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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Turkey's model of 'moderate' Islamism can be misleading - The National

Turkey's model of 'moderate' Islamism can be misleading

Murat Somer
Oct 1, 2012

What do we learn from Turkey about building democracy in a Muslim society? When an unworthy movie mocking Prophet Mohammed provoked deadly protests in many Muslim nations, only peaceful protests occurred in Turkey. What makes it different?

More:Turkey's model of 'moderate' Islamism can be misleading - The National

Turkey in push to attract Arab investors - FT.com

Turkey in push to attract Arab investors

By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul and Camilla Hall in Dubai

At the centre of a Turkish bid to get hundreds of millions of dollars from the Gulf is a mound of reddish brown earth, bordered by Istanbul’s financial district, a forest, and a military range.

More:Turkey in push to attract Arab investors - FT.com

UPDATE 1-Turkish democracy is example for Muslim world-Erdogan | Reuters

UPDATE 1-Turkish democracy is example for Muslim world-Erdogan

By Jonathon Burch

ANKARA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan trumpeted Turkey's credentials as a rising democratic power on Sunday, saying his Islamist-rooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge.

More:UPDATE 1-Turkish democracy is example for Muslim world-Erdogan | Reuters

Making City Istanbul - Dexigner

Making City Istanbul

September 30, 2012 | by Senay Gokcen
Making City Istanbul is the last exhibition of the 5th IABR: Making City. The exhibition is part of Musibet, the main exhibition of the first Istanbul Design Biennial that opens on October 10 at Istanbul Modern.

More:Making City Istanbul - Dexigner

Turkey: a bosom friend | The Nation

Turkey: a bosom friend
September 30, 2012 |

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif called on Turkish President Abdullah Gull atAnkaraon Friday. President Gul expressed his happiness at the efforts of Mian Shahbaz to seek greater economic cooperation of his province withTurkey. The occasion marked another step forward towards improved bilateral relationship that would go on to providing fillip to the ongoing projects initiated in Punjab by Turkish firms, ranging from public transport to solid waste management system. On the sidelines of his meeting with President Gull, the CM was given the assurance of support in these sectors by Minister for Energy Taner Yildiz as well as the Chief Executive of Exim Bank.

More:Turkey: a bosom friend | The Nation

Report: Turkish pilots executed by Syria at Russia's behest

Report: Turkish pilots executed by Syria at Russia's behest

Saudi media outlet Al-Arabiya releases classified documents stolen from Syrian regime by rebels, detailing embattled President Bashar al-Assad's plans for dealing with Turkish pilots after their aircraft was shot down in June.

More:Israel Hayom | Report: Turkish pilots executed by Syria at Russia's behest

Egypt's President Heads to Turkey to Build on Ties - ABC News

Egypt's President Heads to Turkey to Build on Ties

By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press
CAIRO September 29, 2012 (AP)

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi travels to Turkey on Sunday to strengthen an emerging alliance between two moderate Islamist governments in a region beset by conflict and instability.

More:Egypt's President Heads to Turkey to Build on Ties - ABC News

Iran, Turkey vying for influence in Iraq

Iran, Turkey vying for influence in Iraq
Departure of U.S. opens door to increased control

WASHINGTON – As Turkey’s Kurdish problem becomes more serious, Ankara is looking to the Kurdish area of northern Iraq not only to help contain the attacks originating there, but also to increase its military presence as a way of impeding Iran’s growing influence, said a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

More:Iran, Turkey vying for influence in Iraq

The stalemate in Turkish-Israeli relations

The stalemate in Turkish-Israeli relations
By BANU ELIGUR
09/30/2012 12:27
How the rise of Turkey’s JDP party and the dominance of Sunni Islamism in the aftermath of the Arab Spring have reshaped Ankara’s foreign policy and its ties to Jerusalem.

More:The stalemate in Turkish-Israeli relatio... JPost - International

Turkey will clear $1.3 billion IMF debt by April: Erdogan | Reuters

Turkey will clear $1.3 billion IMF debt by April: Erdogan

ANKARA | Sun Sep 30, 2012 6:46am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey will clear its remaining $1.3 billion of debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by next April, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told a ruling party congress on Sunday.

More:Turkey will clear $1.3 billion IMF debt by April: Erdogan | Reuters

The Wall Street of Istanbul

The Truth About Istanbul — One Of The Hottest New Financial Centers In The world
Michael Kaplan | Sep. 30, 2012, 6:55 AM | 4,262 | 1

Earlier this month, Bloomberg Markets reported Istanbul is planning to build a $2.6 billion dollar financial center that would rival Dubai's.

More:The Wall Street of Istanbul - Business Insider

Stuttgart to Istanbul, via Athens, by bicycle

Stuttgart to Istanbul, via Athens, by bicycle

By Costas Onishenko

My encounter with Reiner Herport in the village of Fylakio, Orestiada, just a few kilometers from Turkey and Bulgaria, was lucky, to say the least.

More:ekathimerini.com | Stuttgart to Istanbul, via Athens, by bicycle

Chinese culture shines in Istanbul - Globaltimes.cn

Chinese culture shines in Istanbul
Xinhua | 2012-9-30 16:55:52

A Chinese Culture Week themed "The Modern Silk Road" opened here on Saturday, serving attendants a feast for the eyes and appetite.

The week-long event, as part of 2012 China Culture Year, features documentaries, Mongolian art shows and Chinese cuisine, presenting China's traditional culture and the lifestyle of its ethnic minorities.

More:Chinese culture shines in Istanbul - Globaltimes.cn

Turkish PM Touts Ruling Party Success - ABC News

Turkish PM Touts Ruling Party Success

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey September 29, 2012 (AP)

Turkey's leader is delivering a major speech that celebrates a decade of electoral success for his ruling party and touts the rising power's regional stature and strong record of economic growth.

More:Turkish PM Touts Ruling Party Success - ABC News

Batumi's casinos: The Las Vegas of the Black Sea?

Batumi's casinos: The Las Vegas of the Black Sea?
By Damien McGuinness BBC News, Batumi, Georgia

Georgia's beautiful, subtropical Black Sea coast is once again drawing tourists from far and wide, and the government hopes focusing on gambling will help pull in visitors all year round.

When you are in Batumi, it is hard to believe that this was once a corrupt and crime-ridden city, cut off from the rest of the country, and run as a personal fiefdom by a power-hungry strongman.

More:BBC News - Batumi's casinos: The Las Vegas of the Black Sea?

Keano turns Turk

Keano turns Turk
Istanbul delight at new coach
By FERGUS O’SHEA

ROY Keane is ready to work in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in Istanbul.

Keano has reportedly agreed to manage a moneybags football club in TURKEY.

More:Keano turns Turk | The Sun |Irish Home|Irish News

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Turkish airline launches Istanbul-Aden flights

Turkish airline launches Istanbul-Aden flights
[29/September/2012]

SANA'A, Sep. 29 (Saba) - The Turkish airline is to launch next Tuesday its non-stop flights from Aden to Istanbul.

More:Saba Net - Yemen news agency

Turkey & the EU - By Andrew Stuttaford - The Corner - National Review Online

Turkey & the EU
By Andrew Stuttaford
September 29, 2012 1:23 P.M.

Andrew McCarthy has a piece on possible Turkish membership of the EU up on the home page, very well worth reading in many respects, but not least for this observation:

In Turkey, the administrators of the Kemalist governmental model — comprising Muslims who understood Islam intimately — suppressed Islam not to deny freedom of conscience but to enable it. They were trying to forge exactly the sort of secular civil society Europeans revere. They knew it could not coexist with sharia. Thus, the government assumed supervision of the country’s 80,000 mosques, vetted the imams, controlled the content of sermons and literature, and aggressively monitored the Islamic charities. The Muslims running the state realized that Islam would inevitably work against secular civil society if left to its own devices.

More:Turkey & the EU - By Andrew Stuttaford - The Corner - National Review Online

Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike - chicagotribune.com

Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey signaled it would take action if there was a repeat of a mortar strike on its territory from inside Syria.

A mortar bomb fired from Syria hit southeastern Turkey on Friday, damaging homes and workplaces in the Akcakale border area, the private Dogan news agency said.

More:Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike - chicagotribune.com

AFP: Saudi group to set up Syrian refugee camp in Turkey

Saudi group to set up Syrian refugee camp in Turkey

(AFP) – 5 hours ago

ANKARA — A Saudi charity group will build a container city that can house 10,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey's Kilis province near the border, a Turkish official said Saturday.

The project of the Saudi National Campaign to Support Brothers in Syria is expected to be ready within a month, the official told AFP.

More:AFP: Saudi group to set up Syrian refugee camp in Turkey

Russia helps U.S., Syria establish contact, Turkey in shock

Russia helps U.S., Syria establish contact, Turkey in shock
Atul Aneja

With a little bit of help from Russia, the Americans and the Syrians have established contact with each other, sending shockwaves in Turkey, which has blamed Moscow and Beijing for the continuation of strife in Syria.

More:The Hindu : News / International : Russia helps U.S., Syria establish contact, Turkey in shock

Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike | Reuters

Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike

ISTANBUL | Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:16am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey signaled it would take action if there was a repeat of a mortar strike on its territory from inside Syria.

More:Turkey warns Syria after mortar strike | Reuters

Turkish Foreign Minister Addresses UN General Assembly, 29 September 2012 Saturday 11:34

Turkish Foreign Minister Addresses UN General Assembly

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Davutoglu said UN have failed over issues such as Palestine, Azerbaijan, Syria, Cyprus and Myanmar.

NEW YORK--Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addressed the opening of the 67th UN General Assembly meetings in New York, calling for joint action in resolving international crises in many parts of the world.

More:Turkish Foreign Minister Addresses UN General Assembly, 29 September 2012 Saturday 11:34

Turkey’s Public External Debt Reduces, 29 September 2012 Saturday 14:6

Turkey’s Public External Debt Reduces

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Turkey's public external debt in the second quarter of 2012 decreased by 4.9 percent and hit 275.8 billion lira compared to the first quarter, the report of the Turkish Treasury, published on its official website said today.

More:Turkey’s Public External Debt Reduces, 29 September 2012 Saturday 14:6

Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan

Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan

Turkish-Football: ISTANBUL (Sept. 29, 2012) - AC Milan have been linked with Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim as a replacement for Massimiliano Allegri according to Turkish media sources.

The Serie A outfit have made a poor start to the new season, losing three out of their last five games.

More:Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan

Roy Keane heading to Turkey? - Sports Mole

Roy Keane heading to Turkey?

By Liam Apicella, Staff Reporter

Reports have claimed that former Manchester United captain Roy Keane is close to taking over a club in the Turkish top flight.

More:Roy Keane heading to Turkey? - Sports Mole

Damascus to Ankara: We’ll Arm Every Kurdish Man with A Rocket

Damascus to Ankara: We’ll Arm Every Kurdish Man with A Rocket
Local Editor

The United States has called for a contact with Syria at the United Nations, as Damascus told Ankara it was heading to arm Kurds, Nidal Hamade wrote in his “Friday Stance” at al-Manar Website.

More:Damascus to Ankara: We’ll Arm Every Kurdish Man with A Rocket

Turks unhappy with FSA insurgents in Syrian refugee camps

Turks unhappy with FSA insurgents in Syrian refugee camps

Turkish people have expressed their displeasure with the presence of the multi-national members of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the southern province of Hatay where Syrian refugees are settled, Press TV reports.

More:PressTV - Turks unhappy with FSA insurgents in Syrian refugee camps

Bodrum’s second film week calls for support

Bodrum’s second film week calls for support

MUÄžLA - Anatolia News Agency

The second Bodrum Turkish Films Week began Sept. 27 in the Aegean province of Bodrum, opening with a screening of “Ayaz” by director Hakan KurÅŸun.

More:CINEMA-TV - Bodrum’s second film week calls for support

Turkey to help resolve Punjab energy crisis | The Nation

Turkey to help resolve Punjab energy crisis
By: Our Staff Reporter | September 29, 2012 |
Turkey to help resolve Punjab energy crisis

LAHORE – Turkish government and Exim Bank have assured Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif of cooperation and investment in energy and other development sectors in Punjab province.

More:Turkey to help resolve Punjab energy crisis | The Nation

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's ruling party to hold major congress | World News | Bradenton Herald

Turkey's ruling party to hold major congress

— Turkey's governing party is holding a major congress this weekend to pick new leaders and try to build on a decade-long record of electoral success, economic growth and a rising regional profile.

More:ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's ruling party to hold major congress | World News | Bradenton Herald

Kurds to Pursue More Autonomy in a Fallen Syria - NYTimes.com

Kurds Prepare to Pursue More Autonomy in a Fallen Syria
By TIM ARANGO
Published: September 28, 2012

DOHUK, Iraq — Just off a main highway that stretches east of this city and slices through a moonscape of craggy hills, a few hundred Syrian Kurdish men have been training for battle, marching through scrub brush and practicing rifle drills.

More:Kurds to Pursue More Autonomy in a Fallen Syria - NYTimes.com

Friday, September 28, 2012

Have You Seen This? Best Death Scene Ever | ksl.com

Have You Seen This? Best Death Scene Ever
By John Clyde
September 28th, 2012 @ 1:45pm

SALT LAKE CITY — After scouring the Internet for a total of 12 seconds we have found the greatest death scene ever caught on film.

This engrossing display of raw emotion and subtlety comes from the Turkish movie "Kareteci Kiz 1973."

More:Have You Seen This? Best Death Scene Ever | ksl.com

A Man-Made, Net-Zero Energy Island Off the Coast of Istanbul - Design - The Atlantic Cities

A Man-Made, Net-Zero Energy Island Off the Coast of Istanbul

This year Istanbul Design Week goes back to the future with a very ambitious project: HavvAda, a cutting-edge net-positive-energy residential island conceptualized by New York-based Studio Dror. Turkish developer Serdar Inan has commissioned the project, which will be unveiled in Istanbul on September 29.

More:A Man-Made, Net-Zero Energy Island Off the Coast of Istanbul - Design - The Atlantic Cities

Turkey blasts UN council over Syria inaction

Turkey blasts UN council over Syria inaction
Posted: Sep 28, 2012 3:40 PM EDT Updated: Sep 28, 2012 3:50 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The Turkish foreign minister blasted the United Nations Security Council on Friday for its stalemate over the Syrian civil war, saying the powerful U.N. body's inability to take action "becomes a tool in the hands of despots."

More:Turkey blasts UN council over Syria inaction - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |

Turkey: Risk worth taking for Syria safe zones

Turkey: Risk worth taking for Syria safe zones
By Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor, New York

The UN's failure to agree a way to deal with the worsening civil war in Syria has dominated the diplomatic week at the General Assembly in New York.

More:BBC News - Turkey: Risk worth taking for Syria safe zones

Can Erdogan Make Room for Women in the AKP Congress? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Can Erdogan Make Room for Women in the AKP Congress?

By: Meral Tamer posted on Friday, Sep 28, 2012

The [Justice and Development Party’s (AKP)] Fourth General Congress on Sunday is important in many respects. It has vital importance for Turkey’s future. We will all watch it carefully and assess it according to our own priorities.

More:Can Erdogan Make Room for Women in the AKP Congress? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Istanbul, An Enchanting Paradise - For Cats

Istanbul, An Enchanting Paradise - For Cats

DIE WELT/Worldcrunch

ISTANBUL - Mornings around nine, when shop owners on Galip Dede Street open their doors, dozens of cats appear out of nowhere. They know it’s breakfast time. Not right away: the men first have to unpack new merchandise, stock the shelves, and check the till.

More:Istanbul, An Enchanting Paradise - For Cats - Worldcrunch - All News is Global

The New Germans: Three Children of Immigrants Share their Stories - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Immigrant Children's Complicated Search for Identity

By Daryl Lindsey

One thing unites Khuê Pham, Özlem Topçu and Alice Bota: They are German citizens and the children of migrants in a country that has long struggled to define its relationship with foreigners. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, they describe the alienation of being first-generation Germans, but also their new role as their home becomes more cosmopolitan.

More:The New Germans: Three Children of Immigrants Share their Stories - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Excerpt from 'We New Germans' - SPIEGEL ONLINE

My Home, No Home
Two generations of Turkish immigrants at the Ford plant in Cologne, Germany: Alien in Germany and foreign in Turkey.Zoom

As children of immigrants, many second-generation Germans have trouble feeling at home in the country. When they travel to the countries of their parents' origin, they may have an understanding of the culture, but they still feel alien. In a modern, globalized world, is the idea of calling a place "home" even fitting? It's time for a new approach.

More:Excerpt from 'We New Germans' - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Turkey to promote exports in service industries - MarketWatch

Turkey to promote exports in service industries

By Emre Peker

ISTANBUL--Turkey will take steps to promote exports in service-related industries in an effort to boost sales abroad and attract more foreign cash as it seeks to triple its $780 billion economy in the next decade, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said Friday.

More:Turkey to promote exports in service industries - MarketWatch

Holland Film Meeting, NPP launch with upbeat mood despite film funding questions | News | Screen

Holland Film Meeting, NPP launch with upbeat mood despite film funding questions

28 September, 2012 | By Geoffrey Macnab

Sister event Netherlands Film Festival opened with Nono, The Zig Zag Kid [pictured]; River Phoenix’s last film finally unveiled.

More:Holland Film Meeting, NPP launch with upbeat mood despite film funding questions | News | Screen

There are Countries who Do Not Want to See an End to PKK Terror, 28 September 2012 Friday 11:50

There are Countries who Do Not Want to See an End to PKK Terror

Friday, 28 September 2012

Erdogan stressed Western countries did not want to solve the problem of PKK terror.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there were countries which did not want to see an end to PKK terror.

More:There are Countries who Do Not Want to See an End to PKK Terror, 28 September 2012 Friday 11:50

Turkey’s Syria problem | openDemocracy

Turkey’s Syria problem
Christopher Phillips , 28 September 2012

Turkey’s cooperation with the Gulf states, reportedly establishing a secret shared command centre in southern Turkey to coordinate rebel attacks, may be designed to contain the influence of others and control which groups get arms. But Turkey’s recent regional resurgence in the Middle East is at risk of drowning in the Syrian quagmire.

More:Turkey’s Syria problem | openDemocracy

Turkish Cypriots wary of new ‘religious school’ - Cyprus Mail

Turkish Cypriots wary of new ‘religious school’
By Alexia Saoulli Published on September 28, 2012

A POTENTIALLY illegitimate religious school, with teachers imported from mainland Turkey, has opened its doors to students in the occupied areas, the Cyprus News Agency reported (CNA) yesterday.

More:Turkish Cypriots wary of new ‘religious school’ - Cyprus Mail

BKP says British Bases in Cyprus could spark war

BKP says British Bases in Cyprus could spark war

• Friday, 28 September, 2012
THE TURKISH CYPRIOT United Cyprus Party (BKP) expressed its frustration at the continued presence of British bases in Cyprus, reports daily Afrika.

BKP’s ‘foreign affairs secretary’ Salih Rustu stated that Cyprus is in danger of having a war breaking up due to the existence of the British sovereign base in the island, as a result of the various developments taking place in Middle East, especially Syria.

More:BKP says British Bases in Cyprus could spark war

Turkey's Trade Deficit Narrows - WSJ.com

Turkey's Trade Deficit Narrows

BY YELIZ CANDEMIR

ISTANBUL—Turkey's trade gap narrowed more than expected in August, boosted by a jump in gold exports, as the country found new markets to replace recession-bound Europe and to help trim its troubling current-account deficit.

More:Turkey's Trade Deficit Narrows - WSJ.com

Turkey: Project Finance

Turkey: Project Finance

September 2012

Turkey is experiencing a period of major investment in energy and infrastructure, with government incentives being offered for renewable energy projects. This highly active sector is attracting many lawyers and our research identifies nine practitioners who are considered to be “at the top of their game”.

More:The Latest Legal News, Research and Legal Profiles - Who's Who Legal

Shopping: A Turkish delight - Analysis - DNA

Shopping: A Turkish delight
Seema Mustafa

Unlike the last time around when there were no direct flights to Turkey, this time the journey was made in six and a half hours flat, courtesy Turkish Airlines. Bad seats, good service, decent food and a fare of movies to choose from; it was all said and done, a happy flight. And landed you straight in Istanbul where the entire world seemed to have collected, with tourists pouring out of every crack in the woodwork. But unlike India and many other countries where the shopkeepers fawn over the western travellers, in Turkey there was no such display of servility. Some bargaining, not too much, with a ‘take it if you like it” approach descending suddenly into the “get out, don’t waste our time” attitude for hard core window shoppers.

More:Shopping: A Turkish delight - Analysis - DNA

Turkish well misses Dadas shale, has shallower shows - Oil & Gas Journal

Turkish well misses Dadas shale, has shallower shows
Social Media Tools

HOUSTON, Sept. 26
09/26/2012
By OGJ editors

Anatolia Energy Corp., Calgary, said the Guvenir-1 well in Turkey found no evidence of the Silurian Dadas shale but intersected a younger section with hydrocarbon shows.

Operated by Calik Enerji of Turkey, the well went to a TD of 1,956 m on the Antep license in southeastern Turkey (OGJ Online, Aug. 16, 2012). It is the first well drilled in an unexplored basin that covers 845,418 gross acres at the intersection of two major hydrocarbon systems.

More:Turkish well misses Dadas shale, has shallower shows - Oil & Gas Journal

How much more will violence escalate in Turkey? | euronews, world news

How much more will violence escalate in Turkey?

27/09 15:19 CET

Turkey is suffering from escalating violence. Each week dozens of security force personnel are being killed and sent home in coffins, further deteriorating the situation. According to some experts Turkey’s reaction to this escalation is critical for the future of the Kurdish issue.

More:How much more will violence escalate in Turkey? | euronews, world news

Travel: Istanbul’s Dazzling Architecture | Style&Design | TIME.com

John Cavacas
John Cavacas

Istanbul makes all the latest travel hot lists, for good reason. Domed mosques, topped with fairy-tale minarets, anchor scores of neighborhood squares where prayer calls echo down cobbled lanes. Boats of every size navigate the Bosporus Strait, where old men crowd bridges to drop fishing lines and gossip, while along the shores, cafés serve thimbles of thick Turkish coffee.

More:Travel: Istanbul’s Dazzling Architecture | Style&Design | TIME.com

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Another slice of TURKEY - Times LIVE

Another slice of TURKEY
Loraine Maritz | 27 September, 2012 18:08

‘MOST of my treasured memories of travel are recollections of sitting,” said the Canadian writer Robert Thomas Allen. When I think back of my most recent trip it is the memory of swinging in a hammock that comes to mind — a hammock filled with plump kelim cushions in the shade of a chestnut tree.

More:Another slice of TURKEY - Times LIVE

Wives of German Salafists Pursue Road to 'Paradise' - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Inside the Structured World Of Salafists' Wives

By Özlem Gezer and Barbara Hardinghaus

Salafist men wear beards, hand out copies of the Koran and cause headaches for Germany's domestic intelligence agency. But how do the women feel? SPIEGEL spends a weekend with two veiled women and learns about their vision of a perfect world.

Saliha and Reyhana stop at a kebab shop on the Bornheimer Strasse in Bad Godesberg. "Can we pray here?" Saliha asks.

"Sure, okay," says an employee.

The two women walk into the shop and unroll a makeshift prayer rug on the floor. The employee continues putting away chairs. It's 9 p.m., and he wants to close. Saliha uses the compass on her iPhone to determine the direction of Mecca.

More:Wives of German Salafists Pursue Road to 'Paradise' - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Incident: Pegasus B738 at Istanbul on Sep 24th 2012, go-around due to runway not clear

Incident: Pegasus B738 at Istanbul on Sep 24th 2012, go-around due to runway not clear
By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Sep 27th 2012 13:54Z, last updated Thursday, Sep 27th 2012 14:06Z

A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration TC-CCP performing flight PC-159 from Gaziantep to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey) with 158 passengers and 6 crew, was on final approach to Sabiha Gokcen's runway 06 about 7.5nm from touchdown, when the crew reported on tower and were instructed to continue the approach. At that time another aircraft was being towed across the runway with clearance by the tower, but did not vacate the runway until TC-CCP descended through 1000 feet AGL prompting the tower to instruct flight PC-159 to go around at 23:40L (20:40Z). The aircraft went around from about 900 feet, positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 06 about 12 minutes later.

More:Incident: Pegasus B738 at Istanbul on Sep 24th 2012, go-around due to runway not clear

Where to eat in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar | Travel | guardian.co.uk

Where to eat in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Visitors come to the Grand Bazaar for the shopping, but they should make a point of staying for the food – the market makes an atmospheric backdrop for great restaurants where locals eat

More:Blog: Where to eat in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar | Travel | guardian.co.uk

Turkish Sugar Company Fire in Ankara Forces Evacuation of Staff - Bloomberg

Turkish Sugar Company Fire in Ankara Forces Evacuation of Staff
By Selcan Hacaoglu - Sep 27, 2012 9:59 AM ET

Staff were evacuated from the headquarters of Turkey’s state-owned sugar company, Turkiye Seker Fabrikalari AS, after a fire broke out, the Anatolia news agency said.

The fire, described as minor, started in a cafeteria on the top floor of the building in Ankara today, the state-run agency said. Some kitchen personnel suffered smoke inhalation, it said.

More:Turkish Sugar Company Fire in Ankara Forces Evacuation of Staff - Bloomberg

Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper - Finance & Business

Too soon to cheer Turkey’s soft landing

It’s too soon to cheer Turkey’s soft landing. After two years of near double digit GDP growth which ended in double digit inflation, Ankara has managed to apply the brakes on the economy without tipping it into a recession. Yet Turkey’s vulnerability to external shocks hasn’t shrunk with the current account deficit.

Growth has slowed. Turkey’s government now expects just over 3% this year, well below the last decade’s 5% average rate. However, a sharp slowdown in domestic demand has been cushioned by rising exports to the Middle East. The energy importer’s current account deficit has narrowed from 10% of GDP in 2011 to around 8% this year.

More:Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper - Finance & Business

Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub

Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub
Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. ADS

ISTANBUL, September 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Turkcell Superonline, the 100% subsidiary company of Turkcell (NYSE: TKC, ISE: TCELL), the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, announces that it has turned Istanbul into an internet hub, lifting the boundaries between countries and initiating the "internet without a visa" era through direct access agreements.

More:Turkcell Superonline Bridges Europe, Asia and Middle East to Turn Istanbul Into an Internet Hub

Financial Times: Ankara’s unexpected burden

Financial Times: Ankara’s unexpected burden

“The Turks have been dragged into the conflict in a way that they were not expecting,” says a senior international diplomat.

Just three or four years ago, the vaunted strength of Turkey’s foreign policy was good relations with nearby countries. It prided itself particularly on ties with Syria and Mr Assad. But, officials say, they have had to rip up such talking points. Today, relations with neighbours to the south and east are toxic – with Syria but also with Iran, and with Iraq, which this year declared Turkey a “hostile state”. Turkey is also deeply frustrated with its old allies to the west, particularly the US, which declined to back a push for a buffer zone in Syria during highly charged debates at Nato and the UN.

More:Syrian TV - Financial Times: Ankara’s unexpected burden

Verbund CEO says no plans to exit Turkey -paper | Reuters

Verbund CEO says no plans to exit Turkey -paper

VIENNA, Sept 27 | Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:54pm IST

(Reuters) - Austrian energy group Verbund has no current plans to get out of Turkey, its chief executive told a newspaper, following a Reuters report that it was in talks to sell part or all of its business there to Germany's E.ON.

More:Verbund CEO says no plans to exit Turkey -paper | Reuters

Gambia and Turkey agree to work together on expanding tourism | Travel News

Gambia and Turkey agree to work together on expanding tourism
By Travel News · September 27, 2012 · No comments

The governments of Gambia and Turkey have agreed to expand cooperation to develop tourism in both states.

The agreement – signed by tourism officials from both nations – seeks to recognise the importance of tourism to develop economic development in the countries. The two nations also agreed to use tourism as a means to develop stronger ties.

More:Gambia and Turkey agree to work together on expanding tourism | Travel News

Turkish bonds hit by inflation fears | Reuters

Turkish bonds hit by inflation fears

ISTANBUL, Sept 27 | Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:22am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish bond yields remained near their highest levels this month on Thursday after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said natural gas prices would be raised before the winter, raising concerns about inflation.

More:Turkish bonds hit by inflation fears | Reuters

Former Turkish PM: Ankara may have no need for EU - Trend.Az

Former Turkish PM: Ankara may have no need for EU
Former Turkish PM: Ankara may have no need for EU
27 September 2012, 15:07 (GMT+05:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 27 / Trend M. Aliyev /

If the EU does not change its attitude towards Turkey, Ankara will not need the European Union, Turkish former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz told media at the international conference 'Bridge laying' in Baku today.

More:Former Turkish PM: Ankara may have no need for EU - Trend.Az

Unfair Ratings by International Agencies Cost Turkey A Fortune , 27 September 2012 Thursday 10:47

Unfair Ratings by International Agencies Cost Turkey A Fortune

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Turkey could attract some $32 billion of additional investments if the rating agencies were fair, the finance minister says. The agencies are ‘a political weapon,’ adds a report

More:Unfair Ratings by International Agencies Cost Turkey A Fortune , 27 September 2012 Thursday 10:47

Syrian internally displaced languish in squalor at Turkey's border - CNN.com

Syrian internally displaced languish in squalor at Turkey's border
By Ivan Watson, CNN

Northern Syria (CNN) -- On the northern edge of this war-torn country, barely a hundred meters from the Turkish border, thousands of desperate Syrians slept in the dirt.

More:Syrian internally displaced languish in squalor at Turkey's border - CNN.com

Turkey's Erdogan signals talks with Kurdish militants possible | Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan signals talks with Kurdish militants possible

By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL | Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:19am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan signaled that new talks with Kurdish militants might be possible with his government facing an upsurge in separatist violence in the country's southeast.

More:Turkey's Erdogan signals talks with Kurdish militants possible | Reuters

‘Kneading’ time to relax in inviting, intriguing Istanbul | The Jakarta Post

‘Kneading’ time to relax in inviting, intriguing Istanbul
Gama Harjono, Contributor, Istanbul | Travel | Thu, September 27 2012, 9:56 AM

Let’s say my idea of Istanbul was rather a simple one. You know, a bustling old town with grand mosques and a few grander minarets thrown in to please visitors in search of the exotic.

More:‘Kneading’ time to relax in inviting, intriguing Istanbul | The Jakarta Post

Golf: U.S. now chasing Europe in Ryder Cup - by Ron Kroichick

The U.S. won 12 times and tied once from 1959 through '83. Europe is 8-4-1 since then, including victories in four of the past five Ryder Cups. This year's European team features four of the top five players in the world ranking (McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose).

Granted, the American team includes 11 of the top 17 players in this week's ranking. The wider point: The U.S. didn't invent golf, it's hardly the only country to play at a high level and, based on recent history, it really shouldn't be favored in the matches at Medinah, outside Chicago (starting Friday)

In trying to identify reasons for the U.S. struggles, it's logical to start with Woods. He has played on only one triumphant Ryder Cup team in his career, in 1999 - he was recovering from knee surgery when the Americans won in 2008 - and his overall record is a pedestrian 13-14-2.

The most compelling reason to pick Europe this week: Some of Woods' teammates bring even worse track records. Most notably, Phil Mickelson (11-17-6) and Jim Furyk (8-15-4) need to reverse their Ryder Cup history if captain Davis Love III wants to walk away a winner.  Love made a salient point in his news conference Wednesday, suggesting Europe's surge the past 30 years really saved this event. It barely registered in the consciousness of U.S. sports fans in the '60s and '70s, in part because their team always won.

Then, thanks mostly to the abundant skill and abiding passion of Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer, the Europeans started winning - and creating good theater every two years.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/sports/kroichick/article/U-S-now-chasing-Europe-in-Ryder-Cup-3897610.php#ixzz27esiVH3D

Read more: U.S. now chasing Europe in Ryder Cup - SFGate

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Turkey on trial - The Irish Times - Thu, Sep 27, 2012

Turkey on trial

A seismic shift or a tremor?

THE DEEPLY political decision of a Turkish court last week to jail 324 serving and retired army personnel for plotting to overthrow the government in 2003 marked an important, qualitative shift in the dynamic of the country’s political history. Since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first election a decade ago he has struggled to rein in the army whose historic predominance in politics – both authoritarian and resolutely secularist – he does appear to have broken.

More:Turkey on trial - The Irish Times - Thu, Sep 27, 2012

Turkey: Is Prime Minister Erdogan Trying to Bury the Military? | World | TIME.com

Turkey’s Massive Military Trial Opens Old Wounds and New Anxieties
Claims of procedural and evidentiary anomalies in a huge trial of coup plotters raise criticism of the Erdogan administration. Is the Prime Minister trying too hard to bury the military — and Turkish secularism?

More:Turkey: Is Prime Minister Erdogan Trying to Bury the Military? | World | TIME.com

Turkey woos Kuwaiti tourists, investments

Turkey woos Kuwaiti tourists, investments – Trade relations ‘very strong’

KUWAIT: Turkish Ambassador to Kuwait Umit Yalcin held a press conference yesterday at the International Fair Ground in Mishrif to speak about the facilities provided to foreign investors in Turkey and the situation in the country in general. This conference is coinciding with the ongoing Kuwait International Property show held from Sept 24 to 29, at Hall No 8 of the Fair Ground. Turkey is booming and investments are increasing annually. “Privatization was successfully ushered in over the few past years, and foreign investments play a key role in privatization. Also, the number of tourists has risen to touch 32 million last year and is increasing every year,” Umit Yalcin told the conference.

More:Turkey woos Kuwaiti tourists, investments – Trade relations ‘very strong’ | Kuwait Times

Turkey Lira and the Euro

Turkey Lira and the Euro
Currencies / Forex Trading Sep 26, 2012 - 11:06 AM

By: Nick_Dockerty

After hitting a low of 2.1725 at the beginning of August the euro has rallied against the Turkish lira in the past few weeks. The euro climbed to 2.3650 on September 17 but as scepticism surrounding the latest eurozone debt solution has re-surfaced among investors it has retreated since with one euro buying 2.3183 on September 25.

More:Turkey Lira and the Euro :: The Market Oracle :: Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting Free Website

Nicosia enjoys Turkish boom

Nicosia enjoys Turkish boom

NÄ°COSÄ°A - Anatolia News Agency

The Turkish Cypriot prime minister has said that his government plans to increase investments as part of a two-year economic program for 2013-2015.

More:BUSINESS - Nicosia enjoys Turkish boom

Packaging Europe - Tetra Pak invests €25 million in Turkish packaging material plant

Tetra Pak invests €25 million in Turkish packaging material plant

Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, marking its 40th year of operations in Turkey, inaugurates a new laminator at its packaging material factory in Izmir, Turkey. The new VT laminator will increase production capacity by 20%, delivering innovative packages with shorter lead time to customers in the Turkey and Caucasus, and enabling export to the region.

More:Packaging Europe - Tetra Pak invests €25 million in Turkish packaging material plant

Turkey's Hattat, China's Harbin plan $250 million plant | Reuters

Turkey's Hattat, China's Harbin plan $250 million plant

ISTANBUL | Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:19pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey's Hattat Holding and China's Harbin Electric (1133.HK) will invest $250 million in building a factory in northwest Turkey to manufacture power plant equipment, Hattat's chairman said.

More:Turkey's Hattat, China's Harbin plan $250 million plant | Reuters

French student goes on trial in Turkey on terrorism charges | euronews, world news

French student goes on trial in Turkey on terrorism charges

Human rights groups are demanding that Turkey revise its anti-terrorism laws after a teenager was arrested at a Labour Day rally and now faces 32 years in jail.

More:French student goes on trial in Turkey on terrorism charges | euronews, world news

Long wait of Syrian refugees for Turkish shelter

Long wait of Syrian refugees for Turkish shelter
September 26, 2012

Prisoners of their homeland's conflict, Syrian refugees have been crammed for weeks in shelters in a border village just meters away from the Turkish border waiting for a green light to cross.

More:Lebanon news - NOW Lebanon -Long wait of Syrian refugees for Turkish shelter

Turkish Army Morale at Risk Over Jailed Generals, PKK Fight


Turkish Army Morale at Risk Over Jailed Generals, PKK Fight (Ankara, Turkey)
Wednesday September 26, 2012, 12:19 PM
SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press
Pages: 1 2 3 > display on one page | Print | E-mail

(c) 2012, Bloomberg News.

ANKARA, Turkey — The conviction of hundreds of Turkish officers for plotting a coup has dealt a blow to the army at a time when it's facing an onslaught by Kurdish militants and tensions on the Syrian border.

A court last week sentenced 324 serving and retired army personnel, including top generals, to as much as 20 years in prison for plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2003. The defendants pleaded not guilty, saying some of the evidence was faked, and have begun the process of appealing the verdict.

More: Turkish Army Morale at Risk Over Jailed Generals, PKK Fight

Greek, Turkish coastguard vessels collide in Aegean: Athens

Greek, Turkish coastguard vessels collide in Aegean: Athens

ATHENS - Agence France-Presse

A Greek and a Turkish coastguard vessel have collided in the Aegean Sea, the Greek foreign ministry said today, adding that a complaint would be made to Ankara over the issue.

More:LOCAL - Greek, Turkish coastguard vessels collide in Aegean: Athens

Turkey could strike at PKK in Iraq - World News | IOL News | IOL.co.za

Turkey could strike at PKK in Iraq

September 26 2012 at 09:01pm
By Reuters

Istanbul - Turkey's military has the capability to launch a sustained operation against a Kurdish militant base in Iraq and believes that the group's members are also receiving training in Syria and Iran, the head of the armed forces said in a rare interview.

More:Turkey could strike at PKK in Iraq - World News | IOL News | IOL.co.za

Turkey's Kurdish Calculus - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Turkey's Kurdish Calculus

Soner Cagaptay

Wall Street Journal

September 25, 2012

Ankara is re-embracing its old allies in Washington at the expense of Tehran and Damascus.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has made a bloody comeback in Turkey. According to a recent report by the International Crisis Group, PKK-related violence has killed some 700 people since the summer of 2011. This deadly toll recalls the horrors of the 1990s, when thousands of civilians were killed in PKK terror attacks and a brutal war in eastern Turkey between the government and Kurdish militants.

More:Turkey's Kurdish Calculus - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Turkey moves to block Internet access to anti-Islam film - The Washington Post

Turkey moves to block Internet access to anti-Islam film

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 7:40 AM

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish authorities say they have obtained a court order to block Internet access to an anti-Islam movie that has enraged Muslims.

More:Turkey moves to block Internet access to anti-Islam film - The Washington Post

Turkish FM Meets High-Ranking Diplomats in New York, 26 September 2012 Wednesday 11:36

Turkish FM Meets High-Ranking Diplomats in New York

Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held talks with several high-ranking diplomats in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly meetings.

Having a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish FM Davutoglu later had meetings with European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Union of Comoros Foreign Minister Mohamed Beqri in New York.

More:Turkish FM Meets High-Ranking Diplomats in New York, 26 September 2012 Wednesday 11:36

Zorlu plans $1 bln energy investment in Turkey over 2 years | Reuters

Zorlu plans $1 bln energy investment in Turkey over 2 years

By Evrim Ergin

ISTANBUL, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Turkish energy company Zorlu Enerji is planning investments of some $1 billion in Turkey's energy sector in the next two years and could issue stock or make a disposal to finance the plan, its general manager said.

More:Zorlu plans $1 bln energy investment in Turkey over 2 years | Reuters

Northern Cyprus to outline new gas exploration plan-Eroglu | Reuters

Northern Cyprus to outline new gas exploration plan-Eroglu

By Daniel Bases

NEW YORK, Sept 25 | Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:19pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said on Tuesday he would present a new plan to the U.N. secretary-general for gas explorations surrounding the divided island, resources that could change its economic landscape.

More:Northern Cyprus to outline new gas exploration plan-Eroglu | Reuters

Greece will back Turkey’s bid for visa-free travel across the EU countries

Greece will back Turkey’s bid for visa-free travel across the EU countries

Balkans Business News Correspondent - 26.09.2012

Greece will back Turkey’s bid for visa-free travel across the European Union countries, because tourists from the neighboring country support Greece’s economy, Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni has said.

More:Balkans.com Business News : Greece will back Turkey’s bid for visa-free travel across the EU countries

Turkey's Erdogan to consolidate grip as ruling party renews | Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan to consolidate grip as ruling party renews

By Nick Tattersall and Can Sezer

KONYA, Turkey | Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:38am EDT

(Reuters) - Surveying the street lights sparkling like jewels on the plain below, Tahir Akyurek looks back with satisfaction on his first eight years as mayor of this central Turkish city.

More:Turkey's Erdogan to consolidate grip as ruling party renews | Reuters

Turks prefer Gul over Erdogan for president: poll | Reuters

Turks prefer Gul over Erdogan for president: poll

(Reuters) - Turks would prefer to see incumbent Abdullah Gul as their next president if they had to choose between him and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish opinion poll showed on Wednesday.

More:Turks prefer Gul over Erdogan for president: poll | Reuters

Germany outlines new law allowing circumcision - Yahoo! News

Germany outlines new law allowing circumcision
Reuters – 16 hrs ago

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Justice Ministry has outlined a planned new law that will allow the circumcision of infant boys and end months of legal uncertainty after a local court banned the practice.

The ruling in June by a district court in Cologne outraged Muslims and Jews and sparked an emotional debate in the country, leaving an embarrassed government to promise legislation by the autumn protecting the right to circumcise.

More:Germany outlines new law allowing circumcision - Yahoo! News

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

United Nations News Centre - At UN session, Cyprus leader calls on Turkey to cease ‘gunboat diplomacy’

At UN session, Cyprus leader calls on Turkey to cease ‘gunboat diplomacy’

25 September 2012 – President Demetris Christofias of the Republic of Cyprus today called on Turkish Cypriot leaders to return to talks to reunite the divided island and accused Turkey of provocative behaviour, gunboat diplomacy and trying to alter the country’s ethnic make-up.

More:United Nations News Centre - At UN session, Cyprus leader calls on Turkey to cease ‘gunboat diplomacy’

Istanbul's luckiest lottery kiosk feeds Turkish appetite for numbers game | World news | guardian.co.uk

Istanbul's luckiest lottery kiosk feeds Turkish appetite for numbers game

Lottery booth continues to generate high number of winners more than 80 years after owner struck it rich in new year draw

More:Istanbul's luckiest lottery kiosk feeds Turkish appetite for numbers game | World news | guardian.co.uk

Soner Cagaptay: Turkey's Kurdish Calculus - WSJ.com

Turkey's Kurdish Calculus
Ankara re-embraces its old allies in Washington, at the expense of Tehran and Damascus.

By SONER CAGAPTAY

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has made a bloody comeback in Turkey. According to a recent report by the International Crisis Group, PKK-related violence has killed some 700 people since the summer of 2011. This deadly toll recalls the horrors of the 1990s, when thousands of civilians were killed in PKK terror attacks and a brutal war in eastern Turkey between the government and Kurdish militants.

More:Soner Cagaptay: Turkey's Kurdish Calculus - WSJ.com

Report: 7 killed in Turkey explosion - Businessweek

Report: 7 killed in Turkey explosion
Posted on September 25, 2012

ISTANBUL (AP) — A blast ripped through a vehicle carrying Turkish security forces in an eastern province on Tuesday, killing six of them as well as a civilian walking in the road, media reported.

More:Report: 7 killed in Turkey explosion - Businessweek

In Turkey, Religious Schools Gain a Foothold

In Turkey, Religious Schools Gain a Foothold

Dorian Jones

September 25, 2012
ISTANBUL — As parents wait to collect their children from Mehmet Akif Middle School, one father appears deeply concerned. Recent announcements regarding newly Islamized curricula — ostensibly for training imams and other clerics — caught many parents by surprise.

More:In Turkey, Religious Schools Gain a Foothold

Former player rants against women’s lack of understanding of football

Former player rants against women’s lack of understanding of football

ISTANBUL

Former Fenerbahçe and FC Köln defender Ümit Özat went on a rant against women during a television show late yesterday night, claiming females have a lack of understanding of football while arguing with presenter Simge Fıstıkoğlu.

More:TURKEY - Former player rants against women’s lack of understanding of football

Talks failed due to Christofias, Talat says

Talks failed due to Christofias, Talat says

Talks on a solution to Cyprus’ decades-old problem failed during the tenure of Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat due to the ambivalent attitude of Greek Cypriot counterpart Demetris Christofias, according to the north’s former leader.

More:INTERNATIONAL - Talks failed due to Christofias, Talat says

Syrian Rebel Groups Fired from Turkey

Syrian Rebel Groups Fired from Turkey

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior commander of the so-called Free Syrian Army acknowledged that Ankara has fired rebel groups from Turkish soil.

More:Fars News Agency :: Syrian Rebel Groups Fired from Turkey

Turkey accused of using school system for 'campaign of Islamisation' - The National

Turkey accused of using school system for 'campaign of Islamisation'

Thomas Seibert
Sep 25, 2012

ISTANBUL // Summer holidays are over but having to be back in class is not the reason why Sidar Kardogan, a 16-year-old high school student in Istanbul, is angry.

More:Turkey accused of using school system for 'campaign of Islamisation' - The National

Turkey to begin Russia gas contract talks in new year | Energy & Oil | Reuters

Turkey to begin Russia gas contract talks in new year
Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:44am GMT

ISTANBUL, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Turkey will begin talks with Russia in the new year on transferring a further 4 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas contracts to the private sector after the initial transfer of 6 bcm of gas imports, Turkey's energy minister said on Tuesday.

More:Turkey to begin Russia gas contract talks in new year | Energy & Oil | Reuters

Turkey follows situation around so-called "Armenian genocide" law in France - Trend.Az

Turkey follows situation around so-called "Armenian genocide" law in France
Turkey follows situation around so-called "Armenian genocide" law in France
25 September 2012, 17:52 (GMT+05:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.25 / Trend, A.Taghiyeva /

Turkey is following the situation around possible reconsideration of the adoption of the law on the so-called "Armenian genocide" in France, which envisages criminal punishment for denying the so-called "Armenian genocide," Anadolu agency quotes Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis as saying on Tuesday.

More:Turkey follows situation around so-called "Armenian genocide" law in France - Trend.Az

Turkey to Extend Mandate for Ground Incursion Into Northern Iraq - Businessweek

Turkey to Extend Mandate for Ground Incursion Into Northern Iraq
By Selcan Hacaoglu on September 25, 2012

Turkey’s Cabinet sought approval from parliament to extend a mandate for ground troops to be sent into Iraq to fight Kurdish militants, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said.

More:Turkey to Extend Mandate for Ground Incursion Into Northern Iraq - Businessweek

Doctors to Get Kurdish Course in Diyarbakır, 25 September 2012 Tuesday 9:50

Doctors to Get Kurdish Course in Diyarbakır

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Students of medicine at Dicle University in the eastern province of Diyarbakır will be able to take Kurdish language classes starting in the upcoming academic year.

The new courses came about in response to complaints from Diyarbakır residents and doctors appointed to the province, Dicle University general secretary Professor Sabri Eyigün said.

More:Doctors to Get Kurdish Course in Diyarbakır, 25 September 2012 Tuesday 9:50

Turkish film Battle of 2 Empires out Thursday | GulfNews.com

Turkish film Battle of 2 Empires out Thursday

Battle of 2 Empires – Fetih 1453 narrates the events surrounding the fall of Constantinople

By: Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
Published: 09:56 September 25, 2012

The sounds of battle echo around the movie theatre. The dead and blood are everywhere — but the end of this film is full of joy. Control of the city of Constantinople has been wrested by the ottoman Turks from the Byzantine Empire, and as the conquering Sultan enters the church where people have taken refuge, he tells them: “My religion says you are free to practice your worshipping”.

More:Turkish film Battle of 2 Empires out Thursday | GulfNews.com

Turkey's Net Holding signs deal on north Cypriot airport tender | Reuters

Turkey's Net Holding signs deal on north Cypriot airport tender

ISTANBUL, Sept 25 | Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:44pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkish tourism company Net Holding said on Tuesday it had signed a preliminary accord with IC Ictas and Limak Insaat on taking part in a tender to operate Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus.

More:Turkey's Net Holding signs deal on north Cypriot airport tender | Reuters

Charm of six yards drapes Turkish fashionistas - India - DNA

Charm of six yards drapes Turkish fashionistas
Published: Tuesday, Sep 25, 2012, 15:38 IST
By Aylin Gunsam | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

For Indians, wardrobe begins with a sari and the six yards dominates majority dressing sense among Indian women. What is more interesting is the fact that now it is draping the international fashion scene garnering more and more supporters in the West, especially in Turkey.

More:Charm of six yards drapes Turkish fashionistas - India - DNA

Will Turkey's Military Finally Get Its Act Together? - NYTimes.com

Turkey’s Military Politics
By ANDREW FINKEL

ISTANBUL — A Turkish court’s conviction on Friday of 325 senior military officers for plotting to overthrow the state has left me with mixed feelings. Like many Turks, I’ve been pondering a host of questions: Was this justice or revenge? Is this the final curtain on a military that for decades believed it knew better than the elected politicians? Or was the 21-month courtroom drama the latest show trial, manipulated by a government that itself entertains delusions of grandeur?

More:Will Turkey's Military Finally Get Its Act Together? - NYTimes.com

Monday, September 24, 2012

The curtain rises: Turkey’s opera and ballet season

The curtain rises: Turkey’s opera and ballet season

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
The State Opera and Ballet (DOB) will open its new season with a program announced at a press conference by DOB general director Rengim Gökmen

More:STAGE - The curtain rises: Turkey’s opera and ballet season

A call from where the law does not exist

A call from where the law does not exist

Mustafa Balbay Prison Number 1, Lower Ward F-3, Silivri/Istanbul
What was experienced on Tuesday, Sept. 18 during the Ergenekon trial, provided a summary of the point to which our justice has reached. (The Ergenekon case is an alleged ultra nationalist shadowy gang accused of planning to topple the government by staging a coup, initially by spreading chaos and mayhem.) That day, conditions in the hearing hall were made that much worse when it was announced that no written papers, including petitions, were to be exchanged between defendants and their lawyers. They first had to be seen by the judge and then passed over to the parties.

More:CONTRIBUTOR - A call from where the law does not exist

Expert to reflect Fikret Mualla’s life on screen

Expert to reflect Fikret Mualla’s life on screen

WASHINGTON - Anatolia News Agency

The life of Turkish contemporary painter Fikret Mualla will be brought to the big screen by a Turkish digital effects expert.

More:CINEMA-TV - Expert to reflect Fikret Mualla’s life on screen

Turkish delight for Obama and Putin

Turkish delight for Obama and Putin

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish companies are waiting support from customs in bringing traditional Turkish treats into Russia in order to “offer Turkish delight to Obama and Putin,” said Zekeriya Mete, the head of an exporters’ union. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Food Moscow Fair, Mete said Turkey should demand “positive discrimination” from Russia in the food sector because of the fuel and nuclear ties between the two countries.

More:BUSINESS - Turkish delight for Obama and Putin

The Netherlands: : Riot ensues after Dutch teen mistakenly invites 30,000 to birthday on Facebook

A Dutch teenager forgets to mark her birthday party 'private' on Facebook, leading to 30,000 being invited and a riot, local media says.

Read more: Video: Riot ensues after Dutch teen mistakenly invites 30,000 to birthday on Facebook - The Globe and Mail

Opponents of Turkey's extra years in class cite attack on secular schooling - The National

Opponents of Turkey's extra years in class cite attack on secular schooling

Thomas Seibert
Sep 25, 2012

ISTANBUL // Summer holidays are over but having to be back in class is not the reason why Sidar Kardogan, a 16-year-old high school student in Istanbul, is angry.

Along with some other students, Sidar recently spent a day handing out leaflets criticising the government's education policy. A poster with a picture of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and slogans against Mr Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was taped to their booth on Istiklal Caddesi, a popular shopping street in central Istanbul.

More:Opponents of Turkey's extra years in class cite attack on secular schooling - The National

RES announces Turkish wind plant | Construction News | The Construction Index

RES announces Turkish wind plant

UK-based RES Energy is set to construct a 48MW wind energy plant in the Black Sea province of Samsun.

RES Anatolia has acquired a licence for the wind farm in Havza. Construction is planned to start early in 2014 for operation in 2016. The company is planning to develop further solar and wind farms in Turkey and to grow its portfolio by 50MW to 100MW every year over the next 10 years.

More:RES announces Turkish wind plant | Construction News | The Construction Index

Anadolu Efes, Ford Oto, Tofas Fall on Tax Rises: Istanbul Mover - Bloomberg

Anadolu Efes, Ford Oto, Tofas Fall on Tax Rises: Istanbul Mover
By Aydan Eksin - Sep 24, 2012 10:11 AM ET


Anadolu Efes Biracilik & Malt Sanayii AS (AEFES), Turkey’s biggest brewer, carmakers Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi AS (TOASO), Ford Otomotiv Sanayi AS (FROTO) and distributor Dogus Otomotiv Servis & Ticaret AS (DOAS) fell after the government increased taxes on alcoholic beverages and cars.

More:Anadolu Efes, Ford Oto, Tofas Fall on Tax Rises: Istanbul Mover - Bloomberg

Istanbul’s techno-park to make $10 bln annually

Istanbul’s techno-park to make $10 bln annually

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
The initials of Turkey’s assertive technology park, which promises an annual $10 billion defense and non-defense business volume, will be inaugurated in a few months. The site will offer its local and foreign residents tax advantages

More:ECONOMICS - Istanbul’s techno-park to make $10 bln annually

Turkey: Ankara’s unexpected burden - FT.com

Turkey: Ankara’s unexpected burden

By Daniel Dombey
Opposition to Assad has left an emerging powerhouse increasingly at odds with neighbours and global allies

More:Turkey: Ankara’s unexpected burden - FT.com

Morsy in Ankara next week | Egypt Independent

Morsy in Ankara next week
MENA
Mon, 24/09/2012 - 19:37

Turkey has invited President Mohamed Morsy to Ankara early next week, diplomatic sources said on Monday. The goal of the visit would be to discuss improving bilateral relations and aligning the two nations’ positions on regional and international issues, especially in regards to Palestine and Syria.

More:Morsy in Ankara next week | Egypt Independent

England hope to host Euro 2020 final if Istanbul awarded Olympics | Football | insidethegames.biz

England hope to host Euro 2020 final if Istanbul awarded Olympics
Monday, 24 September 2012
By Andrew Warshaw

wembley stadium_24-09-123September 24 - The English Football Association (FA) will propose Wembley Stadium to host the semi-finals and final of the 2020 European Championship if UEFA President Michel Platini's plan to hold the tournament across Europe comes to fruition, FA chairman David Bernstein revealed today.

More:England hope to host Euro 2020 final if Istanbul awarded Olympics | Football | insidethegames.biz

Turkish hospital gives Syrian refugees a place to heal - PhotoBlog

Turkish hospital gives Syrian refugees a place to heal

Katarina Pleskot Kollarova/ ISIFA via Getty Images

Wounded Syrian refugees are cared for at Reynhali State Hospital, just a few miles from the Syrian border in Reynhali, Turkey. As the conflict in Syria intensifies, ambulances continue to carry sick and wounded people from the border every day, although the hospital capacity is only 200 beds. The problem is not only capacity but where the Syrian refugees should go after treatment. Most of them will wait for a solution to the Syrian crisis at refugee camps.

More:Turkish hospital gives Syrian refugees a place to heal - PhotoBlog

West, Turkey spar over aid for Syrians

West, Turkey spar over aid for Syrians

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
With an increasing burden on its back due to the influx of Syrian refugees, the government is having a hard time convincing world powers to provide international aid. Ankara has requested cash assistance, but the West seems reluctant

More:POLITICS - West, Turkey spar over aid for Syrians

Greece denies reports of selling consulate building

Greece denies reports of selling consulate building

ISTANBUL

The Greek Embassy in Ankara has denied recent reports suggesting that the Greek consulate building in Ä°zmir was now on the market due to the Aegean country’s struggling economy.

More:EUROPE - Greece denies reports of selling consulate building

35th Istanbul Jewelry Show October -- Number One Jewelry Fair Establishing the Bridge Between Europe & Middle East - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

35th Istanbul Jewelry Show October -- Number One Jewelry Fair Establishing the Bridge Between Europe & Middle East
By UBM Rotaforte
Published: Monday, Sep. 24, 2012 - 5:07 am

ISTANBUL, Sept. 24, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Istanbul Jewelry Show October, 35th Istanbul International Jewellery, Watch and Equipment Fair organized by UBM Rotaforte, will be held from 4 to 7 October 2012 in Hall 1 & Hall 2 of Istanbul Fair Center (CNR Expo). For 4 days, gold jewelry, diamond jewelry, all kinds of precious and semi-precious stones & pearls, silver jewelry, mountings, watches & clocks, machinery & equipments, packaging, display units, security devices, softwares will be displayed just for industry professionals.

More:35th Istanbul Jewelry Show October -- Number One Jewelry Fair Establishing the Bridge Between Europe & Middle East - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

Turkish shares down after tax hikes on autos, fuel | Reuters

Turkish shares down after tax hikes on autos, fuel

ISTANBUL, Sept 24 | Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:59am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish shares fell on Monday, led lower by automotive and drinks companies, after those sectors were hit by new taxes imposed by the government which is struggling to keep its borrowing down.

More:Turkish shares down after tax hikes on autos, fuel | Reuters

Iran Strike Could Destabilize Caucasus, Energy Transits | Atlantic Sentinel

Iran Strike Could Destabilize Caucasus, Energy Transits
Nick Ottens, September 24, 2012

If Israel, unilaterally or with support from the United States, attacks Iran to disrupt its nuclear program, it could have the unintended consequence of destabilizing the Caucasus and emboldening Russia.

More:Iran Strike Could Destabilize Caucasus, Energy Transits | Atlantic Sentinel

RPT-Turkey clips military's wings in landmark verdict | Reuters

RPT-Turkey clips military's wings in landmark verdict

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The jailing of hundreds of Turkish army officers including top generals accused of plotting to topple Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan underscored how far he has come in gaining control of the country's once all-powerful military.

More:RPT-Turkey clips military's wings in landmark verdict | Reuters

Ankara: Army should not interfere in politics - Trend.Az

Ankara: Army should not interfere in politics
Ankara: Army should not interfere in politics
24 September 2012, 10:04 (GMT+05:00)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.24 / Trend /

Army should not interfere in the country's politics in any case, Anadolu agency quotes Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Besir Atalay as saying on Monday.

More:Ankara: Army should not interfere in politics - Trend.Az

President: UN to prepare document on Cyprus talks

President: UN to prepare document on Cyprus talks

• Monday, 24 September, 2012
President Christofias has said that the UN will be preparing a document on the convergences and divergences in talks to reach a solution of the island’s political problem and the UN Secretary General’s next efforts, noting that the paper would presented to the two sides in Cyprus.

More:President: UN to prepare document on Cyprus talks

Turkish banking watchdog sees no domestic risk to sector growth | Reuters

Turkish banking watchdog sees no domestic risk to sector growth

ISTANBUL, Sept 24 | Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:24pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey's BDDK banking regulator chairman Mukim Oztekin said on Monday the watchdog did not see any near-term risk to the banking sector's growth from the domestic market.

More:Turkish banking watchdog sees no domestic risk to sector growth | Reuters

Turkey pro-Kurd party urges talks to end Kurdish conflict | Reuters

Turkey pro-Kurd party urges talks to end Kurdish conflict

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL, Sept 24 | Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:00am EDT

(Reuters) - The head of Turkey's main Kurdish party has called for talks between the government and Kurdish militants to prevent a further escalation of violence which she said could undermine efforts to draw up a new, more liberal constitution.

More:Turkey pro-Kurd party urges talks to end Kurdish conflict | Reuters

Turkey's Babacan says Halkbank secondary offering | Reuters

Turkey's Babacan says Halkbank secondary offering

ISTANBUL, Sept 24 | Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:30pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey's planned secondary public offering for state-run lender Halkbank may be for up to a 24 percent stake and it could be held in the coming months given the right market conditions, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said on Monday.

More:Turkey's Babacan says Halkbank secondary offering | Reuters

Turkey invests in poultry manure potential to produce electricity

Turkey invests in poultry manure potential to produce electricity
//24 Sep 2012
A €8.6 million biogas facility is to be established in Bandırma, one of the leading poultry centres in the Turkish province of Balıkesir. It will produce energy from the manure of the 2.5 million chickens in the vicinity.

More:World Poultry - News: Turkey invests in poultry manure potential to produce electricity

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Turkish divers rescue blow-up sex doll from sea | Reuters

Turkish divers "rescue" blow-up sex doll from sea

ISTANBUL | Sun Sep 23, 2012 2:38pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish rescue workers retrieved an inflatable sex doll from the Black Sea after police were notified by panicked residents who mistook it for a woman's body floating offshore, Milliyet newspaper reported on Sunday.

More:Turkish divers rescue blow-up sex doll from sea | Reuters

Both sides would win from Cyprus unification: U.N. envoy | Reuters

Both sides would win from Cyprus unification: U.N. envoy

By Michele Kambas

NICOSIA | Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:49am EDT

(Reuters) - The UN mediator on Cyprus, seeking to end a four-decade diplomatic deadlock, said Greek and Turkish sides now had strong economic reasons to agree a reunification that could help ease debt problems and speed exploitation of disputed gas fields.

More:Both sides would win from Cyprus unification: U.N. envoy | Reuters

What's New at the Senior Center: Ride the Turkey Train to Scenic Lake Winnipesaukee - Needham, MA Patch

What's New at the Senior Center: Ride the Turkey Train to Scenic Lake Winnipesaukee

A look at some of the new and upcoming events hosted by the COA.

By Becca Manning

Submitted by Sherry Jackson, Needham COA Associate Director

The Friends of the Needham Elderly’s next trip is coming up on Monday, Oct. 15 and will include a two-hour scenic trip by train around Lake Winnipesaukee while enjoying a full turkey dinner with all the fixin's. The day will start with a visit to the Christmas Tree Shop and end with a stop at Apple Hill Farms—a perfect fall adventure.

More:What's New at the Senior Center: Ride the Turkey Train to Scenic Lake Winnipesaukee - Needham, MA Patch

RasGas delivers 41st cargo to Turkey | RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) | AMEinfo.com

RasGas delivers 41st cargo to Turkey

Leading business groups from across Saudi Arabia meet international solar experts at the 2nd Annual Solar Arabia Summit, Riyadh, to facilitate the Kingdom's National Energy Plan. Saudi Arabian leaders turn to international solar... »
RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) has delivered a spot cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to EgeGaz in Turkey. The fully loaded cargo was supplied on board RasGas' long term chartered Q-Flex vessel, 'Al Sahla' to Aliaga Terminal in Turkey.

More:RasGas delivers 41st cargo to Turkey | RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) | AMEinfo.com

Ukrainian swims from Turkey to Cyprus and back: Voice of Russia

Ukrainian swims from Turkey to Cyprus and back

Sep 23, 2012 13:14 Moscow Time

On Saturday Ukrainian swimmer Oleg Sofyanik successfully completed his next super marathon swim along the route Turkey-Cyprus-Turkey, finishing on the beach of the city of Gazipasa.

More:Ukrainian swims from Turkey to Cyprus and back: Voice of Russia

Traditional Turkish cuisine is easier than you think (with recipes) | al.com

Traditional Turkish cuisine is easier than you think (with recipes)

Published: Friday, September 21, 2012, 8:03 AM Updated: Friday, September 21, 2012, 8:11 AM

Special to the Press-Register By Special to the Press-Register

Stuffed eggplant is a traditional Turkish dish that makes a beautiful presentation at the table. And it's delicious as well. (Photo courtesy of Vikki Finch)

After weeks and weeks of yakking about it, my friend Gulsum and I finally got together for an afternoon of cooking – Turkish style, and what a delicious afternoon it turned out to be.

More:Traditional Turkish cuisine is easier than you think (with recipes) | al.com

Disgraced tycoon Nadir faces UK jail after 17 years on run - Chicago Tribune

Disgraced tycoon Nadir faces UK jail after 17 years on run
August 22, 2012|Peter Griffiths | Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Turkish Cypriot tycoon Asil Nadir, who jumped bail in 1993, was finally convicted in a British court on Wednesday of plundering millions from his old company to buy antiques, race horses and country houses.

More:Disgraced tycoon Nadir faces UK jail after 17 years on run - Chicago Tribune

Turkey's Middle East and Asia charm offensive - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

Turkey's Middle East and Asia charm offensive

By Massoud A. Derhally

Sunday, 23 September 2012 9:14 AM

Once dubbed the sick man of Europe, modern-day Turkey — unlike the Ottoman Empire from which it emerged — is anything but ailing. Just a few years ago, neighbouring European countries were bitterly debating the country’s accession to the European Union. The country’s eligibility was questioned by European states because of the rising force of political Islam and whether that was compatible with the goals of the EU and whether the interests of the two could ever be aligned.

More:Turkey's Middle East and Asia charm offensive - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

Turkish soldier killed, 4 wounded in PKK attack - FOCUS Information Agency

Turkish soldier killed, 4 wounded in PKK attack
23 September 2012 | 04:40 | FOCUS News Agency

Ankara. One soldier of Turkish security forces was killed and four others wounded in an attack staged by the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in eastern Turkey on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

A large group of PKK militants raided Sehit Mehmet Gendarmerie Station in Nazimiye town of Tunceli province from three different points with rocket launchers and long barreled weapons on Saturday evening, leaving one Turkish soldier dead and four others wounded, according to the report.

More:Turkish soldier killed, 4 wounded in PKK attack - FOCUS Information Agency

Turkey’s Honour Killings: Problematising Patriarchy | The Platform

Turkey’s Honour Killings: Problematising Patriarchy

The rise in honour killings in Turkey points to a patriarchal need to control women, where women straddle structures that can either reinforce or challenge gender norms

In March 2011, 19-year-old Hatice Firat’s body was discovered by Turkish police in the Southern province of Mersin, Turkey. Hatice had been tracked down and stabbed more than 40 times by her brother, Mahsun Firat, after she had allegedly run away with her boyfriend in February. According to Hatice’s family, her killing was necessary in order to cleanse the family of her “dishonourable act” and “reclaim” their honour.

More:Turkey’s Honour Killings: Problematising Patriarchy | The Platform

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Pact to buy more buses from Turkey: CM - thenews.com.pk

Pact to buy more buses from Turkey:

PUNJAB Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif will visit Turkey, Britain and Germany by the end of this month.

According to a handout issued on Saturday, during his visit, the chief minister would hold discussions with the leadership of these countries regarding cooperation and investment in various sectors of Punjab.

More:Pact to buy more buses from Turkey: CM - thenews.com.pk

Turkey deploys heavy weapons to Syrian border: TV | Reuters

Turkey deploys heavy weapons to Syrian border: TV

ISTANBUL | Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:29pm EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey's military deployed armored vehicles and heavy weaponry to the border with Syria on Saturday, near a crossing that has seen intense fighting between rebels and government forces, local media said.

More:Turkey deploys heavy weapons to Syrian border: TV | Reuters

Turkish 'Fetih 1453' premieres in Cairo - Film - Arts & Culture - Ahram Online

Turkish 'Fetih 1453' premieres in Cairo

At the Golden Stars launch, Monday, historical epic 'Fetih 1453' proves to be more than just entertainment, as its message is a tool of Turkish soft power

More:Turkish 'Fetih 1453' premieres in Cairo - Film - Arts & Culture - Ahram Online

Rebels Move Command From Turkey to Syria - NYTimes.com

Rebels Move Command From Turkey to Syria
By ANNE BARNARD and HANIA MOURTADA
Published: September 22, 2012

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Commanders of the Free Syrian Army, the umbrella group for fighters opposing President Bashar al-Assad, said Saturday that they had moved their headquarters from Turkey into “liberated areas” inside Syria, in what would be a major step forward for the organization as it tries to coordinate and control disparate groups of rebels.

More:Rebels Move Command From Turkey to Syria - NYTimes.com

Desperate Syrians cross a hazardous border to Turkey - The Washington Post

Desperate Syrians cross a hazardous border to Turkey

View Photo Gallery — Syrian refugee children stand in a hall of the Altinozu camp in Hatay city, located on the border with their violence-racked homelandon Sept. 18, 2012. More photos: Syrian refugees flock to Turkey and Jordan

By William Booth, Saturday, September 22, 9:55 AM

ATMEH, Syria — These are the ways a Syrian gets into Turkey: Legally, with a passport. Bleeding, in an ambulance. Or without papers, in a heart-pounding dash at night through a field of cucumbers, as Turkish border guards shout curses and fire shots in the air and smugglers shove their clients through a gap in the barbed wire fence, hissing “Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

More:Desperate Syrians cross a hazardous border to Turkey - The Washington Post

Turkey’s miscarriage of justice - The Washington Post

Turkey’s miscarriage of justice

By Dani Rodrik, Published: September 21

Dani Rodrik is a professor of international political economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

After a patently sham trial, a Turkish court on Friday handed down lengthy jail sentences to more than 300 military officers convicted of planning a coup, code-named Sledgehammer, in 2003.

More:Turkey’s miscarriage of justice - The Washington Post

Turkish PM: Ban criticism of Muslims worldwide

Turkish PM: Ban criticism of Muslims worldwide
'West hasn't recognized Islamophobia as a crime against humanity'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erodgan, who just days ago said a movie that “insults religions” and “prophets” is not protected by freedom of speech, now is insisting that international bodies pass laws making criticism of Islam a crime.

More:Turkish PM: Ban criticism of Muslims worldwide

Friday, September 21, 2012

Dr. Josef Olmert: Israel and Turkey -- It's Time for Netanyahu to Apologize

Israel and Turkey -- It's Time for Netanyahu to Apologize
Posted: 09/21/2012 2:33 pm

PM Erdogan of Turkey stated a few days ago, that a "wealthy Jew" came to see him recently with a message from PM Netanyahu urging the Turks to mend fences with Israel and put an end to the feud starting with the Mavi Marmara incident. Regrettably, nine Turks, members of a subversive Muslim organization with well-documented terror connections, were killed by Israeli naval commandos Trying to prevent their ship from breaking the Israeli naval blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza. Apparently, the meeting did not bring about the result desired by Netanyahu, and in the absence of an Israeli apology, the relations between the two once undeclared strategic allies remain near frozen. According to Israeli press reports, the envoy was the well-respected American Jewish leader Ronald Lauder

More:Dr. Josef Olmert: Israel and Turkey -- It's Time for Netanyahu to Apologize

Turkish white goods exports benefit from Europe slowdown | Reuters

Turkish white goods exports benefit from Europe slowdown


ISTANBUL, Sept 21 | Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:48pm IST

(Reuters) - Cash-strapped Europeans seeking lower-priced products helped boost Turkish exports of white goods such as fridges and washing machines by 13 percent in the first eight months of this year, an industry body said.

More:Turkish white goods exports benefit from Europe slowdown | Reuters

Hundreds Convicted in Turkish Military Coup Trial - WSJ.com

Hundreds Convicted in Turkish Coup Trial

BY EMRE PEKER

ISTANBUL—A Turkish court found more than 300 active and retired military officers guilty of plotting to overthrow the government, in a sign that the judiciary is joining a government-led effort to strip the armed forces of political influence.

More:Hundreds Convicted in Turkish Military Coup Trial - WSJ.com

Turkish court sentences 322 military officers to jail | Reuters

Turkish court sentences 322 military officers to jail

(Reuters) - A Turkish court sentenced more than 300 military officers to jail on Friday for plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan almost a decade ago, ending a trial that underscored civilian dominance over the once all-powerful military.

More:Turkish court sentences 322 military officers to jail | Reuters

Afghan refugees settle in Ankara park

Afghan refugees settle in Ankara park

Friday, 21 September 2012

By Reuters

As Turkey builds prefabricated camps for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees crossing from Syria to Turkey, a park in Turkey’s capital Ankara has become home for hundreds of Afghan refugees.

More:Afghan refugees settle in Ankara park

Sumitomo to Build $516 Million Tire Plant in Turkey - Bloomberg

Sumitomo to Build $516 Million Tire Plant in Turkey
By Ali Berat Meric and Selcan Hacaoglu - Sep 21, 2012 5:43 AM ET

Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (5110), which sells its products under the Dunlop brand, signed a deal with Petlas Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS to build a tire factory in Turkey.

Sumitomo, Japan’s third-largest tiremaker, and Petlas will invest $516 million in the factory in Cankiri, north of Ankara, said Ilker Ayci, chairman of the country’s Investment Support & Promotion Agency.

More:Sumitomo to Build $516 Million Tire Plant in Turkey - Bloomberg

Turkish military officers sentenced for plotting coup Eds: Adds details | EUROPE ONLINE

LEAD: Turkish military officers sentenced for plotting coup Eds: Adds details
Europe
21.09.2012

Istanbul (dpa) - A Turkish court on Friday sentenced three retired army generals to 20 years each in jail for planning a coup against the government, local media reported.

Several other former officers were sentenced to 18 years in prison each. Charges were dropped against 34 people who had initially been detained as part of the investigation.

More:LEAD: Turkish military officers sentenced for plotting coup Eds: Adds details | EUROPE ONLINE

Turkey: officers convicted of plotting coup

Turkey: officers convicted of plotting coup
September 21, 2012 15:08 GMT

Eds: Updates with details

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkish state TV says a court has convicted three former military officers of plotting to overthrow the government in a case that has jailed hundreds of active and retired military officers and has helped curtail the Turkish military's hold on politics.

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

Straddling Europe, Middle East, Turkey's view is from eye of storm - The Globe and Mail

Straddling Europe, Middle East, Turkey's view is from eye of storm

PATRICK MARTIN

It’s been called a model of a moderate Islamist government; it’s also been called neo-Ottoman.

Certainly, not since Ottoman days has Turkey’s government been so internationally oriented, have its diplomats, investments and businesses been so far flung.

More:Straddling Europe, Middle East, Turkey's view is from eye of storm - The Globe and Mail

Turkey's Isbank to issue 400 mln lira worth of bonds | Reuters

Turkey's Isbank to issue 400 mln lira worth of bonds

ISTANBUL, Sept 21 | Fri Sep 21, 2012 8:54pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkish lender Isbank will issue a 300 million lira ($167 million) 173-day bond and a 100 million lira 376-day bond, the bank said in a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange on Friday

More:Turkey's Isbank to issue 400 mln lira worth of bonds | Reuters

Turkish court sentences alleged military coup-plotters - CNN.com

Turkish court sentences alleged military coup-plotters
By Ivan Watson and Yesim Comert, CNN
updated 11:40 AM EDT, Fri September 21, 2012

Istanbul (CNN) -- The first group of more than 300 suspects accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government were sentenced Friday to up two decades behind bars, according to the country's semi-official Anatolia news agency.

More:Turkish court sentences alleged military coup-plotters - CNN.com