ISTANBUL / AFP Turkey’s ruling party was expected to name on Thursday a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as prime minister, as the strongman seeks to tighten his grip on power. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was poised to appoint Transport Minister Binali Yildirim as its chairman, meaning he would automatically become prime minister. ...

  Berlin / AP The speaker of Germany’s Parliament is criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a push to strip legislators in Turkey of their immunity from prosecution. Norbert Lammert was quoted in daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily on Thursday as accusing Erdogan of “autocratic ambitions.” He added that the development continues “a whole series of events with which Turkey ...

  Paris, France / AFP France was disrupted by a third straight day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday as the prime minister called for protesters who torched a police car to face “harsh” punishment. Rail staff and air traffic controllers downed tools in the latest mass protests against the government’s labour market reforms, causing dozens of flights and trains ...