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A senior aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel hit back at Turkeys government, saying Germany doesnt need lessons in democracy after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likened the cancellation of rallies by two of his cabinet ministers to Nazi practices.

Peter Altmaier, Merkels chief of staff, called the comment absolutely unacceptable as tension escalates in a relationship already strained over Turkeys human rights record after a failed coup to topple Erdogan in July. Volker Kauder, Merkels top lieutenant in the German parliament, linked the surge in tension to Erdogans campaign to expand his powers in a referendum planned in April.

Nobody can outdo Germany in terms of rule of law, tolerance and liberalism, Altmaier said in an interview with broadcaster ARD on Monday. Theres no reason whatsoever for us to accept such accusations or advice from anybody.

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Erdogan lashed out in Istanbul on Sunday after local authorities in two municipalities canceled campaign events by his ministers in the buildup to the referendum. In comments widely reported in Germany, Erdogan said the decisions have nothing to do with democracy and that recent practices in Germany are no different from the Nazi ones of the past. An estimated 1.4 million Turkish voters live in Germany.

The flareup risks further straining Turkeys relations with the entire European Union as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday. The Ankara government has jailed a German-Turkish reporter whom Erdogan described as a spy, and is pressing Germany to extradite fugitive Turkish military officers involved in the coup attempt.

The town of Gaggenau in southwestern Germany triggered the turmoil last week by revoking its permission for Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag to hold a campaign rally, citing concerns of overcrowding. In Cologne, authorities canceled Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekcis planned address on Sunday to a Turkish community, citing security concerns.

Merkel last week condemned the jailing of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, 43, as bitter and disappointing, saying the charges of terrorist propaganda threatened press freedom in Turkey. Kauder also condemned Erdogans comparison with the Nazi era.

Its an incredible and unacceptable turn of events that a leader of a NATO country talks this way about another NATO country, especially one who has considerable problems with the rule of law, the head of Merkels Christian Democrat-led caucus told ARD on Sunday.

For all the criticism by German leaders, Turkey and the EU have shared interests beyond trade.

Erdogan and the EU last March forged a deal to stem the flow of refugees entering Greece via the Aegean, with Turkey agreeing to take back people turned away. The uneasy accord that helped ease the trade blocs refugee crisis is unlikely to be upended by Erdogan amid new tensions with Germany, according to its Austrian partner.

The EU is a critical trade partner for Turkey, taking 47 percent of its exports in January. Germany was the No. 1 export destination for Turkish goods, accounting for 10 percent, according to Turkeys statistics agency.

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Erdogan's Nazi Comparison Draws Fire From Merkel Chief of ...

KABUL Afghanistan has ordered a network of schools run by an organization regarded with suspicion by the Turkish government to be transferred to a foundation approved by Ankara, Afghan officials said.

The move against Afghan Turk CAG Educational NGO (ATCE), the body that runs the schools, appears to be part of Turkey's campaign against followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric it accuses of being behind a coup attempt in July.

ATCE, which says it is an independent organization, runs schools in several cities including the capital, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat and has been in Afghanistan since 1995.

Acting Education Minister Shafiq Samim said the Turkish government had asked for the schools to be placed under the management of a so-called "Vakif", a Turkish educational and charitable foundation.

He said there would be a "gradual transition" of staff but the government would not expel any of the schools' Turkish teachers.

"Turkish teachers are our guests and there has not been any decision to expel them," he told a news conference on Saturday, adding that the schools would continue to operate.

ATCE Chairman Numan Erdogan said his organization had not yet received any government notification, and would challenge any decision to take away management of the schools.

"We have nothing to do with developments in Turkey, none of our teachers is implicated and any allegations against us about that are baseless," he said.

Last year, shortly before a visit to Islamabad by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistan ordered Turkish teachers at schools run by a body called PakTurk International Schools and Colleges to leave the country.

Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan who nows lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, promotes a moderate form of Islam, supporting inter-faith communication and Western-style education and inspiring schools in different parts of the world.

In the wake of July's attempted coup, the Turkish president branded him a "terrorist" and pressed other countries to move against him and his supporters.

Turkey has donated around $1 billion in development aid to Afghanistan since 2004, according to the ministry of foreign affairs and is one of the country's most important economic partners, with ethnic and cultural links in the north.

It also provides more than 500 troops to the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

(Reporting by Mirwais Harooni and James Mackenzie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

AMMAN Syrian government forces have taken over positions from a U.S.-backed militia in the northern city of Manbij on part of a frontline with Turkish-backed rebel forces, in line with a deal brokered by Russia, the militia's spokesman said on Monday.

WASHINGTON Multiple fast-attack vessels from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday.

PARIS/BORDEAUX Francois Fillon fought off a rebellion that had threatened to end his candidacy for the French presidency on Monday as party leaders swung behind the center-right former prime minister despite allegations that he had misused public funds.

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Afghanistan moves against Turkish schools linked to Erdogan foe - Reuters

BBC News

Erdogan anger as Germany-Turkey war of words escalates BBC News A row between Ankara and Berlin over a series of cancelled Turkish political rallies in Germany is continuing to escalate. On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Berlin of "aiding and harbouring" terror. He said a German-Turkish ... Turkey vows to continue holding pro-Erdogan rallies in Germany, the NetherlandsSouth China Morning Post Erdogan says Germany 'aids and harbours terror'Aljazeera.com Turkish leader Erdogan accuses Germany of 'aiding and harboring terror'Tornos News International Edition (press release) The Guardian -Deutsche Welle -CBC.ca all 358 news articles »

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Erdogan anger as Germany-Turkey war of words escalates - BBC News

Women wawe Turkish national flags on March 5, 2017 in Istanbul during a pro-government women meeting. Some 12,000 women filled on March 5 an Istanbul arena in support of a Yes vote in an April referendum whether to boost Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans powers.
OZAN KOSE / AFP

Waving Turkish flags, women shouted Of course, Yes! ahead of the April 16 vote on constitutional changes that would give Turkey an executive presidency similar to political systems in France or in the United States, AFP correspondents at the scene said.

Erdogans ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is running the Yes campaign, saying the changes would bring political stability. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Erdogan himself because the proposed plan could see him stay in power until 2029.

Pro-govermment supporters gathered at the 12,500 capacity sports complex, known as Abdi Ipekci Arena, outside Istanbuls ancient city walls, with the campaign theme: Yes! If women are there, democracy is there.

The gathering was organised by the pro-government Womens and Democracy Association (KADEM), whose deputy chair is Erdogans younger daughter Sumeyye Erdogan Bayraktar.

For the survival of our country, it is a very important decision, said AKP supporter Ayse Gurcan, who came to the event from Erzurum province in eastern Turkey.

We must make our choice in a healthy way and I believe that everyone will say Yes, she said

Another woman, Zehra Ferahtay, said the approval of constitutional changes would unify Turkey especially after the failed coup attempt in July to oust Erdogans government.

Yes, I support the presidential system and especially after July 15, we must be more united and together for this country, she said.

Saliha Mantar, wearing an Islamic headscarf, said women had been granted more rights since Erdogan came to power as prime minister in 2003 and as president in 2014.

We, women, promise to be always behind our leader, she said, referring to Erdogan.

Critics however argue if the plan is approved, Turkey would lurch toward authoritarianism, saying it would not be a system based on checks and balances.

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Thousands of Turkish women rally in favour of Erdogan's powers - Guardian

By Ralph Boulton and Andrea Shalal | ISTANBUL/BERLIN

ISTANBUL/BERLIN Turkey said on Saturday it would keep holding rallies in Germany and the Netherlands to urge Turks living there to back a vote to boost President Tayyip Erdogan's powers, despite opposition from authorities in both countries.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized German and Dutch restrictions on such gatherings as undemocratic, and said Turkey would press on with them in the run-up to the April 16 referendum.

"None of you can prevent us," he told a campaign event in southern Turkey. "We can go anywhere we want, meet our citizens, hold our meetings."

The defiant Turkish comments highlight the importance Erdogan places on securing the new powers, especially since a failed military coup last July, in what could turn out to be a close vote.

The disagreement has led to sharp exchanges between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners. Adding to the tensions, Germany has demanded the release of a German journalist arrested in Turkey on Monday, while Erdogan on Friday called him a "German agent."

Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone on Saturday with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, a German government spokesman said, without providing details of the conversation.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who will meet with his Turkish counterpart in Berlin this week, warned against stirring up tensions between the two countries, but also said Berlin would not refrain from criticism where warranted.

"The German-Turkish friendship runs deeper than the diplomatic tensions we are experiencing today," he wrote in an essay published in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. "We cannot allow hate and misunderstanding to grow out of political differences."

Gabriel said Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in Germany should respect the "rules of law, as well as decency."

Several members of Merkel's coalition voiced concerns on Saturday about Turkish politicians rallying support among Germany's 1.5 million Turkish citizens.

Juergen Hardt, foreign policy spokesman for her conservative Christian Democratic Union, told Reuters: "We don't want marketing for the undemocratic and illegitimate Turkish referendum on German soil."

Several events have already been blocked for security reasons, sparking anger among Turkish leaders who accused Germany of a double standard.

Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has had two events canceled, but plans to speak at events on Sunday in Leverkusen and Cologne in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), which has a large Turkish population.

The state premier of NRW and local politicians want the federal government to provide guidance about such campaign events, something that Merkel and Gabriel would like to avoid as they struggle to balance the broader issues at hand with Turkey, including migration and the fight against Islamic militancy.

Critics of Erdogan fear the proposed new powers, including freedoms to govern by executive orders, would entrench autocratic trends. Erdogan says they are vital in tackling Kurdish rebels, Islamist militants and other political enemies in a land with a history of unstable coalition governments.

The Dutch government said on Friday it would inform Ankara of its opposition to "undesirable" proposals to hold a referendum rally in Rotterdam.

"The Netherlands told us 'You can't campaign in our public spaces.' What do you mean, we can't? Where is democracy ... where is freedom of expression?" Cavusoglu said.

(Reporting by Ralph Boulton, Andreas Rinke, Gernot Heller, Reuters TV and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Richard Chang)

ISTANBUL A Syrian air force pilot who bailed out as his warplane crashed on Turkish territory has been found by a Turkish rescue team and is being treated at a hospital in the Hatay region, a hospital spokeswoman said on Sunday.

WASHINGTON The White House budget director confirmed Saturday that the Trump administration will propose "fairly dramatic reductions" in the U.S. foreign aid budget later this month.

LONDON Finance minister Philip Hammond said he would not take advantage of an expected lowering in Britain's future borrowing requirements and spend heavily because the country needs "reserves in the tank" ahead of its impending divorce from the European Union.

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Turkey plans more pro-Erdogan rallies, German concerns mount - Reuters