remains at the forefront of addressing diverse challenges faced by its member countries in various economic and social sectors.
Since the 10-Year Strategy of the Bank calls for inclusive social development and more participation of NGOs / CSOs in IsDB development interventions, IsDB has embarked on the preparation of a CSOs engagement policy to provide guidance on its interventions with CSOs among other things NGOs, community groups, foundations, and think tanks. The policy aims first, to create a framework of dialogue, consultation and partnership with CSOs in order to foster the sharing of knowledge and experiences; and improve the direct assistance to local communities in member countries and or Muslim communities in non-member countries through CSOs.
A policy study has also been commissioned to take stock of the internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to the Bank’s capability to engage with civil society across all its operations. Moreover, a review and assessment exercise of other Multilateral Development Banks’ engagement with CSOs has been carried out to benchmark the policy with the involvement of similar organizations.
—SM/UNA-OIC
