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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Turkey Reinforces Border Ahead of Geneva Conference | WebProNews

Turkey Reinforces Border Ahead of Geneva Conference

Turkey reinforces its borders only days before the scheduled conference of world leaders in Geneva this weekend. As death and destruction in Syria mounts, the country fears they will be forced to retaliate should violence in the area make its way across the border. Additional troops and several anti-aircraft weapons have been moved into place in order to contend with any potential threats that could arise in the future.

More:Turkey Reinforces Border Ahead of Geneva Conference | WebProNews

UPDATE 1-Gazprom warns Turkey over Azeri gas pipeline deal | Reuters

UPDATE 1-Gazprom warns Turkey over Azeri gas pipeline deal

MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Gazprom on Friday sent a warning signal to its second-largest gas consumer Turkey over Ankara's agreement with neighbouring Azerbaijan to built a gas pipeline to Europe, a rival to Moscow-backed planned South Stream trunk.

More:UPDATE 1-Gazprom warns Turkey over Azeri gas pipeline deal | Reuters

Turkey's Isbank gets $225mln and 125mln euro loans | Reuters

Turkey's Isbank gets $225mln and 125mln euro loans

ISTANBUL, June 29 | Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:17pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey's Isbank said on Friday it obtained $225 million and 125 million euro ($155.33 million) in loans.

More:Turkey's Isbank gets $225mln and 125mln euro loans | Reuters

Turkey coup trial resumes without ailing defendants | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Turkey coup trial resumes without ailing defendants
Published on 29 June 2012 - 12:18pm

Turkey's landmark trial into the bloody 1980 coup resumed on Friday in the absence of the two defendants, whose old age and frail health is still preventing them from appearing in court.

The two generals, Kenan Evren, 94, and Tahsin Sahinkaya, 86, are considered unfit to appear in the dock because of their age and physical condition, according to a report by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul.

More:Turkey coup trial resumes without ailing defendants | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Turkey Trade Deficit Narrows for 7th Month as Exports Jump - Bloomberg

Turkey Trade Deficit Narrows for 7th Month as Exports Jump
By Ali Berat Meric and Benjamin Harvey - Jun 29, 2012 12:32 PM GMT+0300

Turkey’s trade deficit narrowed for a seventh month in May as exports jumped and Iran bought more Turkish gold.

The gap declined to $8.6 billion from $10.2 billion a year earlier, the statistics office in Ankara said on its website today. The median estimate of six economists surveyed by Bloomberg was $8 billion versus a shortfall of $6.6 billion in April.

More:Turkey Trade Deficit Narrows for 7th Month as Exports Jump - Bloomberg

Haifa Wehbe wows crowds in Ankara

Haifa Wehbe wows crowds in Ankara

Friday, 29 June 2012

By Noora Faraj
Al Arabiya

Popular Lebanese songstress Haifa Wehbe performed for a sea of fans in the Turkish capital, Ankara, for the first time on Thursday night, as part of a festival in which she was the first Arab artist to participate in.

More:Haifa Wehbe wows crowds in Ankara

Jason Andrew's "Football's Lost Boys" - NYTimes.com

Soccer’s Lost Boys, Stranded in Istanbul
By ADAM MCCAULEY

The light was dim, and the room dank. The photographer Jason Andrew descended the basement steps. A single television displayed the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham, as flickering light of the television illuminated nearly a dozen dark faces in the room.

More:Jason Andrew's "Football's Lost Boys" - NYTimes.com

POLITICS - Turkish PM Erdoğan, Zana to meet to discuss Kurdish issue

Turkish PM Erdoğan, Zana to meet to discuss Kurdish issue

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet independent Kurdish lawmaker Leyla Zana on June 30 to discuss the Kurdish issue, two days after the National Security Council (MGK) said terrorism would not hold back commonsense efforts to solve the Kurdish question.

More:POLITICS - Turkish PM Erdoğan, Zana to meet to discuss Kurdish issue

Turkish Cypriots Set Terms for Future Talks, 30 June 2012 Saturday 9:54

Turkish Cypriots Set Terms for Future Talks

By Sevim Küçükkoşum, Hürriyet Daily News

Halted reunification talks between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots can only be resumed with the introduction of a deadline for negotiations and lifting the embargos imposed on Turkish Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot leader has said, just a day before Greek Cyprus assumes the six-month EU term presidency.

More:Turkish Cypriots Set Terms for Future Talks, 30 June 2012 Saturday 9:54

Friday, June 29, 2012

Nabucco pick hikes Turkey’s energy hub bid

Nabucco pick hikes Turkey’s energy hub bid

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Shah Deniz consortium, led by BP and the Azerbaijani state-run energy company Statoil, has concluded its evaluation of potential gas export routes towards Southeast and Central Europe, and has chosen to back a new version of the Nabucco project.

More:ENERGY - Nabucco pick hikes Turkey’s energy hub bid

Turkey’s Tweak of Basel Capital Measures Helps Banks, BGC Says - Bloomberg

Turkey’s Tweak of Basel Capital Measures Helps Banks, BGC Says
By Benjamin Harvey - Jun 28, 2012 11:08 AM GMT+0300

Turkey’s fine-tuning of the Basel II capital rules limits their impact on banks, protecting Turkiye Is Bankasi (ISATR) AS, Turkiye Vakiflar Bankasi TAO (VAKBN) and Yapi & Kredi Bankasi AS (YKBNK) from falling below required capital requirements, brokerage BGC Partners said.

More:Turkey’s Tweak of Basel Capital Measures Helps Banks, BGC Says - Bloomberg

AFP: Turkey sends missile batteries to tense Syria border

Turkey sends missile batteries to tense Syria border

By Ceren Kumova (AFP) – 20 hours ago

ISTANBUL — Turkey has sent missile batteries, tanks and troops to the border with Syria as a "security corridor", almost a week after the Syrian downing of a Turkish military jet, media reports said on Thursday.

More:AFP: Turkey sends missile batteries to tense Syria border

Women Fight Back; Male Violence on Trial - Bianet

Women Fight Back; Male Violence on Trial

The gains scored in the struggle against violence toward women in May, the penalties incurred on the offenders and sample court verdicts...
Rojda Duygu YEŞİLGÖZ-Ezgi OLGUN
Istanbul - BIA News Center
29 June 2012, Friday

Bianet continues keeping the tally on developments pertaining to the struggle on issues of violence, sexual harassment, rape and murder against women, the penalties incurred on the offenders and favorable and unfavorable court verdicts.

More:English :: Women Fight Back; Male Violence on Trial - Bianet

Tension over downed Turkish jet shows risk of Syria spillover - latimes.com

Tension over downed Turkish jet shows risk of Syria spillover
June 26, 2012 | 5:00 am

In the four days since Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish military jet, attempts by Ankara and Damascus to contain the security fallout have given way to accusations, veiled threats and fears of a widening regional conflict.

More:Tension over downed Turkish jet shows risk of Syria spillover - latimes.com

NATO Expands Presence in Caucasus As Broader War Looms

NATO Expands Presence in Caucasus As Broader War Looms

by Rick Rozoff

Global Research, June 28, 2012

On the sidelines of the twentieth anniversary summit of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey on June 26, Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili met with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and, according to Trend News Agency of Azerbaijan, dscussed "Issues of regional security and stability... "

The presidents also discussed regional - Transcaucasian and Trans-Caspian - energy and transportation projects engineered by the United States and several key NATO allies over the past twenty years.

More:NATO Expands Presence in Caucasus As Broader War Looms

ISTANBUL: Turkey warns Syria: 'No more Mr. Nice Guy' | World News | Bradenton Herald

Turkey warns Syria: 'No more Mr. Nice Guy'

Published: June 26, 2012

ISTANBUL — With the backing of the NATO alliance, which unanimously condemned Syria for shooting down an unarmed Turkish reconnaissance plane last week, Turkey warned Tuesday that its military will be prepared to attack any Syrian military element that crossed their common border.

More:ISTANBUL: Turkey warns Syria: 'No more Mr. Nice Guy' | World News | Bradenton Herald

Turkey moves to disband controversial courts | FTC Publications Newswire Daily

Turkey moves to disband controversial courts
June 28, 2012
By The News Staff

Ankara, Turkey (The Media Line) – They were either tools to stifle dissent and pursue Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s enemies, or they were a badly needed – if sometimes abused – way to ensure democracy in Turkey and take on criminal gangs.

More:Turkey moves to disband controversial courts | FTC Publications Newswire Daily

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Turkey says to act with determination in jet attack | Reuters

Turkey says to act with determination in jet attack

ANKARA | Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:54pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey's National Security Council said on Thursday it would respond to Syria's "hostile" downing of one of its reconnaissance jets last week with determination but within international law.

More:Turkey says to act with determination in jet attack | Reuters

EU failing in PKK effort, Turkey says - UPI.com

EU failing in PKK effort, Turkey says

Published: June 28, 2012 at 11:01 AM

ANKARA, Turkey, June 28 (UPI) -- Members of the European Union aren't helping Turkey in its fight against Kurdish separatists, the speaker of Turkish Parliament said.

The Interior Ministry early this year called for a bounty of as much as $2.6 million for several of top leaders in the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its Kurdish-language initials PKK.

More:EU failing in PKK effort, Turkey says - UPI.com

Incident: THY A319 near Ankara on Jun 15th 2012, bomb hoax on lavatory mirror

Incident: THY A319 near Ankara on Jun 15th 2012, bomb hoax on lavatory mirror
By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Jun 28th 2012 13:07Z, last updated Thursday, Jun 28th 2012 13:07Z

A THY Turkish Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration TC-JUA performing flight TK-2201 from Kahramanmaras to Istanbul (Turkey) with 120 passengers, was enroute at FL300 about 160nm southeast of Ankara (Turkey) when the word "BOMMM" was found written on a lavatory mirror with a blue pen. The captain decided to divert to Ankara as a precaution, the aircraft landed safely on Ankara's runway 21R about 25 minutes later. The aircraft taxied to a remote area, the passengers disembarked normally.

More:Incident: THY A319 near Ankara on Jun 15th 2012, bomb hoax on lavatory mirror

Baba Zula trace Istanbul's highs and lows | Music | DW.DE | 28.06.2012

Baba Zula trace Istanbul's highs and lows

Turkish band Baba Zula achieved fame in Germany through the music documentary 'Crossing the Bridge.' The band with its rebellious spirit goes way back in the contemporary Turkish music scene.

More:Baba Zula trace Istanbul's highs and lows | Music | DW.DE | 28.06.2012

Turkish lira down on Syria tensions, rate outlook | Reuters

Turkish lira down on Syria tensions, rate outlook

By Seda Sezer

ISTANBUL | Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:16pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey's currency fell to a two-week low against the dollar and bond and stock prices dropped on Thursday on worries about escalating tensions with Syria as troops moved up to the border.

More:Turkish lira down on Syria tensions, rate outlook | Reuters

American anthropologist portrays Jews in Turkey | The Canadian Jewish News

American anthropologist portrays Jews in Turkey
Sheldon Kirshner, Staff Reporter, Thursday, June 28, 2012

Turkey’s venerable Jewish community, one of the few still left in the Muslim world today, comes under rigorous scrutiny in Marcy Brink-Danan’s Jewish Life in 21st-Century Turkey: The Other Side of Tolerance, published by Indiana University Press.

More:American anthropologist portrays Jews in Turkey | The Canadian Jewish News

AFP: Blast halts Iran gas supply to Turkey

Blast halts Iran gas supply to Turkey

(AFP) – 4 hours ago

ANKARA — An explosion targeting a pipeline in eastern Turkey has cut off Iranian natural gas shipments to the country, Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday citing sources from the energy ministry.

More:AFP: Blast halts Iran gas supply to Turkey

Turkey: the storm passes | Vestnik Kavkaza

Turkey: the storm passes

by Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively for VK

The history of Jewish-Turkish relations starts in the Medieval Age. It is obviously unique and affected the modern history of Israeli-Turkish relations. Back then, Israelis only dreamed about building a national state and Zionists had a schism over attitudes towards Turkey. Ze'ev Zhabotinsky viewed the UK and Antanta as allies in achieving the goal. The first Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion was confident in the 1910s that stress should be put on the support of the Ottoman Empire.

More:Turkey: the storm passes | Vestnik Kavkaza

"The Government Is Trying to Intrude in People's Private Lives" - Qantara.de

The Turkish Women's Rights Activist Selen Lermioğlu Yılmaz''The Government Is Trying to Intrude into People's Private Lives''

In May the Turkish government announced its plan to limit women's access to legal abortion, later dropping the item from the parliament's agenda after harsh reactions from society. While the debate was a divisive one, it did at least provide an umbrella issue beneath which women's groups rallied, says Selen Lermioğlu Yılmaz in this interview

More:"The Government Is Trying to Intrude in People's Private Lives" - Qantara.de

Turks Seek Freedom to Travel to Europe Without Visas - NYTimes.com

Turks Seek Freedom to Travel to Europe Without Visas
By SUSANNE GÜSTEN
Published: June 28, 2012

ISTANBUL — Looking back across the Bosporus to Europe last week, Ebru Kaymak, 22, said she had few illusions about the state of Turkish relations with the Continent.

More:Turks Seek Freedom to Travel to Europe Without Visas - NYTimes.com

Turkish military convoys head for Syrian border-media

Turkish military convoys head for Syrian border-media

ISKENDERUN, Turkey (Reuters) - A convoy of about 30 military vehicles, including trucks loaded with missile batteries, arrived in Turkey's coastal town of Iskenderun and deployed near the Syrian border 50 km (30 miles) away, Turkish agencies said.

More:Turkish military convoys head for Syrian border-media

As Turkey Changes, So Does Its View of the Founding National Hero, Atatürk - The Atlantic

As Turkey Changes, So Does Its View of the Founding National Hero, Atatürk
By Justin Vela

Jun 27 2012, 7:54 AM ET

With an Islamist government in power, Turks are debating the roles of religion and of secularism, a major principle of first president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

More:International - Justin Vela - As Turkey Changes, So Does Its View of the Founding National Hero, Atatürk - The Atlantic

Former Turkish Official: Assad Fall May Lead to Chaos in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Former Turkish Official: Assad Fall May Lead to Chaos in Syria

By: Barbara Slavin posted on Wednesday, Jun 27, 2012

Former Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, one of Turkey’s longest-serving diplomats, said the situation between Turkey and Syria might actually get worse if President Bashar al-Assad leaves or is overthrown because chaos will hurt Syria first and Turkey second. “The Syrian question is more complex than we all think” and the answer is not foreign military intervention, but a negotiated solution with the Assad regime, he said in an interview with Al-Monitor Washington correspondent Barbara Slavin on Wednesday. Yakis, an expert on the Arab world who helped establish the ruling AKP party in 2001, criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for breaking diplomatic ties with Syria last year and went so far as to say that the June 22 Syrian shoot-down of a Turkish military plane could enable the two countries to restore channels of communication. Excerpts of the interview follow:

More:Former Turkish Official: Assad Fall May Lead to Chaos in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

26 killed in clashes in southeast Turkey | Fox News

26 killed in clashes in southeast Turkey

Published June 19, 2012

Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey – Kurdish rebels attacked Turkish military units with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades Tuesday in southeastern Turkey, sparking clashes that killed 18 rebels and eight soldiers, authorities said. The attack drew a strong condemnation from Turkey's leader.

More:26 killed in clashes in southeast Turkey | Fox News

The Turkish Paradox | Foreign Affairs

The Turkish Paradox
How the AKP Simultaneously Embraces and Abuses Democracy
Michael J. Koplow and Steven A. Cook
June 27, 2012

Prime Minister Erdogan sitting in a fighter jet on June 27, 2012. (Umit Bektas / Courtesy Reuters)

The Halki seminary, founded in 1844 as a center of learning for the Orthodox Eastern Church, was for decades a symbol of religious toleration and minority rights in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. But in 1971, Ankara closed the seminary when the constitutional court, dominated by adherents of Kemalism, the secular ideology of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ruled that only the army was allowed to run nonstate-supervised private colleges. So in March, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Halki seminary would be restored and reopened, it seemed that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the country’s ruling faction since 2002, was furthering its reformist agenda of making Turkey a more open society by expanding personal, religious, and economic freedoms.

More:The Turkish Paradox | Foreign Affairs

Is Turkey moving toward 'hard power' over Syria? - CNN.com

Is Turkey moving toward 'hard power' over Syria?
By Mustafa Akyol, Special to CNN
June 28, 2012 -- Updated 0025 GMT (0825 HKT)

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- The downing of a Turkish jet over the Mediterranean last Friday by a Syrian missile took Turkish-Syrian tensions to a new level. Though the Turkish government did not declare war as some expected, and others feared, it did declare Syria a "clear and present danger" and raised its rules of engagement to an alert level.

More:Is Turkey moving toward 'hard power' over Syria? - CNN.com

DHA reviews potential for Dubai's Medical Tourism in Turkey

DHA reviews potential for Dubai's Medical Tourism in Turkey

Dubai: In line with the Medical Tourism initiative, launched by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council in April, aimed at bolstering Dubai's global position in the field of medical tourism, a delegation headed by Qadi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, visited Ankara to review the Turkish experience in the field.

More:gulfnews : DHA reviews potential for Dubai's Medical Tourism in Turkey

The EU and Turkey: Stronger Together

The EU and Turkey: Stronger Together

By 16 Foreign Ministers
At a time when the EU faces economic challenges and continuing instability in the Middle East, our relationship with Turkey matters more than ever. Last week saw the 50th EU/Turkey Association Council, which demonstrated the need to work together to promote our shared prosperity, security and values.

More:CONTRIBUTOR - The EU and Turkey: Stronger Together

Heightened Tensions Raise Stakes for Turkey, Syria

Heightened Tensions Raise Stakes for Turkey, Syria

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the cockpit of Hurkus (Freebird), Turkey's first locally produced military training plane, outside Ankara, Turkey, June 27, 2012 (AP).

Dorian Jones

June 27, 2012
ISTANBUL - Turkey's prime minister announced toughened steps against Syria Tuesday in response to the downing of a Turkish military jet by Syrian forces last Friday.

More:Heightened Tensions Raise Stakes for Turkey, Syria

Egypt's generals eye Turkish model - Acadiana's News Leader

Egypt's generals eye Turkish model

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA and MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) - Now that Egypt has its first freely elected president, Egypt's powerful generals appear headed toward copying the Turkish model from decades past - retaining overwhelming powers while allowing a civilian regime complete with the trappings of democracy to emerge.
It is not the model that many in today's Turkey boast about, but rather one dating back to the 1980s and 1990s when civilians ran Turkey's day-to-day affairs under the watchful eyes of the military.

More:Egypt's generals eye Turkish model - Acadiana's News Leader

Experience Turkey on a Budget

Experience Turkey on a Budget

June 27, 2012

Turkey is one of the cheapest short-haul countries to visit, so it is great if you’re looking for a budget getaway for your summer holidays in 2012. Not only is it good value, but it is also an exceptional country, with plenty to explore within its borders.

More:Experience Turkey on a Budget | Manchester Evening News - menmedia.co.uk

Turkey’s Delusions of Grandeur

Turkey’s Delusions of Grandeur
By Andreas C. Chrysafis on June 27, 2012 in Opinion

The Cyprus talks are all but dead. It is only a matter of time before the nail in the coffin is hammered into place to seal a new chapter in the history of Cyprus. What will happen next is anyone’s guess.

More:Turkey’s Delusions of Grandeur | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

Northern Cypriot activists seek visibility in Brussels | EurActiv

Northern Cypriot activists seek visibility in Brussels

Hundreds of people from Northern Cyprus are expected today (27 June) to dress as ghosts to protest what they say is the indifference of the European Union to the division of their island and the hardships in the Turkish region.

More:Northern Cypriot activists seek visibility in Brussels | EurActiv

Turkish Cypriots protest EU presidency - World News | IOL News | IOL.co.za

Turkish Cypriots protest EU presidency

June 27 2012 at 08:59pm
By Stephanie Ebbs

Hundreds of Turkish Cypriots marched through the streets of Brussels on Wednesday to protest against Cyprus taking over the presidency of the European Union, saying the rights of the island's Turkish minority were being ignored.

More:Turkish Cypriots protest EU presidency - World News | IOL News | IOL.co.za

BBC News - Asil Nadir trial: Turkish President wrote to Thatcher

Asil Nadir trial: Turkish President wrote to Thatcher
Asil Nadir giving evidence Mr Nadir said he arrived at the board meeting in October 1990 "too late" to stop PPI being put into administration

The president of Turkey wrote to Margaret Thatcher in September 1990 hinting Polly Peck International might be a victim of a Greek Cypriot conspiracy, the Old Bailey has heard.

More:BBC News - Asil Nadir trial: Turkish President wrote to Thatcher

Turkey sees France's Hollande lifting EU veto | Reuters

Turkey sees France's Hollande lifting EU veto

By Ayla Jean Yackley and Ceyda Caglayan

ISTANBUL | Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:20pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey expects France to unblock talks that are essential if it is ever to join the European Union, now that Socialist President Francois Hollande has replaced Nicolas Sarkozy who was outspoken in opposing the Muslim country's bid to join the bloc.

More:Turkey sees France's Hollande lifting EU veto | Reuters

Iran’s vice president arrives in Ankara - Trend

Iran’s vice president arrives in Ankara
28 June 2012, 04:35 (GMT+05:00)

Iran's Vice President for International Affairs Ali Sa'eidlou arrived here in Turkey Wednesday to confer the latest regional and international affairs with Turkish high-ranking officials, IRNA reported.

More:Iran’s vice president arrives in Ankara - Trend

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Before The Deluge: The Jews Of Turkey (Part Two) | JewishPress

Before The Deluge: The Jews Of Turkey (Part Two)
By: Ezra James Nollet
Published: June 27th, 2012

The stories in this column are translations by Mr. Nollet from Die Juden In Der Welt (The Jews in the World) by Mark Wischnitzer, a long out-of-print book published more than seven decades ago in Germany. The book examines Jewish communities, one country at a time, as they existed in 1935 – a time before the Nazis began their extermination campaign against the Jews and before there was a state of Israel.

The Jews Of Turkey
(Part Two)

The French traveler Nicolay, who in 1551 accompanied Jews exiled from France to Constantinople, depicted the life, activities, trade and traffic, culture, and the social setting of the Jews in the following manner:

More:Before The Deluge: The Jews Of Turkey (Part Two) | JewishPress

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BSEC - Turkey to initiate Silk Road workshop

Turkey to initiate Silk Road workshop

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey plans to organize the Meeting of the Joint Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Working Groups on Cooperation in Tourism and on Culture, along with the Conference on the Silk Road in September, according to an official from the Tourism Ministry. Leading international institutions, including the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture (TÜRKSOY) are expected to attend the events.

More:20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BSEC - Turkey to initiate Silk Road workshop

Turkey's AK Party works to scrap special courts | Reuters

Turkey's AK Party works to scrap special courts

By Ozge Ozbilgin

ANKARA | Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:37am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey's ruling AK Party plans to abolish widely criticized special courts used in the trials of alleged coup plotters, a parliament official told Reuters on Wednesday, making the future of the politically sensitive cases uncertain.

More:Turkey's AK Party works to scrap special courts | Reuters

Turkish Cypriot protest - Cyprus Mail

Turkish Cypriot protest
Published on June 27, 2012

AROUND 350 Turkish Cypriots are due in Brussels today to protest against Cyprus taking over the EU Presidency.

According to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris, the protesters are civil society members who will go to Brussels in two planes leased by the authorities of the breakaway regime. There was some confusion in yesterday’s press as to whether the protest would actually take place in Brussels or move to Strasbourg.

More:Turkish Cypriot protest - Cyprus Mail

Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of attacking Syria - FOCUS Information Agency

Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of attacking Syria
27 June 2012 | 14:07 | FOCUS News Agency

Ankara. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday his country has no intention of attacking Syria over its recent downing of a Turkish fighter-jet, a media report said, AFP reported.

More:Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of attacking Syria - FOCUS Information Agency

Can Turkey sustain its economic miracle? | Business | DW.DE | 27.06.2012

Can Turkey sustain its economic miracle?

Turkey has impressed the world with its decade-long economic boom. But many economists are raising doubts about the future and suggest that Turkey cannot continue its growth pace with the current model.

More:Can Turkey sustain its economic miracle? | Business | DW.DE | 27.06.2012

Euro semi-final referee gives Turks reason to smile | Reuters

Euro semi-final referee gives Turks reason to smile

By Ece Toksabay

ISTANBUL | Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:37am EDT

(Reuters) - Missing out on Euro 2012 was painful for soccer-mad Turkey but having a Turkish referee at the finals has helped restore some pride to a country still smarting from match-fixing allegations and high-profile arrests.

More:Euro semi-final referee gives Turks reason to smile | Reuters

Would Turkey leave NATO? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Would Turkey leave NATO?

Editor's note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find all his blog posts here. Col. Richard Outzen is a foreign area officer in the U.S. Army. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Soner Cagaptay and Col. Richard Outzen.

By Soner Cagaptay and Col. Richard Outzen, Special to CNN

Soner Cagaptay

Only a few years ago, Turkey’s commitment to NATO was in doubt. Some were even suggesting that Turkey would abandon the alliance — or that at least, the alliance should seriously lower its expectations.

More:Would Turkey leave NATO? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

MUSIC - 1st Istanbul Music Festival goes to print with Ozan Sağdıç’s photos

1st Istanbul Music Festival goes to print with Ozan Sağdıç’s photos

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
As a celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the Istanbul Music Festival, photo-journalist Ozan Sağdıç’s personal archive has been gathered in a book, containing photographs from 24 different events that took place within the scope of the first ever festival

More:MUSIC - 1st Istanbul Music Festival goes to print with Ozan Sağdıç’s photos

Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict - CNN.com

Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict
By Fawaz Gerges, Special for CNN

Editor's note: Fawaz A. Gerges is Professor of International Relations and Director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics. His new book, "Obama and the Middle East: The End of America's Moment?" came out this month.

More:Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict - CNN.com

TOURISM - Germans declare Antalya most trusted tourism spot

Germans declare Antalya most trusted tourism spot

ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency
Some 4,000 German tourism agencies said Antalya is the most trusted destination along with Spain's Mallorca, according top a survey bu a local web portal

More:TOURISM - Germans declare Antalya most trusted tourism spot

Canitez, Turkey one win away from Olympic berth — Presidio Sports

Canitez, Turkey one win away from Olympic berth
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 By Ron Smith - WESTMONT SPORTS INFORMATION Leave a Comment

ST. LOUIS — Tugce Canitez is another step closer to becoming the third Olympic athlete in Westmont history after the Turkish Women’s Basketball National Team defeated Japan 65-49 on Tuesday to win the Group A pool.

More:Canitez, Turkey one win away from Olympic berth — Presidio Sports

Commentary: Ankara Puts NATO on Speed Dial | The National Interest

Ankara Puts NATO on Speed Dial

June 26, 2012

This week, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) will meet at Turkey's request to discuss what NATO should do in response to Syria shooting down a Turkish F-4 last week. The short answer will almost certainly be: not much.

More:Commentary: Ankara Puts NATO on Speed Dial | The National Interest

White House weighs in on rising Turkey and Syria tensions – The 1600 Report - CNN.com Blogs

White House weighs in on rising Turkey and Syria tensions

(CNN)–White House spokesman Jay Carney Tuesday condemned Syria's shoot down of a Turkish military plane last week calling the action "unacceptable". Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One as the president traveled to campaign events in Georgia and Florida, Carney commended Turkey for what he called its "measured" response.

More:White House weighs in on rising Turkey and Syria tensions – The 1600 Report - CNN.com Blogs

Turkey Should Do More With ICT | SYS-CON MEDIA

Turkey Should Do More With ICT

Global Economic Superstardom May Not Last If It Doesn't Pick Up Its Game
By Roger Strukhoff

June 26, 2012 02:06 PM EDT

Eight years ago, I made my first visit to Istanbul. I was the guest of a successful American businessman who was born and raised in Turkey, so I was able to visit a lot of places that most tourists or businesspeople wouldn't see.

More:Turkey Should Do More With ICT | SYS-CON MEDIA

NATO backs Turkey as PM vents fury at 'heinous' Syria | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

NATO backs Turkey as PM vents fury at 'heinous' Syria
Published on 26 June 2012 - 9:40pm

Turkey's prime minister vowed on Tuesday to retaliate against Syria for its 'heinous' downing of one of its warplanes, as the head of NATO said such an attack on one of its members was unacceptable.

More:NATO backs Turkey as PM vents fury at 'heinous' Syria | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Turkey makes it two wins in a row; Overcome Japan 65-49 in the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers for Women | bettor.com

Turkey makes it two wins in a row; Overcome Japan 65-49 in the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers for Women

After taking down Puerto Rica on the opening day of the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers for Women, the Turkish woman basketball team knocked over the Japanese 65-49 on Tuesday night

Led by 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals by their centre Nevriye Yilmaz, the Turkish women basketball team romped to their second win in as many days with a 65-49 decision over Japan.

More:Turkey makes it two wins in a row; Overcome Japan 65-49 in the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers for Women | bettor.com

Turkey's Sex, Lies and Videotapes :: Gatestone Institute

Turkey's Sex, Lies and Videotapes

by Claire Berlinski
June 26, 2012 at 8:30 am

If you are not allowed to keep these tapes on your computer, how can you threaten your enemies with them? The issue people should have been concerned about was not porn at all, but the implementation of a system that allows the government at will to to shut off channels of political dissent – a feat it managed quite successfully.

More:Turkey's Sex, Lies and Videotapes :: Gatestone Institute

BBC News - Asil Nadir trial: Polly Peck tycoon fled UK 'a broken man'

Asil Nadir trial: Polly Peck tycoon fled UK 'a broken man'
Asil Nadir Tycoon Asil Nadir denies stealing millions of pounds from his Polly Peck empire

Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir was a "broken man" who had no hope of a fair trial when he left the UK in 1993, he has told the Old Bailey.

More:BBC News - Asil Nadir trial: Polly Peck tycoon fled UK 'a broken man'

The Spirited Traveler: How to drink like a lion in Istanbul | Reuters

The Spirited Traveler: How to drink like a lion in Istanbul

By Kara Newman

Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:45am EDT

(Reuters) - Istanbul, Turkey's financial, cultural and historic center, has quality local wines and beers and the city's tipplers consume their fair share of distilled spirits - particularly vodka, tequila and whiskey - with a cocktail culture on the ascent.

More:The Spirited Traveler: How to drink like a lion in Istanbul | Reuters

Turkey: Downed Plane Is Attack On NATO

Turkey: Downed Plane Is Attack On NATO

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 26.06.2012 05:06
Turkey says it will push NATO to consider Syria's downing of a Turkish jet as an attack on the whole military alliance when NATO ambassadors meet on June 26.

More:Turkey: Downed Plane Is Attack On NATO

Report: 33 Syrian army members defect to Turkey - CNN.com

Report: 33 Syrian army members defect to Turkey
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 26, 2012 -- Updated 0118 GMT (0918 HKT)

(CNN) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military may have more cracks in its armor as dozens more soldiers, including a general and two colonels, have defected across the border, Turkish media reported Monday.

More:Report: 33 Syrian army members defect to Turkey - CNN.com

Turkey jet crisis unlikely to pull NATO into Syria

Turkey jet crisis unlikely to pull NATO into Syria

By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press – 9 hours ago

BRUSSELS (AP) — Syria's downing of a Turkish military jet has the feel of a turning point that could drag Western powers into a conflict that is spiraling out of control.

Turkey said Monday it would push NATO to consider Syria's downing of the RF-4E reconnaissance jet as an attack on the whole military alliance, and added that Syria also had shot at a Turkish search-and-rescue plane shortly after the jet was downed Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has vowed to hold Syria to account, while Britain's foreign minister said Damascus won't be allowed to act with impunity.

More:The Associated Press: Turkey jet crisis unlikely to pull NATO into Syria

Other side of the Cyprus conflict - Washington Times

Other side of the Cyprus conflict

An opinion column by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida Republican, about Cyprus (“Time for Turkey to leave Cyprus in peace,” Commentary, June 18) ignores that at the heart of the decades-long conflict on the Island is the well-demonstrated reluctance of Greek Cypriots to acknowledge the equal and inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots as co-owners and co-founders of the Partnership State established in 1960

More:Other side of the Cyprus conflict - Washington Times

Can Turkey force U.S. and other NATO countries to attack Syria? – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

Can Turkey force U.S. and other NATO countries to attack Syria?

By Adam Levine, CNN

Turkey's leadership took on a much more strident tone on Sunday, calling the downing of its military jet by Syria an "act of aggression" and invoking its right to consult with other NATO nations. That call to meet has raised the question of whether other nations, including the United States, would be compelled to strike back on Turkey's behalf.

More:Can Turkey force U.S. and other NATO countries to attack Syria? – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

Turkey Asks for Int'l Supports following Syria's Downing of Turkish Jet

Turkey Asks for Int'l Supports following Syria's Downing of Turkish Jet
2012-06-25 03:53:46
Turkey has stepped up efforts to appeal article 4 of the NATO charter after Syria shot down its military aircraft, which triggered regional tension in the past few days.

"Our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told TRT television on Sunday, dismissing Syria's claim that the plane was flying just 1 km off the Syrian coast when it was shot down.

More:Turkey Asks for Int'l Supports following Syria's Downing of Turkish Jet

Syrian soldiers defect as regional tensions soar

Syrian soldiers defect as regional tensions soar

Associated Press | Posted: Monday, June 25, 2012 2:53 pm | No Comments Posted

The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad suffered an embarrassing string of high-ranking defections, with dozens of soldiers, including senior officers, reported to have fled to neighboring Turkey, officials said Monday.

More:Syrian soldiers defect as regional tensions soar

Turkey hopes to secure visa-free travel for citizens to Europe - The National

Turkey hopes to secure visa-free travel for citizens to Europe

Thomas Seibert
Jun 26, 2012

ISTANBUL // Turkey is hoping to secure visa-free travel for its citizens to Europe within the next few years, a development that has the potential to breathe new life into Turkish-EU relations, according to diplomats and analysts.

More:Turkey hopes to secure visa-free travel for citizens to Europe - The National

Monday, June 25, 2012

WRAPUP 5-Syrian forces fire at second Turkish plane -Turkey | Reuters

WRAPUP 5-Syrian forces fire at second Turkish plane -Turkey

ANKARA/BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Monday Syrian forces had fired towards a Turkish military transport plane involved in a search for an F-4 reconnaissance jet shot down by Syria last week, but the second aircraft was not brought down.

More:WRAPUP 5-Syrian forces fire at second Turkish plane -Turkey | Reuters

EU urges Turkish restraint over plane incident - Yahoo!7

EU urges Turkish restraint over plane incident
Sebastian Moffett and Justyna Pawlak, Reuters June 26, 2012, 2:24 am

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers called on Monday for restraint from Ankara after Syria's shooting down of a Turkish military plane, and said they would increase sanctions pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

More:EU urges Turkish restraint over plane incident - Yahoo!7

Turkey: Abortion Debate Dividing Already Split Society | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: Abortion Debate Dividing Already Split Society
June 25, 2012 - 1:49pm, by Constanze Letsch

Turkey
EurasiaNet's Weekly Digest

A debate in Turkey over abortion is growing increasingly heated. But, unlike earlier controversies sparked by the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party’s reform initiatives, the opposing camps in the abortion battle do not necessarily fall along secular-versus-religious lines.

More:Turkey: Abortion Debate Dividing Already Split Society | EurasiaNet.org

The top 7 headlines you might have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 25 - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

The top 7 headlines you might have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 25
From Egypt's newly-elected President hoping to expand ties with Iran, to a conservative American blogger's wrath, Haaretz.com brings you the headlines you might have missed.

More:The top 7 headlines you might have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 25 - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Turkey account of jet downing contradicts that of Syria - latimes.com

Turkey account of jet downing contradicts Syria's

The Turkish warplane had 'briefly violated Syrian airspace' but was back in international territory when it was downed by Syria, Turkey's foreign minister says.

More:Turkey account of jet downing contradicts that of Syria - latimes.com

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq
Posted: Jun 24, 2012 6:09 PM TDT Updated: Jun 24, 2012 6:09 PM TDT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkish warplanes have bombed Kurdish rebel hideouts deep inside northern Iraq, and Kurdish rebels killed one policeman and wounded three others in a roadside bomb attack inside Turkey on Sunday, authorities said.

More:Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

International - Robert Wright - Greetings From Istanbul - The Atlantic

Greetings From Istanbul
By Robert Wright

Jun 24 2012, 5:15 PM ET 7

I'm in Turkey, where I'd never been until yesterday. So far I have nothing to report in the traditional journalistic sense of having either (1) talked to politicos who said something newsworthy; (2) talked to academics or other local experts who made trenchant analytical points; or (3) talked to cabdrivers who obligingly said something telling.

More:International - Robert Wright - Greetings From Istanbul - The Atlantic

Nato envoys to meet over Turkish jet downed by Syria - The National

Nato envoys to meet over Turkish jet downed by Syria

Reuters
Jun 24, 2012

BRUSSELS // Envoys from Nato member states will meet on Tuesday after Turkey requested consultations over the downing of its military jet by Syria, a Nato spokeswoman said today.

"Turkey has requested consultations under article 4 of Nato's founding Washington Treaty. Under article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened," Oana Lungescu said.

More:Nato envoys to meet over Turkish jet downed by Syria - The National

Turkish film makers go to Yerevan fest

Turkish film makers go to Yerevan fest

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The International Golden Apricot Film Festival will celebrate its ninth anniversary in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The festival has supported Turkish-Armenian film projects for the last four years and hosted internationally known Turkish directors such as Fatih Akın and Semih Kaplanoğlu. This year’s festival will be held between July 8 and 15. One day before the festival the traditional blessing of the new apricot harvest will be held in Yerevan churches. The International Golden Apricot artistic director, Susanna Harutyunyan recently spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News. Harutyunyan said this year a guest of honor would be Spanish film director Victor Erice. Harutyunyan said they would show films by five Turkish and five Armenian directors in the festival’s Turkey-Armenia Cinema Platform section.

More:CINEMA-TV - Turkish film makers go to Yerevan fest

Turkish basketball seeks ticket to London

Turkish basketball seeks ticket to London

ANKARA

The Turkish women’s national basketball team wants to make the best use of its home court advantage when the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women tips off today in Ankara.

More:BASKETBALL - Turkish basketball seeks ticket to London

Turkey books place in Grand Prix finals

Turkey books place in Grand Prix finals

OSAKA

Turkish women’s national volleyball team booked a ticket to the Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals for the first time after clinching a 23-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17 victory over Japan in Osaka on June 23.

More:VOLLEYBALL - Turkey books place in Grand Prix finals

Sunday, June 24, 2012

TOURISM - Cruise ships to Turkey sharply rise

Cruise ships to Turkey sharply rise

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

The number of cruise ships that docked at Turkey’s ports has increased 83 percent, while the number of passengers who came to the country on those ships has climbed 276 percent in last nine years.

More:TOURISM - Cruise ships to Turkey sharply rise

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq

Turkish warplanes have bombed Kurdish rebel hideouts deep inside northern Iraq, and Kurdish rebels killed one policeman and wounded three others in a roadside bomb attack inside Turkey on Sunday, authorities said.

More:Turkey hits Kurdish rebels deep inside Iraq

Turkey to consult NATO allies over downed jet | Reuters

Turkey to consult NATO allies over downed jet

By Jonathon Burch

ANKARA | Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:23am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey said on Sunday Syria had shot down its military aircraft in international airspace on Friday without warning and declared it would formally consult its NATO allies on a reaction.

More:Turkey to consult NATO allies over downed jet | Reuters

The top 8 headlines you may have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 23 - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

The top 8 headlines you may have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 23
With escalation on the Israel-Gaza border, and Egyptians waiting for the Presidential elections results, Haaretz.com sums up the latest top headlines from Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish World.

More:The top 8 headlines you may have missed / Haaretz Newsline, June 23 - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Turkey, Iran to Trade in Local Currencies to Replace Greenback - Tehran Times

Turkey, Iran to Trade in Local Currencies to Replace Greenback

Turkey is planning a money exchange structure with Iran which will cut the usage of U.S. dollars as much as possible and develop trade with the two countries’ national currencies, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz has said.

More:Turkey, Iran to Trade in Local Currencies to Replace Greenback - Tehran Times

Turkey admits downed plane had strayed into Syrian airspace - KansasCity.com

Turkey admits downed plane had strayed into Syrian airspace
By ROY GUTMAN
McClatchy Newspapers

Turkey and Syria on Saturday pulled back from a possible confrontation over Syria's downing of a Turkish fighter jet that had strayed across their common border into Syrian air space Friday. As their respective navies searched for the two missing Turkish crew, both sides said Friday's clash had been accidental.

More:Turkey admits downed plane had strayed into Syrian airspace - KansasCity.com

Bursaspor’s way to Europe cleared

Bursaspor’s way to Europe cleared

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

A top sports court has cleared the way for Bursaspor to compete in the European competition next season, lifting an earlier ban by the European football’s governing body UEFA.

More:TURKEY - Bursaspor’s way to Europe cleared

Turkey mulls response after loss of plane near Syria - UPI.com

Turkey mulls response after loss of plane near Syria
Turkey's security chiefs met Friday in an emergency session to consider response to the loss of a Turkish Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet near Syria.

Published: June 22, 2012 at 2:52 PM

ANKARA, Turkey, June 22 (UPI) -- Turkey's security chiefs met Friday in emergency session to consider response to the loss of a Turkish air force F-4 Phantom fighter jet near Syria.

More:Turkey mulls response after loss of plane near Syria - UPI.com

Turkey Offers Incentives for Carmakers to Expand Production - Businessweek

Turkey Offers Incentives for Carmakers to Expand Production
By Ercan Ersoy on June 19, 2012

Turkey will allow carmakers that add at least 100,000 units annual capacity in Turkey to import additional vehicles equaling 15 percent of that amount without tariffs, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said.

More:Turkey Offers Incentives for Carmakers to Expand Production - Businessweek

KTVL CBS Channel 10 :: News - International News

Syria says Turkish plane downing not hostile act
June 23, 2012 15:32 GMT

%reldate(2012-06-23T15:26:59
By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A Syrian official says the downing of a Turkish military plane Syria has said was operating in its airspace was an accident, and not a hostile act against its neighbor.

Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi told Turkish news channel A Haber on Saturday that Syria had exerted its "sovereign right" against an "unknown" aircraft violating its air space.

More:KTVL CBS Channel 10 :: News - International News

Swissôtel Hotels to open two new properties in Bodrum, Turkey | News | Breaking Travel News

Swissôtel Hotels to open two new properties in Bodrum, Turkey

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio in Turkey is being expanded with two new deluxe hotels: a beach resort and a city resort in Bodrum.

More:Swissôtel Hotels to open two new properties in Bodrum, Turkey | News | Breaking Travel News

Turks do not want to live in the EU any more

Turks do not want to live in the EU any more

By Andrew Rettman


BRUSSELS - Turkey says future visa-free travel will work out well because Turks no longer want to live in the EU.

Istanbul mall - the city is relatively rich. But in rural areas, around 10 percent of people live in poverty (Photo: maistora)

Its European affairs minister Egemen Bagis told EUobserver on Friday (22 June) that Turks these days travel to EU capitals "to spend [money]" in shops and hotels.

More:EUobserver.com / Enlargement / Turks do not want to live in the EU any more

In Istanbul, A Brunch Spread Fit for a Sultan | EurasiaNet.org

In Istanbul, A Brunch Spread Fit for a Sultan
June 22, 2012 - 2:00pm

Kebabistan
Eating in Turkey

As the weekend approaches, Istanbul Eats has a valuable tip on one of Istanbul's best-kept secrets: the massive (and well-priced) brunch buffets served up in several of the Ottoman-era pavilions found inside some of the city's parks. From IE's report:

More:In Istanbul, A Brunch Spread Fit for a Sultan | EurasiaNet.org

GÜVEN SAK - Why don’t women work in Turkey?

Why don’t women work in Turkey?

Women in Turkey just don’t work. Our country has the lowest female labor force participation rate among the OECD, including Mexico and Korea. Below 30 percent, Turkey’s female labor force participation rate is like Ireland’s in 1981. Turkey ranks lowest even among Muslim-majority countries. What is the problem? Why don’t women work in this country?

More:GÜVEN SAK - Why don’t women work in Turkey?

Syria shoots down warplane from Turkey - latimes.com

Syria shoots down warplane from Turkey
Syria says the Turkish aircraft violated its airspace over the Mediterranean. The fate of two pilots is unknown. Turkey's leader says his nation will act 'decisively' after details emerge.

More:Syria shoots down warplane from Turkey - latimes.com

Friday, June 22, 2012

Turkey confirms Syria shot down F-4 military jet

Turkish F4
Syria shot down a Turkish military fighter jet in the eastern Mediterranean on Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s office said in a statement, amid earlier ambiguity over whether the plane had been downed by Syrian defense forces or had crashed.

“As a result of information obtained from the evaluation of our concerned institutions and from within the joint search and rescue operations with Syria, it is understood that our plane was brought down by Syria,” Erdogan’s office said.

Turkey would decide on its response to the incident once all of the details became clear, it said in the statement, issued after a two-hour meeting between Erdogan, members of his cabinet and the military.

Read more: Turkey confirms Syria shot down F-4 military jet, search for pilots ongoing

CIA Funneling Arms to Syrian Rebels Through Turkey - by John Glaser

 The CIA has officers secretly operating in southern Turkey, helping allies to funnel arms to Syrian opposition fighters across the border into Syria to aid in the fight against the regime of President Bashar al Assad.

“The weapons, including automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and some antitank weapons, are being funneled mostly across the Turkish border by way of a shadowy network of intermediaries including Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and paid for by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” according to the New York Times.

The Times reports the CIA officers have been in southern Turkey for several weeks aiming to help keep the weapons and ammunition flowing across the border out of the hands of al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups within the rebel militias. This corresponds to reports in May that the Obama administration was preparing a plan that would attempt to vet rebel militias in Syria to determine whether they would be suitable recipients of munitions through US allies.

Read more: CIA Funneling Arms to Syrian Rebels Through Turkey -- News from Antiwar.com

Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 32,000 - Trend

Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 32,000
22 June 2012, 14:33 (GMT+05:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, June 22 / Trend, A.Taghiyeva /

The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey, according to recent data, amounted to 32,750 people, TRT Haber TV channel quotes Turkish Foreign Ministry official Selcuk Unal as reporting on Friday.

More:Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 32,000 - Trend

EU-Turkey: intensifying work on positive agenda

EU-Turkey: intensifying work on positive agenda

Remarks by Commissioner Štefan Füle at the press conference following the Association Council with Turkey.

We had a very extensive and friendly exchange of views covering the whole range of EU-Turkey relations.

I have underlined that political reforms remain at the core of the accession process and that the work launched on implementing the 2010 Constitutional reform package as well as the new process to reform the constitution are steps in the right direction.

More:EUROPA - Press Releases - EU-Turkey: intensifying work on positive agenda

Rotana moves into Turkey with Rhossos property | News | Breaking Travel News

Rotana moves into Turkey with Rhossos property

Hotel management giant Rotana has announced the signing of its first agreement in Iskenderun, Turkey, with Rhossos Tourism and Hospitality.

More:Rotana moves into Turkey with Rhossos property | News | Breaking Travel News

EU, Turkey attempt immigration give-and-take | EurActiv

EU, Turkey attempt immigration give-and-take

Published 22 June 2012

Turkey made a first step toward accepting to take back illegal immigrants who crossed into the EU from its territory, apparently in exchange of easing the visa requirement for its citizens visiting the border-free Schengen space.

More:EU, Turkey attempt immigration give-and-take | EurActiv

Talat says Cyprus ‘subservient’ to Turkey

Talat says Cyprus ‘subservient’ to Turkey
He went on and added that if there is no solution, the Turkish Cypriots will be eliminated.
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Fri, Jun 22, 2012
Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat has said the ‘subservience’ of the Turkish Cypriot administration to Turkey has jeopardized the breakaway states future.

More:Talat says Cyprus ‘subservient’ to Turkey

Turkey: Will the Real PKK Please Stand Up? | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: Will the Real PKK Please Stand Up?
June 21, 2012 - 6:20pm, by Yigal Schleifer

Is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) trying to undermine nascent efforts to solve the decades-old Kurdish issue? Is the militant organization itself split between a moderate leadership and a more hardline wing that's trying to undermine these reconciliation moves? These two questions are being asked in the wake of Tuesday's brazen and well-coordinated attack by a large group of PKK militants on a military outpost in eastern Turkey, which resulted in the death of eight Turkish soldiers and has led to retaliatory strikes against PKK strongholds in northern Iraq.

More:Turkey: Will the Real PKK Please Stand Up? | EurasiaNet.org

Turkish retailer Koton to sell stake to Nemo Apparel | Reuters

Turkish retailer Koton to sell stake to Nemo Apparel

ISTANBUL | Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:41pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkish retailer Koton Magazacilik has applied to the Competition Board to sell a stake to Dutch-based firm Nemo Apparel, it said on its website.

More:Turkish retailer Koton to sell stake to Nemo Apparel | Reuters

Hearing Turkey’s Armenians

Hearing Turkey’s Armenians
Issues, Demands and Policy Recommendations

Armenian flags used during a protest in Yerevan, Armenia

The aim of this report is not only to introduce the problems that the Armenian population has been living with, but also the opinions of the different segments of Armenian society about the democratization process in Turkey. The authors focus on the issues that are mostly ignored by policy makers and society in Turkey such as access to education and employment; assuring the freedom of faith and religious practices; freedom of intellectual, cultural and artistic expression; elections of the Patriarch and directors of community foundations, and demands concerning confiscated property.

More:Hearing Turkey’s Armenians

Lira plunges on report Syria shot down Turkish warplane | Reuters

Lira plunges on report Syria shot down Turkish warplane

By Seltem Iyigun

ISTANBUL | Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:37am EDT

(Reuters) - The Turkish lira fell sharply on Friday after a news report said a Turkish warplane had been shot down by Syrian air defenses, and analysts said it would be vulnerable to further losses as more details of the incident emerged.

More:Lira plunges on report Syria shot down Turkish warplane | Reuters

'Taken 2' Trailer: Liam Neeson Kicks Butt in Istanbul | Hollywood.com

'Taken 2' Trailer: Liam Neeson Kicks Butt in Istanbul

By Brian Marder , Hollywood.com Staff | Thursday, June 21, 2012

The brand-new trailer for Taken 2 was unveiled on Thursday, and it looks like we're in for much more of the same Liam Neeson revenge action that made the first installment so popular — this time set against the beautiful backdrop of Istanbul!

More:'Taken 2' Trailer: Liam Neeson Kicks Butt in Istanbul | Hollywood.com

Turkey Bond Yields at 8-Month Low After Bank Signals Easing Bias - Bloomberg

Turkey Bond Yields at 8-Month Low After Bank Signals Easing Bias
By Benjamin Harvey - Jun 21, 2012 6:36 PM GMT+0300

Turkish bond yields fell to the lowest level in more than eight months after the central bank signaled it was more comfortable about inflation and boosted lira liquidity by allowing banks to keep more reserves in dollars and gold.

More:Turkey Bond Yields at 8-Month Low After Bank Signals Easing Bias - Bloomberg

‘Hollande Spring’ in Turkish-EU relations

‘Hollande Spring’ in Turkish-EU relations

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
FM Davutoğlu hails a thaw in Turkey-EU ties as the bloc pledges to ease Turks’ visa procedures while Ankara ends sanctions against France

More:POLITICS - ‘Hollande Spring’ in Turkish-EU relations

Thursday, June 21, 2012

‘Koprudekiler’ (‘Men on the Bridge’), a Drama Set in Istanbul - NYTimes.com

Working-Class Men, Longing for Change in a Restless Land
‘Koprudekiler’ (‘Men on the Bridge’), a Drama Set in Istanbul

There’s palpable verisimilitude in Asli Ozge’s “Koprudekiler” (“Men on the Bridge”), a powerful portrait of working-class Istanbul that artfully suggests a wellspring of found moments. Quietly, steadily, it gathers a resonance belying its slice-of-life scale.

More:‘Koprudekiler’ (‘Men on the Bridge’), a Drama Set in Istanbul - NYTimes.com

Turk Hava Heads for Highest in Ten Months on Aircraft Order - Bloomberg

Turk Hava Heads for Highest in Ten Months on Aircraft Order
By Benjamin Harvey - Jun 21, 2012 11:00 AM GMT+0300

Turk Hava Yollari AO (THYAO), or Turkish Airlines, headed for the highest in more than 10 months after saying it will order at least 15 jumbo airliners as early as next month and is looking at about 10 acquisition prospects.

More:Turk Hava Heads for Highest in Ten Months on Aircraft Order - Bloomberg

Turkey to restore ties with France after genocide row - chicagotribune.com

Turkey to restore ties with France after genocide row

8:36 a.m. CDT, June 21, 2012

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has agreed to restore all ties with France, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Thursday, following a breakdown in relations last year prompted by a simmering dispute over the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

More:Turkey to restore ties with France after genocide row - chicagotribune.com

Turkish Central Bank Maintains Interest-Rate Corridor - Businessweek

Turkish Central Bank Maintains Interest-Rate Corridor
By Mark Bentley and Aydan Eksin on June 21, 2012

Turkey’s central bank kept its interest-rate corridor unchanged as it seeks to support the lira and slow inflation.

More:Turkish Central Bank Maintains Interest-Rate Corridor - Businessweek

7 Turkish police officers probed for beating man

7 Turkish police officers probed for beating man
June 21, 2012 07:54 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Officials say seven police officers have been temporarily laid off while being investigated for the severe beating of a man that was captured on video and broadcast on Turkish televisions.

More:WPEC CBS Channel 12 News :: News - International News

Turkish people dissatisfied with government's intervetion in Syria

Turkish people dissatisfied with government's intervetion in Syria
Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:51AM GMT

Natalie Carney, Press TV, Istanbul

Turkish lawmakers are questioning their government’s cozy relationships with nations who have openly endorsed an armed intervention in Syria.

Public opinion in Turkey is strongly against Ankara's increasing involvement in its neighbor's internal affairs.

It’s no secret; the United Nations and Western countries are looking at “the next step” in dealing with Syria following the failure of UN envoy Kofi Annan’s 6-point peace plan.

More:PressTV - Turkish people dissatisfied with government's intervetion in Syria

Carrefour could change partner in Turkey - paper | Reuters

Carrefour could change partner in Turkey - paper

ISTANBUL, June 21 | Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:20am IST

(Reuters) - Carrefour, Europe's biggest retailer, plans to remain in Turkey but could change its partner there, Haberturk newspaper on Thursday reported Carrefour board member Thomas Huebner as saying.

More:Carrefour could change partner in Turkey - paper | Reuters

Turkey Central Bank ‘Outsmarted’ Investors, SocGen Says - Bloomberg

Turkey Central Bank ‘Outsmarted’ Investors, SocGen Says
By Benjamin Harvey - Jun 20, 2012 6:23 PM GMT+0300

Turkish central bank Governor Erdem Basci “outsmarted” many investors with a dual rates policy that has made Turkey “the Mediterranean safe haven,” Societe Generale SA (GLE) said.

More:Turkey Central Bank ‘Outsmarted’ Investors, SocGen Says - Bloomberg

Turkey: Historic Istanbul Roma Neighborhood Gets a (sort of) Reprieve | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: Historic Istanbul Roma Neighborhood Gets a (sort of) Reprieve
June 20, 2012 - 4:06pm, by Yigal Schleifer


The demolishing of Sulukule, a historic Roma neighborhood inside Istanbul's ancient walls, has been one of the most egregious examples of the destructive nature of the numerous "urban transformation" projects that have been enacted in the city in recent years. In general, this "transformation" has meant evicting or relocating lower-income residents from neighborhoods in newly-desirable locations, tearing down their homes, and replacing them with soulless new buildings that appeal to Turkey's fast-growing middle class.

More:Turkey: Historic Istanbul Roma Neighborhood Gets a (sort of) Reprieve | EurasiaNet.org

Istanbul: Shanghai Review - The Hollywood Reporter

Istanbul: Shanghai Review

Ferenc Torok
Director Ferenc Torok's film holds special appeal to women as an emotionally bruised housewife escapes from her family.

Young Hungarian writer-director Ferenc Torok cashes in on the cultish reputation he established with his politically-tinged trilogy Moscow Square, Eastern Sugar and Overnight to attempt an intimate change-of-pacer so quiet and low-key it wafts across the screen like a dream. The Hungarian-Turkish-Irish-Dutch coprod Istanbul, about a middle-aged woman who opts out of her oppressive family, is a familiar tale told with disarming simplicity, but perhaps too much of a fantasy to be taken seriously. The net result is a respectable, well-crafted art film with special appeal for women, but unlikely to set the boxoffice on fire in any of its coproduction territories.

More:Istanbul: Shanghai Review - The Hollywood Reporter

Turks get a taste of Olympic spirit

Turks get a taste of Olympic spirit

HULL/YORK - Anatolia News Agency
Twelve Turks, including actress Meltem Cumbul and rock singer Harun Tekin, join the torch relay for the 2012 London Olympic Games in Hull as torcbearers. ’I hope that we will have the same enthusiasm the British people have in Istanbul, in our own city,’ Cumbul says, voicing her support for Istanbul’s 2020 Olympic bid

More:OTHERS - Turks get a taste of Olympic spirit

The Making of Kurdistan: Oil, Investment and a Turkish Gamble

The Making of Kurdistan: Oil, Investment and a Turkish Gamble
By OilPrice.com, on June 20th, 2012 in US & World
Article Picture

As tensions rise among Iraqi Kurds in the country’s north, Sunnis in the south and the Shi’ite-led government in Baghdad over the distribution of natural resources, Turkey is setting its sights on an unconventional alliance with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

More:The Making of Kurdistan: Oil, Investment and a Turkish Gamble

Turkish military says warplanes, helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq

Turkish military says warplanes, helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq

SELCAN HACAOGLU Associated Press
June 20, 2012 - 12:00 pm EDT

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq after a rebel attack killed eight Turkish soldiers, Turkey's military said Wednesday — the latest attempt by Turkey to fight off a persistent threat from Kurdish insurgents seeking regional autonomy.

More:Turkish military says warplanes, helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq

Turkish Air May Order 15 Airbus or Boeing Jumbos Next Month - Businessweek

Turkish Air May Order 15 Airbus or Boeing Jumbos Next Month
By Ercan Ersoy on June 21, 2012

Turk Hava Yollari AO, or Turkish Airlines, will order at least 15 jumbo airliners valued at $4 billion from Airbus SAS (EAD) or Boeing Co. (BA) (BA) as early as next month as it adds routes and seeks acquisitions in emerging markets.

More:Turkish Air May Order 15 Airbus or Boeing Jumbos Next Month - Businessweek

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Turkish Government to Form Armenian Genocide Authority - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish Government to Form Armenian Genocide Authority

By: Murat Bardakci posted on Wednesday, Jun 20, 2012

The office of the Turkish prime minister has made a crucial break from all past approaches to the issue of the Armenian genocide. From now on, one single authority will be tasked with dealing with all claims related to genocide.

More:Turkish Government to Form Armenian Genocide Authority - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border

Published: June 20, 2012 Updated 3 hours ago

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq after a rebel attack killed eight Turkish soldiers, Turkey's military said Wednesday - the latest attempt by Turkey to fight off a persistent threat from Kurdish insurgents seeking regional autonomy.

More:ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border | World | Kentucky.com

Turkish Court Hears From Murdered Women's Relatives - Northern Ireland News

Turkish Court Hears From Murdered Women's Relatives
A County Down woman has given evidence in Turkey at the pre-trial hearing of a man charged with the murder of her mother.

Marion Graham and her best friend Cathy Dinsmore, both in their 50s, died after suffering multiple stab wounds in a forest near the city of Izmir in August 2011.

More:Turkish Court Hears From Murdered Women's Relatives - Northern Ireland News

Turkish writer claims he needed 70 years to understand Turkey

Turkish writer claims he needed 70 years to understand Turkey

June 20, 2012 | 16:41

YEREVAN. – Turkish writer Murat Belge confessed it required him 70 years and even more to try to understand Turkey and policy run by the Turkish Government, the writer said during the discussions ‘Trying to Understand Turkey’ organized in Yerevan on Wednesday.

More:Turkish writer claims he needed 70 years to understand Turkey | Armenia News - NEWS.am

Is Turkey Turning Its Back on Atatürk? | EurasiaNet.org

Is Turkey Turning Its Back on Atatürk?
June 20, 2012 - 9:56am, by Justin Vela

How much longer will Atatürk stay in the picture? (Photo: Jonathan Lewis)
Two nationalists hold a portrait of the founder of the modern Turkish state, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, during a rally in April 2010. While Atatürk as a leader and person will remain an important figure in modern Turkish history, his secular policies may slowly be shriveling away over time under the current AKP leadership. (Photo: Jonathan Lewis)

For decades, the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Republic of Turkey’s first president, has served as the country’s guiding force. Yet, amidst an unprecedented debate on the role of secularism, has Turkey begun to steer away from Atatürk?

More:Is Turkey Turning Its Back on Atatürk? | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border

Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border
By SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters have struck Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq after a rebel attack killed eight Turkish soldiers, Turkey's military said Wednesday - the latest attempt by Turkey to fight off a persistent threat from Kurdish insurgents seeking regional autonomy.

More:Turkey hits Kurdish rebels across Iraqi border - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Young turks - Globaltimes.cn

Young turks
Global Times | 2012-6-20 19:15:02
By Hu Bei

The friendship between the Turkish film industry and the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) stretches back to 1999. In that year, the Turkish movie, Propaganda (a comedy directed by Sinan Çetin) won the Golden Goblet (equivalent to "best film") at the fourth annual SIFF. And last year, Turkish movie, Hayde Bre (directed by Orhan Oguz) picked up the same prize at the 14th SIFF

More:Young turks -
Globaltimes.cn
:

Moody's Upgrades Turkey - WSJ.com

Moody's Upgrades Turkey

BY JOE PARKINSON AND CHUN HAN WONG

ISTANBUL—Turkish assets leapt higher Wednesday as Moody's Investors Service announced a long-awaited upgrade to Turkey's sovereign debt rating, citing the country's improving public finances and steps taken by Ankara to address its external imbalances.

More:Moody's Upgrades Turkey - WSJ.com

Retired Turkish Mufti Discusses Erdogan and the Abortion Debate - SPIEGEL ONLINE

'It Always Depends on the Circumstances'
Women demonstrate in Ankara against Erdogan's plan to limit their abortion rights.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has outraged women in his country by calling for a ban on abortion. But he's just using the issue for political gain, says Ihsan Özkes, a retired mufti and parliamentarian for the country's center-left Republican People's Party (CHP). Islam is actually more permissive on the issue than Christianity, he says.

More:Retired Turkish Mufti Discusses Erdogan and the Abortion Debate - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Development project: 256 women get goats from Turkish agency – The Express Tribune

Development project: 256 women get goats from Turkish agency
By Our Correspondent
Published: June 20, 2012

The TIKA and the UAF experts are also considering providing cows to deserving livestock farmers to boost their incomes. PHOTOS: NEFER SEHGAL/EXPRESS
FAISALABAD:

As many as 256 women were given goats by Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TIKA) in connection with a poverty alleviation project on Tuesday.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, TIKA members vowed to continue support for more poverty reduction initiatives in the rural areas.

More:Development project: 256 women get goats from Turkish agency – The Express Tribune

THE DAILY STAR :: Culture :: Film :: Lebanese heritage with a Turkish accent

Lebanese heritage with a Turkish accent
June 20, 2012 12:04 AM
By Jim Quilty
The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Nowadays, mainstream cinema genres are quite fixed. “Comedies” may not be funny, but with a few exceptions, they seldom aspire to be anything more complex than sentimentality. Serious dramas may cultivate a few laughs, but only to make the final knife thrust more painful.

These conventions weren’t engraved in stone in 1968, the year Egyptian director Farouq Ajrama (aka Frank Agrama) shot “Usabat al-Nisa” (“The Gang of Women”) in Lebanon and Turkey.

This Turkish-Egyptian co-production (titled “Five Hot Women” in Turkey) is being screened as part of the Lebanese film retrospective The Most Beautiful Days of My Life, currently up at Cinema Metropolis-Sofil.

More:THE DAILY STAR :: Culture :: Film :: Lebanese heritage with a Turkish accent

Turkey: Fast Growing Incarceration Rate To Blame For Deadly Prison Fire? | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: Fast Growing Incarceration Rate To Blame For Deadly Prison Fire?
June 19, 2012 - 4:49pm, by Yigal Schleifer

The Turko-file
Turkish Domestic Politics
Turkish Judicial System

A prison fire last week that led to the death of 13 inmates and a string of subsequent fires -- all set by prisoners protesting the conditions they are living under -- have led to a debate about the state of Turkey's jails and just why the country has such a fast-growing prison population.

More:Turkey: Fast Growing Incarceration Rate To Blame For Deadly Prison Fire? | EurasiaNet.org

Fighting in southeastern Turkey leaves 26 dead, reports say - CNN.com

Fighting in southeastern Turkey leaves 26 dead, reports say
From Gul Tuysuz, For CNN
June 19, 2012 -- Updated 1732 GMT (0132 HKT)

(CNN) -- Fighting between Kurdish rebels and government troops in southeastern Turkey left more than two dozen dead Tuesday, according to reports from officials and a news agency.

More:Fighting in southeastern Turkey leaves 26 dead, reports say - CNN.com

Fault lines crisscrossing Turkey

Fault lines crisscrossing Turkey

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Any earthquake in the Marmara Sea would not cause a tidal wave, a Turkish official has said. There is no risk to the third Bosphorus bridge either, since it will not be constructed on a live fault line, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said, introducing the updated version of Turkey’s Map of Active Fault Lines at a press conference yesterday.

More:LOCAL - Fault lines crisscrossing Turkey

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Targets Women's Rights - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Turkish Prime Minister Assaults Women's Rights

By Daniel Steinvorth in Istanbul

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has never been much of a feminist, but women in Turkey are enraged by his latest comments on abortion. Critics say he is trying to distract attention from a scandal involving a massacre of Kurdish civilians last year.

More:Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Targets Women's Rights - SPIEGEL ONLINE

EXHIBITIONS - Istanbul Contemporary presents ‘Art Istanbul’

Istanbul Contemporary presents ‘Art Istanbul’

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Ali Güreli, Istanbul Contemporary chairman, speaks during the cocktail at Art Basel to present the new ‘Art Istanbul.”

Ali Güreli, Istanbul Contemporary chairman, speaks during the cocktail at Art Basel to present the new ‘Art Istanbul.”
Contemporary Istanbul hosted a Cocktail Prolongé at Safran Zunft Restaurant in Basel on June 14, gathering important of invitees including collectors, artists, curators, and advisors from all over the world.

More:EXHIBITIONS - Istanbul Contemporary presents ‘Art Istanbul’

Turkey unveils incentives to boost car production | Reuters

Turkey unveils incentives to boost car production

ISTANBUL, June 19 | Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:53pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey announced the details on Tuesday of incentives aimed at boosting local car production as it battles to reduce imports and rein in its current account deficit.

More:Turkey unveils incentives to boost car production | Reuters

PKK attack in Turkey kills 8 soldiers | euronews, world news

PKK attack in Turkey kills 8 soldiers

19/06 12:43 CET

PKK attack in Turkey kills 8 soldiers 19/06/2012 09:33 CET
Turkey security battles PKK in mountains 23/03/2012 07:36 CET
Turkey: Thousands attend funeral after air strike… 30/12/2011 18:04 CET
Clashes erupt in Turkey over deadly air strikes 30/12/2011 19:33 CET
Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in series of attacks 19/10/2011 10:33 CET

At least eight Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack being blamed on Kurdish PKK fighters on the southeastern borders with Iraq and Iran. Local officials say 10 rebels were also killed.

More:PKK attack in Turkey kills 8 soldiers | euronews, world news

Turkey tourism is down by 6%

The current economic and political turmoil in Europe has taken its toll on the Turkish tourism industry which suffered a significant decline in the number of tourists visiting the country, according to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat).

Tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2012 dropped by 6%, compared to the previous year.
The steep drop in tourism chiefly derives from a decline in the number of tourists visiting Turkey from North America and Western Europe – regions which used to compose the majority of the Turkish tourism clientele.

Read more: Turkey tourism is down by 6% - Israel Travel, Ynetnews

Turkey troops killed by Kurdish Terrorists

Turkish troops 'killed by rebels' At least seven Turkish soldiers have been killed and 15 wounded in an ambush by Kurdish rebels, state TV says.

The attack took place in Yuksekova, near the border with Iraq and Iran. Ground troops and combat helicopters are pursuing the assailants.

Several thousand Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels are believed to be based in mountain hideouts in northern Iraq.

Tens of thousands of people have died since the PKK took up arms in 1984.

Read more: Angola Press - International - Turkey troops killed by rebels

Monday, June 18, 2012

Dogus of Turkey to Buy Four Marinas in Greece, Milliyet Reports - Bloomberg

Dogus of Turkey to Buy Four Marinas in Greece, Milliyet Reports
By Ercan Ersoy - Jun 18, 2012 2:57 AM ET

Dogus Holding AS, a Turkish company with interests in banking, construction and tourism, will buy four marinas that Greece is selling to raise cash, Milliyet reported, citing Group Chief Executive Husnu Akhan.

More:Dogus of Turkey to Buy Four Marinas in Greece, Milliyet Reports - Bloomberg

US House resolution calls for end of Turkish occupation of Cyprus

US House resolution calls for end of Turkish occupation of Cyprus
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Mon, Jun 18, 2012
A resolution, submitted to the US House of Representatives, aims to expose and halt the illegal influx of Turkish settlers in Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas, support Nicosia’s efforts to control all of its territory and exploit its energy resources without illegal interference by Turkey and end Turkey’s illegal occupation of northern Cyprus.

More:US House resolution calls for end of Turkish occupation of Cyprus

Sunday, June 17, 2012

LOCAL - Fire hits Istanbul island hosting Halki Seminary

Fire hits Istanbul island hosting Halki Seminary

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

A fire was brought under control on Istanbul’s Heybeliada island yesterday after hour-long efforts to extinguish the blaze were conducted by sea, air and land teams.

More:LOCAL - Fire hits Istanbul island hosting Halki Seminary

The Region: Turkey trots toward Islamism

The Region: Turkey trots toward Islamism
By BARRY RUBIN
06/17/2012 22:03
The spending, restrictions and anti-intellectual policies might undermine Turkish democracy, stability and economic progress.

More:The Region: Turkey trots toward I... JPost - Opinion - Columnists

Commission sends strong message to Ankara after Erdogan`s circular

Commission sends strong message to Ankara after Erdogan`s circular
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Sun, Jun 17, 2012
The European Commission has sent a strong message to Ankara, following a circular issued by the Turkish Prime Minister to Turkish technocrats and diplomats, asking them not to take part in any EU meetings that will be chaired by the Cyprus EU Presidency, which begins in July.

More:Commission sends strong message to Ankara after Erdogan`s circular

Eroglu blasts EU for Cyprus 'presidency mistake'

Eroglu blasts EU for Cyprus 'presidency mistake'
Eroglu accused the EU of preventing the solution by accepting Cyprus as its member and alleged that Russia, China and France are not helpful for the solution by “being guardian of the Greek Cypriots”.
FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Sun, Jun 17, 2012
Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said that the European Union is preparing to commit a 'second mistake' by letting the Republic of Cyprus’s hold the EU presidency.

More:Eroglu blasts EU for Cyprus 'presidency mistake'

13 Inmates Killed in Turkish Prison Fire - ABC News

13 Inmates Killed in Turkish Prison Fire

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey June 17, 2012 (AP)

Inmates in a prison in southeast Turkey set mattresses and blankets alight, starting a fire that killed 13 prisoners, authorities said Sunday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the inmates set their bedding on fire following a fight that broke out inside a ward housing 18 prisoners late on Saturday. Five of the inmates in the prison in the mostly-Kurdish and Arabic-speaking city of Sanliurfa were hospitalized but none was in serious condition.

More:13 Inmates Killed in Turkish Prison Fire - ABC News

Istanbul – a model of hospitality | TwoCircles.net

Istanbul – a model of hospitality
Submitted by admin on 17 June 2012 - 9:59am

By Misbahuddin Mirza

“Could you slow down? Please?” I asked the cab driver as he started racing down the freeway, leading away from the Istanbul airport, as if someone had just waved the Indy 500’s start of race flag at him. The driver acknowledged my request, but, made no attempt to slow down. As the distance between my cab and the car in front of it started disappearing at an alarming rate, I resumed fidgeting nervously with my seat belt, hoping desperately for it to click in place, so that I may at least survive what looked like an unavoidable crash. I started visualizing the next day’s newspaper headlines, ‘Why on earth would a senior engineer trained in the US sit unbuckled in the front seat of a cab?’

More:Istanbul – a model of hospitality | TwoCircles.net

Coming soon: Flights to Turkey from IAH

Coming soon: Flights to Turkey from IAH
Saturday, June 16, 2012


HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It looks like a new airline is coming to Houston. Soon, you'll be able to able to fly directly to Istanbul from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Turkish Airlines will offer flights to Istanbul four times a week -- Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

More:Coming soon: Flights to Turkey from IAH | abc13.com

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Policeman shot dead in Istanbul attack: official - FOCUS Information Agency

Policeman shot dead in Istanbul attack: official
16 June 2012 | 16:51 | FOCUS News Agency
Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans
Istanbul. A Turkish policeman was shot dead and another was wounded after unknown assailants opened fire on the officers in Istanbul, the city's police chief said Saturday, cited by AFP.
The attack occurred in the populous neighborhood of Gaziosmanpasa, located on the European side of Istanbul, police chief Huseyin Capkin told the Anatolia news agency.
Both victims were rushed to hospital, where one died and the other was still receiving treatment, the NTV news channel reported.

More:Policeman shot dead in Istanbul attack: official - FOCUS Information Agency

Turkey, Saudi Discuss Long-Term Oil Purchase

Turkey, Saudi Discuss Long-Term Oil Purchase

ISTANBUL--Turkey has started talks with Saudi Arabia about long-term oil purchases, Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Tuesday, appearing to mark Ankara's latest move to reduce its reliance on Iranian oil as regional tensions have seen the neighbors' policies diverge.

More:Turkey, Saudi Discuss Long-Term Oil Purchase

Turkey defeats Cuba 3-1 in Pool H of Women World Grand Prix – Volleyball news | bettor.com

Turkey defeats Cuba 3-1 in Pool H of Women World Grand Prix – Volleyball news

With the Pool H match of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Grand Prix taking place in Belgrade, Serbia, the Turkish side met with their Cuban counter parts on June 15, 2012.

It was the second match of the Pool and ended up with the Turkish emerging as victors by 3-1.

More:Turkey defeats Cuba 3-1 in Pool H of Women World Grand Prix – Volleyball news | bettor.com