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Babacan Regrets Remaining Silent over Erdogan’s Policies

Demonstrators react during a protest against economic policies of the government, in Istanbul, Turkey December 19, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Demonstrators react during a protest against economic policies of the government, in Istanbul, Turkey December 19, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Babacan Regrets Remaining Silent over Erdogan’s Policies

Demonstrators react during a protest against economic policies of the government, in Istanbul, Turkey December 19, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Demonstrators react during a protest against economic policies of the government, in Istanbul, Turkey December 19, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Head of the Turkish opposition Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) Ali Babacan said he regrets making a decision in 2015 not to speak out about politics after submitting his resignation and failing to warn over the risks of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) plans to switch to a presidential system of in 2017.

“I knew it would drag Turkey into a disaster. I had made a decision not to speak. If only I had spoken up,” Babacan said in an interview.

The former deputy prime minister served as minister of state in charge of economic affairs in governments led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the time when the Turkish economy grew three folds following the financial crisis in 2001.

He announced his resignation from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on July 8, 2019, citing “differences” with Erdogan.

Babacan said preparations for the constitutional amendments facilitating a switch to the presidential system began six months after the declaration of a state of emergency following a failed coup in July 2016.

“They were kept secret from the public and were quickly presented to parliament for approval.”

Babacan also spoke about an ongoing economic crisis in the country, saying he expects poverty to prevail due to the crisis caused by the depreciation of the Turkish lira and the high inflation rates.

He held the government responsible for the current economic situation in Turkey, noting that people will better understand the consequences of the crisis on their lives in the next few months.

“There will be widespread poverty. The gap between rich and poor will grow,” he said.

Babacan called for holding early elections immediately to end this financial crisis but said Erdogan would not agree because he is unlikely to win under the current circumstances.

The currency crisis has pushed many Turks below the official poverty line. Hundreds protested over the weekend in Ankara and Istanbul against the government’s monetary policy and demanded Erdogan’s resignation.

The denounced the hike in prices, recent poor living conditions due to the sharp rise in foreign exchange rates and the collapse of the Turkish lira.

Last week, Erdogan said during a televised press conference that the monthly net minimum salary will be 4,250 liras ($275).

The lira has lost more than half of its value against the dollar this year.

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Iran's President Delivers Defiant UN Speech

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
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Iran's President Delivers Defiant UN Speech

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech at the United Nations on Wednesday as Tehran downplayed talks with the United States.

He said his country's people had been the “victims of terrorism” by the United States.

Delivering the rare wartime speech at the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian displayed images of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days of the conflict.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country.”

Turning to the United States, Pezeshkian added: “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that President Donald Trump remained open to an agreement “that allows Iran to be what it should be, which is a great and prosperous country.”

Rubio said the prospects for such a deal were hindered by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and “their support of terrorism.” If those policies continued, he said, Trump could exercise “a number of options,” including further military action.

“It must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force,” Pezeshkian said in his speech.

World

WHO: Congo is Running Short of Health Workers as Ebola Remains Out of Control

Ebola response teams organize a public demonstration to raise awareness about the Ebola virus disease in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
Ebola response teams organize a public demonstration to raise awareness about the Ebola virus disease in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
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WHO: Congo is Running Short of Health Workers as Ebola Remains Out of Control

Ebola response teams organize a public demonstration to raise awareness about the Ebola virus disease in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
Ebola response teams organize a public demonstration to raise awareness about the Ebola virus disease in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

Congo is running short of health workers to staff treatment centers for history's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, particularly in the eastern province of North Kivu where cases have surged 73% over three weeks, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The warning came despite signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak’s epicenter. The outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, according to the latest government figures.

Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 20, cases fell 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, said Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO’s regional emergency director for Africa. But transmission patterns vary widely and the outbreak remains uncontrolled, she said.

“While cases and deaths are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others,” The Associated Press quoted Belizaire as saying. “The outbreak is still not under control and remains spread across a wide geographic area.”

The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The World Health Organization has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Catherine Smallwood, the WHO’s Ebola incident manager, said cases and deaths had begun declining in North Kivu after several weeks of increases. But although treatment beds are being added daily, facilities still lack enough staff and partners to operate them.

“The human resources gap is one of the biggest gaps,” Smallwood said.

WHO representative in Congo Anne Ancia said one Ebola treatment center requires about 300 health professionals, including anesthetists, hygienists, nurses and general practitioners.

“We are building Ebola treatment centers but do not always have the human resources needed to operate them,” Ancia said. “Those health workers must be paid.”

Frontline workers in Ituri previously went on strike over unpaid wages, worsening access to care.

Health Minister Roger Kamba said in July that the government was verifying payroll lists after the names of people not involved in the response were added. Frontline workers said officials promised to pay the arrears, but some workers received nothing and others only part of what they were owed.

Another major challenge in the response is the fatality rate among children, according to the WHO. Children under five have the highest case fatality rate, more than 60% compared with approximately 40% among adults, Belizaire said.

WHO Ebola Incident Manager Smallwood said detecting cases among children under five is also very difficult because the children can’t necessarily explain their symptoms, and the presentation of symptoms can be confusing.

World

Pakistani Officials Say Afghan Taliban Shelled Pakistani Border. Kabul Denies the Attack

Pakistani soldiers near a security fence at the border post in Torkham, Pakistan, in December. Credit Salahuddin/Reuters
Pakistani soldiers near a security fence at the border post in Torkham, Pakistan, in December. Credit Salahuddin/Reuters
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Pakistani Officials Say Afghan Taliban Shelled Pakistani Border. Kabul Denies the Attack

Pakistani soldiers near a security fence at the border post in Torkham, Pakistan, in December. Credit Salahuddin/Reuters
Pakistani soldiers near a security fence at the border post in Torkham, Pakistan, in December. Credit Salahuddin/Reuters

Afghanistan's Taliban forces shelled Pakistani border posts overnight after Pakistani troops foiled what they described as a cross-border infiltration attempt by militants, local Pakistani officials said Wednesday.

The spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied any attacks by the Afghan Taliban forces, The Associated Press said.

The conflicting statements came just days after Pakistani fighter jets struck sites in eastern Afghanistan that Islamabad said were militant hideouts, an escalation between Kabul and Islamabad that threatens mediation efforts by regional powers.

Pakistani security forces neutralized two rudimentary drones, which the officials said were launched by the Afghan Taliban, before they could enter the northwestern city of Kohat, the officials said. They said the action underscored Pakistan's round-the-clock vigilance and air-defense systems' readiness to counter emerging aerial threats from Afghanistan.

The airstrikes ended several weeks of relative calm following months of cross-border hostilities. Also, earlier this month, Pakistani security forces killed 15 militants attempting to cross into the country from Afghanistan.

Four local Pakistani officials said Wednesday that militants attempted to infiltrate Pakistan from areas near Afghan border posts in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces, allegedly with support from the Afghan Taliban forces.

The officials referred to the militants as Fitna-ul-Khawarij, a term Islamabad uses for the Pakistani Taliban, a group that is separate but allied with the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing militants to operate from its territory and carry out attacks across the border, an accusation that Kabul denies.

After Pakistani troops thwarted the infiltration attempt, Afghan Taliban forces allegedly fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts, the four officials said. Pakistani forces responded with artillery fire, targeting Taliban border posts, mortar sites, and defensive positions.

The officials said Afghan Taliban forces subsequently abandoned several positions and suffered casualties. The four officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media about the latest flare-up.

The accounts could not be independently verified. The latest escalations threaten mediation efforts by China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to broker a lasting peace between Kabul and Islamabad.

In Monday's airstrikes, Pakistan’s Information Ministry said 28 militants were killed, while Afghan authorities said at least three civilians died and four others were wounded. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan confirmed the civilian casualties and Kabul formally protested the attack.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern about what he said was the presence of more than two dozen anti-Pakistani militant groups in Afghanistan.

Monday’s Pakistani airstrikes followed a shootout with militants in Hangu, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, that killed six Pakistani security personnel. Days earlier, a suicide bomber struck a mosque inside a police compound in the nearby city of Kohat.

Eight gunmen then stormed the compound, triggering a 20-hour gunbattle that killed at least 21 people, most of them police officers. No group had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Pakistani authorities blamed the violence on the Pakistani Taliban and allied militant groups. The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, have stepped up their attacks on Pakistani security forces, boosted by the Afghan Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.