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                   Turkey Blocks Access to Russian News Site

   by VOA News

   The website of Russia's news agency Sputnik has been blocked in Turkey,
   in another indication of strained relations between the two countries.
   The site's Turkish editor-in-chief told the Reuters news agency Friday
   that "there is no access to [1]Sputniknews.com and sub-domains from
   Turkey. We've sent a letter to the regulatory agency asking for the
   reasons."
   Turkish officials have not been available for comment, but the Internet
   regulator's website said an "administrative measure" had been taken
   against Sputniknews.com.
   The website was blocked shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin
   Thursday criticized Turkish leaders in a televised national call-in
   show, stating, "We have problems with some political leaders (in
   Turkey) whose behavior, actions we consider inappropriate."

   ''
   Freedom of the press
   Blocking websites and similar measures are not uncommon in Turkey. In
   the past year alone, Turkey has shuttered and confiscated newspapers
   and occasionally blocked access to social media sites including Twitter
   and Facebook.

   ''
   The action against Sputnik has drawn the ire of its top editor in
   Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, who described the latest move as "a further
   act of harsh censorship" in Turkey.
   Relations between the two Cold War rivals have been particularly
   strained since November, when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that
   Turkey said had violated its airspace near its border with Syria.

   ''
   In that incident, Russia also denied its aircraft had entered Turkish
   airspace. After the plane was shot down, Putin authorized sanctions
   against Turkey and since then, trade between the two countries has
   plummeted.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-blocks-access-to-russian-websi
   te/3287254.html

References

   1. http://sputniknews.com/
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-blocks-access-to-russian-website/3287254.html