Apartment fire in Turkey's Ankara kills 3, including a baby
The blaze broke out at around 10:00 p.m. local time Saturday night on the fourth floor and quickly spread through the structure, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. It took firefighters four hours to put out the fire.
The agency also reported that 39 suffered light smoke inhalation, including seven firefighters. Paramedics attended to 26 people on site, while 20 others have been hospitalized, one in critical condition.
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Kuwait Times
4 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
The name of victory is Turkiye — Remembering July 15
The name of victory is Turkiye — Remembering July 15 By Tuba Nur Sonmez Nine years ago, on the night of July 15, 2016, the people of Türkiye witnessed a betrayal that tested not only the strength of their institutions but the very soul of their nation. It was a night when tanks blocked roads, helicopters rained bullets on civilians, and the Parliament was bombed by heinous elements from within the military. But it was also a night that gave birth to one of the most extraordinary moments of collective courage and unity in modern Turkish history. The attempted coup was orchestrated by members of the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO), a clandestine network that had operated for decades under the guise of religious devotion and educational service. Led by Fetullah Gulen, a cleric residing in the United States, FETO systematically infiltrated key institutions of the Turkish state—including the military, judiciary, police, and civil service—through unlawful methods such as exam fraud, blackmail, and covert loyalty structures. Exploiting the trust of devout citizens, the organization disguised itself as a benevolent religious movement, gaining influence particularly among youth through schools, exam preparation centers, societal meetings, and various other mechanisms. Behind this outward image, however, lay a sinister agenda. But on the night of July 15, their intentions and ambitions were buried by the people's will. What occurred on July 15 was not just a military mutiny. It was a carefully planned internal assault on the democratic order, executed with precision and malice. Fighter jets bombed strategic buildings in Ankara. Armed soldiers opened fire on civilians standing in protest. An attempt was made to assassinate the President. Media outlets were raided to silence free press. The aim was clear: to replace the rule of law with the rule of a cult. To this day, many in Turkiye—especially in Ankara and Istanbul—remember the sound of plotter jets overhead, recognizing it as the sound of betrayal. And yet, what was meant to paralyze the nation resulted in just the opposite. With no hesitation and with no weapons in hand, millions of ordinary citizens filled the streets in cities and towns across the country. They defied curfews and the gunfire of the usurpers. They stood in front of tanks and reclaimed their sovereignty. Across ideological and political lines, the people of Türkiye stood united in their defense of democracy. That unity became the most powerful weapon against the plotters. By morning, it was clear that the coup had failed, but at a heavy cost—252 lives lost, over 2,200 injured, buildings destroyed. Yet Türkiye did not descend into chaos. The state responded swiftly and within legal bounds. A long-overdue reckoning with FETO began, and those responsible were brought to justice. The group's networks in education, media, and finance were dismantled, while public institutions were reformed to restore transparency. Compromised security structures were restructured to align with national interests. In the years since the coup attempt, Türkiye has made significant strides in consolidating political stability, reducing foreign dependency, and adopting a more assertive and self-reliant foreign policy. The trauma of July 15 catalyzed a shift not only in governance, but also in public consciousness. Citizens today are more aware of the importance of civic responsibility, of remaining vigilant against anti-democratic threats such as this vile coup attempt. It is important for the international community to understand the nature of what transpired on that night. FETO is not merely a Turkish issue. It is a transnational threat that operates through soft power tactics—schools, NGOs, media networks—and exploits the very democratic freedoms it seeks to destroy. Just as terrorism takes many forms, so too must democratic societies be alert to non-traditional, covert threats that seek to undermine them from within. Every year on July 15, Türkiye marks Democracy and National Unity Day—a time not only to remember the lives lost, but also to reflect on the strength of its democratic will. That night reminded the nation that democracy is not merely a system of institutions, but a living commitment between state and citizen. It can be attacked, but when defended with unity and resolve, it can endure and grow stronger. The memory of that night remains vivid, not only as a moment of sorrow but as a symbol of collective courage. Ordinary people did not wait to be protected by democracy; they rose to protect it themselves. Faced with a choice between oppression and freedom, the nation chose democracy. Nine years on, Türkiye stands stronger. The spirit of July 15 is not something of the past, as long as that spirit lives, no darkness will be strong enough to cast shadows to Turkish people's will. We can say proudly that 'The Name of Victory is Türkiye.' We remember our martyrs with gratitude, and honor our veterans with pride. May Allah preserve our unity, protect our democracy, and keep our nation strong. Note: Tuba Nur Sonmez is Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to Kuwait
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Apartment fire in Turkey's Ankara kills 3, including a baby
Istanbul, July 13, (AP): A fire at a 26-story apartment building in the Turkish capital, Ankara, killed three people, including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby, local media said. The blaze broke out at around 10:00 p.m. local time Saturday night on the fourth floor and quickly spread through the structure, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. It took firefighters four hours to put out the fire. The agency also reported that 39 suffered light smoke inhalation, including seven firefighters. Paramedics attended to 26 people on site, while 20 others have been hospitalized, one in critical condition.
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Arab Times
Appeals court throws out plea deal for alleged mastermind of Sept 11 attacks
WASHINGTON, July 12, (AP): A divided federal appeals court on Friday threw out an agreement that would have allowed accused Sept 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaeda's 2001 attacks. The decision by a panel of the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., undoes an attempt to wrap up more than two decades of military prosecution beset by legal and logistical troubles. It signals there will be no quick end to the long struggle by the US military and successive administrations to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States. The deal, negotiated over two years and approved by military prosecutors and the Pentagon's senior official for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a year ago, stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two co-defendants. Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes flew into a field in Pennsylvania. Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims were split on the plea deal. Some objected to it, saying a trial was the best path to justice and to gaining more information about the attacks, while others saw it as the best hope for bringing the painful case to a conclusion and getting some answers from the defendants. The plea deal would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks. But then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin repudiated the deal, saying a decision on the death penalty in an attack as grave as Sept. 11 should only be made by the defense secretary. Attorneys for the defendants had argued that the agreement was already legally in effect and that Austin, who served under President Joe Biden, acted too late to try to throw it out. A military judge at Guantanamo and a military appeals panel agreed with the defense lawyers. But, by a 2-1 vote, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found Austin acted within his authority and faulted the military judge's ruling. The panel had previously put the agreement on hold while it considered the appeal, first filed by the Biden administration and then continued under President Donald Trump. "Having properly assumed the convening authority, the Secretary determined that the 'families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out.' The Secretary acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment,' judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao wrote. Millett was an appointee of President Barack Obama while Rao was appointed by Trump.
