(NWI) TURKEY TO RATIFY PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Turkey was ready to finally ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Erdogan's announcement at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly followed a year of violent weather events in Turkey -- including wildfires and flash floods -- that have claimed some 100 lives.

Turkey in April 2016 signed the landmark agreement on limiting the dangerous emissions that contribute to global warming, which scientists blame for increasingly extreme and more frequent weather events.

But it has yet to formally ratify the accord by a vote in parliament.

Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Turkey now intends to complete the ratification process in time for the November UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow - link - Text by: NEWS WIRES - more like this - link

TIPPING POINT - FIRES ACROSS TURKEY

Tourists staying at the Turkish holiday resort of Bodrum were evacuated and told to wait for rescue boats on Saturday evening as fresh wildfires erupted nearby, according to local media.

Panicked holidaymakers reportedly rushed to the seashore following the evacuation of several hotels in the coastal city.

Fires across Turkey have been raging since Wednesday, burning down forests and some settlements, and encroaching on villages and tourist destinations. Satellite images show smoke billowing across huge areas of land.

Two forest workers died on Saturday, the country's health minister said, taking the total death toll from the blazes to six, while hundreds more have been injured or suffered health problems.

In the Aegean resort of Bodrum, coast guard units led the rescue operation and authorities asked private boats and yachts to assist the efforts - Sky News link - Sky News Turkey - link