Ankara bans public gatherings, demonstrations in terror alertOctober 18, 2016 - 11:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish capital Ankara on Monday, October 17 banned all public gatherings and demonstrations until the end of November after receiving information about potential terror attacks, the governor's office said, according to AFP. The Ankara governorate said in a statement that all such meetings had been prohibited until November 30, in line with the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the failed July 15 coup. It said that the decision was taken "to ensure people's safety and public order". The governorate, which is responsible for security throughout the capital and the wider province, said it had received intelligence "that banned terror organisations were preparing actions in our province". Without naming which organisations, it said that the groups were thought to have been planning attacks on meetings and public demonstrations. The capital has been hit repeatedly over the last 12 months by attacks blamed on jihadists and Kurdish militants. One hundred and three people were killed on October 10, 2015 when suicide bombers said to be linked to Islamic State (IS) jihadists blew themselves up in a crowd of pro-Kurdish peace activists planning to hold a rally outside Ankara's main train station. At least 30 were killed on February 17, 2016 and 37 more lost their lives on March 13, 2016 in bombings claimed by a radical Kurdish armed group. Meanwhile, Ankara was a prime target of the plotters in the July 15 failed coup, which the government blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up at the weekend in the southeastern city of Gaziantep during an anti-terror raid, killing three police officers, officials said. A few hours later, a second suicide bomber detonated his explosives, killing himself but without causing any further fatalities. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |