Istanbul (Turkey), Dec. 9 : Only 5.4 percent of the world''s population was covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws in 2008, up from 3.1 percent in 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today in its second report on the global tobacco epidemic.

This means that 154 million more people are no longer exposed to the harms of tobacco smoke in work places, restaurants, bars and other indoor public places.

Istanbul, Dec 7 : At least five Turkish soldiers were killed Monday in a terrorist attack in the country's east, according to television reports.

Several soldiers were reportedly also injured in the attack, which took place near a village in the Tokat region. The soldiers were on patrol when they came under attack, possibly by members of the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).

Istanbul - The appointment of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as president of the European Union was met with concern in Turkey because of the Belgian's previous comments against Ankara's joining the EU.

The headlines of Turkey's major papers voiced something approaching alarm in announcing Van Rompuy's appointment. "Bad News" wrote the daily Radikal. "Opposition to Turkey at the top of the EU," wrote Vatan, another major daily.

Istanbul  - The Turkish government has ended the isolation of jailed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, media reports said Tuesday.

Ocalan has been held in solitary confinement on the island prison of Imrali, off the coast from the city of Bursa, since his capture in 1999.

Despite his isolation, Ocalan maintains a high level of control over the PKK and remains a popular figure in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish south-east.

Istanbul - Turkey's parliament Friday began debating a highly-contested "democratization initiative" aimed at solving the country's decades-old Kurdish problem.

Speaking in parliament, Interior Minister Besir Atalay said the government's move was designed to bring "more democracy for everyone."

"The democratic opening will not harm the country but consolidate it," he said.

Istanbul  - A Turkish colonel was under arrest Thursday in connection with an alleged military plot to discredit the government in Ankara.

Naval Colonel Dursun Cicek was arrested by a criminal court in Istanbul late Wednesday after being questioned by prosecutors for several hours.

A Turkish paper last June printed a document bearing Cicek's signature that outlined a plan to undermine the government of the liberal Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Istanbul - The jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abudllah Ocalan, will be moved to a new Turkish prison facility where he will be allowed for the first time to mingle with other prisoners, Turkish television has reported.

According to broadcaster CNN Turk, Ocalan will be joined by eight other imprisoned PKK members. The move is being seen as another part of the government's new "democratization" initiative, aimed at boosting the cultural and political rights of Turkey's Kurdish minority.

Istanbul  - Officials in Turkey and Azerbaijan frequently refer to the two countries - bound together by language and culture and, more recently, by oil and gas pipelines - as "one nation-two states."

But this slogan is being put to the test these days, following the recent signing between Turkey and Armenia of protocols to restore diplomatic relations and open up their borders, something Azerbaijan is strongly opposed to.

Istanbul - An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for Cem Uzan, an industrialist and former media magnate, who is currently seeking asylum in France.

It became the second arrest warrant issued for Uzan, who is suspected of embezzlement and of violating banking laws.

Uzan is the former owner of the Star media group, which was subsequently seized by the government, and founder of the right-wing populist Young Party (GP).

Istanbul  - Turkish officials said Tuesday they expect more rebels from the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to return from their hideouts in Northern Iraq and surrender - 24 hours after the first group did so.

Eight fighters from the PKK's bases in the mountains of northern Iraq turned themselves over to Turkish forces on Monday, along with 26 Kurdish refugees, including women and children, from a camp near the Iraqi-Turkish border.

Istanbul  - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Friday that a controversial television drama which Israel accuses of causing incitement against it, will not be taken off the air.

The TV programme Ayirlik ("separation") shows Israeli soldiers killing Palestinian children in Gaza. In one of the scenes, an Israeli soldier shoots an unarmed little girl at point-blank range.

Istanbul - Turkish police and security forces have arrested some 30 suspected members of al-Qaeda in raids across eight provinces, local media reported on Thursday.

The raids mainly took place in the east of the country, including the provinces of Van and Erzurum, as well as in Istanbul, the Hurriyet daily reported. The arrested are believed to have been accused of planning attacks.

Al Qaeda was blamed for bomb attacks in 2003 in Istanbul, in which 57 people died.

Istanbul  - In what is being hailed as another round of "football diplomacy," the national teams of historic enemies Turkey and Armenia will today meet for a World Cup qualifying match.

The real action will not be on the field, since both teams have already been knocked out of contention for the cup.

Istanbul - Armenian President Serge Sarkisian will attend Wednesday's World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and Armenia in Bursa, Turkey, Turkey's semi-official Anatolian agency reported Monday.

Turkey and Armenia last Saturday signed a set of protocols in Switzerland which pave the way for restoring relations between the two countries. But there was still some doubt if Sarkisian would attend the game.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul last year travelled to Armenia for a previous match between the two teams, a visit that was hailed as the start of Turkey and Armenia's "football diplomacy."

Istanbul  - For Turkish internet users, it's an image that's becoming increasingly familiar: at many websites, instead of a homepage, what they find is a short notice telling them the site has been blocked by order of law.

YouTube, the popular video sharing website, has been blocked since May of last year after amateurish clips mocking Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founder, were posted on the site. More recently, Turkey's two largest gay community web sites were blocked, after authorities accused them of promoting prostitution.

Istanbul  - The annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund was formally concluded Wednesday in Istanbul with an appeal to nations to pursue reforms while dealing with the global economic crisis.

In remarks wrapping up the conference attended by finance ministers, central bank governors and other top officials from 186 countries, plenary session chairman Nguyen Van Giau said further international cooperation was foreseen to master the problems.

Istanbul, Oct 6 : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said the adverse effects of the financial crisis will continue to hit the poor for several more years as many developmental programmes suffered serious setback during the crisis.

Speaking at the plenary session of the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mukherjee said: "The struggle to achieve the MDGs (millenium development goals set by the UN) has suffered a serious setback."

Istanbul, Oct 5 : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday asked rich nations to deliver on the promise made at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh to step up voting rights of emerging economies like India in multilateral lending institutions.

"Economic weight must be the primary criteria in any methodology for realignment," the finance minister told a meeting of the Development Committee of the World Bank here, which was attended by key economic policy makers and central bank governors from across the globe.

Istanbul, Oct 5 : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has announced that India would be an active partner in South-South experience exchange facility and would soon be making a contribution to this facility.

He was speaking at a function on Innovative Development: South-South Opportunity here late last night.

Mukherjee expressed the hope that donor countries can continue to support this facility and the important South-South development agenda.

Istanbul  - Governments appeared divided Monday over whether the World Bank and other development institutions should get a fresh influx of cash for lending to the world's poorest countries.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said any new funds would be linked with reforms at the world's major development banks, while French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said over the weekend that she didn't believe more capital was needed for the time being.

Geithner said a decision was expected in the first half of next year, but developing countries were pushing for an earlier agreement as finance ministers gathered for a meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Development Committee in Istanbul.