News / World by Press Association 16/10/2018, 4:15 pm FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter The Saudi consul to Istanbul has left for Saudi Arabia, hours after Turkey said his official residence would be searched in connection with a Saudi writer’s disappearance. The Anadolu news agency reported Tuesday that Consul Mohammed al-Otaibi flew out of the country on a 2pm flight. Saudi Arabia had no immediate comment on his departure. The Turkish foreign ministry says police will search his official residence and vehicles belonging to the consulate. Authorities have offered no time frame for those searches. Turkish forensic teams finished a search of the Saudi Consulate early Tuesday, two weeks after Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished. Turkish officials fear Saudi agents killed him in the consulate and disposed of his body. Saudi Arabia previously called the allegation “baseless”, but US media reports … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s consul leaves Turkey ahead of new police search
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Qatar defence minister meets Turkey’s president Erdogan
CAIRO (Reuters) - Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed al-Atiyya met Turkey's president Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential palace in Ankara, Qatar's Defence Ministry said on Twitter on Monday. It added in a statement that they discussed the mutual relations between the two countries, and "the latest developments in the region". (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Alison Williams) … [Read more...] about Qatar defence minister meets Turkey’s president Erdogan
Investigators inspect consulate in Turkey where Saudi writer disappeared
ISTANBUL -- A team of investigators entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Monday for what Turkish officials called a joint inspection of the building where Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared nearly two weeks ago. The team arrived by unmarked police cars at the consulate and said nothing to journalists waiting outside as they entered the building. Police then pushed back journalists from the front of the consulate, where they've been stationed for days, setting up a new cordon to keep them away. The makeup of the investigative team that entered the diplomatic compound was not immediately clear. International concern continues to grow over the writer's Oct. 2 disappearance. American lawmakers have threatened tough punitive action against the Saudis, and Germany, France and Britain have jointly called for a "credible investigation" into Khashoggi's disappearance. A Foreign Ministry official had earlier said the team would visit the diplomatic post Monday. The official … [Read more...] about Investigators inspect consulate in Turkey where Saudi writer disappeared
Turkey Arrests Man for Social Media Video Insulting Atatürk
Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced on Monday that authorities had detained a man who posted a video on social media insulting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic. The arrest came after a video circulated on social media of the man, who has not been publicly identified, insulting and hitting a statue of Atatürk in the capital of Istanbul.As noted by Hurriyet, “Thousands of people took the issue to Twitter with the hashtag ‘AtayaUzananEliKırarız!’ (‘We will break the hands [of those] insulting Atatürk’ in English), calling for the man’s detention and an investigation into the incident.” “The person who recorded the video in which Atatürk is insulted and the person making the insult has been detained by Turkish police,” Soylu wrote on Twitter on Monday. Turkish Law 5816 (“The Law Concerning … [Read more...] about Turkey Arrests Man for Social Media Video Insulting Atatürk
Saudi king orders probe in Jamal Khashoggi case, Turkey to search consulate
ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday ordered an internal probe into the unexplained disappearance of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a joint Turkish-Saudi team was set to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he was last seen on Oct. 2.A Turkish diplomatic source said investigators would inspect the consulate on Monday afternoon, following delays last week when the two countries agreed to work together to find out what happened to Khashoggi, a critic of the Kingdom's policies."The King has ordered the Public Prosecutor to open an internal investigation into the Khashoggi matter based on the info from the joint team in Istanbul," a Saudi official, not authorized to speak publicly, told Reuters.TurkeyAsked when the public prosecutor could make an announcement about the investigation, the official said: "He was instructed to work quickly."RELATED: Demonstrators protest disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi 45 PHOTOS … [Read more...] about Saudi king orders probe in Jamal Khashoggi case, Turkey to search consulate