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Friday, October 31, 2014

Two women sentenced to two years in prison for throwing eggs at Ankara mayor - RIGHTS

Two women sentenced to two years in prison for throwing eggs at Ankara mayor

ANKARA

Two women have been sentenced to two years and seven months in prison on charges of “threatening” and “public insult of a civil servant,” after throwing eggs at Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek two years ago.

More:Two women sentenced to two years in prison for throwing eggs at Ankara mayor - RIGHTS

Ankara's huge new palace is fit for a sultan | Public Radio International

Ankara's huge new palace is fit for a sultan

PRI's The World
Producer Shirin Jaafari

October 31, 2014 · 3:15 PM EDT

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sometimes been accused of having an imperial, "neo-Ottoman" streak. Now he has the house to back it up.

More:Ankara's huge new palace is fit for a sultan | Public Radio International

New purge in Turkey? Government's former ally branded a security threat. - CSMonitor.com

New purge in Turkey? Government's former ally branded a security threat.

By labeling the rival Gulen Movement a 'threat to national security,' Turkey has armed itself with the tools necessary to eradicate the group's extensive business, education, and media empire.

More:New purge in Turkey? Government's former ally branded a security threat. - CSMonitor.com

First Turkish film week starts at FNCC

First Turkish film week starts at FNCC

Oblivion is a new-generation science fiction film telling the story of how the earth is systematically destroyed by extraterrestrial beings (aliens), called Scavs. The aliens first attacked earth by destroying the moon, causing earthquakes and tsunamis. The humans have apparently won the war but they can no longer stay on earth because of the destruction it has suffered, therefore the humans have relocated to Saturn’s moon, Titan. But the only problem is that Titan does not have the same energies for humans to be able to survive on it.

More:First Turkish film week starts at FNCC

'Hope waning' for trapped Turkish miners | i24news - See beyond

'Hope waning' for trapped Turkish miners

Turkey acknowledges tons of mud, waste that crashed into Soma mine pits makes rescue efforts nearly impossible

Miners sit outside the Ermenek coal mine as search and rescue continues in Pamuklu on October 30, 2014 ( AFP )"Miners sit outside the Ermenek coal mine as search and rescue continues in Pamuklu on October 30, 2014 ( AFP )"Miners sit outside the Ermenek coal mine as search and rescue continues in Pamuklu on October 30, 2014 ( AFP )
Hopes are fading of saving 18 miners trapped by a flood in a mine in southern Turkey, the energy minister acknowledged Thursday, blaming negligence for the country's latest mining tragedy.

More:'Hope waning' for trapped Turkish miners | i24news - See beyond

President of European Socialists: Turkey should turn commitments into reality for Kobane - DIPLOMACY

President of European Socialists: Turkey should turn commitments into reality for Kobane

Sevil Erkuş ANKARA

Gianni Pittella, president of the Socialists and Democrats group (S&D) at the European Parliament, has urged the Turkish government to allow fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) to use Turkish territory to cross into Kobane.

More:President of European Socialists: Turkey should turn commitments into reality for Kobane - DIPLOMACY

Ethiopia's First Lady Holds Business-To-Business Meetings | AFKInsider

Ethiopia’s First Lady Organizes Meetings With Turkish Businesswomen’s Delegation
By Makula Dunbar Published: October 31, 2014, 03:39pm

The first-ever delegation of businesswomen from Turkey visited and held business meetings for three days in the capital, starting on Thursday.

More:Ethiopia's First Lady Holds Business-To-Business Meetings | AFKInsider

EU to press Turkey on rule of law and rights, says Pittella

EU to press Turkey on rule of law and rights, says Pittella

Chair of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament Gianni Pittella has said, “We want to open Chapters 23 and 24 of the [EU] negotiation process because we want to push the Turkish authorities to follow the guidelines for Turkey accepted by the Ministry of EU Affairs.”

More:EU to press Turkey on rule of law and rights, says Pittella

Turkish pianist controversy has many facets - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish pianist controversy has many facets

Fazil Say is a world-renowned pianist. He has been in confrontation with the government for the last two years. The tension recently reached a new height when Say’s works were removed from the 2014-15 Presidential Symphonic Orchestra program. This was outright censorship of an artist’s work. As Fehim Tastekin observed in his Oct. 27 article, this was not the first spat between Say and the government. In one of his Twitter messages in 2012, Say criticized the government over corruption, citing a verse from the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. This was even before the December 2013 graft probe surfaced. Say was found guilty in 2013 for his Khayyam citation, on the grounds that he was “openly denigrating religious values.” He received a suspended 10-month jail sentence.

More:Turkish pianist controversy has many facets - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish food prices delay improvement in inflation outlook -cenbank - Yahoo Maktoob News

Turkish food prices delay improvement in inflation outlook -cenbank
Reuters Middle EastReuters Middle East – 3 hours ago

ISTANBUL, Oct 31 (Reuters) - High food prices in Turkey are delaying an improvement in the inflation outlook but falling commodity prices, in particular oil, are expected to support a downward trend in inflation next year, the central bank said on Friday.

More:Turkish food prices delay improvement in inflation outlook -cenbank - Yahoo Maktoob News

Western perspectives on the Kurds - AHU ÖZYURT

Western perspectives on the Kurds

The highly anticipated corridor for the Peshmarga fighters has finally opened and they have marched into Turkish soil to move into Kobane. It all looked like a long wedding procession. As BBC and CNN International broadcast the crossing, ordinary Turks who only watch TV series or football matches were not able to see even a glimpse of it on their favorite channels. “Ankara does not want a Habur Dejavu” said a columnist close to the Justice and Development (AKP) government, referring to the first cease-fire in 2009 when outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas came back home to Turkey with fireworks.

More:Western perspectives on the Kurds - AHU ÖZYURT

Russian tourists flooding into Turkey - TOURISM

Russian tourists flooding into Turkey

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey remains one of most favored tourism destinations for Russian tourists, amid the growing flight network between the two countries and a concerted promotional campaign in Russia by the Turkish Tourism Ministry.

More:Russian tourists flooding into Turkey - TOURISM

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Have you heard of the cult Turkish Superman film from 1978? | moviepilot.com

Have you heard of the cult Turkish Superman film from 1978?
by Tré Roland-Martin ⋅ Posted on October 30th, 2014 at 7:17pm

The 1978 film adaptation of the Superman comics, directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve as the titular superhero, was a commercial and critical success, notably for its special effects, mostly the blue-screen effects for Superman's flight sequences. However, the political conditions of Turkey had kept popular Hollywood films out of the Turkish market. As a solution to this problem, prominent Turkish filmmaker Kunt Tulgar went to a screening of Superman in Paris, trying to see what he would make that would appeal to Turkish audiences. The result is Supermen Dönüyor, which translates to Superman Returns, not to be confused witht the official Superman movie from 2006.

More:Have you heard of the cult Turkish Superman film from 1978? | moviepilot.com

Turkey’s construction giants: Chugging along or sputtering out? | Money | Daily Sabah

TURKEY’S CONSTRUCTION GIANTS: CHUGGING ALONG OR SPUTTERING OUT?

Often referred to as the ‘locomotive’ of the Turkish economy, the construction sector in the burgeoning nation has steamed ahead over recent years in spite of global and regional turmoil, but the question remains as to whether there is enough track left for wolfish growth

More:Turkey’s construction giants: Chugging along or sputtering out? | Money | Daily Sabah

Greek Cypriots adopt softer tone on Turkey | Politics | Daily Sabah

GREEK CYPRIOTS ADOPT SOFTER TONE ON TURKEY

Daily Sabah and Agencies
Published : 31.10.2014 00:37:25

Greek Cypriots adopt softer tone on Turkey
ISTANBUL — Sotos A. Liasides, the ambassador of the Greek Cypriot administration in Cairo, has said that a Wednesday meeting in Nicosia between his foreign minister and those of Egypt and Greece was not aimed at forming an alliance against Turkey.

More:Greek Cypriots adopt softer tone on Turkey | Politics | Daily Sabah

As Syria's War Rages Next Door, Students Violently Clash At Turkey's Oldest University

As Syria's War Rages Next Door, Students Violently Clash At Turkey's Oldest University
Posted: 10/30/2014 6:25 pm EDT Updated: 4 hours ago
OZAN KOSE ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY

ISTANBUL -- Forty years ago, Istanbul University was a battleground for clashes between leftist and far-right student activists, leading up to the Turkish military's brutal takeover in the 1980 coup. Now, it seems the spirit of revolt is back: Syria's war has come to the classroom.

More:As Syria's War Rages Next Door, Students Violently Clash At Turkey's Oldest University

Turkey and Europe: Problems With Neighbours

Turkey and Europe: Problems With Neighbours
http://www.economist.com
Posted 2014-10-30 21:18 GMT

The fallout from Turkey's relations with Islamic State (IS) knows no end. Its global image is in tatters amid persistent claims of secret dealings with the jihadists, which Turkey denies. Shaky peace talks with the Turkish Kurds are near collapse, because Syrian Kurds in Kobane are still under siege by IS as Turkish tanks look on passively (see article). Friendship with America has soured because of Turkey's refusal to let coalition war planes use the Incirlik airbase to bomb IS. Now a spat with Denmark over a Danish jihadist is testing relations with the European Union.

More:Turkey and Europe: Problems With Neighbours

Turkey's Garanti Bank sees future of banking defined by mobility - FierceMobileIT

Turkey's Garanti Bank sees future of banking defined by mobility
October 30, 2014 | By David Weldon

The banking industry has embraced mobility in a big way in many foreign markets, including Turkey, where Garanti Bank pays for its customers to get mobile Internet access, and uses social media to attract and retain customers.

More:Turkey's Garanti Bank sees future of banking defined by mobility - FierceMobileIT

European Business Angels Investment Forum to be held in Turkey this Year | Economy | Daily Sabah

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ANGELS INVESTMENT FORUM TO BE HELD IN TURKEY THIS YEAR

The European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN), headquartered in Brussels and founded by, inter alia, the European Union and EURADA, chose İstanbul for the first European Business Angels Investment Forum in Europe

More:European Business Angels Investment Forum to be held in Turkey this Year | Economy | Daily Sabah

Not Everyone's In Awe Of The Insanely Opulent Turkish Presidential Palace

Not Everyone's In Awe Of The Insanely Opulent Turkish Presidential Palace
The Huffington Post | By Nick Robins-Early

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the new presidential palace on Wednesday, a sprawling and ornate complex that reportedly cost over $350 million to build.

More:Not Everyone's In Awe Of The Insanely Opulent Turkish Presidential Palace

For Turkey and U.S., at odds over Syria, a 60-year alliance shows signs of crumbling - The Washington Post

For Turkey and U.S., at odds over Syria, a 60-year alliance shows signs of crumbling

ANKARA, Turkey — The increasingly hostile divergence of views between Turkey and the United States over Syria is testing the durability of their 60-year alliance, to the point where some are starting to question whether the two countries still can be considered allies at all.

More:For Turkey and U.S., at odds over Syria, a 60-year alliance shows signs of crumbling - The Washington Post

Dutch defense minister criticizes Turkey for being difficult ally

Dutch defense minister criticizes Turkey for being difficult ally

October 29, 2014, Wednesday/ 18:20:33/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ANKARA

Netherlands Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert has criticized Turkey for being reluctant to contribute to the US-led coalition against the radical Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and characterized NATO-ally Turkey as “difficult.”

More:Dutch defense minister criticizes Turkey for being difficult ally

Students in Turkey brawl over war in Syria

Students in Turkey brawl over war in Syria

By Emily Feldman6 hours ago

ISTANBUL, Turkey—Istanbul University is more than 700 miles away from the Syrian front lines.

But these days tensions from the bloody civil war can be felt on the leafy campus.

There, Islamists and leftwing students have battled across well-manicured gardens and commons, indicating how the war in Syria has reawakened deep grudges in Turkey.

More:Students in Turkey brawl over war in Syria

Will the pope challenge Turkey on anti-Christian bias? | Crux

Will the pope challenge Turkey on anti-Christian bias?
john_allen 2

John L. Allen Jr.

Associate editor October 30, 2014

Recently the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis will travel to Turkey Nov. 28-30, the official purpose for which is largely ecumenical. He’ll visit Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on the feast of St. Andrew, considered their patron in much the same way Catholics regard St. Peter as the first pope.

More:Will the pope challenge Turkey on anti-Christian bias? | Crux

Turkey : FESPA to host Digital Textile Conference in Istanbul - Textile News Turkey

FESPA to host Digital Textile Conference in Istanbul
October 30, 2014 (Turkey)

FESPA will host its fifth Digital Textile Conference on December 5, 2014 at the WOW Hotel, located opposite the FESPA Eurasia 2014 Istanbul exhibition venue in Turkey.

More:Turkey : FESPA to host Digital Textile Conference in Istanbul - Textile News Turkey

Turkish Q3 tourism revenues rise 11 percent to $12.9 bln

Turkish Q3 tourism revenues rise 11 percent to $12.9 bln

Turkey's tourism revenues rose 11 percent in the third quarter to $12.85 billion, the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) said on Thursday.

More:Turkish Q3 tourism revenues rise 11 percent to $12.9 bln

Normalization between Ankara and Jerusalem? Guess Again.

Normalization between Ankara and Jerusalem? Guess Again.

by Burak Bekdil
October 30, 2014 at 5:00 am

Until Jerusalem is the capital of a Palestinian state and Israel is pushed back to its pre-1967 borders, it will be "halal" for Erdogan to blame Israel for global warming, the Ebola virus, starvation in Africa and every other misfortune the world faces.

More:Normalization between Ankara and Jerusalem? Guess Again.

Film week in Greece marks 100 years of Turkish cinema, 30 October 2014

Film week in Greece marks 100 years of Turkish cinema

30 October 2014

Event held by non-profit film archive witnesses screenings of Turkish classics

A non-profit film archive in the Greek capital of Athens organized a film week on October 23-29 to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Turkish cinema.

More:Film week in Greece marks 100 years of Turkish cinema, 30 October 2014

Turkey and Europe: Problems with neighbours | The Economist

Problems with neighbours
Recent actions push Turkey away from the West and the European Union
Nov 1st 2014 | ANKARA | From the print edition

THE fallout from Turkey’s relations with Islamic State (IS) knows no end. Its global image is in tatters amid persistent claims of secret dealings with the jihadists, which Turkey denies. Shaky peace talks with the Turkish Kurds are near collapse, because Syrian Kurds in Kobane are still under siege by IS as Turkish tanks look on passively (see article). Friendship with America has soured because of Turkey’s refusal to let coalition war planes use the Incirlik airbase to bomb IS. Now a spat with Denmark over a Danish jihadist is testing relations with the European Union.

More:Turkey and Europe: Problems with neighbours | The Economist

Nearly half of Syrian women refugees in Turkey don't want to work - LOCAL

Nearly half of Syrian women refugees in Turkey don't want to work

GAZİANTEP – Anadolu Agency

Almost half of the Syrian female refugees in Turkey do not want to work even if they were provided with a job, according to results from a recent survey conducted by the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD).

More:Nearly half of Syrian women refugees in Turkey don't want to work - LOCAL

Turkish EU Minister hints at amending criticized homeland security bill - DIPLOMACY

Turkish EU Minister hints at amending criticized homeland security bill

ANKARA

Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkır has distanced himself from a much criticized homeland security bill, while signaling that he would voice his objections to the bill’s content at the upcoming meetings with fellow Cabinet members.

More:Turkish EU Minister hints at amending criticized homeland security bill - DIPLOMACY

Islamic banking gains ground in Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Islamic banking gains ground in Turkey

Turkey’s government has moved to expand Islamic banking by inviting public banks into the sector. Earlier this month, the largest state-run bank, Ziraat, received approval to establish an Islamic unit, a landmark move in a country where public lenders have so far stayed out of the Islamic finance realm.

More:Islamic banking gains ground in Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Is NATO membership shackling Turkey? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Is NATO membership shackling Turkey?

Turkey’s foreign policy and role in the international system have become the subject of growing debate both in local and foreign media over the past two years. The country’s NATO membership is inevitably a central topic in the debate. Some argue NATO membership has “shackled” Turkey’s independence and maneuvering ability and should be gotten rid of, while others see the alliance as a vital “anchor” that has held Turkey in the Western bloc for 62 years. Those arguments are worth a closer look, for they reflect how the international community’s perception of Turkey has changed and could be helpful in analyzing the domestic foreign policy debates.

More:Is NATO membership shackling Turkey? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

PressTV - Report: One in three Turkish youth unemployed

Report: One in three Turkish youth unemployed
Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:38AM GMT

Nader Fekri, Press TV, Istanbul

One third of all young people in Turkey that is nearly four million 15-24-year-olds are for all intents and purposes unemployed. The proportion of NEETs or the youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training is way above the eurozone average though below that of Greece, Spain, and Italy.

More:PressTV - Report: One in three Turkish youth unemployed

'Midnight Express' writer Billy Hayes raises Turkish flag during Republic Day celebrations | Nation | Daily Sabah

'MIDNIGHT EXPRESS' WRITER BILLY HAYES RAISES TURKISH FLAG DURING REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS

ISTANBUL — Billy Hayes, the writer of the controversial book "Midnight Express" for misrepresenting conditions in Turkey in 1978, raised the Turkish flag in New York during Turkey's Oct. 29 Republic Day celebrations on Wednesday.

More:'Midnight Express' writer Billy Hayes raises Turkish flag during Republic Day celebrations | Nation | Daily Sabah

2.5 Million Muslim Armenians Estimated in Turkey | Asbarez Armenian News

2.5 Million Muslim Armenians Estimated in Turkey

A scene from the Hrant Dink Foundation's conference on 'Islamized Armenians' at the Istanbul Bosphorus University. Nov. 3, 2013.

ISTANBUL (Horizon Weekly)—A rediscovery of national identity among Turkey’s millions of “hidden Armenians” is rattling national taboos in Turkey. Specialists studying the matter have related the trend to various political and cultural changes that are enabling Turkey’s Islamized Armenians to return to their roots.

More:2.5 Million Muslim Armenians Estimated in Turkey | Asbarez Armenian News

Turkey finds out one is the loneliest number - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey finds out one is the loneliest number

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) leaders who have ruled Turkey for the past 12 years generally ignore and sometimes deny the criticism that they have pushed Turkey into loneliness in the region and the world because of their foreign policies.

More:Turkey finds out one is the loneliest number - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey: Istanbul's gas distribution company to be privatized - Energy - ANSAMed.it

Turkey: Istanbul's gas distribution company to be privatized

29 October, 13:18

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 29 - The privatization process of the Istanbul Gas Distribution Company (IGDAS) will begin in November, Daily Sabah online reports today quoting Istanbul's mayor Kadir Topbas as saying. The mayor stated that IGDAS is one of the biggest and most valuable companies of its field both in Turkey and in the world with 5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas sales, 4.6 billion Turkish Liras (TL, around 1.627 billion euros) net sales revenues, 279 million TL (98,7 million euros) net profits and 4.2 billion TL (1,48 billion euros) worth of assets.

More:Turkey: Istanbul's gas distribution company to be privatized - Energy - ANSAMed.it

Tourism between Greece and Turkey is on the rise - Tourism - ANSAMed.it

Tourism between Greece and Turkey is on the rise

29 October, 13:25

(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, OCTOBER 29 - The number of Turkish tourists visiting Greece this year is expected reach a historic high, while the corresponding figure for Greek visitors to Turkey is also set to soar. The latest estimates see over one million Turkish tourists visiting Greece - a record number - while Turkey expects Greek visitors to reach 800,000 by year-end. In the first nine months of the year, as daily Kathimerini online reports, Greek visitors to Turkey posted the largest growth rate among European markets (24%), as 631,344 people traveled to the neighboring country from Greece, figures from the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry show. (ANSAmed).

More:Tourism between Greece and Turkey is on the rise - Tourism - ANSAMed.it

90 percent feel Turkey is still affected by the consequences of WWI - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

90 percent feel Turkey is still affected by the consequences of WWI

Just as we yesterday celebrated the 91st year of the foundation of the Turkish Republic, this year also marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, which brought an end to the Ottoman Empire.

More:90 percent feel Turkey is still affected by the consequences of WWI - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkish court suspends regulation opening olive groves for energy facilities - GREEN

Turkish court suspends regulation opening olive groves for energy facilities

ANKARA

Turkey’s Council of State ordered a stay of execution Oct. 28 for a controversial change in regulation that opened olive groves across the country for the construction of energy facilities, amid disputes between local producers and energy firms looking to open new plants. However, a law draft that will guarantee opening olive groves for power plants, still awaits a parliamentary approval.

More:Turkish court suspends regulation opening olive groves for energy facilities - GREEN

Western fascination with 'badass' Kurdish women - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Western fascination with 'badass' Kurdish women

The media frenzy over the women fighting ISIL is bizarre, myopic, orientalist and cheapens an important struggle.

More:Western fascination with 'badass' Kurdish women - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Turkey's new presidential palace unveiled - in pictures | World news | The Guardian

Turkey's new presidential palace unveiled - in pictures

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled a new presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara. The immense project has been built at a reported cost of $350m. The building has been denounced by ecologists as an environmental blight and by the opposition as evidence of Erdogan’s autocratic tendencies. Supporters say the palace is a symbol of what the president touts as his drive towards a ‘new Turkey’

More:Turkey's new presidential palace unveiled - in pictures | World news | The Guardian

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Female marriage migrants not entering workforce - NL Times

Female marriage migrants not entering workforce
Posted on Oct 29, 2014 by Janene Van Jaarsveldt

Moroccan and Turkish Dutch are less often marrying a partner from their country of origin. They mainly marry in their own circle, but not over the border. This is mainly caused by weaker family ties in their country of origin.

More:Female marriage migrants not entering workforce - NL Times

The two angry men on Europe’s borders: loud, proud, and impossible to ignore | Natalie Nougayrède | Comment is free | The Guardian

The two angry men on Europe’s borders: loud, proud, and impossible to ignore
Natalie Nougayrède
Wednesday 29 October 2014 03.00 EDT

Two angry men. They govern large countries that border Europe. They rail against the west, which is at great pains to find the right way to deal with them. It seems that hardly a week goes by without Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Vladimir Putin lashing out at the United States or Europe. In a recent diatribe in front of Istanbul university students, Erdogan warned against modern-day “Lawrences of Arabia” trying to undermine Turkish power.

More:The two angry men on Europe’s borders: loud, proud, and impossible to ignore | Natalie Nougayrède | Comment is free | The Guardian

Arthur I. Cyr: Turkey's pivotal role in ISIS battle - The Orange County Register

Arthur I. Cyr: Turkey's pivotal role in ISIS battle

Turkey has announced a major shift in policy, in a direction strongly desired – and strongly pressed – by the United States and our allies in the war against ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

More:Arthur I. Cyr: Turkey's pivotal role in ISIS battle - The Orange County Register

Gentrification tears at Istanbul's historically diverse fabric | Reuters

Gentrification tears at Istanbul's historically diverse fabric

Wed Oct 29, 2014 3:03am EDT

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Business is brisk at Ilya Avramoglu's 78-year-old shop, one of the last owned by a non-Muslim on Istanbul's historic Istiklal avenue, but a new regulation pushing gentrification may soon force its closure.

More:Gentrification tears at Istanbul's historically diverse fabric | Reuters

Kurdish Fight against Islamic State Could Fundamentally Change Region - SPIEGEL ONLINE

New Alignments: The Kurds' Lonely Fight against Islamic State Terror

By Ralf Hoppe, Maximilian Popp, Christoph Reuter and Jonathan Stock

The terrorist group PKK represents the West's last hope in the fight against Islamic State. Their lonely resistance to the advancing jihadists will result in lasting changes to the region. Some developments are already well advanced.

The headquarters of one the world's mightiest terrorist organization is located in the mountains northeast of Erbil, Iraq. Or is it the nerve center of one of the Western world's most crucial allies? It all depends on how one chooses to look at the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

More:Kurdish Fight against Islamic State Could Fundamentally Change Region - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Another Turkish soldier killed, as army blames PKK - LOCAL

Another Turkish soldier killed, as army blames PKK

ANKARA - DİYARBAKIR

Another soldier has been shot dead in Turkey’s southeast, hours after the Turkish army reiterated that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was responsible for the recent killing of three soldiers in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

More:Another Turkish soldier killed, as army blames PKK - LOCAL

New disaster sparks debate on mining security in Turkey - LOCAL

New disaster sparks debate on mining security in Turkey

KARAMAN
Three mining companies have been mining without informing each other, Turkey's leading mining association says in a statement on the latest mine disaster, adding that the Energy Ministry did nothing to rectify the matter

More:New disaster sparks debate on mining security in Turkey - LOCAL

Hopes dim as 18 Turkish miners remain under 11,000 tons of water - LOCAL

Hopes dim as 18 Turkish miners remain under 11,000 tons of water

KARAMAN
Water levels in the flooded Karaman mine have started to decrease almost 15 hours after the Oct 28 incident, according to Energy Minister Taner Yıldız, but hopes are fading for 18 miners trapped 375 meters underground

More:Hopes dim as 18 Turkish miners remain under 11,000 tons of water - LOCAL

The centenary of the Ottoman entry into the First World War - LOCAL

The centenary of the Ottoman entry into the First World War

Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu
It was 100 years ago today that two Russian ports were bombarded by ships of the Imperial Ottoman Navy under a German commander

More:The centenary of the Ottoman entry into the First World War - LOCAL

Syrian Kurds find refuge in Turkish storerooms, villages, rooftops; fear the nearing winter - 10/28/2014 7:24:23 AM | Newser

Syrian Kurds find refuge in Turkish storerooms, villages, rooftops; fear the nearing winter
Turkish villages give Syrian Kurds shelter, hope
By ELENA BECATOROS | Associated Press

ALANYURT, Turkey (AP) — Just eight families used to inhabit this small hamlet jutting into no-man's land on the Turkish-Syrian border, eking out a living from the land, living in mud-brick houses yards away from Turkish army lookout posts.

More:Syrian Kurds find refuge in Turkish storerooms, villages, rooftops; fear the nearing winter - 10/28/2014 7:24:23 AM | Newser

Erdogan to unveil Turkey's controversial new presidential palace - Yahoo News

Erdogan to unveil Turkey's controversial new presidential palace
AFP
By Burak Akinci 10 hours ago

Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on Wednesday set to unveil his new presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara, denounced by ecologists as an environmental blight and by the opposition as new evidence of his autocratic tendencies.

More:Erdogan to unveil Turkey's controversial new presidential palace - Yahoo News

Iraqi Kurdish Fighters Enter Turkey En Route to Syria to Battle Islamic State - WSJ - WSJ

Iraqi Kurdish Fighters Enter Turkey En Route to Syria to Battle Islamic State

By
Emre Peker and
Ayla Albayrak
Updated Oct. 29, 2014 5:44 a.m. ET

ISTANBUL—Iraqi Kurdish forces arrived early Wednesday in Turkey en route to reinforce a Kurdish militia battling Islamic State militants in the Syrian city of Kobani, a ground intervention that will be the first by a Western-backed foreign force since the Syrian conflict began.

More:Iraqi Kurdish Fighters Enter Turkey En Route to Syria to Battle Islamic State - WSJ - WSJ

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Turkish intelligence coordinates Peshmerga crossing to Syria - MIDEAST

Turkish intelligence coordinates Peshmerga crossing to Syria

Uğur Ergan ANKARA

As Peshmerga forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reportedly departed from Arbil by air on Oct. 28 for the Syrian town of Kobane to help Syrian Kurds in their battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Turkish intelligence agency has been commissioned to manage the crossing via Turkey.

More:Turkish intelligence coordinates Peshmerga crossing to Syria - MIDEAST

287 Turkish women murdered in first 10 months of 2014 - LOCAL

287 Turkish women murdered in first 10 months of 2014

Fevzi Kızılkoyun ANKARA

Some 287 women were murdered in the first 10 months of this year in Turkey, as additional clauses to the law on the protection of families are drafted.

Despite changes to laws, court rulings, restraining orders on guilty men, protection granted to exposed women, and the application of a panic button system, the number of murdered women has continued to rise in Turkey, surpassing previous years in the first 10 months of 2014 alone.

More:287 Turkish women murdered in first 10 months of 2014 - LOCAL

Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords
English.news.cn 2014-10-28 04:40:04

ANKARA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- In what appears to be an open admission of Turkey's loneliness on policies with regard to Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his frustration over differences his country has with the United States, Russia and Iran.

More:Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords - Xinhua | English.news.cn

A mosque in İstanbul and a presidential palace in Ankara

A mosque in İstanbul and a presidential palace in Ankara

There has been serious tension in one of the districts of İstanbul, Üsküdar. There is a serious debate over the construction of a mosque in Validebağ Grove, located in Üsküdar. Looking at this tension and the debate closely, it tells us a lot about the new dynamics of Turkey.

More:ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ - A mosque in İstanbul and a presidential palace in Ankara

Behind Turkey's Humiliating Failure To Win A UN Security Council Seat | Business Insider

Behind Turkey's Humiliating Failure To Win A UN Security Council Seat
James Smart, The PressProject International Tomorrow at 7:42 AM

It all seemed to be going so well.

Turkey was, it appeared, in the driving seat to be one of five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“We believe, God permitting, that we will get the result of the work we put in” asserted Turkey’s new Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking from Turkey’s pre-election gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

More:Behind Turkey's Humiliating Failure To Win A UN Security Council Seat | Business Insider

Erdogan plays 'Arab card' in Kobani - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan plays 'Arab card' in Kobani

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements about the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani, under a weeks-long siege by the Islamic State (IS), may have been mind-boggling but they all have the same objective: to sideline the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Rojava’s main political actor, and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG). For Erdogan, both are terrorist groups and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

More:Erdogan plays 'Arab card' in Kobani - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan confronts allies, rivals alike over Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan confronts allies, rivals alike over Syria

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, is calling the shots in Turkey today and is at loggerheads with the United States over the significance of the threat from the Islamic State (IS). He can do little, though, except vent his frustration, as Washington pursues policies in Syria that are at odds with his wishes.

More:Erdogan confronts allies, rivals alike over Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey: A key player in medical tourism | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Turkey: A key player in medical tourism

Turkey has emerged as one of the destinations for medical tourism as the country tries to boost tourism revenue.
History fanatics, adrenaline junkies, sunbathers and foodies are all in for a treat when heading for a holiday in Turkey, but the nation is also drawing tourists that are seeking to avail Turkey’s competitive edge in medical tourism.

More:Turkey: A key player in medical tourism | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Kurds threaten dark days for Turkey if Kobane falls | KUOW News and Information

Kurds threaten dark days for Turkey if Kobane falls

On the border between Turkey and Syria near the besieged city of Kobane, a group of Syrians are arguing with two Turkish policemen. They have bags of bread, grapes and other groceries they want to pass over to people on the other side of the fence.

More:Kurds threaten dark days for Turkey if Kobane falls | KUOW News and Information

Turkey sets conditions for helping West in Kobane crisis in Syria - Telegraph

Turkey sets conditions for helping West in Kobane crisis in Syria

Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu says he wants to train Free Syrian Army, not Kurdish PKK militants, as peshmerga fighters from Iraqi Kurdistan began their journey towards Kobane

More:Turkey sets conditions for helping West in Kobane crisis in Syria - Telegraph

Turkey's Twitter Wars Heat Up

Turkey's Twitter Wars Heat Up

BY Berivan Orucoglu
OCTOBER 28, 2014 - 01:28 PM

As the Turkish government continues to squeeze freedom of expression, many Turks have found themselves resorting increasingly to social media in order to learn what's going on in their country. (92 percent of Turkey's online population now uses social media, the highest share in the world.) But this refuge is now coming under severe pressure as well. And the trend is particularly noticeable in the case of Twitter.

More:Turkey's Twitter Wars Heat Up

Turkey's gender gap widens, ranks 125 among 142 countries

Turkey's gender gap widens, ranks 125 among 142 countries

Turkey fell five places this year to 125th in the Global Gender Gap Report, commissioned by the World Economic Forum and released on Tuesday.

For 2014, 142 countries were ranked according to an index that measured national gender gaps on economic, political, education and health-based criteria. The objective of the project is to find whether women are presented with equal opportunities as men, regardless of whether they are in rich countries or poor ones. In the first report, produced in 2006, Turkey ranked 105 out 115 countries surveyed.

More:Turkey's gender gap widens, ranks 125 among 142 countries

Police resort to tear gas against protesters at Istanbul grove - GREEN

Police resort to tear gas against protesters at Istanbul grove

ISTANBUL

Tension at an Istanbul grove where local activists are denouncing the construction of a mosque near a protected area escalated as police confronted protesters on Oct. 28, resorting to tear gas and paintball pellets loaded with gas to disperse the group.

More:Police resort to tear gas against protesters at Istanbul grove - GREEN

Fashion Design Education: Istanbul Moda Academy

Fashion Design Education: Istanbul Moda Academy
By +Veselka Petrova Published: 28/10/2014

Istanbul Moda Academy (İMA), founded in 2007, is one of the most proficient fashion schools in Turkey. It offers an innovative and modern education in the fields of fashion, textiles and apparel.

More:Fashion Design Education: Istanbul Moda Academy

Cars to pass under Istanbul's Bosphorus 'by end of 2016' - ECONOMICS

Cars to pass under Istanbul's Bosphorus 'by end of 2016'

ISTANBUL

A roadway tunnel connecting Istanbul’s European and Asian sides will be completed by the end of 2016, earlier than was planned, Transport Minister Lütfi Elvan said during a visit to the tunnel’s construction site on Oct. 28.

More:Cars to pass under Istanbul's Bosphorus 'by end of 2016' - ECONOMICS

18 Miners Trapped in Coal Mine Accident in Turkey - ABC News

18 Miners Trapped in Coal Mine Accident in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey — Oct 28, 2014, 12:13 PM ET
By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press

Surging water trapped at least 18 workers Tuesday in a coal mine in Turkey, officials and reports said — an event likely to raise even more concerns about the nation's poor workplace safety standards.

More:18 Miners Trapped in Coal Mine Accident in Turkey - ABC News

Facing The Islamic State Threat, Kurdish Fighters Unite : Parallels : NPR

Facing The Islamic State Threat, Kurdish Fighters Unite

by Alice Fordham
October 28, 2014 4:39 AM ET

At a checkpoint outside the northern Iraq town of Makhmur, I saw something I'd never seen before in Iraq.

Two men were checking cars. One was young and wearing a sand-colored uniform of the official Iraqi Kurdish forces, called the peshmerga. The other was older, grizzled and dressed in an olive-green, traditional Kurdish overall, and he's with Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

More:Facing The Islamic State Threat, Kurdish Fighters Unite : Parallels : NPR

BBC News - Islamic State crisis: Turkish PM rejects Kobane criticism

Islamic State crisis: Turkish PM rejects Kobane criticism

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has rejected claims that it is not doing enough to help Syrian fighters defeat Islamic State (IS) in Kobane.

More:BBC News - Islamic State crisis: Turkish PM rejects Kobane criticism

PKK hijacks explosives truck in east Turkey | Turkey | Worldbulletin News

PKK hijacks explosives truck in east Turkey

Members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party stole a truck containing 400 kilograms of explosives, Turkey's General Staff says

World Bulletin/News Desk

A coal mine truck loaded with explosives was hijacked on Monday by an outlawed Kurdish group in southeastern Turkey, according to the Turkish General Staff.

More:PKK hijacks explosives truck in east Turkey | Turkey | Worldbulletin News

Can Cairo and Ankara turn a new leaf? - TransConflict

Can Cairo and Ankara turn a new leaf?
October 28, 2014 9:50 am

Egyptian-Turkish relations have been soured for some time. While there are no signs of rapprochement on either side, the cycle of dispute should end amid wider regional challenges.

More:Can Cairo and Ankara turn a new leaf? - TransConflict

World Bank's director says EU-US trade talks should include Turkey

World Bank's director says EU-US trade talks should include Turkey
28 October 2014, 01:40 (GMT+04:00)

Turkey needs to take part in parallel negotiations with the U.S. in order to prevent adverse effects from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, Anadolu Agency reported referring to the World Bank’s Turkey director Martin Raiser.

More:World Bank's director says EU-US trade talks should include Turkey

New study claims that Irishmen descended from Turkish farmers - IrishCentral.com

New study claims that Irishmen descended from Turkish farmers

A new study has revealed that many Irish men may be able to trace their roots back to Turkey. Focusing on the role of the Y chromosome, which is passed from father to son, the research indicates Turkish farmers arrived in Ireland about 6,000 years ago, bringing agriculture with them. And they may have been more attractive than the hunter-gatherers whom they replaced.

More:New study claims that Irishmen descended from Turkish farmers - IrishCentral.com

Turkish villages give Syrian Kurds shelter, hope | UTSanDiego.com

Turkish villages give Syrian Kurds shelter, hope
By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press5:24 a.m.Oct. 28, 2014

ALANYURT, Turkey (AP) — Just eight families used to inhabit this small hamlet jutting into no-man's land on the Turkish-Syrian border, eking out a living from the land, living in mud-brick houses yards away from Turkish army lookout posts.

More:Turkish villages give Syrian Kurds shelter, hope | UTSanDiego.com

Monday, October 27, 2014

Talking Turkey as a market to replace Russia

Talking Turkey as a market to replace Russia
Ireland is not currently looking to Turkey as a replacement market for Russia. But should we be?

Stephen Starr

Irish food exporters are up against it. The Russian ban on EU and others’ foodstuffs over the conflict in Ukraine has had another negative consequence: a scramble with EU neighbours for access to replacement markets.

More:Talking Turkey as a market to replace Russia

First interactive detective story in Turkey | Arts & Culture | Daily Sabah

FIRST INTERACTIVE DETECTIVE STORY IN TURKEY

Daily Sabah
Published : 28.10.2014 02:01:37

First interactive detective story in Turkey
ISTANBUL — Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, which is famous for its history as well as the novels in which it was featured, launched an exciting project that will stir up lovers of detective and mystery stories. Inspired by the well-known novel "Murder on the Orient Express," which was written by Agatha Christiein Pera Palace, the hotel will create its own detective story together with its followers on social media, marking Turkey's first interactive detective story.

More:First interactive detective story in Turkey | Arts & Culture | Daily Sabah

Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords | GlobalPost

Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords

ANKARA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- In what appears to be an open admission of Turkey's loneliness on policies with regard to Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his frustration over differences his country has with the United States, Russia and Iran.

More:Turkey insists own stance on Syria issue in defiance of discords | GlobalPost

IPA: Freedom of speech stifled in Turkey

IPA: Freedom of speech stifled in Turkey

The logo of the International Publishers Association (IPA).
October 27, 2014, Monday/ 18:41:43/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ANKARA

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has categorized Turkey as a country where freedom of speech is restricted, noting the government's inability to guarantee freedom of speech and publication, in its latest report.

More:IPA: Freedom of speech stifled in Turkey

Turkish official says Iraqi Kurdish fighters are free to cross border to Kobani | The Japan Times

Turkish official says Iraqi Kurdish fighters are free to cross border to Kobani

Reuters

BEIRUT – A Turkish official said on Monday Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters were free to move through Turkey to Syria “as soon as they are ready” after a Syrian Kurdish leader accused Ankara of stalling on an agreement to allow them passage to the besieged Syrian border town of Kobani.

More:Turkish official says Iraqi Kurdish fighters are free to cross border to Kobani | The Japan Times

Why do Greek Cypriots call Turkey the aggressor? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Why do Greek Cypriots call Turkey the aggressor?

Since the 1950s, there has been bad blood between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus. Turkey intervened in 1974 after a coup staged by supporters of union with Greece; the conflict has been frozen since then. Greek Cyprus joined the European Union in May 2004, only a week after the Greek Cypriot population by a decisive majority voted down the UN plan for the reunification of the island, adding to the complication of the conflict. EU-member Greek Cyprus has strengthened its international position at the cost of Turkish Cypriots.

More: Why do Greek Cypriots call Turkey the aggressor? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Fear, loathing and an Ottoman shrine in the cold war between Isis and Turkey » Spectator Blogs

Fear, loathing and an Ottoman shrine in the cold war between Isis and Turkey
Soner Cagaptay 27 October 2014 16:04

Turkey and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) are engaged in a cold war. Although they despise each other, they will avoid direct engagement, for fear of the massive damage that could result. A little known Turkish exclave that lies inside Syria, known as the Tomb of Suleyman Shah and currently under siege by Isis, is a case in point.

More:Fear, loathing and an Ottoman shrine in the cold war between Isis and Turkey » Spectator Blogs

‘Food on foot’ in Istanbul! - Derry Journal

‘Food on foot’ in Istanbul!

As I unloaded the dishwasher on a wet Tuesday night in October 2013, my husband nonchalantly said across the kitchen: “Would you like to move to Istanbul for a couple of years while the kids are still in primary school? ESBi have a new joint venture with a Turkish company and they want me to run the power station”.

More:‘Food on foot’ in Istanbul! - Derry Journal

Why two Istanbul districts have the wow factor in the Middle East

Why two Istanbul districts have the wow factor in the Middle East

Two districts on Istanbul’s European side, namely Bahcesehir and Belikduzu, have become hot spots for Gulf investors purchasing second homes in 2014, said Turkish property specialist Spot Blue International Property in October.

More:Overseas Property Blog

The gentrification offensive: repression and resistance in Istanbul (PHOTOS) - Your Middle East

The gentrification offensive: repression and resistance in Istanbul (PHOTOS)
Banner Icon Resistanbul "Tarlabaşı is a place to hide." Soon, there won't be any place to hide…

Gentrification in Turkey has taken on an interesting and almost unique dimension. Not only is the AKP attempting (largely successfully) to inscribe it’s myopic neo-liberal vision on society in the form of re-development or urban renewal, it is imposing architecturally a top-down restructuring of the social sphere, attempting to cleanse from Istanbul and other sites of power those who’s socio-economic composition defies the hegemonic culture as designed by the state. The hybridity of the AKPs melding of both Islamic and capitalist values makes for a particularly aggressive version of gentrification which not only aims at homogenization of culture but also, at stratification of class through processes of gentrification and class-cleansing, enclosure of public space and the dystopian proliferation of gated-communities.

More:The gentrification offensive: repression and resistance in Istanbul (PHOTOS) - Your Middle East

Syria: Turkey struggles to educate 350,000 refugee children - General news - ANSAMed.it

Syria: Turkey struggles to educate 350,000 refugee children
With only around half of them receiving schooling

27 October, 09:32

(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, OCTOBER 27 - The number of school-aged children out of the 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey is now more than 350,000, new figures have shown, demonstrating the size of Turkey's ongoing refugee burden as daily Hurriyet online reported. However, only around 140,000 of these children are able to receive an education, with the remaining 200,000 unable to enroll in school. Syrian refugee teachers have been instructing the 140,000, who are being provided education, according to the Syrian national curriculum. As of September, Turkey had received only 25% of the funding it requested as part of the 2014 Syria Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP6). RRP6, coordinated by the United Nations, brought together more than 155 donors to help Syrian refugees and the local communities hosting them in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

More:Syria: Turkey struggles to educate 350,000 refugee children - General news - ANSAMed.it

Billy Hayes of ‘Midnight Express’ to raise Turkish flag - LOCAL

Billy Hayes of ‘Midnight Express’ to raise Turkish flag

NEW YORK – Doğan News Agency

The real-life character from the controversial movie “Midnight Express,” which was accused of misrepresenting Turkey to the world in 1978, will raise the Turkish flag on New York’s Wall Street, as part of Turkey's Oct. 29 Republic Day celebrations in the city.

More:Billy Hayes of ‘Midnight Express’ to raise Turkish flag - LOCAL

What does Hezbollah mean by 'painful concessions' in Syria? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

What does Hezbollah mean by 'painful concessions' in Syria?

Qassem calls for "painful concessions" in Syria

Naim Qassem, deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, told UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura last week that "painful concessions" will be required for a political solution in Syria.

More:What does Hezbollah mean by 'painful concessions' in Syria? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Erdogan says Syrian Kurds 'don't want' peshmerga in Kobane - Yahoo News

Erdogan says Syrian Kurds 'don't want' peshmerga in Kobane

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the main Kurdish party in Syria of not wanting Kurdish peshmerga fighters from Iraq to help it fight Islamic State jihadists trying to overrun the town of Kobane, reports said Sunday.

More:Erdogan says Syrian Kurds 'don't want' peshmerga in Kobane - Yahoo News

Turkey world's second highest TV series exporter after US - BUSINESS

Turkey world's second highest TV series exporter after US

ISTANBUL
Turkey has become the second highest exporter of TV series in the world after the US, with over $200 million annual exports to over 100 nations, says the head of exporters’ assembly

More:Turkey world's second highest TV series exporter after US - BUSINESS

Erdoğan appoints AK Party-affiliated figures to HSYK

Erdoğan appoints AK Party-affiliated figures to HSYK

In a move that has cast further doubt over the impartiality of the country's top judicial body, the Supreme Court of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed four members to the board, three of whom have direct relations with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Erdoğan's former party.

More:Erdoğan appoints AK Party-affiliated figures to HSYK

Top Turkish court suspends bill clearing the way for energy facilities in national parks - GREEN

Top Turkish court suspends bill clearing the way for energy facilities in national parks

ANKARA

A top Turkish court has suspended a bill that cleared the way for construction projects in national parks, including energy facilities such as hydroelectric plants.

The Council of State ordered a stay of execution on Oct. 25 for an amendment to the national parks regulation, which had introduced a change of wording that activists argued would facilitate the use of the “general interest” argument for all controversial energy-related investments.

More:Top Turkish court suspends bill clearing the way for energy facilities in national parks - GREEN

Lies, dictatorships and statistics - EMRE DELİVELİ

Lies, dictatorships and statistics

Whenever the Turkish Statistical Office (TÜİK) releases an official statistic, I always get emails from at least a couple of readers who question the data. They have a point. After all, in a country where a multi-billion dollar graft scandal has been covered and murderers walk free, a few massaged numbers should not be a big deal.

More:Lies, dictatorships and statistics - EMRE DELİVELİ

Turkey disagrees with US, Russia, Iran on Syria: Erdoğan - POLITICS

Turkey disagrees with US, Russia, Iran on Syria: Erdoğan

Akif Beki

Turkey disagrees with the United States, Russia and Iran separately over their stances on Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told media representatives onboard his presidential jet returning to Turkey from Estonia on Oct. 25.

More:Turkey disagrees with US, Russia, Iran on Syria: Erdoğan - POLITICS

One third of youth neither at work nor at school in Turkey - LABOR

One third of youth neither at work nor at school in Turkey

Mustafa Sönmez - mustafasnmz@hotmail.com
One third of 11.7 million young people in Turkey are either unemployed as they have not been able to find a job or they are neither in school nor holding a job

More:One third of youth neither at work nor at school in Turkey - LABOR

World press on ISIL, Kurdish issue and Turkey's foreign policy (October 26, 2014) | Vestnik Kavkaza

World press on ISIL, Kurdish issue and Turkey's foreign policy (October 26, 2014)
26 October 2014 - 5:08pm

"Turkey is a very complex society, with various layers of identity, ideology and bigotry not just juxtaposed against but also added on top of each other. To see how this complexity plays out regarding the civil war in Syria, in particular the battle for Kobane between the Kurds and the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), let me suggest you an interesting publication to watch: “Türk Solu,” or “Turkish Left,” which is an online magazine that subscribes to a blend of very hardcore nationalism and secularism. Its website presents a nice photo of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, and most of the magazine’s writers define themselves as “Atatürkist” or “Kemalist,” the article reads.

MOre:World press on ISIL, Kurdish issue and Turkey's foreign policy (October 26, 2014) | Vestnik Kavkaza

Turkish navy sails through rough seas - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish navy sails through rough seas

The last 10 years have been a struggle for survival for the Turkish navy. Many senior naval officers, including admirals, have been detained and imprisoned on a variety of charges. Purge-like arrests of naval personnel started with the so-called Sledgehammer case at the beginning of 2010, which saw 13 serving admirals detained and forcibly retired. In the Sledgehammer case, 365 military personnel, 250 of whom were detained, were put on trial. The case concluded with the sentencing of the navy officers, including 25 admirals who are now retired, to 12-20 years in prison. The Sledgehammer trials were followed by the Poyrazkoy case mid-2010.

More:Turkish navy sails through rough seas - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Tensions over IS resurface in Turkish-US ties - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Tensions over IS resurface in Turkish-US ties

Ankara and Washington insist officially that there are no differences between them concerning the situation in Syria, in particular over the fight against the Islamic State (IS). All signs, however, indicate otherwise.

More:Tensions over IS resurface in Turkish-US ties - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish government aims to 'save' marriages - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish government aims to 'save' marriages

Alarmed by a 38% increase in the divorce rate over the past decade, Turkey’s Family and Social Policies Ministry has rolled up its sleeves to provide couples with counseling under a project named “Divorce Process Counseling Service.” Under the new arrangement, couples that file for divorce are first sent to a “family counselor” by the court. The ministry has opened counseling centers in all of Turkey’s 81 provinces, where couples receive at least four hours of therapy before making their final decision. The process involves three stages: pre-divorce, court hearings and post-divorce.

More:Turkish government aims to 'save' marriages - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

In Turkey, Syrian women and girls increasingly vulnerable to exploitation - CSMonitor.com

In Turkey, Syrian women and girls increasingly vulnerable to exploitation

Dubious matchmakers and criminal gangs are preying on the Syrian women and girls who have sought shelter in Turkey. The sexual exploitation ranges from illicit marriages to prostitution.

More:In Turkey, Syrian women and girls increasingly vulnerable to exploitation - CSMonitor.com

Turkey Is A 'High-Maintenance Ally' In Fight With ISIS | KUOW News and Information

Turkey Is A 'High-Maintenance Ally' In Fight With ISIS

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

I'm Scott Simon. Perhaps the most confounding element in the fight against the group calling itself the Islamic State, or ISIS, is Turkey - a U.S. ally. Or is it really? Or at least do the interests of Turkey match up with those of the United States?

More:Turkey Is A 'High-Maintenance Ally' In Fight With ISIS | KUOW News and Information

A Day at the Syrian-Turkish Border, refugees and relief - The Arab Daily News

A Day at the Syrian-Turkish Border, refugees and relief
By Abdennour Toumi

Nusaybin-Turkey — The Nusaybin gate stands in Qamishli, a city controlled by the PYD, in a self-proclaimed administrative territory in northeastern Syria. At this border gate the Assad regime still controls the administrative process (paper work). A giant smiling portrait of President Assad hangs on a dusty warehouse building, and the Syrian flag flies two meters away from the Turkish Republic one. At the right of the border gate is a green plaque which says, “Welcome to the Arab Republic of Syria.”

More:A Day at the Syrian-Turkish Border, refugees and relief - The Arab Daily News

Emaar bringing Address apartments to Istanbul | HotelierMiddleEast.com

Emaar bringing Address apartments to Istanbul

By Andy Sambidge
Oct 26, 2014

Emaar Turkey, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emaar Properties, has launched The Address Residence Istanbul, a collection of five-star serviced residences.

The project marks the first full-fledged hotel and serviced residence project of The Address Hotels + Resorts, the flagship hotel brand of Emaar, in an international market.

More:Emaar bringing Address apartments to Istanbul | HotelierMiddleEast.com

Istanbul: The real millennium dome | The Citizen

Istanbul: The real millennium dome
Bruce Dennill
Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia is on many travellers’ bucket lists – for a variety of reasons.

The original structure on the spot it occupies was built nearly 1 500 years ago and the building has functioned as both a church and a mosque before its transformation into its current role as a museum. Also – like, duh – James Bond chased bad guys around it in Skyfall, dude.

More:Istanbul: The real millennium dome | The Citizen

Saturday, October 25, 2014

İstanbul popular with Erasmus students

İstanbul popular with Erasmus students

Erasmus, the European student exchange program, is increasingly gaining popularity, with more than 2.5 million youths having taken part in it to date and many coming to Turkey this year. İstanbul seems to have become a trendy city for Erasmus students in particular. Walking through the city's typical student and nightlife quarters such as Taksim and Galata, one will certainly come across a number of them. What makes İstanbul particularly attractive for European students? What brings them here? Sunday's Zaman spoke with several Erasmus students currently studying in Turkish universities about their experiences.

More:İstanbul popular with Erasmus students

What fate awaits İstanbul's oasis, the Botanical Garden?

What fate awaits İstanbul's oasis, the Botanical Garden?

Stroll downwards from the Süleymaniye Mosque and stick your head around the corner when you pass the İstanbul Mufti's Office. If your eyes are sharp, you'll see a yellow sign and a 19-acre garden filled with cherry trees and hundreds of different kinds of plants -- İstanbul University's Alfred Heilbronn Botanical Garden, founded in 1935.

More:What fate awaits İstanbul's oasis, the Botanical Garden?

Mothers of the disappeared in Turkey gather for 500th time in Istanbul - RIGHTS

Mothers of the disappeared in Turkey gather for 500th time in Istanbul

ISTANBUL
A former prime minister from the 1990s was incidentally seen on the sidelines of the demonstration venue

More:Mothers of the disappeared in Turkey gather for 500th time in Istanbul - RIGHTS

Kurdish militants kill three soldiers in southeast Turkey: army | Reuters

Kurdish militants kill three soldiers in southeast Turkey: army

ISTANBUL Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:41pm EDT

(Reuters) - Kurdish militants killed three Turkish soldiers in Turkey's southeast on Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces said, in a further blow to peace talks between Ankara and the insurgents.

More:Kurdish militants kill three soldiers in southeast Turkey: army | Reuters

Foreign Affairs: Turkey’s elusive promised land and the war on Islamic State

Foreign Affairs: Turkey’s elusive promised land and the war on Islamic State

By sheer coincidence, the Syrian town of Kobani – where Kurdish and Islamic State fighters have been squaring off in recent weeks – happens to be tucked just west of Haran, the Turkish spot from which Abraham disembarked on his journey to the Promised Land.

More:Foreign Affairs: Turkey’s elusive promised land and the war on Islamic State

ISTANBUL: Syria’s other war: Rebels plead for U.S. military help as Assad forces close on Aleppo | World | NewsObserver.com

Syria’s other war: Rebels plead for U.S. military help as Assad forces close on Aleppo

By Mousab Alhamadee

McClatchy Foreign StaffOctober 25, 2014

ISTANBUL — Rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad called Friday for help from the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, saying the Syrian military is close to encircling the city of Aleppo and cutting off rebel supply routes to Turkey.

More:ISTANBUL: Syria’s other war: Rebels plead for U.S. military help as Assad forces close on Aleppo | World | NewsObserver.com

Turkey in the crosshairs: The U.S. must mobilize and strike regardless of Turkey's stance | David vs. David - Yahoo News Canada

Turkey in the crosshairs: The U.S. must mobilize and strike regardless of Turkey's stance
By David T Jones | David vs. David – 19 hours ago

It is time to talk turkey about Turkey.

Ankara, Turkey's capital, has been the proverbial elephant in the Middle East annex for years – particularly since the struggle to replace Syria’s president-dictator Bashar Assad began in 2011. Ostensibly, Turkey seeks to depose Assad for a range of political and religious reasons. Its president, Recep Erdogan, reportedly deeply dislikes Assad. But he declined to take direct action to impose Ankara’s will on Syria early in the fighting, eliminating Assad and installing the more moderate range of rebels in control of the country. And, not incidentally, this reinforced Erdogan’s position as the strongest Muslim leader in the region.

More:Turkey in the crosshairs: The U.S. must mobilize and strike regardless of Turkey's stance | David vs. David - Yahoo News Canada

Shop vintage in Istanbul for old times' sake | Fashion | Daily Sabah

SHOP VINTAGE IN ISTANBUL FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE

In a city drenched with history and affected by countless cultures, it’s no surprise that Istanbul is packed with vintage and antique shops for hardcore antique lovers out there

More:Shop vintage in Istanbul for old times' sake | Fashion | Daily Sabah

Thousands flood Turkey escaping ISIS advance in N Syria - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

Thousands flood Turkey escaping ISIS advance in N Syria
Posted: Oct 25, 2014 5:55 AM EST Updated: Oct 25, 2014 5:56 AM EST

KOBANI, SYRIA (CBS) - Fighting continued on Friday in the Syrian border town of Kobani, as thousands of Syrians who have fled the town woke up to another day in a refugee camp in Turkey.

More:Thousands flood Turkey escaping ISIS advance in N Syria - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

Turkish PM appoints ethnic Armenian journalist as senior advisor - PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish PM appoints ethnic Armenian journalist as senior advisor

October 25, 2014 - 12:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has appointed journalist and writer of Armenian descent Etyen Mahçupyan as his senior advisor, APA reported, citing Turkish newspaper Vatan.

More:Turkish PM appoints ethnic Armenian journalist as senior advisor - PanARMENIAN.Net

With Syria at war, can Turkey and Ocalan bring Kurds peace? | Mid-East | Saudi Gazette

With Syria at war, can Turkey and Ocalan bring Kurds peace?

Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk

AS southeast Turkey’s Kurds rioted recently in fury at Ankara’s refusal to rescue the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani from advancing Islamists, it was to Abdullah Ocalan that Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu turned for help.

More:With Syria at war, can Turkey and Ocalan bring Kurds peace? | Mid-East | Saudi Gazette

The best reason to leave a cozy bed: Breakfast in Istanbul | Travel | Daily Sabah

THE BEST REASON TO LEAVE A COZY BED: BREAKFAST IN ISTANBUL

The best way to start a fresh day is by enjoying a hearty breakfast, something Turks know how to do. Istanbul welcomes those looking for some cozy breakfast cafés to enjoy a morning meal in a friendly atmosphere

More:The best reason to leave a cozy bed: Breakfast in Istanbul | Travel | Daily Sabah

Friday, October 24, 2014

Suspicious yellow powder causes evacuations at 4 consulates in Turkey | Fox News

Suspicious yellow powder causes evacuations at 4 consulates in Turkey
Published October 24, 2014

ISTANBUL – Turkish authorities say the consulates of Canada, Belgium and Germany in Istanbul have been evacuated after receiving suspicious packages Friday.

More:Suspicious yellow powder causes evacuations at 4 consulates in Turkey | Fox News

Kurdish Leader Stresses America Is Supporting Terrorists in Syria | Foreign Policy Blogs

Kurdish Leader Stresses America Is Supporting Terrorists in Syria

Islamic Awakening
by Rachel Avraham | on October 24th, 2014 | 0 comments

Syrian Kurdish Leader Sherkoh Abbas calls on the U.S. to stop supporting the PYD and the Islamists in Syria. He rejects the replacement of one dictator for another and emphasized that the U.S. needs to stand behind those that support democracy and human rights within the country.

In an interview with JerusalemOnline, Sherkoh Abbas, chairman of the Kurdish National Assembly of Syria (Kurdnas), stressed that the U.S. is making a mistake by supporting the PYD in Syria because they are linked to the PKK, which the United States, EU and their allies considers to be a terrorist organization due to their history of committing suicide bombings in Turkey and they also have ties to the Assad regime. “It is wrong for the US not to support the Kurds and we welcome the recent shift in US policy but they need to support the right people in Syria who want a federal model, democracy, human rights and not people who are against those values. The US always chooses the wrong people, whether the Islamists or people they themselves call terrorists.”

More:Kurdish Leader Stresses America Is Supporting Terrorists in Syria | Foreign Policy Blogs

Stubborn streak leaves Turkey increasingly isolated | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR

Stubborn streak leaves Turkey increasingly isolated

Jonny Hogg| Reuters

ANKARA: The U.S. decision to air-drop weapons to Kurdish forces in Syria on the same day Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed them as terrorists is the latest false note in the increasingly discordant mood music coming out of Washington and Ankara. No matter how much officials on both sides publicly insist there is harmony, differences in strategy over the fight against ISIS and the fate of the beleaguered Syrian border town of Ain al-Arab are straining relations between the Washington and its key regional ally, leaving Turkey increasingly isolated.

More:Stubborn streak leaves Turkey increasingly isolated | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR

Turkey, Syrian Kurds Remain at Odds Over Kobani Fighters - WSJ - WSJ

Turkey, Syrian Kurds Remain at Odds Over Kobani Fighters
Dispute Reflects Ankara’s Worries About More Unified Kurdish Bloc
By
Rory Jones in Beirut and
Emre Peker in Istanbul

Syrian Kurds defending Kobani were locked in a public dispute with Turkey on Friday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made remarks they said showed he wants to dilute an increasingly confident and unified Kurdish regional political bloc.

More:Turkey, Syrian Kurds Remain at Odds Over Kobani Fighters - WSJ - WSJ

Kurdish defenders retake Kobane hill; Peshmerga reinforcements r

Kurdish defenders retake Kobane hill; Peshmerga reinforcements reduced
By Jonathon Burch 9 hours ago

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Coalition airstrikes helped Kobane’s Kurdish defenders recapture the strategic Tel-Shahir village Friday, as Turkey said the number of Peshmerga being sent by Iraqi Kurdistan to reinforce Kurdish rebels in the besieged Syrian town had been reduced to 150.

More:Kurdish defenders retake Kobane hill; Peshmerga reinforcements r

REFILE--Canadian consulate in Istanbul gets package containing yellow powder- Turkish disaster body

REFILE--Canadian consulate in Istanbul gets package containing yellow powder- Turkish disaster body

ISTANBUL, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities on Friday launched an investigation after an unidentified yellow powder was found in a package sent to the Canadian consulate in Istanbul.

More:REFILE--Canadian consulate in Istanbul gets package containing yellow powder- Turkish disaster body

EU negotiating with Turkey to integrate Syrians into Turkish system

EU negotiating with Turkey to integrate Syrians into Turkish system

The European Union has been negotiating with Turkey over the settlement and integration of Syrian refugees who fled from the Syrian civil war to Turkey but have dim prospects of returning to Syria anytime soon.

More:EU negotiating with Turkey to integrate Syrians into Turkish system

Turkish police on alert against DHKP-C attacks | Nation | Daily Sabah

TURKISH POLICE ON ALERT AGAINST DHKP-C ATTACKS

ISTANBUL — Acting on intelligence that the terrorist organization DHKP-C may carry out attacks in the country, Turkish police have raised the threat level while dozens were arrested in an operation against the group in Istanbul on Friday

More:Turkish police on alert against DHKP-C attacks | Nation | Daily Sabah

​Blood & oil: Turks, Kurds, and the Islamic State — RT Op-Edge

Blood & oil: Turks, Kurds, and the Islamic State

Over the past month the Islamic State's siege of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab) has been dominating the world news coverage, revealing Turkey's fraught relationship with its own Kurdish minority and with Kurds and Kurdish organizations across the wider region.

More:​Blood & oil: Turks, Kurds, and the Islamic State — RT Op-Edge

From Turkish coffee to human towers: Unesco's intangible heritage - Telegraph

From Turkish coffee to human towers: Unesco's intangible heritage

By David Millward

10:43AM BST 24 Oct 2014

Originally, the Unesco World Heritage list was reserved for buildings, monuments and sites of natural beauty. But in 2003, Unesco agreed to start adding “intangible heritage”, and since then a number of more eccentric choices have been added to the list.

More:From Turkish coffee to human towers: Unesco's intangible heritage - Telegraph

Ferry tales in Istanbul | The Australian

Ferry tales in Istanbul

The Australian
October 25, 2014 12:00AM

Susan Kurosawa
Travel Columnist
Sydney

ISTANBUL, I soon discover, is all about water. Not just the enjoyable rituals of sluicing and soaping at traditional hammam but the process of getting about. The ­Bosphorus Strait splits the city into Europe and Asia, and this most slender of the world’s great waterways joins the Mediterranean in the southwest and the Black Sea in the northeast. My guide tells me, without enthusiasm, that a contentious third link across the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn Metro swing bridge, which includes extended and much-needed railway lines, opened in February.

More:Ferry tales in Istanbul | The Australian

Turkey's U.S. relations show strain as Washington's patience wears thin - Yahoo News

Turkey's U.S. relations show strain as Washington's patience wears thin
Reuters
By Jonny Hogg 22 hours ago

ANKARA (Reuters) - The U.S. decision to air-drop weapons to Kurdish forces in Syria on the same day Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed them as terrorists is the latest false note in the increasingly discordant mood music coming out of Washington and Ankara.

More:Turkey's U.S. relations show strain as Washington's patience wears thin - Yahoo News

Smugglers offer $20 passage from Turkey to Syria - Newsday

Smugglers offer $20 passage from Turkey to Syria

Updated October 24, 2014 10:41 AM

ONCUPINAR, Turkey - (AP) -- The Turkish border crossing of Oncupinar, an hour's drive from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, is a chaotic buzz of people waiting to pass into one of the most violent regions in the world. Border guards stand by with machine guns to prevent Islamic militants from joining the flow, but within their sight smugglers offer to take travelers across for a surprisingly small fee.

More:Smugglers offer $20 passage from Turkey to Syria - Newsday

EU’s anti-dumping decision to hit Turkish fishermen - BUSINESS

EU’s anti-dumping decision to hit Turkish fishermen

İZMİR/RİGA - Anadolu Agency

The European Commission’s planned 9 percent anti-dumping decision on trout imports from Turkey has alarmed Turkish fishermen, who are worried about losing their biggest market.

More:EU’s anti-dumping decision to hit Turkish fishermen - BUSINESS

Suspicious objects reported at Canadian, other consulates in Istanbul - 12 News KBMT and K-JAC. News, Weather and Sports for SE Texas

Suspicious objects reported at Canadian, other consulates in Istanbul

Posted: Oct 24, 2014 7:28 AM EST Updated: Oct 24, 2014 9:29 AM EST
By Zeynep Bilginsoy and Jason Hanna CNN

ISTANBUL (CNN) -- Turkish authorities on Friday were investigating suspicious substances or objects at the Canadian, German and Belgian consulates in Istanbul, officials said.

Canadian officials reported receiving a letter containing an unidentified yellow substance Friday, Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency reported.

More:Suspicious objects reported at Canadian, other consulates in Istanbul - 12 News KBMT and K-JAC. News, Weather and Sports for SE Texas

Three Kurdish militants killed in attack on Turkish power plant | Reuters

Three Kurdish militants killed in attack on Turkish power plant

DIYARBAKIR Turkey Fri Oct 24, 2014 5:25am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish soldiers killed three Kurdish militants who were part of a group that attacked a power plant in the eastern province of Kars, Turkish sources said on Friday.

More:Three Kurdish militants killed in attack on Turkish power plant | Reuters

A preview of “The Future Is Not What It Used To Be”, the 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial | News | Archinect

A preview of “The Future Is Not What It Used To Be”, the 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial
More Sharing Services

In the upcoming 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial, "The Future Is Not What It Used To Be" questions the role of design, its relationship to society, and how it can potentially bring change. Curated by Zoë Ryan and spanning all five floors of the Galata Greek Primary School from Nov. 1 to Dec.14, the biennial will showcase a designers' exhibition of over 50 projects that ask who defines the future and how it is defined. But the crucial aspect it explores is whose future could be affected. — bustler.net

More:A preview of “The Future Is Not What It Used To Be”, the 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial | News | Archinect

Time for some Turkish delight - Farming Life

Time for some Turkish delight

A recent Rabobank report has confirmed that Turkey’s developing dairy market offers exciting opportunities in its emerging export industry with access to markets that western players have previously found difficult to service.

More:Time for some Turkish delight - Farming Life

Window Illusions on the Streets of Istanbul

Window Illusions on the Streets of Istanbul
Thursday 10.23.2014 , Posted by Benjamin Starr
Pejac Illusory Street Art 1

Spanish street artist Pejac recently took a trip to Istanbul, using his time there to give the city a few new windows (in his own illusory street art style of course). His work fits seamlessly into the local architecture and would probably be missed if they weren’t so interesting and different. While in the ancient city, he created a piece that looks like a keyhole, a gothic arched window, and a tiny window with massive wooden shutters.

More:Window Illusions on the Streets of Istanbul

A special kind of cook off | Food | Daily Sabah

A SPECIAL KIND OF COOK OFF

ISTANBUL — The Bağcılar Municipality in Istanbul will host an international cooking competition at the special municipal center "Engelliler Sarayı" (Palace for the Disabled) for people with disabilities on Saturday. Sixty participants from 13 countries including Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tunisia, Macedonia, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Turkey have been invited to the competition. The competition jury will evaluate the cooking skills of disabled competitors. Winners will be presented with a "Golden Cooking Pot World Award."

More:A special kind of cook off | Food | Daily Sabah

Food for thought - YUSUF KANLI

Food for thought

What role does Turkey think of for itself? Does it foresee a “leading country in the region” role? Does it want to play an even greater role in its area? Does Turkey want a role as a member of the European family? Or does it want “precious isolation”? Difficult to answer, is it not?

More:Food for thought - YUSUF KANLI

Turkish Airlines announces global YouTube campaign - eTurboNews.com

Turkish Airlines announces global YouTube campaign

LONDON, England - Turkish Airlines today announces a partnership with Rightster, the cloud-based global video distribution and monetisation network, to kick off a global YouTube campaign.

More:Turkish Airlines announces global YouTube campaign - eTurboNews.com

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Tussle from Brussels: Van Damme attacks Turkish reporters | Nation | Daily Sabah

TUSSLE FROM BRUSSELS: VAN DAMME ATTACKS TURKISH REPORTERS

Daily Sabah
Published : 24.10.2014 01:14:53

Tussle from Brussels: Van Damme attacks Turkish reporters
ISTANBUL — Washed-up action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, a frequent visitor to Turkey, wrapped up an eventful night in Istanbul by kickboxing his way through throngs of reporters covering his nightlife antics.

More:Tussle from Brussels: Van Damme attacks Turkish reporters | Nation | Daily Sabah

Spanish firm slows down rail project in Istanbul, asks for more money - BUSINESS

Spanish firm slows down rail project in Istanbul, asks for more money

Aysel Alp ANKARA

Spanish firm OHL has slowed down the Marmaray 2 railway project due to a rise in costs, similar to the previous contractor in the project, according to sources familiar with the issue.

More:Spanish firm slows down rail project in Istanbul, asks for more money - BUSINESS

Danes summon Turkish diplomat over freed suspect

Danes summon Turkish diplomat over freed suspect
October 23, 2014 12:58 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Denmark has summoned Turkey's ambassador over the disappearance of a man suspected of attempted murder who was arrested in Istanbul at Denmark's request.

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

Kurdish opening of Turkey - CİHAN

Kurdish opening of Turkey
ISTANBUL - 23.10.2014 12:13:49

The democratization process, which is also called “the Kurdish opening,” is the most daring process initiated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey. Only the AKP has carried this project beyond rhetoric. Several attempts were made in the past to tackle the problem, but it never took off.

More:Kurdish opening of Turkey - CİHAN

Erdogan: US gave lethal aid to terrorist group in Syria

Erdogan: US gave lethal aid to terrorist group in Syria
23 October 2014, 17:28 (GMT+05:00)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the United States has given weapons to a terrorist group in Syria despite Turkish opposition Anadolu Agency reported

Erdogan said the U.S. had armed the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which he said is affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

More:Erdogan: US gave lethal aid to terrorist group in Syria

Three sections of Istanbul’s historic Galata Bridge go missing - LOCAL

Three sections of Istanbul’s historic Galata Bridge go missing

ISTANBUL

It has been detected that three sections of Istanbul’s historic Galata Bridge, which was relocated to a new location 22 years ago, have gone missing.

The three parts of the historic 12-section bridge, which holds a protected “2nd degree cultural heritage” status, were lost at some point in the 22 years since the bridge was detached from its original place and moved, daily Habertürk reported on Oct. 23.

More:Three sections of Istanbul’s historic Galata Bridge go missing - LOCAL

Denmark to cite Turkey's release of Hedegaard suspect at the EU - News - The Copenhagen Post

Denmark to cite Turkey's release of Hedegaard suspect at the EU

October 23, 2014

Turkey's release of the man who allegedly tried to assassinate the Danish anti-Islam author Lars Hedegaard is turning into a political crisis between the two nations.

More:Denmark to cite Turkey's release of Hedegaard suspect at the EU - News - The Copenhagen Post

Light travel restrictions make it easy for teens to travel to Syria | Fox News

Light travel restrictions make it easy for teens to travel to Syria
Published October 23, 2014

PARIS – The teenage sisters told their father they were staying home sick from their suburban Denver school. Instead, they took $2,000 and their passports and headed off for Syria with a 16-year-old friend. They made it as far as Germany before border guards detained them for questioning.

More:Light travel restrictions make it easy for teens to travel to Syria | Fox News

#ErdoganCaricature: cartoonists hit back at Turkish leader's clampdown | World news | theguardian.com

#ErdoganCaricature: cartoonists hit back at Turkish leader's clampdown

Cartoonist Martin Rowson urges cartoonists to caricature Turkey’s president Erdoğan, to highlight the trial of a Turkish cartoonist who lampooned him

More:#ErdoganCaricature: cartoonists hit back at Turkish leader's clampdown | World news | theguardian.com

Turkey Market Higher; Bank Holds Rates - Emerging Markets Daily - Barrons.com

Turkey Market Higher; Bank Holds Rates

By Dimitra DeFotis

Turkey’s central bank left key interest rates unchanged Thursday, and equities continued their climb.

The Turkey ISE National 100 Index has jumped 1.8% , while the iShares MSCI Turkey ETF (TUR) is up 2.5%. Each measure is up 5% so far this week.

More:Turkey Market Higher; Bank Holds Rates - Emerging Markets Daily - Barrons.com

WFP Mobilizes Food For Syrians Fleeing Into Turkey And Iraq In Spite Of Funding Shortfalls

WFP Mobilizes Food For Syrians Fleeing Into Turkey And Iraq In Spite Of Funding Shortfalls

AMMAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food for tens of thousands of Syrians seeking refuge in Turkey and Iraq amid growing concern that the influx of new arrivals is further straining the agency's ability to respond to more needs with dwindling stocks and donations running out.

More:WFP Mobilizes Food For Syrians Fleeing Into Turkey And Iraq In Spite Of Funding Shortfalls

Fazıl Say: I'm unable to present my art in my country

Fazıl Say: I'm unable to present my art in my country

Turkish classical pianist-composer Fazıl Say broke his silence on Tuesday over this week's news concerning his works being removed from a state-funded orchestra's repertoire for the new concert season, saying he's being rendered unable to present his art in his native land.

More:Fazıl Say: I'm unable to present my art in my country

Germany offers reconciliation help to Armenia, Turkey < French news | Expatica France

Germany offers reconciliation help to Armenia, Turkey

Germany's foreign minister on Thursday offered Berlin's experience in post-war reconciliation to Armenia and Turkey to help them forge peace a century after a World War I-era massacre.

More:Germany offers reconciliation help to Armenia, Turkey < French news | Expatica France

Suicide vests, bombs seized in Turkey amid ISIL terror alarm - CRIME

Suicide vests, bombs seized in Turkey amid ISIL terror alarm

Fevzi Kızılkoyun – Ankara

Turkish security forces have seized suicide vests, bombs and guns in a recent raid, after the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) warned of possible terrorist attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

More:Suicide vests, bombs seized in Turkey amid ISIL terror alarm - CRIME