Turkey president Erdogan issues shocking order, asks Turkish people to give birth to...
After the 'Boycott Turkey' campaign, Erdoğan is now grappling with a new crisis. The population of Turkey is consistently decreasing, and the Turkish women's low birth rate has emerged as a huge concern for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Declining birth rates are now being perceived as a threat larger than war. To address this, the Turkish government has launched several measures to promote childbirth and has announced 2025 as the 'Year of the Family.'
Last month, Erdoğan stated that the 'Decade of Family' would be starting in 2026. However, his appeal for women to have at least three children and the financial incentives offered to newlyweds may not be enough, as Turkey continues to struggle with a deepening economic crisis.
According to the AFP report, Official statistics indicate that Turkey's birth rate has dropped from 2.38 children per woman in 2001 to 1.48 in 2025, which is actually below that of France, the UK, or the US. Erdoğan, a 71-year-old Islamist president and father of four himself, has described this drop as 'a disaster'.
Over his 22-year period of office as Prime Minister and subsequently President of the nation of 85 million, Erdoğan has seen the fertility rate fall sharply. He has attributed this to women as well as the LGBTQ community.
According to the AFP report, President Erdogan has blamed both women and LGBTQ 'perverts'. Retired academic and feminist activist Berrin Sönmez was quoted as saying by AFP,'Women and LGBTQ individuals are considered the only culprits for the declining population growth rate, with no acknowledgement of political mistakes.'
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First Post
28 minutes ago
- First Post
Syria clears Druze fighters from Sweida, govt says tribal clashes halted
Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. read more Druze from Syria and Israel protest on the Israeli-Syrian border, in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, amid the ongoing clashes between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups in the southern Syrian city of | AP Fighting in Syria's Sweida 'halted' on Sunday, the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence. Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Sweida was 'evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted', Syria's interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Earlier Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was 'no Bedouin presence in the city'. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also said 'tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening' after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel sceptical The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel had been announced by Washington early Saturday. US pointman on Syria Tom Barrack said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'have agreed to a ceasefire' negotiated by the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres', in a post on X. He also urged the Syrian government to 'hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks'. Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. 'We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,' he wrote on X. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they 'agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement', the US envoy said in a later post on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US administration, which alongside Turkey and Saudi Arabia has forged ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Sharaa's government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. 'The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country… We condemn all crimes committed' in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the 'important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability'. But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Sharaa's Syria 'it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian', Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. - Humanitarian corridors - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were 'summarily executed by Druze fighters'. Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday evening said that after the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on Saturday and involved the deployment of security forces to the province, a second phase would see the opening of humanitarian corridors. According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced least 87,000 people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Japan heads to polls in key test for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
Japanese voters could unleash political turmoil as they head to the polls on Sunday (July 20, 2025) in a tightly contested upper house election, with rising prices and immigration concerns threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power. Opinion polls suggest Mr. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito may fall short of the 50 seats needed to retain control of the 248-seat upper house of parliament in an election where half the seats are up for grabs. The polls show smaller opposition parties pushing for tax cuts and increased public spending are set to gain, among them the right-wing Sanseito, which vows to curb immigration, oppose foreign capital inflows and reverse gender equality moves. A poor showing by the coalition could shake investor confidence in the world's fourth-largest economy and disrupt critical trade talks with the United States, analysts said. Mr. Ishiba may have to choose between making way for a new LDP leader or scrambling to secure the backing of some opposition parties with policy compromises, said Rintaro Nishimura, an associate at the Asia Group in Japan. 'Each scenario requires the LDP and Komeito to make certain concessions, and will be challenging, as any potential partner has leverage in the negotiations.' After the election, Japan faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market. Such import levies could squeeze the economy and further pressure the government to give financial relief to households already reeling from inflation, such as a doubling of rice prices since last year. With an eye on a jittery government bond market, the LDP has called for fiscal restraint, rejecting opposition calls for major tax cuts and welfare spending to soften the blow. Ishiba's administration lost its majority in the more powerful lower house in October. That was the LDP's worst showing in 15 years, roiling financial markets and leaving the prime minister vulnerable to no-confidence motions that could topple his administration and trigger a fresh general election. Ruled by the LDP for most of the post-war period, Japan has so far largely avoided the social division and fracturing of politics seen in other industrialised democracies. Voting ends at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), when media are expected to project results based on exit polls. Final nail for Ishiba This could be the final nail for Mr. Ishiba, having already been humiliatingly forced into a minority government after lower house elections in October. 'Ishiba may need to step down,' Toru Yoshida, a politics professor at Doshisha University, told AFP. Japan could 'step into an unknown dimension of the ruling government being a minority in both the lower house and the upper house, which Japan has never experienced since World War II,' Yoshida said. At one of Tokyo's polling stations on Sunday (July 20, 2025), 54-year-old voter Atsushi Matsuura told AFP 'Commodity prices are going up, but I am more worried that salaries aren't increasing.' Another voter Hisayo Kojima, 65, expressed frustration that the amount of her pension 'is being cut shorter and shorter'. 'We have paid a lot to support the pension system. This is the most pressing issue for me,' she said. Ishiba's centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955, albeit with frequent changes of leader. Ishiba, 68, a self-avowed defence 'geek' and train enthusiast, reached the top of the greasy pole last September on his fifth attempt and immediately called elections. But this backfired and the vote left the LDP and its small coalition partner Komeito needing support from opposition parties, stymying its legislative agenda. 'Energy prices have swung sharply in recent months, as the government has flip-flopped between removing aid for household energy bills and adding new supports,' said Stefan Angrick at Moody's Analytics. Trumped Out of 248 seats in the upper house, 125 are up for grabs on Sunday. The coalition needs 50 of these to keep a majority. Not helping is lingering resentment about an LDP funding scandal, and US tariffs of 25 percent due to bite from August 1 if there is no trade deal with the United States. Japan's massive auto industry, which accounts for eight percent of the country's jobs, is reeling from painful levies already in place. Weak export data last week stoked fears that the world's fourth-largest economy could tip into a technical recession. Despite Ishiba securing an early meeting with US President Donald Trump in February, and sending his trade envoy to Washington seven times, there has been no accord. Trump poured cold water on the prospects of an agreement last week, saying Japan won't 'open up their country'. 'We will not easily compromise,' Ishiba said this month. Ishiba's apparently maximalist strategy of insisting all tariffs are cut to zero -- although this could change post-election -- has also drawn criticism. 'How well his government is able to handle negotiations over US tariffs is extremely important, as it's important for the LDP to increase trust among the public,' Masahisa Endo, politics professor at Waseda University, told AFP. 'Japanese first' The last time the LDP and Komeito failed to win a majority in the upper house was in 2010, having already fallen below the threshold in 2007. That was followed by a rare change of government in 2009, when the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan governed for a rocky three years. Today the opposition is fragmented, and chances are slim that the parties can form an alternative government. One making inroads is the 'Japanese-first' Sanseito, which opinion poll suggest could win more than 10 upper house seats, up from two now. The party wants 'stricter rules and limits' on immigration, opposes 'globalism' and 'radical' gender policies, and wants a re-think on decarbonisation and vaccines. Last week it was forced to deny any links to Moscow -- which has backed populist parties elsewhere -- after a candidate was interviewed by Russian state media. 'They put into words what I had been thinking about but couldn't put into words for many years,' one voter told AFP at a Sanseito rally.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Syrian government says fighting in Sweida halted after tribal forces pull out
Fighting in Syria's Sweida "halted" on Sunday (July 20, 2025), the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence. Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday (July 19, 2025), a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a U.S.-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Sweida was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted", Syria's Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday (July 13, 2025) as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Earlier Saturday (July 19, 2025), an AFP correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was "no Bedouin presence in the city". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also said "tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday (July 19, 2025) evening" after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. Israel sceptical The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel had been announced by Washington early Saturday (July 19, 2025). U.S. pointman on Syria Tom Barrack said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres", in a post on X. He also urged the Syrian government to "hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks". Mr. Barrack, who is the U.S. ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkiye, a key supporter of Mr. Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he wrote on X. Mr. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they "agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement", the U.S. envoy said in a later post on X. The U.S. administration, which alongside Turkiye and Saudi Arabia has forged ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Mr. Sharaa's government. Mr. Sharaa followed up on the U.S. announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. "The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the "important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability". But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Mr. Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Mr. Sharaa's Syria "it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority -- Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. Humanitarian corridors The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were "summarily executed by Druze fighters". Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday (July 19, 2025) evening said that after the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on Saturday (July 19, 2025) and involved the deployment of security forces to the province, a second phase would see the opening of humanitarian corridors. According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced least 87,000 people.
