Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Syrian issue dominates Turkish foreign policy in 2014 - DIPLOMACY

Syrian issue dominates Turkish foreign policy in 2014

Sevil Erkuş - sevil.kucukkosum@hdn.com.tr

As 2014 continued with instability in the Middle East, Turkey remained surrounded by tensions in the region. Turkey remained embroiled in frozen conflicts with Israel, Egypt and Syria, while opening a new page with the new administration in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) kept 49 members of the Turkish Consulate in Mosul hostage for nearly three months, while Ankara struggled to manage its policies amid fears that the ISIL threat could spill over its borders. Turkey attempted to deal with conflicting interests concerning its own Kurdish population regarding the ‘peace process’ amid the siege on Kobane committed by ISIL amid reverberations from the Syrian crisis on its domestic policy.

More:Syrian issue dominates Turkish foreign policy in 2014 - DIPLOMACY

Turkish Foreign Trade Gap Widens Over Russia, Iraq Export Woes - Businessweek

Turkish Foreign Trade Gap Widens Over Russia, Iraq Export Woes
By Selcan Hacaoglu and Onur Ant December 31, 2014

Turkey’s trade deficit widened in November to its biggest in 11 months as regional conflict and slumping oil prices hurt exports to Iraq and Russia.

More:Turkish Foreign Trade Gap Widens Over Russia, Iraq Export Woes - Businessweek

PKK Must Reform if it Wants Support « Commentary Magazine

PKK Must Reform if it Wants Support
Michael Rubin | @mrubin1971 12.31.2014 - 8:30 AM

I’ve written several times recently to argue that the United States should review the terrorism designation of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and consider removing the group from American terrorist lists.

More:PKK Must Reform if it Wants Support « Commentary Magazine

Dutch suicide bomber's video testament surfaces - NL Times

Dutch suicide bomber’s video testament surfaces
Posted on Dec 31, 2014 by Janene Van Jaarsveldt

A video testament by the 19 year old Sultan Berzel from Maastricht has confirmed that he was indeed the jihadist Abu Abdulla al-Hollandi who performed the suicide bombing in Baghdad on November 12th. Terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIS) posted the video online yesterday. The video has since been suspended from the site.

More:Dutch suicide bomber's video testament surfaces - NL Times

US Adana consul general accused of stirring up trouble in Turkey's Southeast - CİHAN

US Adana consul general accused of stirring up trouble in Turkey's Southeast
ISTANBUL - 31.12.2014 17:44:24

In the wake of the violent clashes in Cizre over the weekend in which three people died, the leader of Hüda-Par, Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, has claimed that the US consul general in Adana, John Espinoza, has been stirring up trouble in the region.

More:US Adana consul general accused of stirring up trouble in Turkey's Southeast - CİHAN

Gérard Depardieu bringing ‘Love Letters’ to İstanbul stage

Gérard Depardieu bringing ‘Love Letters’ to İstanbul stage

Gérard Depardieu and Agathe Natanson are set for a one-off performance next week in İstanbul.

The French actors will stage “Love Letters,” a play by American playwright A. R. Gurney that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, on Jan. 8 at the Zorlu Center PSM’s main theater in a production directed by Benoît Lavigne.

More:Gérard Depardieu bringing ‘Love Letters’ to İstanbul stage

Turkish authorities dismiss Cizre police chief after deadly clashes

Turkish authorities dismiss Cizre police chief after deadly clashes

Police chief of Cizre town (Şırnak, SE Turkey) gets dismissed by Turkish authorities, days after clashes between rival Kurdish groups spree out of control resulting in three deaths on Saturday.

More:Turkish authorities dismiss Cizre police chief after deadly clashes

Turkey's top judicial body suspends prosecutors over probe into inner circle of president Tayyip Erdogan - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Turkey's top judicial body suspends prosecutors over probe into inner circle of president Tayyip Erdogan

Updated Tue at 4:07pmTue 30 Dec 2014, 4:07pm

Turkey's top judicial body has suspended four prosecutors who initiated a corruption investigation that targeted the inner circle of president Tayyip Erdogan, Dogan news agency reports.

More:Turkey's top judicial body suspends prosecutors over probe into inner circle of president Tayyip Erdogan - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Turkey, Shell to drill in Black Sea in 2015: minister | Newstime Africa

Turkey, Shell to drill in Black Sea in 2015: minister

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey will start drilling in the Black Sea with the oil corporation Shell in the first months of the new year, Turkish energy minister said Tuesday.

More:Turkey, Shell to drill in Black Sea in 2015: minister | Newstime Africa

First major snow fall of the year; highways jammed across Turkey

First major snow fall of the year; highways jammed across Turkey

Roads across West Turkey incl. İzmir-İstanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Afyonkarahisar-Uşak all observe major jams following Tuesdays snow storms. Schools in 13 provinces have been closed.

More:First major snow fall of the year; highways jammed across Turkey

Reported link between Istanbul’s gang-related murders - Daily Sabah

Reported link between Istanbul’s gang-related murders
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Published 4 hours ago

Turkish media reported that the killings of Ali Ekber Akgün and Vedat Şahin, two men with mafia connections, on the same day were linked and allegedly ordered by a Dutch drug lord and his Turkish associate.

More:Reported link between Istanbul’s gang-related murders - Daily Sabah

Byzantine shipwrecks reveal advanced shipbuilding techniques | Ancient Origins

Byzantine shipwrecks reveal advanced shipbuilding techniques

A trove of ancient Byzantine ships found in waters near Istanbul, Turkey, displayed more advanced construction than scholars previously knew for that era. The ships include two unique Byzantine galleys propelled by oars, which are the first of their kind to be salvaged and were previously known only from text and images.

More:Byzantine shipwrecks reveal advanced shipbuilding techniques | Ancient Origins

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Why 2014 was a 'miserable' year for Turkey's education system | Al Bawaba

Why 2014 was a 'miserable' year for Turkey's education system

Published December 30th, 2014 - 15:47 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Although Education Minister Nabi Avcı claimed that a great deal has been achieved in the education system in 2014 during a speech he delivered on Nov. 24, Teachers' Day, the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) education policies were at the center of swirling debates throughout the year because the education system lost its credibility in the eyes of students, parents and educators following arbitrary political changes made to it.

More:Why 2014 was a 'miserable' year for Turkey's education system | Al Bawaba

Turkey: Balancing Between Sultanism and Secular Republicanism

Turkey: Balancing Between Sultanism and Secular Republicanism

"The upcoming parliamentary election will clearly indicate the political spectrum of Turkey and whether the people in Turkey will rescue the secular and democratic principles, or give a green light to Erdogan to be the new authoritarian Sultan in the region. "

More:BasNews

Who is benefiting from the Erdogan-Gulen split? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Who is benefiting from the Erdogan-Gulen split?

An unprecedented fight has been underway in Turkey over the past year, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) pitted against the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers. As the war intensifies by the day, tensions in Turkey are mounting, and virtually everyone is being forced to take sides. Remarks made by Erdogan in a mid-December speech said it all: “Those who don’t take sides will be sidelined.” No one has the luxury of simply watching the fight from the stands.

More:Who is benefiting from the Erdogan-Gulen split? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey’s future: Forward to the past | The Economist

Forward to the past
Can Turkey’s past glories be revived by its grandiose Islamist president?
Jan 3rd 2015 | ANKARA | From the print edition

“I DON’T order you to fight, I order you to die.” With those words Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, rallied his troops against the British-led forces fighting for the Dardanelles in 1915 during the first world war, when Turkey was allied to Germany. Ataturk’s men won the battle for the straits, but the Ottoman empire lost the war. As millions of Turks prepare to mark the centenary of the battle of Gallipoli—the bloodiest of the campaign—on April 25th, many will hail it as the moment when the seeds of Ataturk’s secular republic were planted.

More:Turkey’s future: Forward to the past | The Economist

Former Chief-of-Staff Başbuğ says a play was performed in coup plot cases - POLITICS

Former Chief-of-Staff Başbuğ says a play was performed in coup plot cases

Eyüp Serbest ISTANBUL

Former Chief-of-Staff İlker Başbuğ, who was convicted of “attempting to overthrow the government” in the Ergenekon coup plot case and sentenced to life imprisonment, said there was an organized system that had “performed a play” with the Ergenekon, Balyoz (Sledgehammer) and Oda TV coup plot cases, as well as the match-fixing case against Fenerbahçe football club, and that he had warned the then-Prime Minister that the plot against the soldiers could be set up against the government too.

More:Former Chief-of-Staff Başbuğ says a play was performed in coup plot cases - POLITICS

First snow of the season engulfs Istanbul - Daily Sabah

First snow of the season engulfs Istanbul
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL

Istanbul was gripped with snowfall yesterday as the much-anticipated precipitation blanketed the city.

Sleet evolved into snowfall starting from Monday evening, covering the higher ground in the city's northern and western parts and dealing a blow to traffic during the rush hour on the main roads.

More:First snow of the season engulfs Istanbul - Daily Sabah

Corruption prosecutors suspended in Turkey - FT.com

Corruption prosecutors suspended in Turkey

Piotr Zalewski in Istanbul

Fethullah Gulen, a critic of the Turkish president, has been accused of fuelling the corruption scandal for political ends

Turkey’s top judicial board on Tuesday suspended four prosecutors who led investigations into government corruption in late 2013.

More:Corruption prosecutors suspended in Turkey - FT.com

New Year’s resolutions proposal for Turkey’s worried secularists - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

New Year’s resolutions proposal for Turkey’s worried secularists

Half of the Turkish population is unhappy with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) administration. There is a group among them who are quite well-off, yet are also the most angry and frustrated. They are so full of hatred that you would think they must be suffering concretely and tremendously under this government. Yet most live in their comfortable residences, frequent their friends and like-minded neighbors, and therefore are not subjected to a certain lifestyle. They can drink freely for instance, or wear any clothes they like without fearing a conservative reaction. They are not obliged to send their children to imam hatip schools (religious technical schools) since they send their kids either to private schools or abroad.

More:New Year’s resolutions proposal for Turkey’s worried secularists - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Archaeologists unearth 5,000-year-old underground city in Turkey - Al Arabiya News

Archaeologists unearth 5,000-year-old underground city in Turkey
The new discovery rivals other underground cities found in the province. (Photo
By Staff Writer | Al Arabiya News
Monday, 29 December 2014

Archaeologists in Turkey unearthed an underground city in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, already known for its Fairy Chimney rock formation, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported.

More:Archaeologists unearth 5,000-year-old underground city in Turkey - Al Arabiya News

Wind power investors choose Aegean Sea for productivity - Daily Sabah

Wind power investors choose Aegean Sea for productivity
AA
IZMIR
Published 12 hours ago

The perpendicularity of the mountains to the Aegean Sea makes the region appealing for wind power investment. In the Aegean region, İzmir has taken the lead in terms of wind power investment. One in every four plants currently under construction across Turkey is in İzmir, where the installed capacity of plants is around 613 megawatts.

More:Wind power investors choose Aegean Sea for productivity - Daily Sabah

Turkey registers Syrian refugees - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey registers Syrian refugees

Syrian beggars, a fixture in Turkey’s urban centers over the past year, have begun to disappear in recent weeks. These obviously desperate people — young women nursing babies at street corners, children stopping passersby and gesturing for money, others forcing open car doors at red lights — spawned both compassion and indignation among Turks. On several occasions, beggars have been rounded up by municipal police and put on buses to refugee camps in the border regions. But they soon escaped and returned to the big cities.

More:Turkey registers Syrian refugees - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish media target Jews more than any other group, report finds - Jewish World News Israel News | Haaretz

Turkish media target Jews more than any other group, report finds

Report on hate speech in Turkish media found 130 instances of hate speech against Jews between May and August 2014.

More:Turkish media target Jews more than any other group, report finds - Jewish World News Israel News | Haaretz

Turkey's baby food market increased by 120% in the period 2007-2013

Turkey's baby food market increased by 120% in the period 2007-2013

29 December 2014

Charles Shaw

According to industry analysts, sales of baby food in Turkey in 2013 amounted to 11,108 tones, 48.5% higher than in 2007. In value terms, the market was worth YTL 545 million (US$ 287 million), an increase of 120% on 2007.

More:Turkey's baby food market increased by 120% in the period 2007-2013

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's President Erdogan to chair 1st Cabinet meeting | World | The News Tribune

Turkey's President Erdogan to chair 1st Cabinet meeting

The Associated PressDecember 29, 2014

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he will preside over his first Cabinet meeting next month — as he appears to push ahead with his aim of transforming the largely ceremonial presidency into a more powerful position

More:ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's President Erdogan to chair 1st Cabinet meeting | World | The News Tribune

Erdogan's Egyptian Nightmare

Erdogan's Egyptian Nightmare

by Burak Bekdil
December 30, 2014 at 4:00 am

Erdogan was happy. At least until a few days ago....

Erdogan probably did not know the Emir of Qatar's next move on the Middle Eastern chessboard.

More:Erdogan's Egyptian Nightmare

Monday, December 29, 2014

Former army chief to file lawsuit against Gülen Movement plot against army - Daily Sabah

Former army chief to file lawsuit against Gülen Movement plot against army

Former chief of general staff, retired General İlker Başbuğ, who was convicted on charges of "establishing and leading a terrorist organization," and "attempting to destroy the government" as part of the Ergenekon trial, said he would file a criminal complaint against those targeting the army with plots.

More:Former army chief to file lawsuit against Gülen Movement plot against army - Daily Sabah

Campbell to co-own business in Bodrum - FASHION

Campbell to co-own business in Bodrum

BODRUM – Doğan News Agency

World-renowned top model Naomi Campbell will sign a partnership agreement with the owner of a detox center in the western province of Muğla’s popular resort city Bodrum. She has decided to become a partner after her attempt to acquire the entirety of the business, called The Detoks Bay, was rejected by its Turkish owner, Sedat Akdemir.

More:Campbell to co-own business in Bodrum - FASHION

Will Qatar's new links with Egypt change Turkey's position?

Will Qatar's new links with Egypt change Turkey's position?

Ali Hasan Bakir
Monday, 29 December 2014 12:20

There has been a lot of speculation about the possible restoration of normal relations between Egypt and Qatar and the impact that this would have on the regime in Cairo, and what Turkey's position would be. Will the government in Ankara also be pushed towards a rapprochement with Egypt in the coming days?

More:Will Qatar's new links with Egypt change Turkey's position?

Court revokes Gulen's Turkish passport | Middle East Eye

Court revokes Gulen's Turkish passport

Opposition figure, who has permanent residence in the US, is to be stripped of the Green Passport that allowed him to travel visa-free

More:Court revokes Gulen's Turkish passport | Middle East Eye

Storm forces Turkey to shut Dardanelles to tankers, cancel flights | Energy & Oil | Reuters

Storm forces Turkey to shut Dardanelles to tankers, cancel flights
Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:31am GMT

ISTANBUL Dec 29 (Reuters) - Turkey shut its Dardanelles Strait to tankers and its flag carrier cancelled some domestic and international flights in and out of Istanbul due to a storm.

More:Storm forces Turkey to shut Dardanelles to tankers, cancel flights | Energy & Oil | Reuters

Will Ankara break the ice with Cairo? - Al Arabiya News

Will Ankara break the ice with Cairo?
Monday, 29 December 2014

Sinem Cengiz

In a surprise move, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç recently stated that Turkey needs to break the ice with Egypt; however, added that it should be Cairo which first needs to take a step in order to mend the ties between two heavyweights in the region.

More:Will Ankara break the ice with Cairo? - Al Arabiya News

Turkey set to get its nuclear reactors | Business | DW.DE | 29.12.2014

Turkey set to get its nuclear reactors

By mid-2015, Turkey wants to build its first nuclear power plant despite all objections and without regard for the fears of those affected by its construction. DW takes a look at the country's energy policy.

More:Turkey set to get its nuclear reactors | Business | DW.DE | 29.12.2014

The Best Decision I Ever Made: A 4-Day Solo Layover in Istanbul

The Best Decision I Ever Made: A 4-Day Solo Layover in Istanbul
Olivia BalsingerDecember 29, 2014

By Olivia Balsinger

The Best Decision I Ever Made: A 4-Day Solo Layover in Istanbul

Saying a warm hello to Asia. (Olivia Balsinger)

Not very often do I recommend taking advice from a notorious rapper from early in this millennium.

More:The Best Decision I Ever Made: A 4-Day Solo Layover in Istanbul

Thousands of environmentalists demonstrate in İstanbul

Thousands of environmentalists demonstrate in İstanbul

“Defend the Forests in the North” chanted demonstrations, gathered in thousands, in İstanbul’s Kadıköy district, along with Prominent members of opposition parties the HDP and the CHP.

More:Thousands of environmentalists demonstrate in İstanbul

Sunday, December 28, 2014

The Ottoman Empire strikes back: Turkish telenovela a hit in Israel - Movies & Television Israel News | Haaretz

The Ottoman Empire strikes back: Turkish telenovela a hit in Israel

‘Magnificent Century’ has become an international sensation, with Israelis proving particularly avid fans of the soap opera. Set during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, it has even earned comparisons to ‘Sex and the City.’

More:The Ottoman Empire strikes back: Turkish telenovela a hit in Israel - Movies & Television Israel News | Haaretz

Gulen’s shadow hangs over Erdogan - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Gulen’s shadow hangs over Erdogan

Developments in the continuing war of attrition between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his one-time close ally turned nemesis, the Pennsylvania-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, continue to provide riveting material for foreign diplomats and journalists in Turkey.

More:Gulen’s shadow hangs over Erdogan - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

President Erdoğan, Moroccan king meet in Istanbul with families, 28 December 2014

President Erdoğan, Moroccan king meet in Istanbul with families

28 December 2014

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has met with Moroccan King Mohammed VI, who has been in Turkey for over a week, for a friendly meeting at an Istanbul palace.

More:President Erdoğan, Moroccan king meet in Istanbul with families, 28 December 2014

Clashes between rival Kurdish groups in Turkey leave 3 dead | EUROPE ONLINE

Clashes between rival Kurdish groups in Turkey leave 3 dead
Europe
28.12.2014

By our dpa-correspondent and Europe Online auf Facebook posten Auf Twitter posten
Istanbul (dpa) - Three people have been killed in clashes between rival Kurdish groups in south-eastern Turkey, the Anadolu news agency reported.

More:Clashes between rival Kurdish groups in Turkey leave 3 dead | EUROPE ONLINE

Erdoğan’s ‘New Turkey’ eats away at hard-earned reforms

Erdoğan’s ‘New Turkey’ eats away at hard-earned reforms

Hopes for European Union reforms in Turkey are dwindling because President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian governance is increasingly turning the country into a one-man show, with his self-styled “New Turkey” corroding some of the hard-earned achievements in terms of human rights, reforms and the independence of the judiciary.

More:Erdoğan’s ‘New Turkey’ eats away at hard-earned reforms

Time for Turkey - International - Jerusalem Post

Time for Turkey

ISTANBUL – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is everywhere. A poster display in Istanbul throughout the city boasts photos of the founder of modern Turkey. Here he is speaking to people. There he is thinking.

More:Time for Turkey - International - Jerusalem Post

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Turkey: 2 Killed in Clashes Between Rival Kurdish Groups - NYTimes.com

Turkey: 2 Killed in Clashes Between Rival Kurdish Groups

Ankara, Turkey — Turkish authorities say a group of Kurdish youths have clashed with supporters of a Kurdish Islamist party in southeast Turkey. Two people were killed.

More:Turkey: 2 Killed in Clashes Between Rival Kurdish Groups - NYTimes.com

News Analysis: Tough year awaits Turkey's economy in 2015 | GlobalPost

News Analysis: Tough year awaits Turkey's economy in 2015

ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The expected low economic growth combined with the dim world economy prospect are main concerns for Turkey in 2015, experts said on Saturday.

More:News Analysis: Tough year awaits Turkey's economy in 2015 | GlobalPost

The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak, review: 'atmospheric and languorous' - Telegraph

The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak, review: 'atmospheric and languorous'
Francesca Wade admires Elif Shafak’s historical epic about a great-hearted elephant and his boy keeper

More:The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak, review: 'atmospheric and languorous' - Telegraph

Turkey’s descent into the abyss - CİHAN

Turkey’s descent into the abyss
ISTANBUL - 27.12.2014 12:48:09

It must be crystal clear by now that political Islamist zealots, led by the divider-in-chief Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will do anything and everything to stay in power, even if that means suspending the rule of law and trampling constitutional rights.

More:Turkey’s descent into the abyss - CİHAN

A new exhibition shows how Ottomans and their allies struggled to win the propaganda war during WWI - Daily Sabah

A new exhibition shows how Ottomans and their allies struggled to win the propaganda war during WWI
KAYA GENÇ
ISTANBUL

Curated by Bahattin Öztuncay, the ‘World War: Ideology and Propaganda’ exhibition at Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations building on İstiklal Avenue documents the propaganda effort of the Central forces

More:A new exhibition shows how Ottomans and their allies struggled to win the propaganda war during WWI - Daily Sabah

Friday, December 26, 2014

Developed and made in Ankara, bought by Germany - CONTRIBUTOR

Developed and made in Ankara, bought by Germany

VAHAP MUNYAR vmunyar@hurriyet.com.tr

Two and a half years ago, Head of the Executive Committee of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Technokent Professor Volkan Atalay and General Manager Mustafa Kızıltaş visited the online security software company Comodo in New York, U.S.

More:Developed and made in Ankara, bought by Germany - CONTRIBUTOR

Erdogan: Turkey is not Europe's scapegoat - Israel News, Ynetnews

Erdogan: Turkey is not Europe's scapegoat

Turkish president slams European countries for criticizing deteriorating press freedom in his country, saying they should instead find a solution for 'increasing Islamophobia' in the continent.

More:Erdogan: Turkey is not Europe's scapegoat - Israel News, Ynetnews

Turkey has 'world's freest press', Erdogan claims - Yahoo News

Turkey has 'world's freest press', Erdogan claims
AFP

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey has the freest press in the world, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, brushing off accusations that media freedoms were being eroded under his rule.

More:Turkey has 'world's freest press', Erdogan claims - Yahoo News

ISTANBUL: Turkcell Becomes the First Mobile Operator Globally to Integrate World’s Fastest 3G to Its Network | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online

Turkcell Becomes the First Mobile Operator Globally to Integrate World’s Fastest 3G to Its Network

December 26, 2014

ISTANBUL — Turkcell (NYSE:TKC) (BIST: TCELL), Turkey’s leading telecoms and technology company, has announced the integration of 3-Carrier (3C-HSDPA) technology to its 3G network. With this integration, Turkcell becomes the first mobile operator globally to have introduced the world’s fastest 3G technology.

More:ISTANBUL: Turkcell Becomes the First Mobile Operator Globally to Integrate World’s Fastest 3G to Its Network | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online

Turkey frees schoolboy arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan - Yahoo News

Turkey frees schoolboy arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan
AFP
By Burak Akinci, Stuart Williams in Istanbul 5 hours ago

Ankara (AFP) - A Turkish court on Friday freed a 16-year-old high school pupil arrested for "insulting" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid accusations his detention was the latest sign of a lurch to authoritarianism under the strongman leader.

More:Turkey frees schoolboy arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan - Yahoo News

Carry Trade Fades as Turkish Lira Gets Trounced by Dollar - Bloomberg

Carry Trade Fades as Turkish Lira Gets Trounced by Dollar
By Selcuk Gokoluk Dec 26, 2014 5:36 AM ET

Just when lira carry traders thought they had 2014 in the bag, along came the dollar.

More:Carry Trade Fades as Turkish Lira Gets Trounced by Dollar - Bloomberg

Why Does Nobody Want to Play with Turkey?

Why Does Nobody Want to Play with Turkey?

by Burak Bekdil
December 26, 2014 at 5:00 am

Turkey is too big, too Islamist and too un-European for the EU; it is too little Islamist and a disliked former colonial power for most of the Arab street; a sectarian and regional rival for Iran, and a security threat to the bigwigs in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

More:Why Does Nobody Want to Play with Turkey?

Turkey still wants to be in Europe 'first division': PM adviser | GlobalPost

Turkey still wants to be in Europe 'first division': PM adviser

Turkey's leaders are committed to EU membership and still aim to play in the "first division" of Europe despite a bitter row over a crackdown on the opposition, a top adviser to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

More:Turkey still wants to be in Europe 'first division': PM adviser | GlobalPost

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Istanbul exhibition tackles religious-related issues - ARTS

Istanbul exhibition tackles religious-related issues

ISTANBUL

An ongoing exhibition at Istanbul’s Salt Galata titled “Rainbow in the Dark” brings together a group of works that tackles issues related to religious rituals, gender politics and spirituality.

More:Istanbul exhibition tackles religious-related issues - ARTS

Former foreign minister: ISIL abused Turkey’s tolerance

Former foreign minister: ISIL abused Turkey’s tolerance

Former Foreign Minister Yaşar Yakış, who also one of the co-founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), has said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has taken advantage of the tolerance Turkey has extended to the extremist group.

More:Former foreign minister: ISIL abused Turkey’s tolerance

Arresting of 16-year-old teen gets strong reaction in Turkey

Arresting of 16-year-old teen gets strong reaction in Turkey

Lawyers have objected to the arrest ruling of 16 year-old high school student over allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by saying “We view Erdoğan as the head of theft, bribery and corruption.”

More:Arresting of 16-year-old teen gets strong reaction in Turkey

Regional conflicts haunt Turkish economy in 2014 - CİHAN

Regional conflicts haunt Turkish economy in 2014
ISTANBUL - 25.12.2014 17:25:55

Turkish efforts to diversify trade partners, a goal that has been ongoing following the 2008 global financial crisis, stalled in 2014 amid regional conflicts.

More:Regional conflicts haunt Turkish economy in 2014 - CİHAN

Cautious optimism in Turkish-Kurdish negotiations | Middle East Eye

Cautious optimism in Turkish-Kurdish negotiations

Despite fears of a breakdown in the Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process, the two sides have now agreed to expand participation in the talks

After several months, when it looked as if Turkey’s peace process with the Kurds was breaking down, Mr. Yalçın Akdoğan, deputy prime minister in charge of the talks with the Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK) unexpectedly announced on Monday (by Twitter posting naturally) that an agreement had been reached to push on with the dialogue.

More:Cautious optimism in Turkish-Kurdish negotiations | Middle East Eye

Growing old in Turkey - Daily Sabah

Growing old in Turkey
LEYLA YVONNE ERGIL
ISTANBUL

It is that time of year again when along with enjoying the comfort of friends, family, feasts and celebrations, it is also the start of a new year and the end to yet another.

More:Growing old in Turkey - Daily Sabah

Dutch organized crime murders rock Istanbul - NL Times

Dutch organized crime murders rock Istanbul
Posted on Dec 25, 2014 by Janene Van Jaarsveldt

Istanbul was shocked by another execution on Wednesday. The victim is Vedat Sahin, the brother of top criminal Sedat Sahin – a well known name in the Turkish underworld. Sahin was from Rotterdam and was allegedly good friends with Ali Akgun, who was executed earlier on Wednesday.

More:Dutch organized crime murders rock Istanbul - NL Times

Santa found young military family in Turkey

Santa found young military family in Turkey

December 24, 2014 9:00 am

In late November of 1949, we left our home at Fort Benning for our long journey to Ankara, Turkey for a 2½-year tour of duty. After two weeks of flights and layovers, we landed in Ankara. We rented a little house on top of a windy, rocky hill and settled in with a few pieces of borrowed furniture and such items as we could carry with us.

More:Santa found young military family in Turkey

Fitch: Istanbul is the driving force of Turkey’s economy - Daily Sabah

Fitch: Istanbul is the driving force of Turkey’s economy
DAILY SABAH AND AGENCIES
ISTANBUL

Nilay Akyıldız, the international public finance director at international credit rating agency Fitch Ratings, said that Istanbul contributes greatly to Turkey's economy, adding, "Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is a propulsive force for the Turkish economy.

More:Fitch: Istanbul is the driving force of Turkey’s economy - Daily Sabah

Is Erdoğan really concerned about demography? - SEMİH İDİZ

Is Erdoğan really concerned about demography?

The accusation of treason is so commonly bandied about in Turkey that it has become banal. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan uses this accusation at every opportunity. He is now claiming that birth control is a form of treason which threatens extinction for a whole generation. It is not clear, however, if his real concern is demographical or ideological.

More:Is Erdoğan really concerned about demography? - SEMİH İDİZ

Armenia hires celebrity lawyer against Turkish politician - Daily Sabah

Armenia hires celebrity lawyer against Turkish politician
YUSUF ZIYA DURMUŞ
ISTANBUL

Armenia has hired celebrity lawyer Amal Clooney for the next round in a case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against Turkish politician Doğu Perinçek. The ECtHR had previously ruled his denial of the Armenian genocide was protected under freedom of expression

More:Armenia hires celebrity lawyer against Turkish politician - Daily Sabah

Turkey's Super Lig looks set for a wild finish | The National

Turkey’s Super Lig looks set for a wild finish

Ian Hawkey

December 24, 2014 Updated: December 24, 2014 09:38 PM

Supremacy in Turkish club football seldom strays too far from Istanbul.

While scandal and slumps in form have in recent years affected a couple of the behemoths of the Bosphorus, their local rivals have generally seized on that stumble as an opportunity.

More:Turkey's Super Lig looks set for a wild finish | The National

EBRD approves €63m loan to Turkish logistics operator Alternative - Logistics Business Review

EBRD approves €63m loan to Turkish logistics operator Alternative
LBR Staff Writer Published 24 December 2014

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a €63m loan to Turkey’s logistics operator Alternative for acquiring three ships that the firm had been operating on a charter basis for the past two years.

More:EBRD approves €63m loan to Turkish logistics operator Alternative - Logistics Business Review

Placido Domingo to be joined by Filarmonia in İstanbul concert

Placido Domingo to be joined by Filarmonia in İstanbul concert

Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo will be accompanied by the 65-piece Filarmonia İstanbul Orchestra in his upcoming İstanbul concert next month, the organizers behind the hotly anticipated event announced on Wednesday.

More:Placido Domingo to be joined by Filarmonia in İstanbul concert

Turkey to be able to close Internet access without court order

Turkey to be able to close Internet access without court order
25 December 2014, 17:12 (GMT+04:00)

By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

It will be possible to cut off Internet access without a court order if this is demanded by the national security interests, Turkey’s Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Lutfi Elvan said, TRT Haber news channel said Dec. 25.

More:Turkey to be able to close Internet access without court order

Turkey's President And His 1,100-Room 'White Palace' : Parallels : NPR

Turkey's President And His 1,100-Room 'White Palace'
December 24, 2014 9:23 AM ET
Peter Kenyon - Square

Aykut Unlupinar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

On the outskirts of the Turkish capital, a new landmark looms over what was once Ankara forestland. It's a new presidential palace complex, with at least 1,100 rooms and an official price tag of $615 million — although critics suggest both figures are probably higher.

More:Turkey's President And His 1,100-Room 'White Palace' : Parallels : NPR

Lawyer calls on Sony Pictures to screen ‘The Interview’ in Turkey

Lawyer calls on Sony Pictures to screen ‘The Interview’ in Turkey

A lawyer has called on the Sony Pictures' Turkey office to screen “The Interview,” a movie about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that led the entertainment company to be the target of a destructive cyber-attack.

More:Lawyer calls on Sony Pictures to screen ‘The Interview’ in Turkey

Turkey supplies one-fourth of European sea bream, bass demand - BUSINESS

Turkey supplies one-fourth of European sea bream, bass demand

EDİRNE - Doğan News Agency

Turkey supplies around one of every four sea breams and bass consumed in Europe, said Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker Dec. 23, adding that the country’s fish exports have increased six-fold over the last decade.

More:Turkey supplies one-fourth of European sea bream, bass demand - BUSINESS

The Turkish economy’s big dilemma - GÜNEŞ KÖMÜRCÜLER

The Turkish economy’s big dilemma

As the global economy has recently entered another crazy era with the plunging oil prices down to $60 per barrel, the Turkish economy is again in the middle of opposing trends; old and new “norms.”

More:The Turkish economy’s big dilemma - GÜNEŞ KÖMÜRCÜLER

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

To put food on the table in Turkey, enterprising Syrians sell 'taste of home' - CSMonitor.com

To put food on the table in Turkey, enterprising Syrians sell 'taste of home'

Syrian refugees in Turkey are importing coffee, cigarettes, and other simple and inexpensive products from their homeland to sell to fellow refugees. The extra income barely covers costs for many households.

More:To put food on the table in Turkey, enterprising Syrians sell 'taste of home' - CSMonitor.com

Turkey's Two Thugs by Claire Berlinski, City Journal 23 December 2014

Turkey’s Two Thugs
Erdoğan and Gülen are both dangerous—but only one of them lives in the Poconos.​
23 December 2014
Photo by Allie_Caulfield​

Until recently, I lived in Turkey. It seemed to me then unfathomable that most Americans did not recognize the name Fethullah Gülen. Even those vaguely aware of him did not find it perplexing that a Turkish preacher, billionaire, and head of a multinational media and business empire—a man of immense power in Turkey and sinister repute—had set up shop in Pennsylvania and become a big player in the American charter school scene. Now that I’ve been out of Turkey a while, I’ve realized how normal it is that Americans are indifferent to Gülen. America is full of rich, powerful, and sinister weirdoes. What’s one more?

More:Turkey's Two Thugs by Claire Berlinski, City Journal 23 December 2014

Police arrest suspects defrauding German citizens - Daily Sabah

Police arrest suspects defrauding German citizens
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Published 16 hours ago

Turkish police detained 73 suspects in a crackdown on scam artists in Istanbul and İzmir yesterday. Suspects are accused of running phone scams targeting Turks and German citizens in Germany.

More:Police arrest suspects defrauding German citizens - Daily Sabah

Police officers investigating al-Qaeda persecuted

Police officers investigating al-Qaeda persecuted

The recent detainments of police officers who had investigated the al-Qaeda-linked Tahşiye group paints an alarming picture on the scores of operations against police officers in the past year.

More:Police officers investigating al-Qaeda persecuted

No alcohol served on Turkey's high-speed railways - General news - ANSAMed.it

No alcohol served on Turkey's high-speed railways

24 December, 10:50

(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, DECEMBER 24 - The operator of Turkey's high-speed railways has stopped serving alcoholic drinks citing a lack of demand as daily Hurriyet online reports. The service between Ankara and Eskisehir was the only remaining high-speed train line that served alcoholic drinks on board in Turkey.

More:No alcohol served on Turkey's high-speed railways - General news - ANSAMed.it

Putin’s predicament is Erdogan’s good fortune - Al Arabiya News

Putin’s predicament is Erdogan’s good fortune
Wednesday, 24 December 2014

Manuel Almeida

On December 17 last year, police raids in Istanbul led to the arrests of 47 individuals in a case that involved accusations of corruption, fraud, money laundering, gold smuggling and bribery. Among those detained were three public officials who happened to be sons of the ministers of interior, economy and environment and urban planning.

More:Putin’s predicament is Erdogan’s good fortune - Al Arabiya News

Hard-hit Russian economy may affect Turkey | Economy | Worldbulletin News

Hard-hit Russian economy may affect Turkey

While low oil prices are beneficial for Turkey's current account deficit, the effects on the Russian economy may also bring certain disadvantages, said Rifat Hisarciklioglu, head of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges in Turkey, on Tuesday.

More:Hard-hit Russian economy may affect Turkey | Economy | Worldbulletin News

Kurdish Rebels Threaten Renewed Violence in Turkey - ABC News

Kurdish Rebels Threaten Renewed Violence in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey — Dec 24, 2014, 5:58 AM ET
Associated Press

A Kurdish rebel commander has warned that fighting in Turkey's southeast could resume by June if efforts to end a 30-year insurgency make no progress by then, news reports said Wednesday.

More:Kurdish Rebels Threaten Renewed Violence in Turkey - ABC News

Putin’s European geese, and press freedom in Turkey

Putin’s European geese, and press freedom in Turkey
Publish Date: Dec 24, 2014

By Mümtazer Türköne

What really lies behind the raid on the Zaman newspaper and the Samanyolu broadcasting group? While we try to form links between reasons and results, we need to find such a “sine qua non” reason that it explains everything that has transpired thus far.

More:Putin’s European geese, and press freedom in Turkey

Birth control as ‘treason?’ The logic behind the Turkish president’s latest controversy - The Washington Post

Birth control as ‘treason?’ The logic behind the Turkish president’s latest controversy
By Adam Taylor December 24 at 3:35 AM

Over the past few months, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a number of provocative statements. At times, he has pushed what appeared to be a socially conservative agenda; telling a conference that dealt with women's rights that women could not be equal to men in November, for example. At other points, he appeared to be pushing a nationalism deeply intertwined with an Islamic religious identity — arguing for the return of the language of the Ottoman empire or pushing a theory that Muslim explorers discovered America.

More:Birth control as ‘treason?’ The logic behind the Turkish president’s latest controversy - The Washington Post

Cyprus talks future looks grim as Anastasiades points finger of blame at Turkey

Cyprus talks future looks grim as Anastasiades points finger of blame at Turkey

• Wednesday, 24 December, 2014
President Anastasiades said that Ankara`s positions for a resumption of the talks not only do not satisfy us but create more problems.

More:Cyprus talks future looks grim as Anastasiades points finger of blame at Turkey

Qatar's Egypt reconciliation embarrasses Erdogan - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Qatar's Egypt reconciliation embarrasses Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s attempts to see Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delegitimized and isolated internationally appear about to receive yet another blow as Qatar moves to normalize its ties with Cairo. It's Erdogan who appears more isolated internationally today than Sisi, who continues to gain international recognition while consolidating his power base at home.

More:Qatar's Egypt reconciliation embarrasses Erdogan - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Is Turkey Holding Up A Resolution In Syria? - Analysis - Eurasia Review

Is Turkey Holding Up A Resolution In Syria? – Analysis
December 24, 2014

By Conn Hallinan*

The pieces for a political resolution of the Syrian civil war are finally coming together.

More:Is Turkey Holding Up A Resolution In Syria? - Analysis - Eurasia Review

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

South Korean travelers settle down in Bursa - Daily Sabah

South Korean travelers settle down in Bursa

Two young adventurers who set off from Seoul, South Korea, settled down in Bursa province of Turkey after traveling 12 countries. Jong Kim, 26, and his girlfriend Sujin Lee, 26, opened a "halal Korean restaurant" in Bursa for Turkish people. The North Korean duo have many Turkish interests like playing backgammon, fishing, Karagöz (one of the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play), Turkish baths, the way the Turks give directions, chicken shish, hot spicy tomato dip, baklava, içili köfte, menemen, Bursaspor(the local football team) and Bursaspor's coach Şenol Güneş who was then manager of Seoul FC.

More:South Korean travelers settle down in Bursa - Daily Sabah

The Turkish economy’s big dilemma - GÜNEŞ KÖMÜRCÜLER

The Turkish economy’s big dilemma

As the global economy has recently entered another crazy era with the plunging oil prices down to $60 per barrel, the Turkish economy is again in the middle of opposing trends; old and new “norms.”

More:The Turkish economy’s big dilemma - GÜNEŞ KÖMÜRCÜLER

Erdoğan's ‘birth control treasonous' statement receives strong reactions - CİHAN

Erdoğan's ‘birth control treasonous' statement receives strong reactions
ISTANBUL - 23.12.2014 18:56:39

A statement made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday calling birth control an act of “treason” that is aimed at weakening Turkey has drawn strong reactions from politicians and women's rights associations.

More:Erdoğan's ‘birth control treasonous' statement receives strong reactions - CİHAN

Chamber of Architects files complaint against TOKİ for not sharing Ak Saray’s costs

Chamber of Architects files complaint against TOKİ for not sharing Ak Saray’s costs

The Ankara branch of the Chamber of Architects has filed a complaint against the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) on the charge of violating the Right to Information Act after TOKİ refused to declare the exact cost of the new controversial presidential palace, dubbed the Ak Saray, which was constructed inside the Atatürk Forestry Farm (AOÇ) in Ankara.

More:Chamber of Architects files complaint against TOKİ for not sharing Ak Saray’s costs

Referee of Turkish descent named as Holland’s best referee - Daily Sabah

Referee of Turkish descent named as Holland’s best referee
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL

Serdar Gözübüyük, a Dutch professional football referee of Turkish descent, has been named the best referee in 2014-2015's first half season in the highest echelon of professional football in the Netherlands, known as the Eredivisie, according to a survey conducted by the 'Voetbal International' web-site.

More:Referee of Turkish descent named as Holland’s best referee - Daily Sabah

World Bank sees Turkish 2015 GDP growth 3.5%, helped by lower energy prices - Yahoo Maktoob News

World Bank sees Turkish 2015 GDP growth 3.5%, helped by lower energy prices

ISTANBUL, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Tuesday it expects Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 3.5 percent in 2015, helped by the sharp fall in energy prices, which will also support lower inflation and reducing the current-account deficit.

More:World Bank sees Turkish 2015 GDP growth 3.5%, helped by lower energy prices - Yahoo Maktoob News

Erdoğan goes from defiant snub to strategic choice on EU

Erdoğan goes from defiant snub to strategic choice on EU

A week after telling the European Union to mind its own business, Turkish President Erdoğan now expresses that joining the EU would be a strategic choice – and yet Turkey’s EU minister said if the EU decided to bar them entry in the end, “we won’t care”.

More:Erdoğan goes from defiant snub to strategic choice on EU

Disgraced Enes Kaya flies to Turkey

Disgraced Enes Kaya flies to Turkey

Updated : December 23 2014

Embattled expat TV personality Enes Kaya left for Turkey without a fixed return date to Korea, local media outlets reported on Tuesday.

More:Disgraced Enes Kaya flies to Turkey

Turkey graft scandal: Four ex-ministers await decision on their fate

Turkey graft scandal: Four ex-ministers await decision on their fate

Former cabinet ministers will hear whether they will stand trial on charges of corruption after losing jobs in spectacular graft scandal.

More:.:Middle East Online:::.

‘Football Remembers’ Christmas Day truce | Cyprus Mail

‘Football Remembers’ Christmas Day truce

UNDER the slogan ‘Football Remembers’ the British High Commission in Nicosia yesterday organised a friendly football match marking a Christmas Day spontaneous ceasefire and a historic football match in 1914, during World War I.

More:‘Football Remembers’ Christmas Day truce | Cyprus Mail

Moroccan royal family arrive in Istanbul in five aircrafts - General news - ANSAMed.it

Moroccan royal family arrive in Istanbul in five aircrafts

22 December, 13:57

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 22 - King Mohammed VI of Morocco has arrived in Istanbul with his family on Sunday evening as reported by daily Sabah online.

More:Moroccan royal family arrive in Istanbul in five aircrafts - General news - ANSAMed.it

Ledra Street scuffles dominate Turkish Cypriot press

Ledra Street scuffles dominate Turkish Cypriot press

CYPRUS - FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
• Tuesday, 23 December, 2014
Media in northern Cyprus continue to focus on scuffles that broke out between police and protestors at the Ledra Street crossing border during an event organized by the United Cyprus – Bi-communal Peace Initiative.

More:Ledra Street scuffles dominate Turkish Cypriot press

Istanbul's third bridge to be opened in October

Istanbul's third bridge to be opened in October
Monday, December 22, 2014

ANKARA - Turkey's Transport and Communications Minister Lutfi Elvan said on Monday that Istanbul's third bridge across the Bosphorus would be opened in October 2015.

More:Istanbul's third bridge to be opened in October

EU approves €1.9 bn assistance program for Turkey

EU approves €1.9 bn assistance program for Turkey
Tuesday, December 23, 2014

ANKARA – The EU approved Monday €1.9 billion for Turkey as part of its pre-accession assistance program, Turkey’s Ministry for EU Affairs announced.

More:EU approves €1.9 bn assistance program for Turkey

Monday, December 22, 2014

Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century By Jon Kofas

Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century

By Jon Kofas

21 December, 2014

The end of the Cold War and the new US war on “Islamic terror” has influenced the foreign policy of Turkey, almost as much as the power vacuum created by the US military intervention in Iraq. Furthermore, Iran’s isolation by the West since 1979, the Arab Spring movements and their failure to produce democratic institutions during this decade, and Russia’s attempts to become a stronger Eurasian regional power have also played a role in shaping Turkey’s foreign policy along with the enormous growth of the economy currently among the G-20 group.

More:Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century By Jon Kofas

Wikileaks sheds light on Turkey’s mysterious ‘Annotators’ - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Wikileaks sheds light on Turkey’s mysterious ‘Annotators’

It has become almost a Turkish tradition now to have a new criminal case every season in which the nation gets bitterly divided. The latest example is the case of “Tahsiyeciler,” or “Annotators,” which is a small Islamist community based in eastern Turkey. More than 120 members of this group were detained in January 2010 for alleged al-Qaeda ties, and 11 of them spent months in prison. But now the government, and a like-minded prosecutor, argues that this was in fact a scheme cooked up by “parallel state” of the Gulen movement in order to crack down on an innocent rival group.

More:Wikileaks sheds light on Turkey’s mysterious ‘Annotators’ - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Under crackdown, Turkish media close ranks - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Under crackdown, Turkish media close ranks

The latest judicial onslaught against journalists in Turkey has shone a spotlight on the deep rifts plaguing the country’s media and blighted efforts for a united defense of press freedom in the face of mounting threats.

More:Under crackdown, Turkish media close ranks - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Corruption will remain a stigma for Erdoğan - SEMİH İDİZ

Corruption will remain a stigma for Erdoğan

As this piece was being written, the parliamentary commission looking into corruption allegations against four former ministers from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not yet voted on whether they should be sent to the Supreme Council to stand trial or not.

More:Corruption will remain a stigma for Erdoğan - SEMİH İDİZ

EU likes Kurds, moderate Islamists and leftists but not Kemalists? - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

EU likes Kurds, moderate Islamists and leftists but not Kemalists?

I have to admit, I do agree with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan!

He was surprised by the European Union’s critical statement about the arrests of journalists and media representatives that took place Sunday, Dec. 14.

I was surprised too!

He was not only intrigued about the substance, but also the timing. Exactly my feeling!

More:EU likes Kurds, moderate Islamists and leftists but not Kemalists? - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

TÜSİAD: Liberalization of Turkish energy market is a must

TÜSİAD: Liberalization of Turkish energy market is a must

December 22, 2014, Monday/ 17:59:31/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ISTANBUL

The state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation's (BOTAŞ) share in the volume of Turkish gas imports from abroad should be lessened in order to sustain a transparent, liberal and liquid energy market, the chairman of country's top business organization said in a speech on Monday.

More:TÜSİAD: Liberalization of Turkish energy market is a must

Kebabs as a Political Statement in France - NYTimes.com

Kebabs as a Political Statement in France

ISTANBUL- From the kitchen of the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the Michelin two-star chef Thierry Marx is waging a mini-campaign against culinary racism. He is making kebabs.

mORE:Kebabs as a Political Statement in France - NYTimes.com

Turkish main opposition introduces own proposal for Kurdish issue - POLITICS

Turkish main opposition introduces own proposal for Kurdish issue

ANKARA

Arguing that the government has failed to make substantial progress in the peace process, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has put forth its own proposal aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue in Parliament.

mORE:Turkish main opposition introduces own proposal for Kurdish issue - POLITICS

Turkey's President Slams Birth Control as 'Treason'

Turkey's President Slams Birth Control as 'Treason'
World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: December 22, 2014 22:51 IST

Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described efforts to promote birth control as "treason", saying contraception risked causing a whole generation to "dry up", reports said today.

mORE:Turkey's President Slams Birth Control as 'Treason'

Turkey Seeks New Extension in Air Defense Contract

Turkey Seeks New Extension in Air Defense Contract
BY BURAK EGE BEKDIL 11:59 a.m. EST December 22, 2014

ANKARA — Turkey has urged bidders in a multibillion dollar contract for the construction of its first long-range air and anti-missile defense system to agree on a sixth extension of the deadline to renew offers, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said Dec. 21.

More:Turkey Seeks New Extension in Air Defense Contract

Lebanon waits for Turkish response in bid to free hostages - Al Arabiya News

Lebanon waits for Turkish response in bid to free hostages

Beirut is waiting for Ankara’s response on whether it will join efforts to secure the release of 25 Lebanese service personnel held hostage by Islamist fighters near the Syria border, Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star reported on Monday.

More:Lebanon waits for Turkish response in bid to free hostages - Al Arabiya News

Sharp increase in drug use in İstanbul

Sharp increase in drug use in İstanbul

The most recent anti-drug operations revealed that drug use, especially among young people, has increased sharply in İstanbul.

More:Sharp increase in drug use in İstanbul

Another blow to press freedom in Turkey

Another blow to press freedom in Turkey

Svetla Dimitrova

22 December 2014

The December 14th crackdown on anti-government media and other opponents in Turkey, in which more than two dozen people were arrested, sparked a wave of criticism from international bodies and watchdogs, as well as fresh concerns about the state of press freedom and the rule of law in the country

More:Another blow to press freedom in Turkey

UK loses EU court case to Turkish migrants | Turkey | Daily Sabah

UK LOSES EU COURT CASE TO TURKISH MIGRANTS

Daily Sabah
Updated : 22.12.2014 15:59:54
Published : 22.12.2014 12:26:39

UK loses EU court case to Turkish migrants
ISTANBUL — The United Kingdom has lost a court case against the EU that aimed to limit the benefits of Turkish migrant workers, which are granted by the Ankara Agreement, signed in 1963.

More:UK loses EU court case to Turkish migrants | Turkey | Daily Sabah

Turkey welcomes limited dual citizenship in Germany, demands more - DIPLOMACY

Turkey welcomes limited dual citizenship in Germany, demands more

ANKARA

Turkey has welcomed new German legislation that partially removes the citizenship “option model,” which affects approximately 3.5 million Turkish immigrants living in Germany, the largest ethnic minority in the country.

More:Turkey welcomes limited dual citizenship in Germany, demands more - DIPLOMACY

The Women Battling An Islamist Strongman - The Daily Beast

The Women Battling An Islamist Strongman

As Turkey’s president restricts free speech and ignores domestic violence, the country’s businesswomen are pushing back.

More:The Women Battling An Islamist Strongman - The Daily Beast

Turkey’s Halkbank Leads Declines on Plans for Capital Increase - Bloomberg

Turkey’s Halkbank Leads Declines on Plans for Capital Increase
By Isobel Finkel Dec 22, 2014 3:59 AM ET

Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS (HALKB) led declines on Turkey’s main stock index after announcing it would increase its capital by 80 percent to help establish an Islamic banking unit.

More:Turkey’s Halkbank Leads Declines on Plans for Capital Increase - Bloomberg

The majority of Turkey’s USD 20.4 billion automotive exports were destined for European markets

The majority of Turkey’s USD 20.4 billion automotive exports were destined for European markets

AA – Turkey’s automotive exports have reached USD 20.4 billion between January and November with the majority of shipments destined for European markets. Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) data indicate that out of the country’s over USD 20 billion of auto exports that took place during the January-November period of 2014, 75 percent i.e. USD 15.4 billion worth of automobiles, commercial vehicles and spare parts reached the EU countries. EU markets’ share in Turkey’s auto exports had stood at 69 percent in 2013.

More:The majority of Turkey’s USD 20.4 billion automotive exports were destined for European markets

Ankara considers construction of “Turkish stream”

Ankara considers construction of “Turkish stream”
22 December 2014, 12:35 (GMT+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey considers the Russian proposal to build the “Turkish stream,” the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Taner Yildiz said, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported Dec.22.

More:Ankara considers construction of “Turkish stream”

Turkey-EU energy chapter will not bring benefits - minister

Turkey-EU energy chapter will not bring benefits - minister
22 December 2014 06:00 Source:ICIS

Opening up the EU’s Energy Chapter for Turkey, a move that would help to fast-track the liberalisation of its electricity and gas markets and harmonise its laws with those of the EU would not bring benefits to the country, the Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz told ICIS on Thursday.

More:Turkey-EU energy chapter will not bring benefits - minister

Turkey: Erdogan vs. Gulen | FrontPage Magazine

Turkey: Erdogan vs. Gulen
December 22, 2014 by Joseph Puder

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his campaign to shut down all opposition to his authoritarian rule. The latest outrage occurred last weekend when Ekrem Dumanli, editor of one of Turkey’s largest newspapers, Istanbul’s Zaman, was detained on charges of plotting to overthrow Erdogan’s government. In addition to Dumanli, 27 other people were detained, charged with belonging to an illegal organization, and seeking to seize control of the state.

More:Turkey: Erdogan vs. Gulen | FrontPage Magazine

Circassians in soul searching in 150th year of Turkey exile - LOCAL

Circassians in soul searching in 150th year of Turkey exile

Barçın Yinanç

Circassians in Turkey are increasingly looking to gain rights from the state amid a process of questioning their identity and their place between Ankara and Moscow, according to a professor of international relations at Kadir Has University.

More:Circassians in soul searching in 150th year of Turkey exile - LOCAL

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Turkish President Erdoğan ‘closely following’ judicial process against Fethullah Gülen movement - POLITICS

Turkish President Erdoğan ‘closely following’ judicial process against Fethullah Gülen movement

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is closely following the operation launched on Dec. 14 targeting some members of the Fethullah Gülen movement, including two top executives of media groups close to the U.S.-based Islamic scholar, while he has also slammed international organizations for voicing concerns over media freedom in Turkey.

More:Turkish President Erdoğan ‘closely following’ judicial process against Fethullah Gülen movement - POLITICS

Turkish Media Raids: A Steep Alley To Presidential Doom - Nigerian News from Leadership Newspapers

Turkish Media Raids: A Steep Alley To Presidential Doom
— Dec 21, 2014 | 2 Comments

By Henry Noble.

Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is obviously dangling at the bottom end of the political chain. He is fighting the battle of his life to survive a forthcoming election in June, which he apparently fear will nail his political coffin. Desperate time, it is said, calls for desperate measures. These measures, he thinks, should involve suffocating the press. So last weekend, Erdogan renewed attacks on a section of the media outside his pockets, arresting over 20 journalists and other media workers.

More:Turkish Media Raids: A Steep Alley To Presidential Doom - Nigerian News from Leadership Newspapers

The cost of digital silence in Turkey: 40 million euros | openDemocracy

The cost of digital silence in Turkey: 40 million euros
Jakub Hein 20 December 2014

Turkey is known for attempts to control information contradicting official propaganda. However, a recent deal between the Turkish Government and a Swedish company running software to combat child porn could silence the digital opposition permanently.

More:The cost of digital silence in Turkey: 40 million euros | openDemocracy

Urban destruction abounds as harmful projects are handed belated rulings

Urban destruction abounds as harmful projects are handed belated rulings

As heaping piles of dirt lie aimlessly near the Yedikule fortress inside İstanbul's old city walls, it's hard to imagine that a series of bountiful urban gardens flourished here until last year.

More:Urban destruction abounds as harmful projects are handed belated rulings

Erdogan praises 'clean' crackdown on foes - Emirates 24/7

Erdogan praises 'clean' crackdown on foes

Published Sunday, December 21, 2014

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday praised the "clean" legal process against his opponents that has been sharply criticised by the EU and included a warrant for arch-foe Fethullah Gulen as well as a wave of arrests.

More:Erdogan praises 'clean' crackdown on foes - Emirates 24/7

New Year windfall for Turkish tourism | Tourism | Daily Sabah

NEW YEAR WINDFALL FOR TURKISH TOURISM

Betül Alakent
Published : 21.12.2014 20:29:10

New Year windfall for Turkish tourism
ISTANBUL — As the countdown to the New Year holiday has started, holiday reservations are also booming. With Jan. 1 falling on a Thursday, vacationers are trying to take advantage of the four-day holiday, and holiday packages have attracted a great deal of attention. While 80 percent of holiday packages for holidays abroad have been sold, 50 percent of local holiday packages have also been sold, and tour operators are stating that there is a 40 percent increase in demand when compared to last year. While Rome is the ultimate destination for New Year holidays, Milan, Prague, Barcelona, Dubai, Paris, Amsterdam and Moscow are also among the most preferred holiday destinations. Holidaymakers who bought national tour packages mostly prefer ski resorts and surrounding areas. It is estimated that about 150,000 people will go on a holiday during the four-day New Year holiday, creating a market of around TL 150 million.

More:New Year windfall for Turkish tourism | Tourism | Daily Sabah

China enters the US market with ‘Made in Turkey’ | Energy | Daily Sabah

CHINA ENTERS THE US MARKET WITH ‘MADE IN TURKEY’

Kerim Ülker
Published : 21.12.2014 20:18:10

China enters the US market with ‘Made in Turkey’
ISTANBUL — Chinese solar panel manufacturers are overcoming U.S. anti-dumping barriers by manufacturing in Turkey. CSUN, a Chinese company publicly traded on the NASDAQ, built a solar panel factory in Tuzla, a district of Istanbul, and entered the U.S. market with the "Made in Turkey" seal on its products.

More:China enters the US market with ‘Made in Turkey’ | Energy | Daily Sabah

Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century By Jon Kofas

Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century

By Jon Kofas

21 December, 2014
Countercurrents.org

Turkey’s Foreign Policy Contradictions

The end of the Cold War and the new US war on “Islamic terror” has influenced the foreign policy of Turkey, almost as much as the power vacuum created by the US military intervention in Iraq. Furthermore, Iran’s isolation by the West since 1979, the Arab Spring movements and their failure to produce democratic institutions during this decade, and Russia’s attempts to become a stronger Eurasian regional power have also played a role in shaping Turkey’s foreign policy along with the enormous growth of the economy currently among the G-20 group.

More:Turkey's Foreign Policy In The 21st Century By Jon Kofas

PM accuses EU of ‘dirty campaign’ against Turkey - Al Arabiya News

PM accuses EU of ‘dirty campaign’ against Turkey
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses the media in Ankara December 11, 2014. (Reuters)

By AFP | Ankara
Sunday, 21 December 2014

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday accused the European Union of starting a “dirty campaign” against Turkey by criticizing the arrests of opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More:PM accuses EU of ‘dirty campaign’ against Turkey - Al Arabiya News

Is Turkey a Liability or an Asset? | Journal of Diplomacy

Is Turkey a Liability or an Asset?
– December 21, 2014Posted in: American Foreign Policy, Middle East

Turkey, counting on US support—for strategic and security reasons in the Balkans, the Caucasus region, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean—has assumed a “master of the world” mentality. Over the years, President Erdogan’s behavior is increasingly becoming more and more arrogant with respect to Turkey’s neighboring states. His latest feat, to build a palace, boasting that it is 10 times bigger than the White House and the Kremlin, further showcases his Sultan mentality and proves he is a man who has lost all measure. Since then, and after the revelation that Turkey indirectly helps the jihadists in Syria, the country has lost face in international relations. Turkey lost further credibility after the violation of the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), an act that brutally violates international law and endangers Turkey’s European course and relations, not only with Greece and Cyprus, but also with Israel, Egypt and Italy; making both the US and the EU question where Turkey’s allegiance lies.

More:Is Turkey a Liability or an Asset? | Journal of Diplomacy

Winter tourism rises in Turkey, but more investments needed - TOURISM

Winter tourism rises in Turkey, but more investments needed

The number of winter tourists in Turkey has doubled over the last decade, increasing from 2.7 million in 2004 to 4.8 million this year, but more investments are needed to realize the country’s potential in the sector, said the latest Winter Tourism report of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

More:Winter tourism rises in Turkey, but more investments needed - TOURISM

The new free Turkey - YUSUF KANLI

The new free Turkey

The Radio and Television High Board (RTÜK) must be disbanded, if not radically overhauled, and stripped of its political manipulation at the hands of the majority political party, which is the government. Growing conservatism in the country has turned the RTÜK into a body that clamps bigoted fines on any scene considered incompatible with the “family values” of the nation; one would think they are in one of those countries with morality guards or vice squads.

More:The new free Turkey - YUSUF KANLI

Who Represents German Muslims?

Who Represents German Muslims?

by Veli Sirin
December 21, 2014 at 5:00 am

The most serious and crushing harm to those Muslims who respect their non-Muslim neighbors and detest the extremists is that many Western commentators appear utterly uninformed about the representatives of the moderate, non-extremist Muslims.

More:Who Represents German Muslims?

Saturday, December 20, 2014

A possible Turkish Eurovision come back for 2015? | Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen - EuroVisionary

A possible Turkish Eurovision come back for 2015?
Posted 20 December, 2014 - 03:41 by Charlotte Jensen

After two years out, Turkey might just be in again. A social media message from the president of the Turkish broadcaster, TRT, gives hope for a Eurovision return.

More:A possible Turkish Eurovision come back for 2015? | Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen - EuroVisionary

"Justice" in Turkey

"Justice" in Turkey

by Burak Bekdil
December 20, 2014 at 5:00 am

The oppressors change, oppression does not.

The U.S. and EU expressed concern about media freedom and the independence of the judiciary in Turkey.

More:"Justice" in Turkey

Friday, December 19, 2014

From 2007 to 2015: Turkey’s chaotic order continues - SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ

From 2007 to 2015: Turkey’s chaotic order continues

The infamous Ergenekon case was launched in May 2007, after the police found 27 grenades in a suburb of Istanbul. Turkey's most important operation turned out to be a political case that had serious consequences on the country's political life, particularly on civil-military relations. Ergenekon was later followed by other operations under different names, which all mainly targeted the powerful Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and staunchly secular segments of society.

More:From 2007 to 2015: Turkey’s chaotic order continues - SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ

Turkish academic Pınar Selek acquitted of deadly blast for fourth time

Turkish academic Pınar Selek acquitted of deadly blast for fourth time

An İstanbul court has acquitted for the fourth time Turkish academic and sociologist Pınar Selek in a 16-year controversial investigation that indicted her in the killing of seven people in an explosion outside a bazaar in İstanbul in 1998.

More:Turkish academic Pınar Selek acquitted of deadly blast for fourth time

Erdoğan risks path to economic depression, experts say

Erdoğan risks path to economic depression, experts say

“By deviating from democracy [Recep] Tayyip Erdoğan is putting Turkey on the path to economic collapse.”

This is a quote from a commentary on a Turkish daily's words this weeks that strike the right tone regarding major blows to rule of law in Turkey amid intense government pressure on opposition figures, including the free media.

More:Erdoğan risks path to economic depression, experts say

Turkey's Strategic Choices | The National Interest Blog

Turkey's Strategic Choices
Kemal Kirisci

December 19, 2014
inShare5

Over the last few weeks, a number of prominent world leaders have called on Turkey.

Late in November, for example, Vice President Joe Biden was in Turkey to discuss cooperating against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. His visit was followed by that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This month it was Frederica Mogherini’s turn, the European Union’s new foreign policy chief. Her visit coincided with ones by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskite, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who also holds the presidency of the European Council.

More:Turkey's Strategic Choices | The National Interest Blog

Why won’t Turkey and Russia suffer a crisis? | Columns | Daily Sabah

WHY WON’T TURKEY AND RUSSIA SUFFER A CRISIS?

Cemil Ertem 20 December 2014, Saturday
The recent remarks of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen made me think that she and U.S. President Barack Obama will not make the mistake made by former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan and former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1995.

More:Why won’t Turkey and Russia suffer a crisis? | Columns | Daily Sabah

Representation Of Women On Boards - Employment and HR - Turkey

Turkey: Representation Of Women On Boards
Last Updated: 19 December 2014
Article by Serap Zuvin and A. Aybala Kurtuldu
Serap Zuvin Law Offices

If an answer is to be given to a simple question on whether or not there is an acceptable percentage of representation of both genders in the work life, it would be a "No". Although it differs by the countries and people, we can conclude that legislations, organizations, global aid efforts are not sufficient enough to break the glass ceiling. As a reflection of this fact although the women play a vital role in employment, this gender is not being represented equally at the top positions and the board level.

More:Representation Of Women On Boards - Employment and HR - Turkey

JOOST LAGENDIJK - Turkey and the EU: neither with nor without each other

Turkey and the EU: neither with nor without each other

One of the results of last weekend's arrest of Turkish journalists has been a new round of debate in Europe on the future of Turkey-EU relations. Several leaders of EU member states spoke out strongly against the repression of opposition media, seen as just one part of an extremely worrying overall slide toward authoritarianism in Turkey. Those concerns were, however, not translated into concrete actions against Turkey for reasons we all know: The EU needs Turkey to deal with other, more pressing, issues (European jihadists, the Islamic State [also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)], Russia and energy).

More:JOOST LAGENDIJK - Turkey and the EU: neither with nor without each other

Vestas feasts on Turkey seconds - Onshore Wind | ReNews - Renewable Energy News

Vestas feasts on Turkey seconds

Kangal Elektrik Uretim has placed a 34MW turbine order with Vestas for phase two of the Kangal RES wind farm in Turkey.

The order involves the supply and installation of 17 units of the V110-2MW wind turbine at the Sivas province site.

More:Vestas feasts on Turkey seconds - Onshore Wind | ReNews - Renewable Energy News

Turkish delight | New Straits Times

Turkish delight
By SHAREN - 20 December 2014 @ 12:19 AM

PROFITABLE VENTURE: MAHB’s potential 100pc stake in Istanbul airport is worth €1.04b

MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) potential 100 per cent stake in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG) in Turkey is worth €1.04 billion (RM4.44 billion), which will be almost double its investment.

More:Turkish delight | New Straits Times

EU-Turkey Ties Will Survive War of Words - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

EU-Turkey Ties Will Survive War of Words
Source: Getty
Marc Pierini Op-Ed December 18, 2014 EUobserver

BRUSSELS - The current tone between the European Union and Turkey - some have spoken of a war of words - reflects an incompatibility between president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political choices on the domestic front and Turkey's economic, financial, and security interests on the international scene.

More:EU-Turkey Ties Will Survive War of Words - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Turkey’s Descent Into Paranoia - NYTimes.com

Turkey’s Descent Into Paranoia

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says mass arrests on Dec. 14 of journalists, screenwriters and television producers were necessary to eliminate agents of a “parallel state” bent on seizing power. But Mr. Erdogan’s efforts to stifle criticism and dissent show an authoritarian leader living in a parallel universe, one where being a democracy, a NATO ally and a candidate for membership in the European Union are somehow compatible with upending the rule of law and stifling freedom of expression.

More:Turkey’s Descent Into Paranoia - NYTimes.com

EU survey reveals growing Turkish distrust of own gov’t

EU survey reveals growing Turkish distrust of own gov’t

Turks have an increasingly negative view of the future and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, a survey of Eurobarometer, a series of public opinion surveys conducted regularly on behalf of the European Commission, has revealed.

More:EU survey reveals growing Turkish distrust of own gov’t

100 lost treasures of Istanbul revealed in new book | Books | Daily Sabah

100 LOST TREASURES OF ISTANBUL REVEALED IN NEW BOOK

Zeynep Esra Koca

ISTANBUL — Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's cultural enterprise İstanbul Kültür A.Ş. has published a book centering on 100 historical buildings in Istanbul which have been destroyed or damaged due to negligence. The book is published as part of the "Istanbul'un Yüzleri" (Istanbul's 100) Project.

More:100 lost treasures of Istanbul revealed in new book | Books | Daily Sabah

Turkey cutting lose from the EU - FEHİM TAŞTEKİN

Turkey cutting lose from the EU

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, once a staunch supporter of the EU criteria, is now telling the EU to mind its own business.

More:Turkey cutting lose from the EU - FEHİM TAŞTEKİN

Turkish court issues arrest warrant for US-based cleric Gülen - LOCAL

Turkish court issues arrest warrant for US-based cleric Gülen

Toygun Atilla ISTANBUL

A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, a former ally turned arch-enemy of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

More:Turkish court issues arrest warrant for US-based cleric Gülen - LOCAL

Chobani founder urges world to ‘step up’ for Syrian refugees - INTERNATIONAL

Chobani founder urges world to ‘step up’ for Syrian refugees

ISTANBUL
In an article for CNN.com, the founder of US-based Chobani Greek Yogurt Hamdi Ulukaya urges the world to ‘step up’ on the Syria refugee crisis and create new initiatives for aid

More:Chobani founder urges world to ‘step up’ for Syrian refugees - INTERNATIONAL

3D Printing-Modeled Serra Gate is an Eye-Catching Centerpiece of Istanbul’s Taksim Square - 3DPrint.com

3D Printing-Modeled Serra Gate is an Eye-Catching Centerpiece of Istanbul’s Taksim Square

by Debra Thimmesch · December 19, 2014

If the words “Taksim Square” sound familiar to you, that’s because they were in the news in association with “Gezi Park” frequently for several months in 2013. Gezi Park is a small green space in the larger city crossroads in the modern center of Istanbul, Turkey. A much-publicized rebellion rose up in Taksim Square when city officials threatened to pave Gezi Park to add more shopping venues.

More:3D Printing-Modeled Serra Gate is an Eye-Catching Centerpiece of Istanbul’s Taksim Square - 3DPrint.com

Turkey Is Moving Toward Authoritarianism, And The West Won't Stop It - Business Insider

Turkey Is Moving Toward Authoritarianism, And The West Won't Stop It
Reuters

Nick Tattersall, Reuters

Dec. 19, 2014, 2:23 AM

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's tightening grip on power is likely to meet little more than symbolic resistance from the West next year, as Turkey's G20 presidency and the fight against the Islamic State trump concerns about a slide toward authoritarianism.

More:Turkey Is Moving Toward Authoritarianism, And The West Won't Stop It - Business Insider

Visitors take an interactive world tour at Çanakkale museum | History | Daily Sabah

VISITORS TAKE AN INTERACTIVE WORLD TOUR AT ÇANAKKALE MUSEUM

Daily Sabah
Published : 19.12.2014 02:20:41

ISTANBUL — The exhibition "Piri Reis ve Haritaları" (Piri Reis and His Maps) that was on display at the Istanbul Naval Museum was transformed into a sole-exhibition museum in Çanakkale after contributions by the governorate and the Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Embracing history, technology and art under the same roof, Çanakkale's new museum project is the brainchild of Sinan Ceco and Hasan Mert Kaya that began in November 2012. Two years later, the museum's opening ceremony took place on Tuesday. Visitors can see four original copies of Piri Reis' map and guidebook "Kitab-ı Bahriye," (The Book of the Navy), large detailed maps and an interactive platform that invites visitors to take a journey around the Mediterranean Sea. A special section showcases certain parts of Piri Reis' book, where one side displays his drawings while the other side shows a current satellite image of the location. A short, 10-minute film depicts the life story of the renowned Ottoman admiral and cartographer. Aside from these sections, the museum also features mobile map lockers.

More:Visitors take an interactive world tour at Çanakkale museum | History | Daily Sabah

Social media attacks on Turkish Cypriot politician | Cyprus Mail

Social media attacks on Turkish Cypriot politician

By Evie Andreou

TURKISH CYPRIOT politician Dogus Derya has received death threats in the wake of comments she made to the Turkish Cypriot ‘parliament’ earlier this week that many Greek Cypriot women were raped by the Turkish army during the invasion.

More:Social media attacks on Turkish Cypriot politician | Cyprus Mail

Democracy Bites the Dust – The Residents' Corner by Dave Trecker

Democracy Bites the Dust

December 18, 2014 By Dave Trecker Leave a Comment

You expect repression in Hong Kong. You know Beijing isn’t going to allow free elections.

But you don’t expect repression in Turkey. At least, I didn’t.

My wife and I just returned from there and saw a prosperous country, with booming real estate and growth everywhere. Not exactly Germany in the 1930s. Hardly a place to stomp on democracy.

More:Democracy Bites the Dust – The Residents' Corner by Dave Trecker

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Turkey unveils new high speed train to Anatolia

Turkey unveils new high speed train to Anatolia
By Agence France-Presse, 21 hours ago

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday inaugurated a high speed train link from Istanbul to the Anatolian city of Konya that cuts journey times by nearly nine hours, the latest in a string of hugely ambitious infrastructure projects under his rule.

More:Turkey unveils new high speed train to Anatolia

EU survey: Turkey has negative views of future, government - LOCAL

EU survey: Turkey has negative views of future, government

Güven Özalp BRUSSELS

Turkish citizens’ expectations from the coming year are negative, according to a new Eurobarometer survey, which also revealed that 48 percent of Turks “distrust” the government and more than two-thirds “distrust” the European Union.
More:EU survey: Turkey has negative views of future, government - LOCAL

SURUC, Turkey: Turkey remains leery about presence of Kurdish refugees from Kobani | Syria | McClatchy DC

Turkey remains leery about presence of Kurdish refugees from Kobani

By Mitchell Prothero

SURUC, Turkey — From a hilltop about half a mile from the besieged Kurdish-Syrian city of Kobani, the sounds of heavy weapons can be heard echoing from inside what was once a prosperous border town of about 250,000 people.

More:SURUC, Turkey: Turkey remains leery about presence of Kurdish refugees from Kobani | Syria | McClatchy DC

Thousands-year-old bones come to surface in Istanbul - ARCHAEOLOGY

Thousands-year-old bones come to surface in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency
The Bathonea excavations in Istanbul continue filling the gaps in the city’s history. A skull found in one of the graves reveals a successful brain operation from the ancient ages

More:Thousands-year-old bones come to surface in Istanbul - ARCHAEOLOGY

Europe must decide if it wants gas via Turkey- Putin — RT Business

Europe must decide if it wants gas via Turkey- Putin

"To a big extent, this depends on European countries. Whether they would like to have stable, absolutely guaranteed, risk free energy supply from Russia, which they need. It will be good if we get it working. Via Greece we can reach Macedonia, and on to Serbia, and then to Baumgartner in Austria. If they are not interested then we won’t do it," he said.

More:Europe must decide if it wants gas via Turkey- Putin — RT Business

Behind the scenes with refugee musicians | Music | Daily Sabah

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH REFUGEE MUSICIANS

Since the war in Syria began, refugees have fled to nearby countries and struggle to make a living by any means possible. For one group of men, that means performing on the streets

More:Behind the scenes with refugee musicians | Music | Daily Sabah

Counter-Terrorism: The Radicalization Of Turkey

Counter-Terrorism: The Radicalization Of Turkey
Next Article → MYANMAR: Oops Does Not Do It

December 18, 2014: At the end of 2014 Israel revealed that in September it had broken up a Hamas terrorism group in the West Bank. More than 30 arrests were made and interrogations revealed details of the attack plans. Targets in Jerusalem (a sports stadium and the light rail system) and elsewhere in Israel were to be hit. Firearms and bomb making materials were seized during the raids along with documents showing how a Hamas headquarters in Turkey was coordinating Hamas terror operations in the West Bank and Israel. This alarmed the Israelis.

More:Counter-Terrorism: The Radicalization Of Turkey

Turkey’s ‘doorman complex’ - BURAK BEKDİL

Turkey’s ‘doorman complex’

The photo featured happy faces – Turkish and European. Last week, three EU bigwigs were in Ankara: Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign affairs chief; Johannes Hahn, a chief enlargement official; and Christos Stylianides, commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management. The happy-faced trio was seen with two Turkish happy faces: Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and EU Minister Volkan Bozkır.

More:Turkey’s ‘doorman complex’ - BURAK BEKDİL

Who dominates Turkish social media? - ERSU ABLAK

Who dominates Turkish social media?

TED talks make us all think harder about various amazing phenomena. Their subjects range from personal experience to scientific projects, from minor daily acts to huge social behavioral patterns. I have listened to almost a hundred of them. They are all impressive, but recently I found the real gem. It is not a TED talk, but a blog entry on the TED website, and it answered many of my questions about why things are the way they are in Turkey.

More:Who dominates Turkish social media? - ERSU ABLAK