Turkey’’s court bans pro-Kurdish party

ANKARA: Turkey’’s top court closed the only pro-Kurdish party in parliament on Friday for having links to PKK Kurdish rebels in a ruling that deals a fresh blow to the country’’s faltering bid to join the European Union. The EU promptly issued a statement of concern, having warned that banning the Democratic Society Party (DTP) would violate Kurdish rights and could set back the government’’s drive to end decades of conflict with militant Kurdish separatists