Turkish Army

Turkey's armed forces stepped up their offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Wednesday amid rising diplomatic tensions between Baghdad and Ankara.
Defying Iraqi and U.S. calls for Turkey to wind up the six-day operation, a top Turkish diplomat said there was no "timetable" for the incursion following talks in Baghdad with Iraqi counterparts. Hundreds of commandos were gathering in the border town of Cukurca, ferried there in more than 40 military trucks. Dozens more soldiers were being brought to a base on the outskirts of the town by helicopter, The Associated Press reported. Turkish air force F-16 fighter jets were also spotted flying over the town towards Iraq. In Baghdad, Ahmet Davutogulu, chief foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the campaign was targeted solely against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants responsible for cross-border attacks against Turkish targets. "The objective is the elimination of the PKK terrorism," Davutogulu said, addressing a press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Turkey's actions have drawn condemnation from the Iraqi government and prompted concern from the United States. Davutogulu said the incursion, which has resulted in dozens of militant deaths, was not meant to violate Iraqi sovereignty. "I brought this message that the aim of our counterterror operation is clear and limited. There is no other agenda. There is no other target," Davutoglu said. He underscored the fact that "no country can tolerate the presence of the terrorist groups next to our territories attacking civilians." "I am glad to say that the Iraqi government showed its clear cooperation during our counterterrorist activities." Zebari said talks with Davutogulu had been "frank and serious." He said Iraq condemned the action and wanted Turkey's troops to leave "as soon as possible." But he said Iraqi officials had expressed their "willingness" to work with Turkey over the issue of PKK terrorism

Google troubled by Microsoft move

Google has said it finds Microsoft's $44.6bn (£22.65bn) bid to buy rival Yahoo "troubling" and wants regulators to scrutinise the proposed deal.
In a blog, Google said the tie-up could unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email and instant messaging services. It said Microsoft had previously sought "to establish proprietary monopolies". Microsoft made an unsolicited offer for Yahoo on Friday, and Yahoo has said it is considering the proposal.