Turkish politicians today began voting to choose a new president in an election that has been marked by tensions between the Islamic-rooted government and defenders of Turkey’s secular ideals.

Turks were sharply divided today over the government’s surprise proposal to open a major port and airport to long-time foe Cyprus and save the country’s troubled EU membership talks.

Turkey must expand freedom of expression, open its ports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes and bring its powerful military under civilian control, the EU’s chief expansion official said today.

Nato today announced the recent counteroffensive it launched against Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan had achieved two-thirds of its goals.

Nato generals today struggled to persuade allies to provide an extra 2,000 troops urgently sought by commanders caught unawares by the ferocity of Taliban resistance to the alliance push into southern Afghanistan.

Turkey has deployed more than 30,000 additional troops in its predominantly Kurdish south-east and along its rugged border with Iraq and Iran to fight Kurdish guerrillas and stop them from infiltrating across the Iraqi border.