Despite the announcement of the suspension of Turkish trade with Israel, a large number of ships continue to import and export daily between Israeli and Turkish ports.
In #Vovchansk, #Kharkiv region, where active hostilities are taking place, the first executions of civilians by #Russian troops have been reported, police said. A man who tried to flee on foot was killed. Civilians are also being captured.
Evacuations had been taking place, but now the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, is not allowing locals to evacuate.
Using a loophole in sanctions, #Turkey is disguising Russian oil as its own and exporting it to the #EU, bringing billions in profits to #Russia, Politico writes.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, Turkey increased its purchases from Russia by 105% compared to the previous 12 months. During the same period, Turkish fuel exports to the EU increased by 107%.
The Turkish British writer Elif Shafak has published 19 books, many of which are bestsellers, and her novels have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction. Yet she's also one of Turkish literature's most attacked authors, the victim of a campaign that started with fringe nationalist groups and has now been taken up by individuals associated with the ruling Justice and Development Party. Kaya Genç writes for The Dial about how this case is part of a wider trend in President Erdoğan's "new Turkey."