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ANKARA: Turkey said on Wednesday (Jul 2) it is disappointed by the European Union's decision to exclude it from a list of countries recommended for non-essential travel and called on the bloc to correct the "mistake" as soon as possible. The Turkish Foreign Ministry statement came after the EU excluded Turkey, along with the United States and other countries, from its initial travel "safe list". "The measures Turkey has taken to combat the coronavirus pandemic as well as her efforts and success in this respect are evident," ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in the statement. "We expect the correction of this mistake regarding the travel restrictions for our citizens as soon as possible." There have been nearly 200,000 cases of coronavirus in Turkey, with a death toll of more than 5,100 and new daily cases currently running at around 1,300. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy will visit Berlin on Thursday for talks with German … [Read more...] about Turkey asks EU to correct ‘mistake’ of travel list exclusion

ANKARA: The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday (Jun 29) strongly criticised Austria's handling of Kurdish protests in Vienna by groups the ministry said were linked to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. There were some small Kurdish demonstrations last week that Turkish nationalist counter-protesters sought to disrupt, throwing stones and fireworks, according to Austrian police. Police said they made three arrests and that another protest on Saturday was peaceful. "Austria's ambassador to Ankara will be invited to our ministry and informed of our concern about the four days of protests, and the use of force against Turkish youths by Austrian security forces," the ministry said. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Twitter on Sunday: "We do not want to see images of violence in the streets in Austria, particularly in Vienna, and will therefore not allow conflicts be brought from Turkey into Austria!" Austria's Foreign Ministry said over the weekend it would … [Read more...] about Turkey criticises Austria’s handling of Kurdish-Turkish protests

WASHINGTON: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin decided to pull out of negotiations on digital services taxes with European Union officials after they failed to make any progress, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday (Jun 17). Lighthizer told U.S. lawmakers that he still believed an international regime was needed to deal with taxation, but the talks with European countries were not proving fruitful. "We were making no headway and the Secretary made the decision that ... rather than have them go off on their own, you would just say we're no longer involved in the negotiations," he said during a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee. Treasury spokeswoman Monica Crowley said Washington had proposed pausing - not ending - talks among Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development countries on digital taxes and setting rules for international taxation. "The United States has suggested a pause in the OECD talks on international taxation … [Read more...] about US pulled out of stalled talks on digital services taxes: Lighthizer

MUMBAI: India closed the Taj Mahal, its top tourist site, and the financial hub of Mumbai ordered offices providing non-essential services to function at 50 per cent staffing levels as efforts to control the spread of coronavirus in South Asia ramped up. Mumbai, a densely populated metropolis of 18 million, also authorised hospital and airport authorities to stamp the wrists of those who have been ordered to self-isolate with indelible ink reading "Home Quarantined" and displaying the date until which the person has been ordered to self-quarantine. The moves, announced late on Monday, come just days after authorities in the city shut down schools, cinemas, malls, gyms and banned mass gatherings. READ: WHO chief calls for widespread coronavirus testing as Europe locks down India's western state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, has been the hardest hit in India with 39 confirmed coronavirus cases, or about a quarter of the 120 plus confirmed cases in the country. Along with … [Read more...] about Taj Mahal closed; Mumbai orders offices to keep half of workers at home

BRASILIA: The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has topped six million as the disease spread rapidly across Latin America and political leaders feuded over how to deal with the pandemic. Much of the world is moving at varying speeds to lift lockdowns that have wrecked economies and stripped millions of their jobs while Muslims in Jerusalem and other cities flocked to newly reopened mosques on Sunday. But in Brazil - the epicenter of South America's outbreak with nearly 500,000 confirmed cases, lagging only behind the US - disagreement among its leaders over lockdown measures has hampered efforts to slow the outbreak. READ: Brazil's coronavirus outbreak worsens as total cases near 500,000 President Jair Bolsonaro, who says the economic fallout from stay-at-home orders will be worse than the virus, has berated governors and mayors for imposing what he calls "the tyranny of total quarantine." Even as his country surpassed France to have the world's fourth-highest toll with … [Read more...] about World COVID-19 cases top 6 million as Brazil toll surges