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After Syrian Shelling, Turkey Continues Retaliation And Weighs Troop Action

HURRIYET, RADIKAL (Turkey), AL JAZEERA(Qatar)

Worldcrunch

ANKARA - Turkish artillery has continued to target Syria for a second straight day, in retaliation for the shelling of a Turkish town that killed five people.

Wednesday’s deadly mortar fire heightened tensions as it marked the first time that Turkish citizens have been killed as a result of the 18-month war in neighboring Syria. It is also the first time that Ankara has fired into Syria.

While Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had resumed artillery shelling of Syria, Turkey’s Parliament debated a bill Thursday to authorize the military to launch cross border operations in Syria, according to the Istanbul daily Hurriyet.

The motion to be voted on at Parliament would grant "a one-year-long permission to make the necessary arrangements for sending the Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries" in light of the fact that the conflict in Syria "has reached a stage that poses serious threats and risks to our national security. Therefore, the need has developed to act rapidly and to take the necessary precautions against additional risks and threats that may be directed against our country."

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is expected to vote against the motion following a group meeting in the early hours Thursday, according to Radikal newspaper.

The AKP Deputy Chairman Ömer Çelik has said the mandate is about the sovereignty rights of the Turkish Republic and does not mean declaring war.

Ibrahim Kalin, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Erdogan, says Turkey has no interest in a war with Syria, but it will continue to protect its borders, Hurriyet reported.

The White House and Pentagon have condemned Syria for the shelling. NATO continues to stand by its member Turkey, but has proposed no immediate action.


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Society

For Seniors, Friendship May Be More Important Than Family

Even if the aging and elderly tend to wind up confined to family circles, Argentine academics Laura Belli and Danila Suárez explore the often untapped benefits of friendship in our later years.

Photograph of two elderly women and an elderly man walking arm in arm. Behind the, there are adverts for famous football players.

Two elderly women and a man walk arm in arm

Philippe Leone/Unsplash
Laura F. Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé

Updated Dec. 10, 2023 at 10:10 p.m.

BUENOS AIRES — What kind of friendship do people most talk about? Most often it is childhood or teenage friendships, while friendships between men and women are repeatedly analyzed. What about friendships among the elderly? How are they affected when friends disappear, at a stage when grieving is already more frequent?

Argentines Laura Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé, two friends with PhDs in philosophy, explore the challenges and benefits of friendship in their book Filosofía de la amistad (Friendship Philosophy).

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They consider how friendships can emerge later in life, in profoundly altered circumstances from those of our youth, with people living through events like retirement, widowhood, reduced autonomy or to a greater or lesser degree, personal deterioration. All these can affect older people's ability to form and keep friendships, even if changes happen at any stage in life.

Filosofía de la amistadexplores the place of friendships amid daunting changes. These are not just the result of ageing itself but also of how one is perceived, nor will they affect everyone exactly the same way. Aging has firstly become a far more diverse experience, with increasing lifespans and better healthcare everywhere, and despite an inevitable restriction in life opportunities, a good many seniors enjoy far greater freedom and life choices than before.

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