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ANKARA Marcelo Brozovic Inter Milan Jersey , July 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday inaugurated its first high-speed train connecting the country's two metropolitans of Ankara and Istanbul, which is believed to be part of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to modernize Turkey's infrastructure, one of his key presidential campaign promises.

Previously, the project has faced years of delays. Erdogan plans to head for Istanbul in the first train Friday evening.

The railway inauguration also comes ahead of presidential elections next week on August 10, and Erdogan promised constantly during his campaign that he would improve the nation's infrastructure.

Much of Turkey's current railway system was planned and built by foreign countries in the era of the Ottoman Empire, while high speed trains have already been running since 2009 between the capital city and Eskisehir.

However Jonathan Biabiany Inter Milan Jersey , weeks before the inauguration, a train crash occurred on the Ankara-Istanbul high speed rail track when a testing was being conducted.

The test train partially derailed after it collided with a maintenance vehicle around the town of Gebze in a Turkish province to the east of Istanbul, raising safety concerns in a country that sees frequent railway accidents. In July 2004, dozens of people were killed when a high-speed train derailed in the northwest.

The new railway express will shorten the journey time between the two metropolises to three hours and a half, Turkish Transport Minister Lutfi Elvan told reporters, adding that this railway is capable of reaching a speed as high as 250 km per hour.

The Ankara-Istanbul line has cost the Turkish government some 4. 25 billion U.S. dollars Joao Mario Inter Milan Jersey , and is expected to change the travelling habits of the Turkish countrymen, a vast majority of whom make their long-distance trips by bus or plane.

by Larry Neild

LONDON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Britain's regions are set for an economic boost after a landmark agreement for a 50 percent boost in the number of flights allowed between Britain and China, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced Sunday.

Grayling unveiled the deal, which will allow for a huge expansion in routes from regional airports, saying it will potentially boost local economies by hundreds of millions of dollars by opening up new business and tourism opportunities.

The Department of Transport (DfT) announcement builds on successful discussions in October 2016 that saw limits on passenger flights between Britain and China raised from 40 per week to a maximum of 100.

A spokesman for the DfT said: "The number of Chinese tourists visiting Britain has rocketed during the first half of this year. Between January and June Joao Cancelo Inter Milan Jersey , 115,000 visits were made from China to the UK, a rise of 47 percent on the same period last year. Spending also increased to 231 million pounds (310 million U.S. dollars), up 54 percent.

Grayling said: "These agreements are an important part of preparing Britain for a post-Brexit world and making sure we have access to key markets in the Far East, and they come at a time when our exports are growing and we continue to attract international investment. It just underlines that Britain will do well regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations."

Under the current arrangement, agreed in October 2016 Jeison Murillo Inter Milan Jersey , a maximum of 100 passenger flights per week can operate between the UK and China, with this figure set to increase to 150 under the terms of the new deal.

The DfT said Chinese tourists are some of Britain's highest spenders, staying longer and travelling more than visitors from other countries.

Last year, Manchester airport launched the first direct regional flight to Beijing, worth an estimated 335 million U.S. dollars in economic benefits to Britain over the next decade. Hainan Airlines has already added more flights to the Chinese capital from Manchester.

During the same year restrictions were relaxed allowing an unlimited number of cargo flights to operate between Britain and China. By the end of 2016 more than 74,000 tonnes of freight had been transported between Britain and China by air Ivan Perisic Inter Milan Jersey , an increase of 27 percent when compared to 2015.

At the start ofb December the carrier Cathay Pacific gave its Manchester to Hong Kong direct service a boost by introducing a daily service, marking three years since its inaugural flight in December 2014. The airline said it was increasing its service from five flights per week in response to customers' growing demand.

ISTANBUL, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Islamic countries have voiced their doubt about the U.S. role in searching for peace between Palestinians and Israelis after U.S. President Donald Trump broke decades of Washington policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Leaders of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rejected the U.S. decision as "null and void" and hit back by declaring East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine at a one-day summit of the OIC held in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday.

The OIC leaders warned Washington of "all the consequences" of not retracting its decision and said the United States would lose its role as a sponsor of the peace process, according to a draft final communique adopted at the summit.

Addressing a press conference following the summit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the United States is no longer an honest broker of peace.

The status of Jerusalem is at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel took over East Jerusalem Geoffrey Kondogbia Inter Milan Jersey , revered by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam, in the 1967 war, and declared unilaterally the whole city as its eternal capital.

However, this move has never been accepted by the international community, which has called for reaching a final settlement of the dispute through Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

In response, the White House said Trump "rema. Cheap Team Sweden Jerseys   Cheap Team North America Jerseys   Cheap Predators Jerseys   Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys   Cheap Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys   Cheap Anaheim Ducks Jerseys   Wholesale Coyotes Jerseys   Wholesale Canadiens Jerseys   Wholesale Bruins Jerseys   Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys