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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Istanbul Stock Exchange reaches its historic high

Istanbul Stock Exchange reaches its historic high

The main 100 index of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (İMKB) hit a historic high yesterday at 71.717 points, surpassing the Nov. 9, 2010 record, after a two-week long climb unaffected by a nearly one-week-long public holiday.

More:Istanbul Stock Exchange reaches its historic high

Wheelchair Basketball Win Strengthens Istanbul 2020 Paralympics

Wheelchair Basketball Win Strengthens Istanbul 2020 Paralympics
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 3:23pm EDT GB Staff

Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games got a boost when the Galatasaray Abe Lions wheelchair basketball team was crowned World Club Champions. The team has now been undefeated for the second consecutive year.

More:GamesBids.com - Wheelchair Basketball Win Strengthens Istanbul 2020 Paralympics

Hugh O’Flaherty: Turkey's road from WWI to EU embrace - Analysis, Opinion - Independent.ie

Hugh O’Flaherty: Turkey's road from WWI to EU embrace

By Hugh O’Flaherty
Wednesday October 31 2012

At one of the cemeteries at the site of the World War One battlefield of Gallipoli, there is a monument with these words of Mustafa Kemal (known as Ataturk -- "father of the Turks") inscribed:
Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country
Therefore rest in peace
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours
You the mothers
Who sent their sons from faraway countries
Wipe away your tears
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.

Here, in 1915, Allied forces (including many thousands of Irish) launched a campaign against Turkish troops to gain control of the Dardanelles and of Istanbul. Ataturk, then a young officer, led the successful defence of the peninsula. In the battles 46,000 Allied troops were killed and 86,000 Turks; tens of thousands were wounded on both sides.

More:Hugh O’Flaherty: Turkey's road from WWI to EU embrace - Analysis, Opinion - Independent.ie

Turkish shares hit record high, boosted by bank shares | Reuters

Turkish shares hit record high, boosted by bank shares

ISTANBUL, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Turkish shares hit a record high on Wednesday as strong results from Garanti Bank boosted optimism about the banking sector.

More:Turkish shares hit record high, boosted by bank shares | Reuters

I gave Asil Nadir £4m for nothing more than his friendship, Turkish businessman tells Old Bailey - Crime - UK - The Independent

I gave Asil Nadir £4m for nothing more than his friendship, Turkish businessman tells Old Bailey

A Turkish businessman gave disgraced tycoon Asil Nadir more than £4m to fund a lavish lifestyle in London’s Mayfair after he returned to Britain to face trial for plundering his own company, the Old Bailey heard today.

More:I gave Asil Nadir £4m for nothing more than his friendship, Turkish businessman tells Old Bailey - Crime - UK - The Independent

Investors Should Be Eyeing Turkish Deals

Investors Should Be Eyeing Turkish Deals

by Phil Butler - 31 October 2012

Subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest realty news. You can get our headlines via email as well, or follow us on Twitter.

With an eye on the best emerging markets in Europe, Turkey has become not only a solid performer where travel and tourism is concerned, but for real estate investment as well. Reforms there, along with one of the region’s strongest economies, measure up for real opportunity.

More:Investors Should Be Eyeing Turkish Deals

Turkey wins accolades at World Travel Awards

Turkey wins accolades at World Travel Awards
By TBM Staff | Mumbai

The recently concluded 19th edition World Travel Awards 2012 in Portugal has named Turkey as ‘The Best in Europe’ in 14 categories. The Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism was voted as Europe’s Leading Tourist Board. The award for Europe's Leading Cruise Destination went to Izmir, a metropolis in Turkey. The awards also acknowledged Turkey’s hotel sector, with Mardan Palace, Antalya winning Europe’s Leading Luxury Hotel award; Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa, Belek being named Europe’s Leading Luxury Resort, Angel’s Peninsula, Marmaris awarded Europe’s Leading New Luxury Hotel, etc.

More:Travel Biz Monitor :: Turkey wins accolades at World Travel Awards

Merkel reassures Turkey on EU talks, Erdogan raps Cyprus | Reuters

Merkel reassures Turkey on EU talks, Erdogan raps Cyprus

By Orhan Coskun and Alexandra Hudson

BERLIN | Wed Oct 31, 2012 12:44pm EDT

(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday the European Union (EU) would pursue accession talks with his country in good faith, despite some persistent disagreements.

More:Merkel reassures Turkey on EU talks, Erdogan raps Cyprus | Reuters

German leader: EU an 'honest' partner for Turkey

German leader: EU an 'honest' partner for Turkey
October 31, 2012 16:09 GMT

BERLIN (AP) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected questions in Turkey about whether the European Union really wants the Muslim-majority country as a member, saying the 27-nation bloc is being "an honest negotiating partner."

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

Turkey calls for German aid in Syrian refugee crisis | News | DW.DE | 31.10.2012

Turkey calls for German aid in Syrian refugee crisis

During talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Germany help with its Syrian refugee crisis. The two leaders also discussed Turkey’s accession to the EU.

More:Turkey calls for German aid in Syrian refugee crisis | News | DW.DE | 31.10.2012

Istanbul Greeks Radio Station Goes Worldwide | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

Istanbul Greeks Radio Station Goes Worldwide
By Christina Flora on October 31, 2012 in Greek Beat, Musing in Athens, News

The Greek community in Istanbul has taken its voice around the world through an online radio station called The Sound of Istanbul, which debuted on Oct. 30 during a ceremony in the auditorium of the Secretariat General of Information and Communication in Athens. This was an initiative taken by the Greeks of Istanbul.

More:Istanbul Greeks Radio Station Goes Worldwide | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

Istanbul residents rally around their beloved stray dogs - CSMonitor.com

Istanbul residents rally around their beloved stray dogs

As part of Istanbul's modernization push, the government wants to kick its dogs off the streets and into parks. Some city residents are howling.

By Alexander Christie-Miller, Correspondent / October 31, 2012

Few aspects of Istanbul's government-driven gentrification efforts have caused as much angst as a scheme to do away with the city's legions of stray dogs and cats.

In recent weeks, several thousand people have marched through Istanbul and other Turkish cities in protest of a draft law that envisions the rounding up and relocation of stray animals to specially-created "natural habitat parks."

More:Istanbul residents rally around their beloved stray dogs - CSMonitor.com

829 Room Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center Announced :: Hotel News Resource

829 Room Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center Announced
2012-10-31

Hilton Hilton Worldwide today announced the signing of a management agreement with IC Bomonti Uluslararasi Kongre Turizm Yatirimlari Ticaret A.Ş to open an upper upscale Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul’s Sisli district.

The property will be adjacent to the former Bomonti Beer Factory, an iconic building of significant heritage in the city center, which is currently undergoing restoration to become the focal point of a new visitor hub with extensive entertainment, dining and retail facilities; as well as a museum and arts center.

More:829 Room Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center Announced :: Hotel News Resource

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Sets Deadline for EU Admission - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Erdogan Visit to Berlin Betrays Tensions

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he wants Turkey to be a full member of the EU by 2023. Chancellor Angela Merkel assured him the talks would be "honest.' Their meeting in Berlin once again showed that relations between Turkey and Germany have become complicated.

More:Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Sets Deadline for EU Admission - SPIEGEL ONLINE

A Unique Partnership - Qantara.de

A Unique Partnership

The expansion of economic ties, as well as growing cooperation in the field of foreign policy, have made Turkey and Germany crucial partners. But this new period also presents new challenges for Berlin. By Ayhan Simsek

More:A Unique Partnership - Qantara.de

Why Turkey Brought Home A Bad Report Card - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Why Turkey Brought Home A Bad Report Card

By: Semih Idiz posted on Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012

Remember how in our school years we used find excuses when we brought home lousy report cards?

More:Why Turkey Brought Home A Bad Report Card - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Desperate Housewives - Turkish style

Desperate Housewives - Turkish style

Turkish TV soap operas have now become so popular in the Arabic speaking world that the shows are driving a boom in tourism from the Middle East to Turkey.

Rajan Datar dropped in on a shoot of the Turkish version of Desperate Housewives and was offered a role in the show that pulls in huge audiences every week.

More:BBC News - Fast Track - Desperate Housewives - Turkish style

Turkey police crack down on Kurds - CNN.com

Turkey police crack down on Kurds
By Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
updated 9:25 AM EDT, Wed October 31, 2012

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- About 200 Kurdish demonstrators marched up a narrow Istanbul street behind a large banner that said "political prisoners are our pride, we will not stay silent over the deaths in prison."

More:Turkey police crack down on Kurds - CNN.com

EU Commissioner Fule in Bulgaria: Relations with Turkey are getting chocked - FOCUS Information Agency

EU Commissioner Fule in Bulgaria: Relations with Turkey are getting chocked
31 October 2012 | 14:33 | FOCUS News Agency
Home / Bulgaria
Sofia. “Relations with Turkey are getting to a choke point. Things are not going on well,” European Commission during his meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said at the meeting with Bulgarian politicians, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed.

More:EU Commissioner Fule in Bulgaria: Relations with Turkey are getting chocked - FOCUS Information Agency

Turkish Tiger : Swiss businesses ready to enter Turkey- swissinfo

Swiss businesses ready to enter Turkey

by Alexander Kuenzle, swissinfo.ch

For Swiss exporters and investors, an emerging market is opening. Foreign trade booster Osec will open its 20th Swiss Business Hub in Istanbul next spring. Also in 2013, the double-taxation accord between Switzerland and Turkey will take effect.

More:Turkish Tiger : Swiss businesses ready to enter Turkey- swissinfo

Ankara to form Turkish lira-zone as Eurozone alternative

Ankara to form Turkish lira-zone as Eurozone alternative

October 31, 2012 - 17:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey plans to create a Turkish lira-zone as an alternative to the Eurozone, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

More:Ankara to form Turkish lira-zone as Eurozone alternative - PanARMENIAN.Net

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

New Istanbul airport to cement Turkish Airlines’ hub position

New Istanbul airport to cement Turkish Airlines’ hub position

By Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Uganda | Oct 30, 2012

(eTN) - When news broke that Turkish Airlines (THY) was set to connect some 30 African destinations by the end of this year, moving to 40 by the end of 2013, many had to check back to be certain of the accuracy of the statement at the time, but the ongoing rollout into Africa has made this a reality, no longer just a plan. Turkish now connects Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam and has announced a new triangular flight from Istanbul to Kilimanjaro and Mombasa from mid-December onwards, making it top dog of foreign airlines offering connections to literally all East African destinations of substance, other than Bujumbura for which, according to a regular source, plans exist but no time frame has been announced yet.

More:New Istanbul airport to cement Turkish Airlines’ hub position

EU will lose Turkey if it hasn't joined by 2023: Erdogan | Reuters

EU will lose Turkey if it hasn't joined by 2023: Erdogan

By Orhan Coskun

BERLIN | Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:36pm EDT

(Reuters) - The European Union will lose Turkey if it doesn't grant it membership by 2023, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

More:EU will lose Turkey if it hasn't joined by 2023: Erdogan | Reuters

Why Must Turks Get Their News From an American Commander? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Why Must Turks Get Their News From an American Commander?

By: Semih Idiz posted on Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012

Information gleaned from the US press, which is not altogether wrong, and revelations from US officials in high places do not entirely mesh with official Turkish declarations. This especially applies to the Syria issue, where the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been putting all its eggs in one basket.

More:Why Must Turks Get Their News From an American Commander? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Ankara and Berlin: A unique partnership | Germany | DW.DE | 30.10.2012

Ankara and Berlin: A unique partnership

As Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan is visiting in Berlin, he knows that Turkey is a crucial partner for Germany, both in business and foreign policy terms. But the partnership comes with challenges for both sides.

More:Ankara and Berlin: A unique partnership | Germany | DW.DE | 30.10.2012

German FM urges fresh start to talks on Turkey joining the European Union - The Washington Post

German FM urges fresh start to talks on Turkey joining the European Union

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, October 30, 2:43 PM

BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister has called for a fresh effort to restart stalled talks on Turkey joining the European Union.

Guido Westerwelle says it is in the interest of both the EU and Turkey to give the talks a “new push” in 2013.

More:German FM urges fresh start to talks on Turkey joining the European Union - The Washington Post

FINANCE - Istanbul stock exchange reaches its historic high

Istanbul stock exchange reaches its historic high

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Istanbul bourse crowns its days-long march by breaking its historic record as the market expectations for a rating upgrade by one of the leading international agencies heat up

More:FINANCE - Istanbul stock exchange reaches its historic high

Beginning of a Turkish Spring, or last breath of secularism in Turkey ? - Vancouver Government | Examiner.com

Beginning of a Turkish Spring, or last breath of secularism in Turkey ?

World Politics
October 29, 2012
By: Steffan Ileman

Led by the Leader of The Opposition a hundred thousand Turks defied a government ban to march on Ataturk's mausoleum in Ankara to celebrate Republic Day. Marchers braved police barriers, water guns, pepper spray and tear gas to celebrate their national holiday at the tomb of the man who had brought Turkey out of the Medieval Age 89 years ago on October 29.

More:Beginning of a Turkish Spring, or last breath of secularism in Turkey ? - Vancouver Government | Examiner.com

UPDATE 1-Political tensions still a challenge for Turkey-Moody's | Reuters

UPDATE 1-Political tensions still a challenge for Turkey-Moody's

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's said on Tuesday that a history of political friction between secular and religious elements of Turkish society remains a credit challenge for the country.

More:UPDATE 1-Political tensions still a challenge for Turkey-Moody's | Reuters

Turkey Unfairly Detains Journalists - NYTimes.com

Turkey’s Dragnet
By ANDREW FINKEL

ISTANBUL — After a satisfying lunch of meze and fish, a body needs a demitasse of thick Turkish coffee. But in this case it was not to be.

“We don’t make coffee,” the waiter said.

“Not to worry,” I said. “There’s a man in a kiosk who makes it just across the street. He can bring it over on a tray.”

More:Turkey Unfairly Detains Journalists - NYTimes.com

A writer with different hats - Khaleej Times

A writer with different hats

Suneeti Ahuja Kohli / 30 October 2012

Life is about spreading smiles and happiness for Yonca, who runs and writes to make a difference to several lives

A RUNNER, a writer, a mum, a wife, a charity worker and an ambitious woman, Yonca Tokbas, a 40-year-old exuberant face of Turkish women expat in Dubai, juggles with all these roles everyday.

More:A writer with different hats - Khaleej Times

Police clash with Kurds in Turkey

Police clash with Kurds in Turkey
October 30, 2012 11:40 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) -- Witnesses say Kurdish protesters are clashing with police near a prison in southeastern Turkey where some inmates are on a hunger strike.

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

Asil Nadir may not appeal reports Turkish Cypriot media

Asil Nadir may not appeal reports Turkish Cypriot media

FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Tuesday, 30 October, 2012
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper reports that former fugitive Asil Nadir who was tried in the UK for the Polly Peck case and was sentenced to ten years in jail, is having second thoughts regarding his appeal for the case.

More:Asil Nadir may not appeal reports Turkish Cypriot media

Turkish energy giant eyes Somaliland with $1billion | Somalilandpress.com | Somali News Online from Somaliland – Somalia and Horn of Africa

Turkish energy giant eyes Somaliland with $1billion

Turkey-based, London-listed Genel Energy continues with its aggressive growth with a fuel search license in Somaliland, a self-declared country. This comes after the company’s large investments in the Kurdistan Regional Government, another autonomy.

More:Turkish energy giant eyes Somaliland with $1billion | Somalilandpress.com | Somali News Online from Somaliland – Somalia and Horn of Africa

Sparkling Success at the 35th Istanbul Jewelry Show with 66.5% More Overseas Visitors - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

Sparkling Success at the 35th Istanbul Jewelry Show with 66.5% More Overseas Visitors
By UBM Asia
Published: Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 - 8:50 pm

HONG KONG, Oct. 29, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Turkey's number one jewelry show establishing the bridge between Europe and the Middle East, the 35th Istanbul Jewelry Show, organised by UBM Rotaforte, concluded on a high note on 7 October, occupying Halls 1 & 2 of Istanbul Fair Center with total gross exhibition space of 22,000 square meters.

More:Sparkling Success at the 35th Istanbul Jewelry Show with 66.5% More Overseas Visitors - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

Monday, October 29, 2012

Turkey rising?|Sports|chinadaily.com.cn

Turkey rising?
Updated: 2012-10-30 08:00
By Tang Zhe (China Daily)


Turkey wants to be home to the world's best tennis players for more than just one week a year.

Even as the top eight women's players competed in Istanbul at the WTA Championships, which wrapped up on Sunday, the task of cultivating the nation's homegrown talent continued.

More:Turkey rising?|Sports|chinadaily.com.cn

In Turkey, Protests Reveal Break From the Past - NYTimes.com

In Turkey, a Break From the Past Plays Out in the Streets
Umit Bektas/Reuters

The police used water cannons to disperse protesters in Ankara on Monday, Republic Day in Turkey. The holiday further revealed the country’s divisions.
By TIM ARANGO
Published: October 29, 2012

ISTANBUL — At a reception on Monday evening at the president’s mansion to celebrate Turkey’s founding 89 years ago, something previously unheard of occurred: the country’s top military commander stood alongside the wives of the president and prime minister, even while the women wore Islamic headscarves.

More:In Turkey, Protests Reveal Break From the Past - NYTimes.com

Questions about CPJ's Turkey report? Here, our answers. - Blog - Committee to Protect Journalists

Questions about CPJ's Turkey report? Here, our answers.
By Joel Simon/CPJ Executive Director

Last week's release of CPJ's report on Turkey's press freedom crisis generated widespread domestic media coverage and sparked a robust public debate. The response from Turkish journalists and commentators was largely positive, but there were some negative reactions as well. Turkey's Justice Ministry has promised a detailed response this week. Here is a summary of the criticism we received during several days of intensive media interviews, along with our responses.

More:Questions about CPJ's Turkey report? Here, our answers. - Blog - Committee to Protect Journalists

Turkish Banks Go for Gold to Lure $302 Billion Hoard - Bloomberg

Turkish Banks Go for Gold to Lure $302 Billion Hoard
By Sibel Akbay - Oct 29, 2012 6:01 PM ET

Deniz Kalkan, a 32-year-old housewife in Istanbul, is ready to move her gold.

“I’ll put these in a deposit account as soon as I get the time,” Kalkan said of the half-dozen gold coins she has collected and stashed in her apartment. “It’s much safer to keep them in the bank than at home.”

More:Turkish Banks Go for Gold to Lure $302 Billion Hoard - Bloomberg

In Turkey, Ottoman Nostalgia Returns - NYTimes.com

As if the Ottoman Period Never Ended
By DAN BILEFSKY
Published: October 29, 2012

ISTANBUL — Since the lavish, feel-good Turkish epic “Conquest 1453” had its premiere this year, its tale of the taking of Constantinople by the 21-year-old Sultan Mehmet II has become the highest-grossing film in Turkey’s history, released in 12 countries across the Middle East and in Germany and the United States. But its biggest impact may be the cultural triumphalism it has magnified at home.

More:In Turkey, Ottoman Nostalgia Returns - NYTimes.com

From the Potomac to the Euphrates » Guest Post: Kurdish Issue,Turkish Problem

Guest Post: Kurdish Issue,Turkish Problem

by Guest Blogger for Steven A. Cook
October 29, 2012

Over the last six months, the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) have renewed clashes and Kurdish groups have asserted control in northern Syria. These developments reminded observers—if such a reminder was even necessary—that Turkey’s so-called “Kurdish Question” remains unresolved. Yet, exactly how the ongoing conflict is called ties intimately into the search for a solution.

More:From the Potomac to the Euphrates » Guest Post: Kurdish Issue,Turkish Problem

Turkish police teargas thousands-strong secularist demo (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT

Turkish police teargas thousands-strong secularist demo (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Tear gas and water cannons met thousands of protesters in Ankara who had staged a pro-secular rally on Republic Day. The clashes mark a growing gap between the Islam-leaning government and the country's secular layers.

­“Turkey is secular and will remain secular!” chanted protesters waving Turkish flags and banners.

More:Turkish police teargas thousands-strong secularist demo (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT

GİLA BENMAYOR - The rising spa tourism in Turkey

The rising spa tourism in Turkey

Some tourism data from the world and from Turkey: According to World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), demand for tourism in the world has increased 46.9 percent and tourism revenues are up 11.1 percent in the past 10 years.

The number of tourists estimated to travel to Turkey in 2013 is 33 million, with tourism revenue estimated at $25.4 billion.

More:GİLA BENMAYOR - The rising spa tourism in Turkey

SEMİH İDİZ - Erdoğan’s ‘Ankara Criteria’

Erdoğan’s ‘Ankara Criteria’

This year’s EU Progress Report on Turkey was bad enough, highlighting as it did that the government’s enthusiasm for democratic reform has run out. In fact, reading the report one gets the distinct impression of a country that is not moving forward but rather backward despite the occasional praise it gave for progress on some technical issues.

More:SEMİH İDİZ - Erdoğan’s ‘Ankara Criteria’

Turkey interested in Venezuelan oil - Daily News - EL UNIVERSAL

Turkey interested in Venezuelan oil
Bilateral rapprochement has allowed Turkey to take part in Venezuela's housing plan Great Mission Housing Venezuela

More:Turkey interested in Venezuelan oil - Daily News - EL UNIVERSAL

Why Turkey would still benefit from EU Accession — Social Europe Journal

Why Turkey would still benefit from EU Accession
29/10/2012 By Soli Ozel Leave a Comment

While the EU continues to work toward a solution to the eurozone crisis, Turkey has experienced a period of strong economic growth. Soli Özel argues that although Turkey’s interest in EU membership has declined in the wake of the crisis, the country could still gain substantial benefits from European integration. The crisis may also have a positive effect for Turkey if it produces a more flexible arrangement in the EU’s structure, potentially opening the door for the country’s accession.

More:Why Turkey would still benefit from EU Accession — Social Europe Journal

Seven-year-old off to Turkey to meet refugees he raised money for - News - getbracknell - Bracknell Forest Standard

Seven-year-old off to Turkey to meet refugees he raised money for
By Sally Bryant
October 29, 2012

A seven-year-old with staying power who has swum the equivalent of a Channel crossing has flown out to Turkey to meet the Syrian refugees who inspired his effort.

Joseph Purcell swam the final five laps of his 21-mile haul on Sunday, October 21, at the Royal Berkshire Health & Racquets Club.

More:Seven-year-old off to Turkey to meet refugees he raised money for - News - getbracknell - Bracknell Forest Standard

BBC News - Turkey's press continues to feel pressure from the state

Turkey's press continues to feel pressure from the state
By Dorian Jones Istanbul
Friends of Hrant Dink on march in Istanbul in January 2012 The death of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist killed in 2007, has been blamed by some on Turkish authorities, despite an arrest and conviction

Turkey has put more journalists in jail than any other country, thanks to strict laws which punish dissent against the state. Critics says the state is stifling free speech, while the government says it is curbing propaganda by Kurdish separatists. Is the treatment of reporters hurting Turkey's chances of joining the EU?

More:BBC News - Turkey's press continues to feel pressure from the state

Police, protesters clash at Republic Day march in Turkey - CNN.com

Police, protesters clash at Republic Day march in Turkey
By Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
updated 12:07 PM EDT, Mon October 29, 2012

Istanbul (CNN) -- On a day marking the 89th anniversary of the founding of Turkey, a country that has marketed itself as a stable, prosperous and democratic role model for the Muslim world, riot police clashed with defiant opposition groups, firing water cannons at a patriotic rally in the capital.

More:Police, protesters clash at Republic Day march in Turkey - CNN.com

The Armenian jewelers of Turkey are very interested in the cooperation with their Armenian colleagues | ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency

The Armenian jewelers of Turkey are very interested in the cooperation with their Armenian colleagues
15:09, 29 October, 2012

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian jewelers of Turkey are very interested in the cooperation with their Armenian colleagues. In a conversation with "Armenpress" a jeweler from Constantinople Hakobjan Hulyar Armenian by nationality spoke about this. He is participating in the jewels exhibition in Yerevan held on October 29.

More:The Armenian jewelers of Turkey are very interested in the cooperation with their Armenian colleagues | ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency

Turkish police use tear gas and water cannons against illegal pro-secular demonstration - The Washington Post

Turkish police use tear gas and water cannons against illegal pro-secular demonstration

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, October 29, 12:22 PM

ANKARA, Turkey — Police used tear gas and water cannons against a demonstration by tens of thousands of pro-secular protesters, but Monday’s march to mark the founding of the Turkish republic went on in defiance of a government ban.

More:Turkish police use tear gas and water cannons against illegal pro-secular demonstration - The Washington Post

How a Turkish innovation helps central European farmers confront climate change

How a Turkish innovation helps central European farmers confront climate change
Publication Date: 2012-10-28

Piotr Pogorzelski

As global warming threatens agricultural production, an innovation developed by a Turkish entrepreneur together with Austrian and Croatian engineers could be the key to the future of European farming.
Ali Ozbugday comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. The family was part of the revolution which, after decades of dependence on imports in the agricultural sector, turned Turkey into a big seed exporter and a major cotton producer. Ozbugday feels the balance is shifting again - and European crop production could owe a lot to Turkey in the coming years.

Ozbugday’s professional career reflects the growing autonomy and economic vigour of his home country. After completing his studies in the United States, he started working in his family’s farms. Now he is the President of ProGen, a 100% Turkish-owned and a rapidly-expanding SME. Specialising in the development of new crop varieties without recourse to genetic modification, it is supplying seeds to producers worldwide.

More:CORDIS Wire

Turkey and Germany: A unique partnership | Germany | DW.DE | 29.10.2012

Turkey and Germany: A unique partnership

The expansion of economic ties, as well as growing cooperation in the field of foreign policy, have made Turkey and Germany crucial partners. But this new period also presents new challenges for Berlin.

More:Turkey and Germany: A unique partnership | Germany | DW.DE | 29.10.2012

Thousands gather in Turkish capital

Thousands gather in Turkish capital
October 29, 2012 09:29 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Thousands of pro-secular demonstrators have gathered in the Turkish capital for a march to mark the founding of the republic in defiance of a government ban.

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

There is upwardly trend in Turkish-Indian relations: Burak Akçapar - The Economic Times

There is upwardly trend in Turkish-Indian relations: Burak Akçapar

On account of the National Day of the Republic of Turkey, Sandeep Rai interacts with Burak Akcapar, Turkish Ambassador to India, on the prevailing and future economic cooperation between India and Turkey. Excerpts:

How do you see India as an investment destination ?

Both India and Turkey have been receiving unprecedented level of investment and these have been contributing to the robust performance of their economies. The high regard we pay to Indian investments in Turkey can be gauged by the level of growth that both countries are experiencing owing to mutual cooperation. Besides, our new incentives and the hands on support that the Turkish Embassy provides to the potential Indian investors together with the Turkish Investment Promotion Agency make sure that Indian investors are able to receive top of the line support in finding and concluding lucrative business opportunities in Turkey in every field.

More:There is upwardly trend in Turkish-Indian relations: Burak Akçapar - The Economic Times

Turkey’s priorities remain promotion of democracy - President

Turkey’s priorities remain promotion of democracy - President

Mon 29 October 2012 06:17 GMT | 2:17 Local Time

Turkey desperately needs more dialogue and democracy to solve its woes, President Gul says amid an ongoing row on 89 Republic Day festivities.

More:News.Az - Turkey’s priorities remain promotion of democracy - President

Turkey Targets $100 Billion Arab World Trade In Five Years » Gulf Business

Turkey Targets $100 Billion Arab World Trade In Five Years

Turkey has good cause to be happy with its millennial decision to instigate a strategic international realignment from Europe to the Middle East, say analysts.

More:Turkey Targets $100 Billion Arab World Trade In Five Years » Gulf Business

Syria to resume to buy Turkish power

Syria to resume to buy Turkish power

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Turkey will resume electricity sales to Syria after Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, following a cut lasting longer than a week, according to a distributor firm.

More:ECONOMICS - Syria to resume to buy Turkish power

ARIANA FERENTINOU - Mark Mazower versus Orhan Pamuk

Mark Mazower versus Orhan Pamuk

Like many, I read the article of Turkey’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature with great interest. And like many, I am sure, I was overwhelmed by Orhan Pamuk’s melancholy and fatalism over the future prospects of Turkey becoming a member of the European Union. He laments the loss of passion nowadays, both in Turkey and in Europe, on whether Turkey should be accepted in the European family and cites as the biggest reason for the waning of interest over Turkey’s possible future membership as “the large influx of Muslim migrants from North Africa and Asia that, in the eyes of many Europeans, has cast a dark shadow and fear over the idea of a predominantly Muslim country – like Turkey – joining the union.” So, if I understand it well, it is the fear of Islam that has pushed Europe to “put up walls at its borders and to gradually turn away from the world,” distancing itself from its own values of freedoms, equality and fraternity turning gradually to a conservative land of religious and ethnic identities. Is it really so?

More:ARIANA FERENTINOU - Mark Mazower versus Orhan Pamuk

Third Istanbul airport could start operations in 2016 | ATWOnline

Third Istanbul airport could start operations in 2016

By Kurt Hofmann | October 29, 2012

The Turkish government is moving forward with plans for a third airport in Istanbul, joining Istanbul Ataturk (IST) and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. The proposed new airport, which would include five runways, would handle about 100 million passengers annually. The first phase should be completed by 2016; the second phase should open by 2023, expanding capacity to 150 million passengers.

More:Third Istanbul airport could start operations in 2016 | ATWOnline

MURAT YETKİN - Why Turkey is different from other Muslim countries

Why Turkey is different from other Muslim countries

No, it is not only the republic that Turkey marks the 89th anniversary of today.

It is not only the five strong centuries of the empire before that, which provides a unique military and administrative experience in being able to hold one of the most strategic geographic positions on earth for so long.
More:MURAT YETKİN - Why Turkey is different from other Muslim countries

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Political parties at odds on Republican Day march

Political parties at odds on Republican Day march

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Despite an earlier ban from the governor’s office, political parties led by the CHP and NGOs seem determined to hold a Republic Day march in Ankara

Political parties and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have voiced their determination for a Republic Day march to be held from the earliest Parliament building to Atatürk’s mausoleum despite the Ankara Governorship’s ban and government officials’ opposition to the rally.

More:POLITICS - Political parties at odds on Republican Day march

Are Turkey's Leaders "Settling Scores" With Secular Past? - Worldcrunch - All News is Global

Are Turkey's Leaders "Settling Scores" With Secular Past?

ANKARA – Turkish opposition groups plan to defy a government ban of a rally outside parliament to mark Turkey’s Republic Day.

The Oct.29 rally has been banned by the Ankara Governor’s office, who claim to have received intelligence that warns of mass provocation at the rally.

More:Are Turkey's Leaders "Settling Scores" With Secular Past? - Worldcrunch - All News is Global

One police officer killed in PKK attacks in southeastern Turkey - Globaltimes.cn

One police officer killed in PKK attacks in southeastern Turkey
Xinhua | 2012-10-29 10:14:04
By Agencies

One police officer was killed and two others wounded in attacks staged by members of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey on Sunday, private Dogan news agency reported.

A group of PKK militants attacked the building of Sirnak provincial government, a police department and a police checkpoint with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) in downtown of the province of Sirnak, leaving three police officers wounded.

More:One police officer killed in PKK attacks in southeastern Turkey - Globaltimes.cn

Picture shows captured Turkish journalist in Syria alive | Reuters

Picture shows captured Turkish journalist in Syria alive

ANKARA | Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:58am EDT

Oct 28 (Reuters) - A Turkish relief agency trying to secure the release of a Turkish journalist captured by government troops in Syria has obtained a photograph showing him in apparent good health.

More:Picture shows captured Turkish journalist in Syria alive | Reuters

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Serena, Sharapova win semifinal routs in Istanbul

Serena, Sharapova win semifinal routs in Istanbul

AP
Saturday, October 27, 2012

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ISTANBUL -- Serena Williams cruised into the final of the WTA Championships by beating Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-1 Saturday and will play Maria Sharapova for her third title at the event.

Sharapova beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2 in the second semifinal, a day after Azarenka had made sure of finishing the year as the top-ranked player.

More:tennis.com - Serena, Sharapova win semifinal routs in Istanbul

Turkish author Orhan Pamuk wins Danish prize for enriching European culture - NZweek

Turkish author Orhan Pamuk wins Danish prize for enriching European culture
Souce:Xinhua Publish By Thomas Whittle Updated 27/10/2012 8:29 am in World

COPENHAGEN, Oct. 27 — Literature Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was awarded Friday the Sonning Prize, Denmark’s largest cultural prize, for his contributions to European culture.

More:Turkish author Orhan Pamuk wins Danish prize for enriching European culture - NZweek

Can Cheese Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Divide? | EurasiaNet.org

Can Cheese Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Divide?
October 24, 2012 - 4:06pm, by Yigal Schleifer

Kebabistan

Sometimes diplomatic breakthroughs can happen through unlikely channels. Although the Turkey-Armenia reconciliation process that resulted in the 2009 signing of protocols to reestablish relations between the two neighbors is now almost completely dead, it's worth recalling that it was "soccer diplomacy" -- mutual visits by the Turkish and Armenian presidents to watch their countries' national teams play each other -- that got the diplomatic ball rolling in the first place.

More:Can Cheese Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Divide? | EurasiaNet.org

Legal Issues Cast Doubt on Return of Christians to Turkey's Southeast - YouTube

Legal Issues Cast Doubt on Return of Christians to Turkey's Southeast

Published on Oct 26, 2012 by VOAvideo

Turkey is home to Syriac Christians, whose followers extend across the Middle East. Their history dates back to the first century. In the 1990s, many Syriac Christians fled Turkey during years of fighting between the Turkish state and Kurdish rebels.

More:Legal Issues Cast Doubt on Return of Christians to Turkey's Southeast - YouTube

No U.S. troops in Turkey: Turkish army

No U.S. troops in Turkey: Turkish army

ISTANBUL
[ No U.S. troops in Turkey: Turkish army]

There are no U.S. troops stationed on Turkish soil with an eye to managing the Syrian issue, the Turkish General Staff announced earlier today, according to daily Hürriyet.

More:POLITICS - No U.S. troops in Turkey: Turkish army

GÜVEN SAK - Reform fatigue in Turkey

Reform fatigue in Turkey

I was at the Prague Enlargement Dialogue meeting last week, where I was asked whether the prolonged accession process had led to reform fatigue in Turkey. Now, our candidacy started seven years ago and we were pretty tired of it by the fifth. But at the meeting I still said it hadn’t fatigued us, simply because you can’t be tired of reform if you stopped trying years ago. At some point in 2007, we simply stopped playing the game.

More:GÜVEN SAK - Reform fatigue in Turkey

CONTRIBUTOR - Can Britain and Turkey shape Europe’s outreach through ‘sweet talk’?

Can Britain and Turkey shape Europe’s outreach through ‘sweet talk’?

GÜLNUR AYBET
In Turkish, “Tatlıdil” means sweet talk. After attending the 2nd annual Turkish-British Tatlıdil forum in Istanbul, my impression was that it had indeed gone beyond a supplement to sweetening bilateral relations. Launched in 2011 as an initiative of both governments, its main purpose lies in deepening bilateral relations beyond the official channels of government. The forum brings together intellectuals, businessmen, lawmakers, journalists, writers, diplomats and politicians from both sides, chaired by two former Foreign Ministers, Jack Straw and Yaşar Yakış.

More:CONTRIBUTOR - Can Britain and Turkey shape Europe’s outreach through ‘sweet talk’?

Formula 1 race could return to Istanbul Park

Formula 1 race could return to Istanbul Park

Hülya Güler - ISTANBUL/Hürriyet

Bernie Ecclestone, the boss of Formula 1, has said he is interested in bringing the Formula 1 Grand Prix back to Istanbul.

More:BUSINESS - Formula 1 race could return to Istanbul Park

A tour of two former Ottoman capitals - The Washington Post

A tour of two former Ottoman capitals
If you like former capital cities of the Ottoman Empire, you’ve probably been to Istanbul. Perhaps when you were there, though, you didn’t realize that there were several others that you could visit. I recently had a chance to go back to two of my favorites, Iznik and Edirne. Both can be reached in a few hours from Istanbul, though it took the Ottoman armies more than a century to make the trip. Better yet, while they offer much of the same spectacular architecture as Istanbul, both have a sleepy, ramshackle quality that I’ve always imagined to be the defining feature of all of the 19th-century Balkan and Anatolian towns I’ve never visited.

More:A tour of two former Ottoman capitals - The Washington Post

Friday, October 26, 2012

MURAT YETKİN - Erdoğan’s country

Erdoğan’s country

Sitting next to U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed to reporters during a Pentagon press conference on Oct. 25 that his country has actually offered Turkey a “Bin Laden type” operation against the military chiefs of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The offer was first revealed by Francis Ricciardone, the U.S. Ambassador to Ankara on Oct. 16 and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said the same day that he had turned it down because the circumstances were not the same.

More:MURAT YETKİN - Erdoğan’s country

Turkey: Hoop Dreams Keeping Kurdish Kids out of Trouble | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: Hoop Dreams Keeping Kurdish Kids out of Trouble
October 26, 2012 - 1:38pm, by Dorian Jones

For many in Turkey, the name “Baglar,” a slum district in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, a center of the Turkish state’s decades-long conflict with Kurdish rebels, conjures up images of masked youngsters clashing with police, throwing stones or Molotov cocktails. But for 37-year-old local schoolteacher Gokhan Yildirim, the name means just one thing – basketball.

More:Turkey: Hoop Dreams Keeping Kurdish Kids out of Trouble | EurasiaNet.org

Europe is turning away from Turkey – and the rest of the world | Orhan Pamuk | Comment is free | The Guardian

Europe is turning away from Turkey – and the rest of the world

Whatever happened to liberté, égalité, fraternité? Fear of Muslims is putting Europe's secular tradition at risk

Orhan Pamuk
The Guardian, Friday 26 October 2012 16.00 EDT

I have spent my entire life at the borders of continental Europe. From the window of my home or office, I've looked out over the Bosphorus to see Asia on the other side; and so, in thinking about Europe and modernity, I have always felt, like the rest of the world, just a little bit provincial.

More:Europe is turning away from Turkey – and the rest of the world | Orhan Pamuk | Comment is free | The Guardian

Fenerbahçe defeats AEL Limassol in peaceful match amid flag row

Fenerbahçe defeats AEL Limassol in peaceful match amid flag row

ISTANBUL

Fenerbahçe scored a late goal to beat AEL Limassol 1-0 in a Europa League match yesterday in Greek Cyprus although the match was more noteworthy for what failed to happen off the pitch. Tension had been growing for days over discussions on a ban on national flags in the stadium to prevent violence, but the match passed without incident.

More:TURKEY - Fenerbahçe defeats AEL Limassol in peaceful match amid flag row

Turks Might Cancel Long-Range Air Defense System | Defense News | defensenews.com

Turks Might Cancel Long-Range Air Defense System
Oct. 26, 2012 - 07:49AM |
By UMIT ENGINSOY and BURAK EGE BEKDIL

ANKARA — Turkey's highest defense body might decide to indefinitely postpone the country's $4 billion air defense program, effectively killing it, sources and observers said.

More:Turks Might Cancel Long-Range Air Defense System | Defense News | defensenews.com

007-style travel: Best James Bond hotels - Pack Up - Boston.com

007-style travel: Best James Bond hotels

James Bond doesn't settle for second best. And why should he? With the best in high-tech, lavish and luxurious side items, it's only fitting that he consistently chooses to stay in five-star hotels, too.

In anticipation of the release of the new 007 film, Skyfall, the hotel price comparison website www.trivago.com and HuffingtonPost put together a list of the top 10 most unforgettable Bond hotels:

Ciragan Palace Kempinski (Istanbul, Turkey) - Daniel Craig, Skyfall (2012): "Skyfall" is Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond and the 23rd 007 film released. The five-star Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul is a classic Bond hotel, with a heated infinity pool, spa treatments, hair salon and a boutique shopping arcade. The hotel offers 007-style transfers by limousine, boat or even helicopter and the Palace suites come complete with a 24-hour personalized butler service and a choice of six different pillows.

More:007-style travel: Best James Bond hotels - Pack Up - Boston.com

BBC News - Beyoglu, Istanbul: One Square Mile of Turkey

Beyoglu, Istanbul: One Square Mile of Turkey
Jonathan Head By Jonathan Head BBC News, Istanbul

WATCH

The Nobel laureate and renowned Turkish author Orhan Pamuk used an Arabic word huzun to describe the particular mood of melancholy that hung over the Istanbul of his youth, in the 1960s and 70s.

Back then it was a city whose fabled imperial history could be found only in the crumbling, blackened ruins, its inhabitants locked in an everyday struggle to escape poverty.

More:BBC News - Beyoglu, Istanbul: One Square Mile of Turkey

Turkey: two reports highlight huge gap between genders - General news - ANSAMed.it

Turkey: two reports highlight huge gap between genders

26 October, 13:40

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 26 - Two recent reports, one local and the other global, have highlighted the inequality between men and women in Turkey, especially regarding employment and education issues, daily Hurriyet reports. According to the World Economic Forum's 'Global Gender Gap Index 2012,' Turkey ranked 124th out of 135 countries in terms of its success to achieve sex equality. Another report prepared by Turkish statistical institute, TurkStat, and presented to the Parliamentary Commission on Equality of Opportunity between Genders revealed similar dismal results as it points to an imbalance of female employment in the education sector.

More:Turkey: two reports highlight huge gap between genders - General news - ANSAMed.it

Turkish Birth Rate Higher in Poorer Regions | Hetq online

Turkish Birth Rate Higher in Poorer Regions

15:27, October 26, 2012

Some interesting population figures about Turkey appear in today’s Hurriyet Daily News.

More:Turkish Birth Rate Higher in Poorer Regions | Hetq online

Turkish Air Denies Support for Anti-Israel Event

Turkish Airlines Denies Support for Anti-Israel Event in US
Below is a letter from Turkish Airlines denying its support for an anti-Israel American Muslims for Palestine event in Chicago.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

Last week, Arutz Sheva posted a report claiming that Turkish Airlines was helping to sponsor an anti-Israel event to take place in the Marriott Hotel in a Chicago suburb snd that the Americans for a Safe Israel are working to prevent the event from taking place at the hotel. (for the story, click here).

More:Turkish Air Denies Support for Anti-Israel Event - Jewish World - News - Israel National News

Turkey stumbles on the road to Damascus - FT.com

Turkey stumbles on the road to Damascus

Philip Stephens By Philip Stephens

Never mind the troubles of the west; the rest have problems too.

Look at Turkey. A couple of years ago here was a nation with an Ottoman spring in its step. Tired of rejection by Europe, it decided to seize new opportunities in the east. The economy was booming and Ankara had made friends of old enemies. The fall of Arab despots and waning US power promised a Middle East in charge of its own affairs. What better model than Turkey for the emerging Arab democracies?

More:Turkey stumbles on the road to Damascus - FT.com

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Turkey looks to airships in fight against PKK militants - UPI.com

Turkey consider airships to combat the PKK

Published: Oct. 25, 2012 at 5:04 PM

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Turkey's struggle with the Kurdish PKK has intensified.

The civil war in Syria has added a dimension to Turkey's struggle with the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its Kurdish initials PKK and which began its armed struggle in 1974.

More:Turkey looks to airships in fight against PKK militants - UPI.com

Nigerian Student Breaks World Record, Scores 4.0 Over 4.0 in Turkish Varsity (Page 1 of 2)

Nigerian Student Breaks World Record, Scores 4.0 Over 4.0 in Turkish Varsity
By Dayo Adesulu, Starrys Obazei And Musbaudeen Shekoni, 25 October 2012

A genius could be referred to as an exceptional child who is academically sound. But, how would you describe an individual who never misses a point in his examinations from first year in the university to the final year? If there is any adjective to qualify such a person, that word could best describe Tunji Olu-Taiwo, an Engineering student of Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus who obtained 4.0 CGPA out of 4.0 CGPA, the first ever in the department.

More:allAfrica.com: Nigerian Student Breaks World Record, Scores 4.0 Over 4.0 in Turkish Varsity (Page 1 of 2)

Keen On… The Bosphorus: Is Istanbul The Next Berlin? [TCTV] | TechCrunch

Keen On… The Bosphorus: Is Istanbul The Next Berlin? [TCTV]
Andrew Keen

Earlier this month, I had the good fortune to attend DLD Bosphorus, an event held in Istanbul and featuring some of the hottest Turkish start-ups and entrepreneurs. It was a memorable evening. Held on the banks of the Bosphorus, at Istanbul’s amazing Modern Museum of Art, the DLD event featured a number of leading Turkish entrepreneurs including Sina Afra, the CEO of the private shopping club Markafoni and Sureyya Ciliv, the CEO of the dominant Turkish cellphone provider Turkcell.

More:Keen On… The Bosphorus: Is Istanbul The Next Berlin? [TCTV] | TechCrunch

Beyond 'Turkish delight on a moonlit night' » Young Star » Article | philstar.com

Beyond 'Turkish delight on a moonlit night'
PAINT A PICTURE By Katrina Ann Tan The Philippine Star Updated October 26, 2012 12:00 AM

What took me so long? I thought to myself in the middle of my two-week tour of Türkiye (“land of the Turks”) with my family where we went on a 3,000-kilometer whirling dervish of a road trip circling the Western half of the country from Istanbul (the only city embracing both Europe and Asia), through the ancient civilizations of the Aegean Sea, inland towards the rock wonders of Cappadocia, then westward through the nation’s capital of Ankara and back to Istanbul. I don’t know why I had previously overlooked such a beautiful destination with people so open and warm, but I’m certain that travelers who continue to take Turkey for granted (which is quite likely as it’s often overshadowed by high-profile EU neighbors) are missing out big time on a unique array of both natural and man-made treasures as well as sites significant not only to the history of the Anatolian people, but also to world history. In a lot of ways, the history of Turkey is the history of mankind.

More:Beyond 'Turkish delight on a moonlit night' » Young Star » Article | philstar.com

Mission Journal: First of two CPJ delegations visits Turkey - Blog - Committee to Protect Journalists

Mission Journal: First of two CPJ delegations visits Turkey
By Jean-Paul Marthoz/CPJ Senior Adviser

This week I joined CPJ board Chairman Sandra Mims Rowe, Executive Director Joel Simon, and Turkish researcher Özgür Ögret in Istanbul to present CPJ's latest report, "Turkey's Press Freedom Crisis," and convey our main press freedom concerns, including the mass imprisonment of journalists.

More:Mission Journal: First of two CPJ delegations visits Turkey - Blog - Committee to Protect Journalists

Why Does Israel Keep Insisting On Dialogue With Turkey? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Why Does Israel Keep Insisting On Dialogue With Turkey?

By: Semih Idiz posted on Thursday, Oct 25, 2012

The remarks of Pinhas Avivi, deputy undersecretary of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, to Turkish journalists that Israel is ready for “dialogue with Turkey without preconditions” has caused a stir in Turkey.

More:Why Does Israel Keep Insisting On Dialogue With Turkey? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Serena Williams controls Victoria Azarenka again in WTA Championships in Istanbul - ESPN

Serena Williams rolls in win
Updated: October 25, 2012, 4:41 PM ET

ISTANBUL -- Serena Williams extended her dominance over the top-ranked player in the world on Thursday, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Championships.

Williams improved to 11-1 overall against Azarenka, winning the last nine matches. Williams beat Azarenka in the semifinals of Wimbledon and at the London Olympics.

More:Serena Williams controls Victoria Azarenka again in WTA Championships in Istanbul - ESPN

SEMİH İDİZ - EU crisis and Turkey’s opportunity

EU crisis and Turkey’s opportunity

With the minister responsible for the brief dismissing this year’s “Progress Report on Turkey” out of hand, and a key member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) symbolically throwing the report into the rubbish bin, Ankara’s EU perspective is clearly in a state of stasis.

More:SEMİH İDİZ - EU crisis and Turkey’s opportunity

Turkey’s Changing Relations with Iraq: Kurdistan Up, Baghdad Down - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Turkey’s Changing Relations with Iraq: Kurdistan Up, Baghdad Down

Soner Cagaptay and Tyler Evans

October 2012
Download PDF

Turkey's ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq have reached a level unimaginable a few years ago. From rapidly growing business and oil deals to numerous high-level diplomatic visits, Ankara is in the midst of an unprecedented rapprochement with the Iraqi Kurds, one that has come largely at the expense of the Maliki government in Baghdad.

More:Turkey’s Changing Relations with Iraq: Kurdistan Up, Baghdad Down - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Turkey's border towns want Syria truce - Features - Al Jazeera English

Turkey's border towns want Syria truce
Turks living near the border want to see fighting end as refugees stream in and local businesses suffer.
Matthew Cassel Last Modified: 25 Oct 2012 14:20

Antakya, Turkey - "When the bombs explode you feel like it's happening right next to you," said Ahmad Yaldiz as he prepared to lift a 90-kilogram sack stuffed with cotton on to a truck.

Yaldiz isn't Syrian, and says he has not he been to Syria recently, but he's experiencing the conflict raging inside Syria from his Turkish border town of Hacipasa.

More:Turkey's border towns want Syria truce - Features - Al Jazeera English

The great Turkish rip-off | New Europe

The great Turkish rip-off
October 25, 2012 - 11:31am
Robert Ellis

About the Author
Reforms are afoot but Turkey is still the front runner at the European Court of Human Rights, but has been overtaken by Russia when it comes to the number of applications.

When he was in Ankara two years ago, the British Prime Minister David Cameron came with a fulsome declaration of support for Turkish EU membership. and at the same time declared Britain’s intention to double its mutual trade with Turkey over the next five years. A recent visit by a British trade delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg underlines this intention.

More:The great Turkish rip-off | New Europe

Turkey Frets Over Economic Impact As Syrian War Hits Home

Turkey Frets Over Economic Impact As Syrian War Hits Home

BY Ceylan Yeginsu | October 25 2012 9:05 AM

ISTANBUL -- For business owners in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, the sound of a phone used to be a welcome signal of commercial prospects. But now – since the onset of the crisis in neighboring Syria, more than one year and a half ago – when the phone rings it’s usually for one thing: people asking for help.

More:Turkey Frets Over Economic Impact As Syrian War Hits Home

Turkish Beach Resorts Cater to Pious Muslims

Turkish Beach Resorts Cater to Pious Muslims

A woman sunbathes on a near-deserted deck as luxury boats are seen anchored off the beach front of a hotel in Golturkbuku, near the resort town of Bodrum on the southwest Aegean coast of Turkey, July 17, 2007.

Dorian Jones

October 24, 2012
BODRUM, TURKEY — During this Islamic holiday season of Eid, many Turks are booking a new kind of accommodation: an Islamic, or Halal Hotel. The popular Bodrum resort has begun catering to the country's increasingly affluent pious-Muslim population.

More:Turkish Beach Resorts Cater to Pious Muslims

Police on alert for Cyprus - Turkish Europa League clash

Police on alert for Cyprus - Turkish Europa League clash

FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Thursday, 25 October, 2012
POLICE in Nicosia are on high alert ahead of tonight’s UEFA Europa League contest, as the Turkish team Fenerbahçe prepare for their clash with AEL, with over one thousand fans expected to cross the Green Line from the north.

More:Police on alert for Cyprus - Turkish Europa League clash

The 24th Istanbul International Mothers-Babies-Children-Products Fair | PRNewswire | Rock Hill Herald Online

The 24th Istanbul International Mothers-Babies-Children-Products Fair

— /PRNewswire/ -- The Istanbul International Mothers Babies Children Products Fair (MBCP) is the third largest fair in Europe in its concept that has continuously grown for 22 years and a unique trade show sourcing platform in Turkey for products for newborn babies, children up to 16 years old and expectant mothers including baby and maternity care products; baby carriages, car seats and furniture, home textile; baby food and healthcare products; baby's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; maternity clothing, underwear and accessories; toys, educational products and souvenirs.

More:SHANGHAI, Oct. 24, 2012: The 24th Istanbul International Mothers-Babies-Children-Products Fair | PRNewswire | Rock Hill Herald Online

Britain bounces back from double-dip recession - by Jamie Grierson

The UK climbed out of the double-dip recession with a bang between July and September as the economy returned to growth at its fastest pace in five years, official figures showed today.


Gross domestic product (GDP) - a broad measure for the total economy - grew 1% in the third quarter of the year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, ending three consecutive quarters of declining output.

City experts had expected a rise of 0.6%. The actual figure is the biggest increase since the third quarter of 2007.

The largest contribution to the surge came from the powerhouse services sector, which makes up around 75% of the total economy and grew at 1.3%, following a 0.1% drop in the previous quarter.

Read more: UK bounces back from double-dip recession - Business News - Business - The Independent

Tight security in Cyprus for Turkish soccer team - NZweek

Tight security in Cyprus for Turkish soccer team

NICOSIA, Oct. 24 — Cypriot authorities mounted a major security operation when Turkish soccer team Fenerbahce Istanbul arrived in the island on Wednesday afternoon for a UEFA Europa League match with local champions Athletic Union of Limassol (AEL).

More:Tight security in Cyprus for Turkish soccer team - NZweek

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Turkish take on Kiwi culture | Stuff.co.nz

Turkish take on Kiwi culture
MARNIE HALLAHAN
Last updated 10:41 25/10/2012

No matter how Kiwi Ali Yildiz gets, he'll always drink his coffee black, the Turkish way.

The cafe, tapas bar and nightclub owner has been in New Zealand for 18 years after immigrating from Istanbul with his wife Zulha.

The couple arrived speaking very little English and with no idea they would end up with a hospitality empire less than 10 years later.

"I didn't even know how to make a fried egg," Ali laughs.

More:Turkish take on Kiwi culture | Stuff.co.nz

Turkey's 'inkblot' test – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Turkey's 'inkblot' test

By Soner Cagaptay, Special to CNN

Editor's note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find his other posts here. The views expressed are solely those of the author.

Ankara is struggling to accommodate the tide of Syrian refugees looking to enter Turkey. As of this month, there were more than 100,000 Syrian refugees in the country, a number that Turkey has already declared as the “psychological limit” in terms of the number it can host. Ankara can also be expected to try to accommodate many refugees on the Syrian side of the border. Indeed, without apparent interference from the Syrian government, temporary zones are already forming like inkblots across the national boundary from Turkey into Syria. But can Turkey cope?

More:Turkey's 'inkblot' test – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Turkey accused of pursuing campaign of intimidation against media | World news | The Guardian

Turkey accused of pursuing campaign of intimidation against media

Simon Tisdall
The Guardian, Wednesday 24 October 2012 13.23 EDT

Ankara is pursuing a systematic campaign of intimidation against the Turkish media, including the prosecution and jailing of writers, and demands for those who challenge government policies or actions to be sacked, two independent investigations have concluded.

More:Turkey accused of pursuing campaign of intimidation against media | World news | The Guardian

Using Cheese to Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Gap - NYTimes.com

Using Cheese to Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Gap
By SUSANNE GÜSTEN
Published: October 24, 2012

ISTANBUL — Artush Mkrtchyan calls it cheese diplomacy. Others speak of informal, or “track-two,” diplomacy. By either name, it is all about building bridges between Turks and Armenians in the absence of formal, or “track-one,” diplomatic relations between their governments.

More:Using Cheese to Bridge the Turkey-Armenia Gap - NYTimes.com

Turkey Failing to Block Financing of Terrorist Groups

Turkey Failing to Block Financing of Terrorist Groups
Wednesday, 24 October 2012 15:10 By JV Staff

Mideast experts are claiming that Turkey has failed to enforce the laws it has in place to block financing of terrorist groups, and is thus in danger of being included on a list of non-complying countries in this regard that includes the rogue regimes of Iran and North Korea.

More:Turkey Failing to Block Financing of Terrorist Groups

Turkey's War on Journalists - Michael Koplow - The Atlantic

Turkey's War on Journalists
By Michael Koplow

Oct 24 2012, 12:33 PM ET

The October 22 report on Turkey issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) is getting lots of attention, and rightly so. Amid the growing clamor over Turkey's media crackdown, the CPJ slammed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government for jailing (by its count) 76 journalists, 61 of whom are in prison as a direct result of their writing or reporting, mainly on Kurdish issues. The CPJ stated what many seasoned Turkey observers have known for awhile, which is that Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have used overly expansive terrorism laws to staunch criticism of the government and intimidate the press into self-censorship.

More:Turkey's War on Journalists - Michael Koplow - The Atlantic

Istanbul Takes New York: A Look at 4 Fall Shows From Turkey's Surging Art Scene | Artinfo

Istanbul Takes New York: A Look at 4 Fall Shows From Turkey's Surging Art Scene

by Rachel Corbett
Published: October 24, 2012

In recent years, art analysts have alternately described the rise of the Turkish market as both a bubble and a long-brewing boom. Whichever turns out to be true in the long run, there’s no denying its explosion. Sotheby’s London launched its first auction dedicated to modern and contemporary Turkish art in 2009, bringing in $1.3 million during the inaugural edition. The next year, sales nearly doubled.

More:Istanbul Takes New York: A Look at 4 Fall Shows From Turkey's Surging Art Scene | Artinfo

Turkey Yields Fall on Central Bank Comments, Fitch Outlook - Businessweek

Turkey Yields Fall on Central Bank Comments, Fitch Outlook
By Benjamin Harvey on October 24, 2012

Turkey’s two-year note yields extended a 21-month low as central bank Governor Erdem Basci said he’d keep cutting funding costs to banks and analysts speculated Fitch Ratings will upgrade the country’s debt.

More:Turkey Yields Fall on Central Bank Comments, Fitch Outlook - Businessweek

Turkish central bank ups inflation forecast, vows cautious policy

Turkish central bank ups inflation forecast, vows cautious policy
Wednesday, 24 October 2012 16:37
Posted by Shoaib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui


ISTANBUL: Turkey's central bank raised its inflation forecasts for this year and next on Wednesday, blaming higher energy prices and tax hikes, and said it would be more cautious in its efforts to support a gradual pick-up in growth next year.

More:Turkish central bank ups inflation forecast, vows cautious policy

Turkey will not undertake sharp actions

Turkey will not undertake sharp actions

The situation in Syrian – Turkish border has come out of control after the mutual bombardment, the political scientist Sergey Shaqaryants reported.

He thought it impossible for Turkey to undertake sharp steps, which he conditioned by the tough disposition of Russia and elections being held in the US.

More:Turkey will not undertake sharp actions - aysor.am - Hot news from Armenia

Poll: Turkish Majority against Ankara's Interference in Syria

Poll: Turkish Majority against Ankara's Interference in Syria

TEHRAN (FNA)- A recent opinion poll conducted in Turkey showed that 51 percent of the Turkish people are against Ankara's interference in Syria's internal affairs, saying that their government should remain completely impartial vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis.

More:Fars News Agency :: Poll: Turkish Majority against Ankara's Interference in Syria

Turkey Raises Inflation Forecast - WSJ.com

Turkey Raises Inflation Forecast

BY YELIZ CANDEMIR

ISTANBUL—Turkey's central bank Wednesday raised its inflation forecasts for this year and next, the result of tax increases and higher domestic energy prices, but said it expects inflation to fall again by the end of 2013 even as it tries to reinvigorate the economy.

More:Turkey Raises Inflation Forecast - WSJ.com

Why Syria's Fragmentation Is Turkey's Opportunity - Soner Cagaptay and Parag Khanna - The Atlantic

Why Syria's Fragmentation Is Turkey's Opportunity
By Soner Cagaptay and Parag Khanna

Oct 24 2012, 9:57 AM ET

One-and-a-half years into Syria's civil war, the latest chapter is the armed hostility between Syria and Turkey, once a friend of the Assad regime. A century ago, it was Western powers that dismantled and carved up the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Today, Turkey can place itself in the driver's seat of shaping the borders of the emerging Near East map.

More:Why Syria's Fragmentation Is Turkey's Opportunity - Soner Cagaptay and Parag Khanna - The Atlantic

Debates continue about Turkey joining EU | The Pendulum

Debates continue about Turkey joining EU

by Tupper Allen
on October 23, 2012

ISTANBUL — For the financially strapped European Union, there is one lingering question: Should Turkey become the newest member of the EU?

The European Union is comprised of different countries, each represented in legal decisions. There have been no additions to the EU since 2007. Turkey initially applied to join the EU in 1987, and is still considered a candidate country.

More:Debates continue about Turkey joining EU | The Pendulum

Turkish-Kurdish deputy visits Barzani in northern Iraq in surprise move - Trend.Az

Turkish-Kurdish deputy visits Barzani in northern Iraq in surprise move
Turkish-Kurdish deputy visits Barzani in northern Iraq in surprise move
24 October 2012, 10:06 (GMT+05:00)

Independent Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana paid a visit to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani on Tuesday Today`s Zaman reported.

More:Turkish-Kurdish deputy visits Barzani in northern Iraq in surprise move - Trend.Az

Turkey, Russia struggle to contain Syrian crisis' damage to bilateral ties - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Turkey, Russia struggle to contain Syrian crisis' damage to bilateral ties

ANKARA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 19-month-old Syrian crisis has exposed sharp differences between Turkey and Russia, two foes- turned-friends, with the recent trade of accusations over Turkey's interception of a Syrian-bound plane flying from Moscow.

More:Turkey, Russia struggle to contain Syrian crisis' damage to bilateral ties - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Galatasaray, Cluj draw 1-1 in Champions League - SFGate

Galatasaray, Cluj draw 1-1 in Champions League

ISTANBUL (AP) — Burak Yilmaz scored a late equalizer following an own goal on Tuesday, to give Galatasaray a 1-1 draw with 10-man CFR Cluj in their Champions League match played under heavy rain on a waterlogged pitch.

More:Galatasaray, Cluj draw 1-1 in Champions League - SFGate

Western Balkans and Turkey: Business environment improving but further support for SMEs is needed

Western Balkans and Turkey: Business environment improving but further support for SMEs is needed

24/10/2012 00:53 (06:33 minutes ago)

The FINANCIAL -- The pre-EU accession economies of the Western Balkans and Turkey have improved their business climates in the past three years, but governments need to implement more targeted policies to support small- and medium-sized enterprises if they want to boost wider growth and employment, says a new joint report by the OECD, the European Commission, the European Training Foundation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

More:The FINANCIAL - Western Balkans and Turkey: Business environment improving but further support for SMEs is needed

Turkey Central Bank: Tax Hikes to Impact October CPI

Turkey Central Bank: Tax Hikes to Impact October CPI

ISTANBUL--Turkey's central bank said Wednesday the government's recent tax hikes will have a significant impact on inflation in October, after tax rises pushed the country's annual inflation to its highest level in five months in September.

More:Turkey Central Bank: Tax Hikes to Impact October CPI

Turkish assets ease, inflation report awaited | Reuters

Turkish assets ease, inflation report awaited

ISTANBUL | Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:37am EDT

Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Turkish lira eased and bond yields inched up in thin trading on Tuesday as investors awaited an updated inflation forecast from the central bank.

More:Turkish assets ease, inflation report awaited | Reuters

Embassy Row: Turkey’s enemies - Washington Times

Embassy Row: Turkey’s enemies
Comments (0)

By James Morrison

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey is trying to reassure the key NATO ally that Washington stands with Ankara in its confrontations with Syria and its fight against Kurdish terrorists.

More:Embassy Row: Turkey’s enemies - Washington Times

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Turkey: US Presidential Debate Highlights Ankara's Lonely Syria Position | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey: US Presidential Debate Highlights Ankara's Lonely Syria Position
October 23, 2012 - 1:27pm, by Yigal Schleifer

The good news for Ankara from last night's presidential debate on foreign policy issues was that, unlike in one of the Republican primary debates, where Texas Governor Rick Perry referred to Turkey as being ruled by "Islamic terrorists," there was really very little mention of the country -- positive or negative -- by either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

More:Turkey: US Presidential Debate Highlights Ankara's Lonely Syria Position | EurasiaNet.org

Trade: Turkish food makers shine at International Paris fair - Economy - ANSAMed.it

Trade: Turkish food makers shine at International Paris fair

23 October, 16:55

(ANSAmed) - Paris, October 23 - Turkey is the third biggest participant in the world's largest food exhibition, which opened its doors yesterday in Paris as daily Radikal reports.

A total of 256 Turkish firms are attending the International Food and Beverage Exhibition (SIAL), which covers more than 9,000 square meters of exhibition ground. Some 5,900 firms from 100 countries are participating in SIAL this year.

More:Trade: Turkish food makers shine at International Paris fair - Economy - ANSAMed.it

Turkey seizes five tons of marijuana near Iran border | Reuters

Turkey seizes five tons of marijuana near Iran border

(Reuters) - Turkish police seized five tons of marijuana with a street value of at least $2 million near the border with Iran on Tuesday and officials said they were investigating the involvement of Kurdish militants.

More:Turkey seizes five tons of marijuana near Iran border | Reuters

Mayors call for faster visas for Turkey

Mayors call for faster visas for Turkey

Tuesday 23 October 2012

The mayors of Rotterdam and Amsterdam are calling on parliament to speed up the issuing of visas to and from Turkey following their visit last week.

More:DutchNews.nl - Mayors call for faster visas for Turkey

Taming Islamist Turkey

Taming Islamist Turkey
October 23, 2012 By Joseph Puder Comments (3)

Megalomania in the Middle East is not uncommon; it has afflicted numerous figures in the Muslim Middle East including the likes of Gamal Abdul Nasser, the dictator of Egypt, Iranian Shah Muhammad Pahlavi and Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein. The current regional megalomaniac is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey who has been acting like “God’s deputy” and “dispenser of justice” with unrestrained arrogance. Amid mounting troubles, with a declining economy and the political turmoil that surrounds Turkey, Syria and Iran, Erdogan’s star power is rapidly fading.

More:Taming Islamist Turkey

Shell from Syria hits Turkish health centre: CNN Turk | Reuters

Shell from Syria hits Turkish health centre: CNN Turk

(Reuters) - An anti-aircraft shell fired from Syria hit a health center across the border in the Reyhanli district of Turkey's Hatay province on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of injuries, CNN Turk television said.

More:Shell from Syria hits Turkish health centre: CNN Turk | Reuters

Syrian anti-aircraft shell hits Turkey

Syrian anti-aircraft shell hits Turkey
October 23, 2012 11:45 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A private news agency says a stray anti-aircraft shell from Syria has hit a health center inside Turkey. No one was hurt in the incident.

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

Hunger strike by Kurdish inmates pressures Turkish govt - chicagotribune.com

Hunger strike by Kurdish inmates pressures Turkish govt

By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A widening hunger strike by
hundreds of Kurdish militants in prisons across Turkey is piling
pressure on the government to address demands for greater
Kurdish minority rights and avoid a repeat of previous protests
when dozens starved to death.

More:Hunger strike by Kurdish inmates pressures Turkish govt - chicagotribune.com

On the components of Turkey’s success /ДЕНЬ/

On the components of Turkey’s success
Serhii KORSUNSKY: “They learned to work to high standards and defy any difficulties”
By Mykola SIRUK, The Day

Turkey has been called lately a country that shines brighter than the BRIC states. Besides, it is sort of a model of democracy for the countries of Northern Africa and the Middle East. But as recently as 10 to 15 years ago Turkey was called “sick man of Europe.” In an exclusive interview with The Day, Serhii KORSUNSKY, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey, who took part the other day in a Kyiv conference of the heads of Ukrainian diplomatic missions, reflects on why Turkey recovered and achieved success without IMF loans and on the prospects of Ukraine-Turkey cooperation.

More:On the components of Turkey’s success /ДЕНЬ/

Da Vinci’s Bridge to Be Built in Istanbul, 23 October 2012 Tuesday 12:29

Da Vinci’s Bridge to Be Built in Istanbul

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

A bridge project reportedly developed by Leonardo Da Vinci for Istanbul’s Golden Horn will be constructed by an international volunteer group as a present to Istanbul, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced.

More:Da Vinci’s Bridge to Be Built in Istanbul, 23 October 2012 Tuesday 12:29

Travel Europe: Six things in … Istanbul - thestar.com

Travel Europe: Six things in … Istanbul
Published on Tuesday October 23, 2012

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—Been there. Done that. Bought the rug. That’s what I thought, after a two-day stopover on a cruise four years ago.

Yet so many people rave about Istanbul, I wondered if they were simply smokin’ from a different hookah, or if perhaps I had missed something during my whirlwind tour of the “must see” sites: the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace. It was architectural overload, like staring at the sun. If I had been invited to gaze upon one more mosaic, however beautiful, I thought I might bleed from my eyes.

More:Travel Europe: Six things in … Istanbul - thestar.com

U.S. commander visits Turkey to discuss fight against PKK - Xinhua | English.news.cn

U.S. commander visits Turkey to discuss fight against PKK
English.news.cn 2012-10-23 19:07:36

ANKARA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral James Winnefeld arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for a visit to discuss cooperation on combating the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).

More:U.S. commander visits Turkey to discuss fight against PKK - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Report: Obama losing crucial Istanbul baklava chef demographic | WashingtonExaminer.com

Report: Obama losing crucial Istanbul baklava chef demographic
October 22, 2012 | 5:04 pm

And now for something from the lighter, flakier side of the news: A Turkish pastry chef in Istanbul has made a portrait of President Obama in the style of the iconic “Hope” poster entirely out of backlava despite the fact that he is seriously disappointed with the president.

More:Report: Obama losing crucial Istanbul baklava chef demographic | WashingtonExaminer.com

Monday, October 22, 2012

Istanbul ferry firm uneasy over rivals

Istanbul ferry firm uneasy over rivals

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The likely emerging rivals to İDO, Istanbul’s ferry transport firm, may hurt investment plans for marine transportation in Turkey’s most populous city, the main Scottish investor in the firm has said.

More:BUSINESS - Istanbul ferry firm uneasy over rivals

Inflation Being Wrung Out as Basci Holds Low Rate: Turkey Credit - Businessweek

Inflation Being Wrung Out as Basci Holds Low Rate: Turkey Credit
By David Neylan on October 22, 2012

Turkey’s central bank Governor Erdem Basci is wringing out inflation expectations from the market by keeping the lowest end of his interest-rate band unchanged in the face of mounting calls from the government for cuts.

More:Inflation Being Wrung Out as Basci Holds Low Rate: Turkey Credit - Businessweek

Turkey: A Look Into Its Culture and History | Flat Hat News

Turkey: A Look Into Its Culture and History

Written By: Humzah Nasir

Turkey is a beacon of both democracy and stability in the tumultuous Middle East; its social and political model successfully combines Islam and Western influences. Turkey is a Muslim country, a democracy, and it has a booming economy. It’s a state that spans two continents, and it’s a place with thousands of years of fascinating culture and history. I sat down with my friend, Evangeline Outzen ‘14, to talk about this important but little-known country.

More:Turkey: A Look Into Its Culture and History | Flat Hat News

Istanbul Biometrics Summit 2012 | BiometricUpdate.com

Istanbul Biometrics Summit 2012

October 22, 2012 -

Welcome to the first organization of the Istanbul Biometrics Summit 2012! Proline presents the event in Istanbul on the 19 November 2012.

More:Istanbul Biometrics Summit 2012 | BiometricUpdate.com

BUSINESS - Turkish food makers shine at Paris fair

Turkish food makers shine at Paris fair

Nuriye Doğu PARIS / Radikal
Turkey is the third biggest participant in the world’s largest food exhibition, which opened its doors on Oct. 22 in Paris.

A total of 256 Turkish firms are attending the International Food and Beverage Exhibition (SIAL), which covers more than 9,000 square meters of exhibition ground. Some 5,900 firms from 100 countries are participating in SIAL this year.

More:BUSINESS - Turkish food makers shine at Paris fair

Turkey’s Not-So-Free Speech - Bloomberg

Turkey’s Not-So-Free Speech
By the Editors Oct 22, 2012 2:45 PM ET

For a long time, it has been possible to overlook Turkey’s human rights failures. After all, the country was making remarkable progress after starting from a very hard place. Now, however, ignoring such failures is no longer possible.

More:Turkey’s Not-So-Free Speech - Bloomberg

Report: Turkey rejects Israeli call to discuss Syria - Israel News, Ynetnews

Report: Turkey rejects Israeli call to discuss Syria

Ankara dismisses Foreign Ministry's invitation 'to set differences aside,' begin dialogue about Mideast developments, according to Turkish reports; Jerusalem denies extending official overture

More:Report: Turkey rejects Israeli call to discuss Syria - Israel News, Ynetnews

US Offers Ankara Help With Fighting PKK

US Offers Ankara Help With Fighting PKK

By: Soli Ozel posted on Monday, Oct 22, 2012

United States Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone dropped a bomb in his meeting with journalists in Ankara last week.

More:US Offers Ankara Help With Fighting PKK - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

In Istanbul, Li Forestalls Thoughts of Future - NYTimes.com

In Istanbul, Li Forestalls Thoughts of Future
By BEN ROTHENBERG
Li Na pushes away retirement talk.Barbara Walton/European Pressphoto Agency Li Na pushes away retirement talk.

ISTANBUL — Li Na, the 2011 French Open champion, was the last of the eight players to qualify for the WTA Championships, securing her spot in October when she made the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing.

More:In Istanbul, Li Forestalls Thoughts of Future - NYTimes.com

Godiva Maker Yildiz Seeks Purchases From Mideast to East Europe - Businessweek

Godiva Maker Yildiz Seeks Purchases From Mideast to East Europe
By Ercan Ersoy on October 22, 2012

Yildiz Holding AS, the Turkish company that owns the Godiva chocolate brand, is in talks to acquire businesses in the Middle East and eastern Europe to compensate for slower sales growth in its home market.

More:Godiva Maker Yildiz Seeks Purchases From Mideast to East Europe - Businessweek

Ankara: Israel Must Take Real Actions to Normalize Relations with Turkey , 22 October 2012 Monday 16:25

Ankara: Israel Must Take Real Actions to Normalize Relations with Turkey

Monday, 22 October 2012

Instead of telling media about the intention to normalize the relations with Turkey, Israel must take concrete actions in this direction. Ankara's position on this issue is clear and unchanged, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said today, TRT Haber TV channel reported.

More:Ankara: Israel Must Take Real Actions to Normalize Relations with Turkey , 22 October 2012 Monday 16:25

The rise of Turkey

The rise of Turkey [Gulf Business (United Arab Emirates)]
Al Bawaba Ltd.

Europe's only Islamic nation spent the nineties agonising whether to join the European Union; the failure of this long-term goal, due to a European refusal to countenance its membership on little more than religious grounds, today looks like a clear case of serendipity, given the European economic crisis, and has resulted in nothing short of a boom for Turkey, whose increasingly eastwards outlook reaps dividends that are expected to multiply.

More:Headline Story | equities.com

Samvel Karapetyan: "Armenians also guilty of causing damage to Ani"

Samvel Karapetyan: "Armenians also guilty of causing damage to Ani"

12:49, October 22, 2012

In the following video, Samvel Karapetyan, who heads the Yerevan branch of the NGO Research on Armenian Architecture, recounts his first visit to Ani in 2000 and what he and his team experienced when they felt the force of explosions emanating from a touf stone quarry across the Akhourian River in Armenia.

More:Samvel Karapetyan: "Armenians also guilty of causing damage to Ani" | Hetq online

Turkey assures Europe on Syria | World | DW.DE | 22.10.2012

Turkey assures Europe on Syria

Turkey’s EU ambassador has dispelled concerns about unilateral Turkish intervention in Syria, but says he's disappointed by the stance of world powers and wants to see more concerted efforts to help refugees.

More:Turkey assures Europe on Syria | World | DW.DE | 22.10.2012

On Turkey's Syrian frontier, fears of a sectarian spillover | Reuters

On Turkey's Syrian frontier, fears of a sectarian spillover

ANTAKYA, Turkey | Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:35am EDT
(Reuters) - An influx of Syrians fleeing President Bashar al-Assad's military onslaught is stoking tension in an area of Turkey known for religious tolerance and setting Turks who share the Syrian leader's creed against their own government 

More:On Turkey's Syrian frontier, fears of a sectarian spillover | Reuters

Serena Williams favourite in Istanbul | The Australian

Serena Williams favourite in Istanbul

From: The Australian
October 23, 2012 12:00AM

SERENA Williams may silence some of her remaining critics if she caps a tremendous comeback year by regaining the title at the WTA Championships, which start at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul tonight.

More:Serena Williams favourite in Istanbul | The Australian