Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey rallies row: Germany and Netherlands harden stance

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany and the Netherlands of "Nazism" after officials blocked rallies there.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte called his comments "unacceptable", while Germany's foreign minister said he hoped Turkey would "return to its senses".

Denmark's leader has also postponed a planned meeting with Mr Erdogan.

Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was concerned that "democratic principles are under great pressure" in Turkey.

Turkey's Erdogan makes Nazi jibe over Germany rally ban

Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out after German authorities cancelled rallies designed to woo ethnic Turkish voters in Germany ahead of a key referendum.

"Your practices are not different from the Nazi practices of the past," Mr Erdogan said.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the comments were "absurd, disgraceful and outlandish".

About 1.4m Turks in Germany can vote in the April referendum, which could give Mr Erdogan sweeping new powers.

Turkish MPs back new constitution boosting Erdogan's powers

There will be a second round of voting later this week and, if approved, a referendum will follow.

Critics claim it amounts to a power grab by Mr Erdogan.

But the president says the changed system will resemble those in France and the United States.

The new constitution will allow the president to appoint and dismiss ministers, and it will abolish the post of prime minister for the first time in Turkey's history.

Instead there will be at least one vice-president.

Putin and Erdogan pledge deeper military contact after gas deal signed

President Vladimir Putin also said he and Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed on the need for aid to get to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

The two countries have signed a deal to construct two pipelines to send Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey.

Ties were strained after Turkey downed a Russian military jet last year.

But speaking at a joint news conference with Mr Putin, Mr Erdogan said he was confident that the normalisation of relations would take place rapidly.

Turkish crowds rally to democracy calls after coup attempt

Less than 24 hours earlier thousands had turned out to help quash the plot.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the extradition of US-based clericFethullah Gulen over the plot. Mr Gulen denies any involvement.

Nearly 3,000 soldiers have been detained and some 2,700 judges sacked as the government re-asserts power.

Generals are reported to be among those detained.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the coup attempt a "black stain on Turkish democracy".

Putin, Erdogan hold first phone conversation since Turkey downed Russian jet in Syria

The two leaders spoke as they sought to mend ties over the November incident that saw Moscow slap sanctions on Ankara, and reportedly agreed on the phone to meet in person.

"Reiterating their commitment to reinvigorate bilateral relations and fight terrorism together, the two leaders agreed to remain in contact and meet in person," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Clashes between Turkish forces, Kurdish rebels kill about 60

More than 30 Kurdish rebels were killed overnight in a cross-border military operation in northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a meeting with dozens of district administrators.

Kurdish militants killed two police officers Monday night in the southern city of Adana. Gov. Mustafa Buyuk said assailants riding a motorcycle fired on a police vehicle outside a hospital in Adana before fleeing.

Germany, Turkey back solution to Syrian war

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone Wednesday. The government said Merkel praised the "enormous Turkish efforts" to take care of nearly 2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. It added that the two leaders agreed to increase cooperation on resolving the refugee crisis, with an emphasis on combatting traffickers.

Turkey's Erdogan says he will call a new election for Nov. 1

Erdogan said he will meet with the parliament speaker on Monday, the day after the deadline for forming a new government, to complete the formalities. "After that, we will take our country to early elections," he said.

Analysis: US-Turkey deal on Syria a big gamble

Their goals, while overlapping in some ways, are far different in others, mainly on the question of how to handle Kurdish militants battling Islamic State fighters in Syria. And that's the problem.