Istanbul  - Celebrations to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St Paul began Saturday in Tarsus, Turkey, the birthplace of the evangelist and author of much of the Christian New Testament.

A prayer was given in the historic Church of St Paul to start the Year of St Paul declared by Pope Benedict XVI, which officially begins June 29 and is expected to bring Christian pilgrims to Turkey throughout the year.

The 12th century church was confiscated by the government in 1943 and was used for decades as an army storehouse before being made into a museum. Christians are allowed to worship there, but must not leave anything in the building.

Luxembourg - Turkey expects France to treat its hopes for accession to the European Union fairly when it takes over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said

Ankara - People across Turkey took to the streets Sunday night to celebrate their national football team's victory over the Czech Republic that sent Turkey into the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

Ankara - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on the Constitutional Court to explain its verdict last week that annulled reforms that would allow women to wear Islamic-style headscarves at universities.

Speaking for the first time since the court ruled on Thursday that constitutional amendments moved by the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) were against the secular status of the state, Erdogan said he would wait until the court explains the decision before making a detailed reply.

Erdogan warned that Turkey was being drawn into a conflict of authority because of the ruling and the way the staunchly secular opposition was dragging its fights with the government through the courts.

Ankara  - The lifting of Turkey's ban on the wearing of Islamic-style headscarves at universities was being discussed in the Constitutional Court on Thursday, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Ankara  - Turkey is to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change with parliament