Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - The Supreme Electoral Council (SEC) of Turkey had recently confirmed the use of tactile ballot papers for the June 24 election but later denied the budget request for the process. Engin Yilmaz, the head of Engelsiz Erişim Derneği (Barrier-free Access Association), a charity organisation that supports disabled people, stated to the Turkish news publication, Bianet, that...

JERUSALEM, Israel (ViaNews) - Several letters written by Albert Einstein are on sale by an auction house based in Jerusalem, Israel. In one of those letters, written seven months prior to the first atomic bombing attack in history, Einstein foresees that a nuclear weapon will decide the fate of war. In another letter, Albert Einstein warns that without a supranational...

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - A group of doctorate students in the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Department at Ege University developed a clothing material for their medical staff who had been exposed to radiation on a daily basis due to their professions. Professor Fatma Yurt Onaran said to Diken, a Turkish newspaper, that the medical staff working in the radiology...

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - On Wednesday, Turkey’s presidency held an emergency meeting with top economic advisors and said that they would take measures to reduce interest and exchange rate pressures and prevent the Turkish lira’s record low slide after losing its value against other currencies, a wake up call for high inflation. FT writer Laura Pitel in relation to...

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - Last week, Erdogan called early presidential elections for June 24. This Wednesday, on April 25, Turkey’s electoral body announced that 11 political parties will compete in the June 24 polls. Even though Turkish politicians campaigning abroad was banned by some European countries, Turkish President Erdogan, without identifying the country, stated: “God willing, in May, we will hold...

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - On Jan. 20, Turkey launched “Operation Olive Branch” along with the FSA (Free Syrian Army) to clear YPG militants (Kurdish defence forces) from the Afrin district. Subsequently, a group of students opened a stand on the campus of Bosphorus University, one of Turkey’s top universities, distributing sweets dubbed “Afrin delight” to commemorate fallen soldiers in...

CAIRO, Egypt (ViaNews) - As the deadline for applying to become a presidential candidate approaches, current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi barely has any competition. There were three other potential contenders for the presidency but one by one they all dropped out of the race. The first strong potential candidate was Ahmed Shafik: a former military man and a very successful...

ANKARA, Turkey (ViaNews) - The history of cannabis use is as old as the history of humanity. In Divan literature during the Ottoman Empire, many poets wrote about intoxicating substances, including cannabis. Also, it was widely used in the shamanic times, before the Islam religion was recognized by the Turks. It was believed that cannabis enabled the shamans to...

CAIRO, Egypt (ViaNews) - The situation in Yemen is a complex one. A civil war has been ongoing for over 2 years, but the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh this week changes a lot not just in Yemen, but also in the entire region. Let’s go back a few years in order to adequately capture the situation and get a...

Islamabad, Pakistan (ViaNews) - Is the USA Government trying to strangulate the Pakistan elite businesses who are directly or indirectly linked to sensitive equipment or strategic industries? Could the U.S. Entity List be a tool harness Pakistan strategic organization? Not many know about the Entity List, a document provided by the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). According to...

Jerusalem, Israel (VIAnews) - At the foot of the Sea of Galilee, 76 miles north of Jerusalem, is the Yigal Allon Center, also known as the Man in the Galilee Museum. It was named for one of the founders of the kibbutz (communal settlement) who was Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister. In January 1986, two...

According to a Jerusalem Post article, on August 25, by David M. Weinberg, “One of the most important archaeological projects in the Land of Israel of our times—the Temple Mount Sifting Project—has run out of money and been temporarily shut down.” Given the recent UNESCO decision...