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Charbel Shies Away from Confirming Abduction of Turkish Pilots by Zuwar al-Imam Rida

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Friday that Lebanese authorities were investigating a claim made by a previously unknown group for kidnapping two Turkish pilots in Beirut.

In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) and several TV stations, Charbel said: “We haven't heard of the so-called Zuwar al-Imam Rida.”

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March 14 Says Kidnapping of Turkish Pilots Hits Lebanon's Credibility

The March 14 alliance's general-secretariat warned on Friday that the kidnapping of a Turkish pilot and copilot in Beirut targets the credibility of the Lebanese state.

“This incident has the sole objective of striking what's left of the credibility of the Lebanese state in preserving security in Lebanon and the (best of) ties with Arab and Western countries,” the coalition's general-secretariat said in a short statement.

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Obama, Erdogan Discuss Syria and Egypt

U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone Wednesday to discuss developments in Syria and Egypt, the White House said.

During the course of the call, requested by Erdogan, the two "discussed the danger of foreign extremists in Syria and agreed on the importance of supporting a unified and inclusive" opposition, it said in a statement.

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Turkey Detains Four over Protester's Death

Four men, including a policeman, were remanded in custody by a Turkish court on Wednesday over the death of an anti-government protester who was beaten during a June demonstration, local media reported.

The four were placed in detention by a court in the northwestern town of Eskisehir where student Ali Ismail Korkmaz, 19, died of a brain hemorrhage on July 10 after spending 38 days in a coma.

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Gay Muslims in Turkey: Torn Between Religion and Sexuality

"When I was a child, I was told that homosexuals would burn in hell," said Ertugrul, a Muslim fighting for greater freedom for gays in a country where homosexuality remains taboo.

Ertugrul, who did not want to give his last name, is president of the group Muslims and Gays, which he says wants to "break taboos" in Muslim-majority Turkey, where gays are still subject to violence and abuse.

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Turkey Court Sentences Ex-Army Chief to Life in Coup Trial

A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a former army chief and other top brass to life in prison in a high-profile trial of 275 people accused of plotting to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government.

Police fired tear gas at protesters outside the court in a town near Istanbul as the verdicts were being delivered in the highly-divisive case.

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Turkey Appoints New Army Top Brass

Turkey's top military council on Saturday appointed new commanders in what observers said was further evidence that the government now controlled the once all-powerful army.

The Supreme Military Council chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided on the forced retirement of gendarmerie force commander General Bekir Kalyoncu, who had been expected to become land forces commander.

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Greek Police Arrest German Suspected of Spying for Turks

A 72-year-old German was arrested on the Greek island of Chios in the eastern Aegean suspected of spying on behalf of unknown Turkish nationals, police said Saturday.

"For at least three years, he photographed camps and other infrastructure of the (Greek) armed forces in Chios and was paid to give the material to Turkish nationals," the police said in a statement.

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Turkish Man Killed by Stray Bullet from Syria

A man was killed Saturday in a Turkish town by a stray bullet fired from across the border in war-torn Syria, the private NTV television network reported.

NTV, which cited no sources, said Ramazan Zeybel, a Turk, died in hospital in Ceylanpinar, which lies across the border from the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain that has seen fighting in recent weeks.

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Turkish Court Refuses Retrial for Jailed Kurd Leader

A Turkish court has rejected a request from jailed Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan for a retrial under legal reforms that took effect in April, news website Bianet reported Friday.

An Ankara court specializing in human rights issues rejected the request by a majority vote of its judges, a week after Ocalan's lawyers sought a retrial and the suspension of his sentence.

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