The Turkish government is gearing up to dispatch troops to Iraq to assist in US-led peacekeeping operations and in the rebuilding of its south-eastern neighbour, in return for an $8.5bn soft US loan, despite protests from the Iraqis themselves and from Kurds living in the northern part of the country, writes Metin Demirsar.

As Turkey works towards qualifying for European Union membership, its privatisation programme is moving forward, with profitable state enterprises opening up to foreign investment.

Turkey’s new regulatory body began operations last month with sweeping powers to oversee the troubled banking sector.