Putin, Erdogan agree on steps to mend relations
Putin, Erdogan agree on steps to mend relations
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Turkey’s president cozied up to his “dear friend” Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a visit intended to send a message to his allies in the West, whom he blames for what he considers a lack of support after a failed coup.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressed the United States to extradite the man he claims was behind the failed insurrection, and has sought more funds and visa-free travel from the European Union, but it’s unclear what leverage improved ties with Russia could give him.
Putin, in turn, expects Turkey to become more accommodating of Russia’s interests in Syria and move faster on major energy projects — demands Ankara could find difficult to meet.
After their talks in St. Petersburg’s ornate Konstantin Palace, both leaders emphasized their shared desire to rebuild ties, but it remained unclear if they could reach common ground on the Syrian crisis. While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign last September, Turkey has pushed for Assad’s removal and helped his foes.
Putin said he and Erdogan would have a separate discussion on Syria later Tuesday involving top diplomats and intelligence officials.
Los Angeles says it offers ‘risk-free’ bid for 2024 Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Los Angeles leaders pitched their bid Tuesday for the 2024 Olympics as a “risk-free” project that requires little construction and could produce a financial surplus.
“Our Olympic infrastructure is already in the ground, not on the drawing boards,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference. “We are virtually risk-free because we only have to build one venue to host the games. Instead of construction anxieties for the next seven years, we can focus on what’s important.”
Los Angeles is seeking to host the Olympics for a third time and bring the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time since Atlanta hosted the event in 1996.
Los Angeles is competing against Paris, Rome and Budapest, Hungary. All four bid cities have sent leaders to Brazil to observe the Rio de Janeiro Games and lobby IOC members, who will select the host city in September 2017.
The buildup to the Rio Games was hit hard by Brazil’s political and economic crises and late scramble to complete the venues. The early days of South America’s first games have also faced serious logistical and organizational issues, including crime, empty seats and transportation problems.
Turkey unlikely to drop Syria rebels in latest realignment
BEIRUT (AP) — Minutes after news broke of a coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, government-held areas in Syria broke out in celebratory gunfire, heralding what they believed was the removal of the leader they blame for fueling their country’s five-year civil war.
Erdogan survived the insurrection, and judging by the surprise reversal of rebel fortunes in Aleppo this week, so has his government’s support for the Syrian opposition. But Turkey, post-coup, is realigning, and as tensions with the West soar, Erdogan has shown a desire to mend fences with Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
On Tuesday, following talks in St. Petersburg, Russia, with President Vladimir Putin, the Turkish leader agreed to hold a separate discussion on Syria, involving top military and intelligence officials.
The meeting — Erdogan’s first trip abroad following the July 15 failed coup attempt — comes amid boiling tensions over the contested northern city of Aleppo near the Turkish border, with both nations supporting opposing sides.
Here is a look at the Turkish involvement in Syria and how Turkey’s latest post-coup realignment may play out:
Computer outage could tarnish Delta’s on-time reputation
NEW YORK (AP) — We don’t cancel flights.
That’s been the message for the past two years from Delta Air Lines. Double decker buses roamed the streets of New York, wrapped in ads proclaiming “canceling cancellations.” Delta executives boasted about the number of days without a single flight scrapped.
That all literally ground to a halt Monday when a system-wide computer outage led to the cancellation of more than 1,500 flights. Passengers were stranded around the globe with many spending the night in the airport.
Until this outage, Delta had an impressive record, envied by other airlines. By June 9 of this year, Delta had already notched up 100 days where none of its own jets canceled flights — more than all of its major competitors’ no-cancel days combined. And the cancellations during the other 61 days were mostly related to weather, not maintenance issues.
“Our people are hitting it out of the park, delivering on our promise to be a safe and reliable airline and making canceling cancellations a reality,” Gil West, Delta’s chief operating officer, said in a news release at the time trumpeting its record.