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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Turkish opposition demands greater involvement in peace process with Kurds

Turkish opposition demands greater involvement in peace process with Kurds

The CHP expressed misgivings over the progress of the Kurdish peace process, demanding that all of Turkey’s actors participate in its negotiations, not just the administration.

More:Turkish opposition demands greater involvement in peace process with Kurds

Turkey's Foreign Policy After Arab Spring: An Identity-Based Approach - Analysis - Eurasia Review

Turkey’s Foreign Policy After Arab Spring: An Identity-Based Approach – Analysis
February 28, 2015 Iran Review Leave a comment

By Iran Review

By Hossein Mofidi Ahmadi, Ph.D.*

An identity-based approach to Turkey’s foreign policy will be a better way to explain actions taken by this country subsequent to developments known as the Arab Spring. It means that Turkey’s foreign policy actions at that juncture, like other actors in the region, were rooted in the country’s identity.

More:Turkey's Foreign Policy After Arab Spring: An Identity-Based Approach - Analysis - Eurasia Review

Turkey’s foreign trade gap narrows upon slump in oil prices, rise in gold exports - BUSINESS

Turkey’s foreign trade gap narrows upon slump in oil prices, rise in gold exports

ISTANBUL - Reuters

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit narrowed in January to $4.31 billion, a 37.5 percent decrease from the same month of the previous year, due to the decrease in oil prices and the rise in gold exports, mainly to Switzerland.

More:Turkey’s foreign trade gap narrows upon slump in oil prices, rise in gold exports - BUSINESS

Training of Syrian rebels in Turkey in 4-6 weeks: US - Your Middle East

Training of Syrian rebels in Turkey in 4-6 weeks: US

The US military said Friday the training of moderate Syrian rebels will likely begin within four to six weeks in Turkey after the two NATO allies clinched an agreement last week.

More:Training of Syrian rebels in Turkey in 4-6 weeks: US - Your Middle East

Turkey joins EU’s seven-year, EUR 920 million employment program

Turkey joins EU’s seven-year, EUR 920 million employment program

The Employment and Social Innovation program serves as a financing instrument to promote the modernization of employment and social policies, and access to microfinance and social entrepreneurship.

More:Turkey joins EU’s seven-year, EUR 920 million employment program

Opposition mounts over Turkey's new security bill - Yahoo Maktoob News

Opposition mounts over Turkey's new security bill
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera – 3 hours ago

Istanbul, Turkey - On a recent evening in the southwestern Turkish city of Manisa, 29-year-old Salih Kara gathered with fellow activists to protest the detention of Onur Kilic, a left-wing politician arrested for calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "thief" on Facebook.

More:Opposition mounts over Turkey's new security bill - Yahoo Maktoob News

Jailed PKK leader calls on his followers to lay down arms - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Jailed PKK leader calls on his followers to lay down arms
English.news.cn 2015-02-28 19:48:31 [More]

ISTANBUL, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan called on his followers to lay down their arms in a forthcoming conference in spring, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) announced on Saturday.

More:Jailed PKK leader calls on his followers to lay down arms - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Turkey tunnel project connects Asia to Europe - Business Insider

Turkey is building a massive 3-layer tunnel underwater that connects Asia to Europe

Stefano Pozzebon

Feb. 27, 2015, 11:24 AM

The Turkish government has announced plans to build a giant, three-story tunnel underwater that connects Istanbul on the Asian and European sides of the Bosphorus.

More:Turkey tunnel project connects Asia to Europe - Business Insider

Friday, February 27, 2015

The tomb and the legacy

The tomb and the legacy
February 27, 2015/
SHARE :
M A Niazi

The relief by Turkey of its guard of the tomb of Sulaiman Shah, and its shifting of the remains to another location inside Syria, was not only the first incursion by Turkey into Syria since its current civil war began, but also reflected the role of Turkey in the whole problem of the Caliphate to which ISIS has laid claim.

More:The tomb and the legacy

Lira Weakens as Turkish Minister Signals Limits on Central Bank - Bloomberg Business

Lira Weakens as Turkish Minister Signals Limits on Central Bank

(Bloomberg) -- The lira weakened to a record, extending its third monthly decline, and Turkish bonds fell as a minister’s call to revise central-bank regulations stoked concern the government will restrict its autonomy.

More:Lira Weakens as Turkish Minister Signals Limits on Central Bank - Bloomberg Business

Turkey jails human trafficker for crimes committed in the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

Turkey jails human trafficker for crimes committed in the Netherlands
Society
February 27, 2015

Decorative Scales of Justice in the Courtroom A Turkish national, who fled to Turkey after being convicted of human trafficking in the Netherlands, has been sentenced to seven years and nine months in jail by a Turkish court.

More:Turkey jails human trafficker for crimes committed in the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

EU, Others: Catch Plans for Bluefin Tuna Threaten Recovery - ABC News

EU, Others: Catch Plans for Bluefin Tuna Threaten Recovery
BRUSSELS — Feb 27, 2015, 6:23 AM ET
By RAF CASERT Associated Press
Associated Press

The European Union, Japan and others have criticized Turkey's unilateral decision to exceed catch limits on Bluefin tuna set in an international agreement.

More:EU, Others: Catch Plans for Bluefin Tuna Threaten Recovery - ABC News

Turkey urges world’s help on Syrian refugees as spending reaches $6 billion - INTERNATIONAL

Turkey urges world’s help on Syrian refugees as spending reaches $6 billion

NEW YORK

Turkey has said its financial burden emanating from the Syrian conflict has reached $6 billion, calling for more help from the international community. The United Nations, meanwhile, said Turkey has become the largest refugee host in the world.

More:Turkey urges world’s help on Syrian refugees as spending reaches $6 billion - INTERNATIONAL

Man pretending to carry bomb detained outside US consulate - LOCAL

Man pretending to carry bomb detained outside US consulate

ISTANBUL

Istanbul police have detained a man in front of the US consulate in Istanbul, after he threatened to detonate a bomb he said he was carrying.

Turkish police sealed off a street outside the consulate after the suspect was detained.

More:Man pretending to carry bomb detained outside US consulate - LOCAL

What’s the trouble with Turkey? - GÜVEN SAK

What’s the trouble with Turkey?

Denmark has had no majority government since 1982. Turkey, on the other hand, has been ruled by a tight single party majority since 2002. That is 33 years of debate and deal-making in Denmark and 13 years of parliamentary hegemony in Turkey. Life is so boring in Denmark, or so I tell myself. And anyway, a single-party government means political stability.

More:What’s the trouble with Turkey? - GÜVEN SAK

Destroying cultural heritage - MELİS ALPHAN

Destroying cultural heritage

While walking on the beach, when one comes across a sand castle, one would not step on it, but just walk around it.

A person would not even sacrifice a sand castle. Even if it is made of sand, somebody shaped it. It must have its own story.

More:Destroying cultural heritage - MELİS ALPHAN

Male sexual quirks among the Ottomans - TASTE OF THE PAST

Male sexual quirks among the Ottomans

NIKI GAMM
In the days of the Ottoman Empire, pederasty-like relationships were common between pre-pubescent boys and bearded older men. Though today it seems homoerotic, the relationship had a deeper meaning according to the mystic Sufis and their search for God

More:Male sexual quirks among the Ottomans - TASTE OF THE PAST

Is Turkey withdrawing from NATO? - VERDA ÖZER

Is Turkey withdrawing from NATO?

Last week, the news fell like a bombshell. Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz declared at the Turkish parliament that Turkey’s new defense missile system, to be purchased most probably from China, would not be integrated with NATO’s system. This kicked off a hot discussion on whether Turkey is changing its strategic affiliation and might ultimately withdraw from NATO.

More:Is Turkey withdrawing from NATO? - VERDA ÖZER

Turkey’s economic policy-makers: should they stay or should they go? | beyondbrics

Turkey’s economic policy-makers: should they stay or should they go?
Daniel Dombey

| Feb 26 14:57 | Comment | Share

Is it time to quit as central bank governor if the president of your country suggests you could be a foreign agent? The answer to this not necessarily run-of-the-mill question may well help determine Turkey’s economic prospects.

More:Turkey’s economic policy-makers: should they stay or should they go? | beyondbrics

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Turkey’s 'strategic depth' in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey’s 'strategic depth' in Syria

The controversy around Turkish military intrusion into Syria to remove the alleged sanctuary of Suleiman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire continues. The 8,797-square-meter (94,690-square-foot) piece of land that the tomb was constructed on is considered as Turkish national territory according to the Turco-French Treaty of 1921 and the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, the legal basis of the Republic of Turkey, also an international law document of historical importance.

More:Turkey’s 'strategic depth' in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

British Authorities Seek to Pull ISIS 'Travel Guide' Offline

British Authorities Seek to Pull ISIS ‘Travel Guide’ Offline

by John Hayward26 Feb 20151

Scotland Yard is trying to have a fifty-page “how-to” manual published by ISIS for foreign recruits, teaching them how to slip past international authorities and hook up with the jihad in Syria, removed from the Internet. It’s not certain if the manual was read by the three Muslim girls who left their London homes to join the Islamic State, but they are prominently mentioned in the UK Guardian’s story about the Travel Guide of Terror: “On Tuesday, the Metropolitan police said it believed that Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, had entered Syria despite the tearful appeals of their families. The Muslims, who are thought to have been lured by jihadi propaganda, were on half-term break when they flew from Gatwick airport to Turkey, a common entry point to war-torn Syria.”

More:British Authorities Seek to Pull ISIS 'Travel Guide' Offline

Besiktas 1 (1), Liverpool 0 (1) (5-4 Pens): Debacle in Istanbul - The Liverpool Offside

Besiktas 1 (1), Liverpool 0 (1) (5-4 Pens): Debacle in Istanbul

By Nerf

@UncleSalty91 on Feb 26, 2015, 11:05p 35

There was no miracle awaiting Liverpool on their return to the Ataturk Stadium this time. Brendan Rodgers' men arrived in Turkey in relative control of their own fate, but left in shatters thanks to a combination of questionable tactics and inconsequential football.

More:Besiktas 1 (1), Liverpool 0 (1) (5-4 Pens): Debacle in Istanbul - The Liverpool Offside

AA Visiting School Istanbul: Cellular Re-Visions | ArchDaily

AA Visiting School Istanbul: Cellular Re-Visions

26 Feb 2015
by Sponsored Post

AA Istanbul Visiting School is beginning an exciting collaboration with Istanbul Bilgi University in 2015. Continuing its expertise on generative design methodologies and large-scale prototyping techniques, the programme will investigate patterns of emergence, differentiation and complexity in natural formation processes, which will then be transformed into digital simulation platforms for design purposes. In contemporary architectural processes, a significant diversion from linear parametric tools towards generative design simulations is taking place. The design and analysis processes will reflect this shift by focusing on simulations, whereby attention will be focused on the process of design generation as opposed to the final form itself. The design agenda of the programme will revolve around the design and fabrication of a one-to-one scale pavilion.

More:AA Visiting School Istanbul: Cellular Re-Visions | ArchDaily

Member of Turkey’s ruling party boasts of suing 3,000 Twitter users for ‘insulting’ him | National Post

Member of Turkey’s ruling party boasts of suing 3,000 Twitter users for ‘insulting’ him

As Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) tightens its control over the country, it’s using every means at its disposal to silence its many critics, including ordinary citizens.

Ankara mayor and AKP member Melih Gokcek, for instance, boasts of suing 3,000 Twitter users for “insulting” him.

More:Member of Turkey’s ruling party boasts of suing 3,000 Twitter users for ‘insulting’ him | National Post

Fighting IS not a priority for Turkey: US spy chief - Channel NewsAsia

Fighting IS not a priority for Turkey: US spy chief

The Turkish government was more concerned with Kurdish opposition and the country's economy, the director of national intelligence said.

More:Fighting IS not a priority for Turkey: US spy chief - Channel NewsAsia

Opinion: Erdoğan’s Dangerous Power Game

Opinion: Erdoğan’s Dangerous Power Game

According to Western governments, more than 12,000 of their citizens have traveled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in various capacities including frontline fighters. Estimates also show that 8,000 citizens of some 20 other nations have also traveled to ISIS-held territory to lend a helping hand.

More:Opinion: Erdoğan’s Dangerous Power Game

Turkish stand attracts interest at LA tourism show - Daily Sabah

Turkish stand attracts interest at LA tourism show
ANADOLU AGENCY
LOS ANGELES

The International Los Angeles Tourism and Adventure Show, one of the world's most important tourism events, took place in Long Beach with the participation of over 3,000 tourism professionals from around the world. The Turkish Airlines stand and the stand of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office attracted the interest of visitors during the fair. Turkish desert was offered to visitors asking about travel destinations in Turkey.

More:Turkish stand attracts interest at LA tourism show - Daily Sabah

Stop violence against women

Stop violence against women
Publish Date: Feb 26, 2015

By Alex Lawrenced Lubulwa

On the 21st February, 2015, groups of men, demonstrated in different towns in Turkey, dressed in women’s skirts, protesting the brutal murder of a young woman.

More:Stop violence against women

Four Turks to fly to space soon - LOCAL

Four Turks to fly to space soon

Burak Coşan ISTANBUL

An expedition to space is not a dream anymore four lucky Turks, shortlisted for the “pure space experience” trip organized by the SCX company.

More:Four Turks to fly to space soon - LOCAL

Is loneliness the AKP’s or Turkey’s fate?

Is loneliness the AKP’s or Turkey’s fate?

February 26, 2015, Thursday/ 15:17:36/ SELİM SAVAŞ GENÇ

Ankara, which not only implemented reforms and made progress with its bid to join the European Union but also increased its influence in the Middle East in the past, has voluntarily changed its direction.

More:Is loneliness the AKP’s or Turkey’s fate?

A Risky U.S. Proxy Battle Against Islamic State | Stratfor

A Risky U.S. Proxy Battle Against Islamic State
Analysis
February 26, 2015 | 10:09 GMT

The United States and Turkey signed a deal Feb. 19 to train and equip a new force of Syrian rebels as part of a broader plan to develop ground forces in Syria necessary to defeat the Islamic State. The United States worked closely with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to develop the plan and recently included Qatar as a core member of the training program. Initial training camps will be set up in Turkey and Jordan, followed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In the absence of U.S. troops in Syria or a viable partner among the rebels, the United States has decided to create its own ground force. As with all U.S. options in Syria, however, the move carries significant risks.

More:A Risky U.S. Proxy Battle Against Islamic State | Stratfor

An English Kemalist in Anatolia, 1922 - FOLDED CORNER

An English Kemalist in Anatolia, 1922

William Armstrong - william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr

HDN The name Grace Ellison has almost entirely fallen from the historical record. A journalist by profession, Ellison published a series of books on Ottoman and Turkish society that are today little more than historical curios. But as the world commemorates the 100th anniversary of the First World War, Cambridge University Press has decided to reissue her account of a journey from İzmir to Ankara in the aftermath of the conflict, in the midst of Turkey’s War of Independence. Terribly dated, and full of exuberant Turkophilia that borders on propaganda, the book’s shortcomings are precisely what make it a fascinating relic.

More:An English Kemalist in Anatolia, 1922 - FOLDED CORNER

Former police intel chief detained as key figure in Dink murder - CRIME

Former police intel chief detained as key figure in Dink murder

Toygun Atilla ISTANBUL

A high-ranking Turkish police chief has been detained in Ankara as part of the investigation into the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

More:Former police intel chief detained as key figure in Dink murder - CRIME

Turkey's Illusions Hit Realities

Turkey's Illusions Hit Realities

by Burak Bekdil
February 26, 2015 at 4:00 am

Apparently, the Turkish government does not want to confront ISIS.

Instead of taking modest pride in managing to have averted a crisis, the Turkish leadership portrayed the historic tomb's relocation as if Turkish special forces had abducted Syrian President Bashar Assad, rather than rescuing their own besieged soldiers and the roaming tomb of a pre-Ottoman Turkish commander.

More:Turkey's Illusions Hit Realities

Turkey 'won't wait 50 years for EU membership': minister Anadolu Agency

Turkey 'won't wait 50 years for EU membership': minister

26 February 2015 10:57 (Last updated 26 February 2015 10:59)
Turkey's EU minister tells Finnish think tank that the country has already achieved economic development targets

More:Turkey 'won't wait 50 years for EU membership': minister Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s new public order law prompts fist fights - FT.com

Turkey’s new public order law prompts fist fights

Daniel Dombey in Istanbul

Parliamentary disagreement: members of the Republican People’s party (left) and ruling the AK party lawmakers scuffle during a debate on legislation to boost police powers

As Turkey’s parliament prepares to break ahead of June elections, one piece of legislation is dominating the agenda: a bill the government says is vital for public security but which the opposition says could usher in a police state.

More:Turkey’s new public order law prompts fist fights - FT.com

Suicide bomber attacks Turkish embassy vehicle in Afghanistan, kills two - Daily Sabah

Suicide bomber attacks Turkish embassy vehicle in Afghanistan, kills two
DAILY SABAH WITH AGENCIES
KABUL
Published 2 hours ago

A suicide attack hit a Turkish diplomatic vehicle in the embassy quarter of Kabul on Thursday, killing two people, police said.

The blast came shortly after 8:00 am (0330 GMT), not far from the Iranian embassy. Police said the dead included a Turkish national and an Afghan passer-by.

More:Suicide bomber attacks Turkish embassy vehicle in Afghanistan, kills two - Daily Sabah

Turkish tourism calls digital review | Advertising news | Campaign

Turkish tourism calls digital review

By James Swift, campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 26 February 2015 07:45AM Be the first to comment
Turkey's ministry of culture and tourism is looking for an agency to handle its $10 million (£6.5 million) social media and digital account.

More:Turkish tourism calls digital review | Advertising news | Campaign

BOSP Istanbul in full swing as Turkish students return from break | Stanford Daily

BOSP Istanbul in full swing as Turkish students return from break
February 25, 2015 0 Comments

Emma Neiman

The Istanbul Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP) is being offered for the first time this winter in partnership with Koç University, an English-language Turkish university. For the first five weeks of the program, the 16 BOSP participants were some of the only students on campus as most of the Turkish students were away for their winter break.

More:BOSP Istanbul in full swing as Turkish students return from break | Stanford Daily

Ottomans enter Turkish elections race, stoking social media - LOCAL

Ottomans enter Turkish elections race, stoking social media

ISTANBUL

Weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “16 Turkish warriors” hit international headlines, several candidates have launched Ottoman-themed campaigns to be nominated for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

More:Ottomans enter Turkish elections race, stoking social media - LOCAL

When a Kurd becomes nostalgic about past governments - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

When a Kurd becomes nostalgic about past governments

If the “old Turkey” is identified with the period that precedes the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), when the country was governed by mainstream parties on the center-right and center-left of the political spectrum under military-judicial tutelage, then veteran Kurdish politician Hasip Kaplan would be neither a fan of that period nor of those parties.

More:When a Kurd becomes nostalgic about past governments - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Erdogan-and-women - Al-Ahram Weekly

Erdogan and women

Women in Turkey are standing up for their rights after the brutal murder of a rape victim, writes Sayed Abdel-Meguid from Ankara

More:Erdogan-and-women - Al-Ahram Weekly

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

News Codex - Recep Erdogan vision for Turkey undermined by domestic strife

Recep Erdogan vision for Turkey undermined by domestic strife

By Jacob Resneck — Special to The Washington Times - - Wednesday, February 25, 2015

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a vision for a “new Turkey” where he would preside over the country and build a regional military, political and cultural powerhouse from his sprawling new $600 million presidential palace in the capital of Ankara.

More:News Codex - Recep Erdogan vision for Turkey undermined by domestic strife

No justice for Turkish women who kill in self-defense - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

No justice for Turkish women who kill in self-defense

In Turkey, the killing of women has become a major problem. No less than 294 women were killed in 2014, and 60% of them perished at the hands of husbands and boyfriends, according to the We Will Stop Women Homicides Platform.

More:No justice for Turkish women who kill in self-defense - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey: the murder of Aslan Özgecan

Turkey: the murder of Aslan Özgecan
ita eng

Fazıla Mat | Istanbul

25 February 2015
violenza sulle donne

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of a female student in Turkey, women associations come out in anger: "We are not mourning, we are in revolt"

More:Turkey: the murder of Aslan Özgecan

Forced from Damascus, Hamas establishing itself in Turkey | i24news - See beyond

Forced from Damascus, Hamas establishing itself in Turkey

Israel has urged NATO to pressure Turkey into expelling Hamas, which is widely viewed as a terror group

Relations between Israel and Turkey have been on a slippery downward slope in recent years; of late, however, the situation has led to grave consequences beyond the realm of politics: Turkey has become a Hamas hotbed, and members of the organization's military wing are undergoing military training on Turkish soil, with the knowledge, support and assistance of local authorities.

More:Forced from Damascus, Hamas establishing itself in Turkey | i24news - See beyond

Turkish Web Entrepreneurs Boost Luxembourg's Tech Profile | Rhode Island Public Radio

Turkish Web Entrepreneurs Boost Luxembourg's Tech
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The web startup trend has been global for a while, but new countries continue to find their way into the mix. Turkish web entrepreneurs are getting involved. And they're getting attention from at least one tiny Western country trying to increase its high-tech profile. NPR's Peter Kenyon recently went to a startup conference where Turks made their pitches.

More:Turkish Web Entrepreneurs Boost Luxembourg's Tech Profile | Rhode Island Public Radio

News Analysis: Terror threat tops Turkey-Iraq talks agenda - Xinhua | English.news.cn

News Analysis: Terror threat tops Turkey-Iraq talks agenda
English.news.cn 2015-02-26 06:01:55 [More]

ANKARA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi paid a visit to Turkey on Wednesday with a special focus on security situation in Iraq, the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and the refugee crisis.

More:News Analysis: Terror threat tops Turkey-Iraq talks agenda - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Turkish gov't should offer incentives for women entrepreneurs in public spending: TOBB head - BUSINESS

Turkish gov't should offer incentives for women entrepreneurs in public spending: TOBB head

Erdinç Çelikkan ISTANBUL

The government should impose incentives for women entrepreneurs in public spending just as it does for domestic producers, according to the head of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.

More:Turkish gov't should offer incentives for women entrepreneurs in public spending: TOBB head - BUSINESS

Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot? / Sputnik International

Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot?
© AFP 2015/ ADEM ALTAN
Columnists
13:27 25.02.2015(updated 14:07 25.02.2015)
Andrew Korybko
1263100
Turkey’s flirtation with purchasing non-NATO-compatible Chinese missiles to complement its planned air defense system indicates that Ankara may be preparing for a grander non-Western policy pivot in the future.

More:Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot? / Sputnik International

Finland backs Turkey's EU membership Anadolu Agency

Finland backs Turkey's EU membership

25 February 2015 18:53
During his visit to Helsinki, Turkey's EU minister and Finnish FM held a joint press conference

HELSINKI

Finland supports Turkey's integration with the European Union, the Finnish foreign minister said Wednesday in Helsinki.

More:Finland backs Turkey's EU membership Anadolu Agency

From ‘Midnight Express’ to Discovering the Allure of Turkey - NYTimes.com

From ‘Midnight Express’ to Discovering the Allure of Turkey

Many movies inspire visits to a country. Not so “Midnight Express,” adapted by Oliver Stone from Billy Hayes’s memoir recounting his 1970 arrest and imprisonment for attempting to smuggle hashish onto a flight from Istanbul to New York and his escape in 1975.

More:From ‘Midnight Express’ to Discovering the Allure of Turkey - NYTimes.com

Miss Turkey on Trial for Allegedly Insulting President Erdogan - Bloomberg Business

Miss Turkey on Trial for Allegedly Insulting President Erdogan

by Isobel Finkel
10:37 AM EST
February 24, 2015

(Bloomberg) -- A former Miss World contestant is among the latest targets of prosecution for allegedly insulting Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as a crackdown on criticism extends to individuals on social media.

More:Miss Turkey on Trial for Allegedly Insulting President Erdogan - Bloomberg Business

Turkey targets voters with government benefits - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey targets voters with government benefits

One of the major characteristics of Turkish politics is the official policy of distributing social assistance instead of investing strategically to reduce unemployment. Poor segments of society have become dependent upon cash and other assistance, and recipients of it inevitably vote for the ruling party. For the poor citizens, casting a vote once every four years in return for handouts is a good deal. Fear that the assistance will be terminated should another party come to power is a powerful inducement to vote for the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

More:Turkey targets voters with government benefits - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

ANALYSIS: Turkey's new policing law - another blow to democracy? | Middle East Eye

ANALYSIS: Turkey's new policing law - another blow to democracy?
#TurkishPolitics

Amid the massive deadlock in parliament, the new security bill appears to be another sign of the AKP government's draconian measures

More:ANALYSIS: Turkey's new policing law - another blow to democracy? | Middle East Eye

Three İstanbul avenues make Europe’s top 10 for rent hikes in 2014

Three İstanbul avenues make Europe’s top 10 for rent hikes in 2014
İstanbul’s İstiklal, Bağdat and Abdi İpekçi were among the top 10 avenues in Europe for rent increase in 2014.
Three İstanbul avenues make Europe’s top 10 for rent hikes in 2014

According to figure in the annual real estate report by international real estate consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield, İstanbul’s famous İstiklal, Bağdat and Abdi İpekçi avenues have ranked in the top 10 for rent increase in Europe.

More:Three İstanbul avenues make Europe’s top 10 for rent hikes in 2014

Turkey’s New Emerging Market: E-Commerce - Consumer Protection - Turkey

Turkey: Turkey’s New Emerging Market: E-Commerce
Last Updated: 25 February 2015
Article by Pinar Bülent and Eylül Topanoğlu

With the developments in technology and increase in number of internet users, the global e-commerce volume continues to expand rapidly. The steady rise of e-commerce is triggered by changes in consumers' habits and shopping trends. According to data provided by the research company eMarketer, the global B2C (i.e. Business to Consumer) e-commerce volume is expected to reach USD 1.5 trillion in 2015.

More:Turkey’s New Emerging Market: E-Commerce - Consumer Protection - Turkey

Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot? / Sputnik International

Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot?
© AFP 2015/ ADEM ALTAN
Columnists
13:27 25.02.2015(updated 14:07 25.02.2015)
Andrew Korybko
1214100
Turkey’s flirtation with purchasing non-NATO-compatible Chinese missiles to complement its planned air defense system indicates that Ankara may be preparing for a grander non-Western policy pivot in the future.

More:Is Turkey Turning Towards A Full Eurasian Pivot? / Sputnik International

Four crew dead as two Turkish fighter jets crash - Society - Panorama | Armenian news

Four crew dead as two Turkish fighter jets crash

Two Turkish warplanes crashed during a training exercise on Feb. 24 in the central Turkish province of Malatya, killing all four crew, the military said, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Contact was lost with the RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft after they took off from Malatya air base on Feb. 24 evening for planned night training, a statement on the Chief of Staff’s website said.

More:Four crew dead as two Turkish fighter jets crash - Society - Panorama | Armenian news

DEA suggests Thai entrepreneur to join Beauty Eurasia 2015

DEA suggests Thai entrepreneur to join Beauty Eurasia 2015

BANGKOK, 25 February 2015 (NNT) – Thai spa and massage entrepreneurs are advised to join the Beauty Eurasia 2015 event in Istanbul as the Turkish market has shown signs of great potential, reported the DEA on its website.

More:DEA suggests Thai entrepreneur to join Beauty Eurasia 2015

In soldiers' rescue, Turkey plays off warring sides in Syria - Yahoo Maktoob News

In soldiers' rescue, Turkey plays off warring sides in Syria

By Nick Tattersall

ISTANBUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - By extracting dozens of its soldiers surrounded by Islamist fighters in Syria, Turkey has warded off a potential crisis and shown its ability to manoeuvre between rival warring parties, including Islamic State.

More:In soldiers' rescue, Turkey plays off warring sides in Syria - Yahoo Maktoob News

Why Turkish troops entered Syria to reach a medieval tomb | Ames Tribune

Why Turkish troops entered Syria to reach a medieval tomb

By Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Over the weekend, a column of Turkish troops and armored vehicles motored about 20 miles across the border into Syria. In the dead of night, they approached an old mausoleum, held a brief prayer ceremony and removed the site’s historical artifacts and relics. Then, they lowered the Turkish flag that flew over the site and demolished the complex.

More:Why Turkish troops entered Syria to reach a medieval tomb | Ames Tribune

Turkish family success story, one of few in Germany

Turkish family success story, one of few in Germany
By Agence France-Presse, 13 hours ago

By Celine le Prioux

Turkish-born Germans, whose fathers or grandfathers began arriving in Germany 50 years ago, still find it hard to move up the social ladder and success stories are few.

More:Turkish family success story, one of few in Germany

Zeytinoglu: Change the conversation by understanding roots of sexual violence

Zeytinoglu: Change the conversation by understanding roots of sexual violence

Ekin Zeytinoglu, Columnist
February 24, 2015 •

Despite living in one of the world’s most diverse and beautiful cities, I and many other Istanbul teenagers grew up listening to horrendous stories of gender violence. At first, they were distant and about people we did not know. As we grew up, we started learning they weren’t always so far away. Rather, they often happen to people we know and care about, and sometimes we even see them happen. Sadly, hearing and seeing such awful experiences caused us to grow thick skins and feel indifferent at times when we shouldn’t. We intervened when we saw something wrong but did nothing else to change the status quo.

More:The Daily Northwestern : Zeytinoglu: Change the conversation by understanding roots of sexual violence

EU, Qatar and Turkey: Who Could Be Whipping Up Terrorists?

EU, Qatar and Turkey
Who Could Be Whipping Up Terrorists?

by Bassam Tawil
February 25, 2015 at 5:00 am

Al-Jazeera -- in Arabic -- encourages terrorist attacks in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula by the Muslim Brotherhood, and preaches the destruction of Israel, non-stop.

More:EU, Qatar and Turkey: Who Could Be Whipping Up Terrorists?

Turkish central bank cuts interest rates - FT.com

Turkish central bank cuts interest rates

Daniel Dombey in Istanbul

The cuts are in line with demands by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey’s central bank cut interest rates across the board on Tuesday as it sought to reconcile political pressure for lower rates with market concerns about lack of independence.

More:Turkish central bank cuts interest rates - FT.com

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Will the Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Turkey Prevent Violence Against Women? | Aylin Unver Noi

Will the Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Turkey Prevent Violence Against Women?

Since February 11, 2015, Turkey has been shaken by the brutal killing of a 20-year-old university student, Özgecan Aslan, who was allegedly killed after resisting rape. Her death became a rallying cause for activists campaigning to end violence against women in Turkey. Mass demonstrations took place to protest violence against women. Women nationwide have worn black in condemnation of the murder. Not only women but also Turkish men wearing skirts demonstrated in Istanbul to support women's rights in her memory. The slaying of Özgecan revealed the fact that violence against women has increased in recent years in Turkey. Human rights monitor Bianet says 281 women murdered in 2014. The number of murder increased 31 percent in comparison to the previous year. Nine percent of these women had asked for protection from the state. What went wrong and why has violence against women increased in Turkey?

More:Will the Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Turkey Prevent Violence Against Women? | Aylin Unver Noi

Turkey gives loan to Kurdistan Regional Government - Daily Sabah

Turkey gives loan to Kurdistan Regional Government
COMPILED FROM WIRE SERVICES
Published 21 hours ago

Turkey has provided $500 million to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), located in northern Iraq, which does not receive any support from the Iraqi government to pay the wages of state officials. Nechervan Barzani, the prime minister of the KRG, visited Turkey last week and held meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and other ministers.

More:Turkey gives loan to Kurdistan Regional Government - Daily Sabah

In Istanbul, tourists seek their dream moustache

In Istanbul, tourists seek their dream moustache
By Agence France-Presse, 50 minutes ago
SHARE TWEET PIN IT

Already known the world over for its baths, coffee and sweet Turkish delights, Turkey is on the road to adding another item to its roster of specialities: the moustache.

More:In Istanbul, tourists seek their dream moustache

In tomb rescue, Turkey plays off warring Syrian sides - Al Arabiya News

In tomb rescue, Turkey plays off warring Syrian sides

By Reuters | Istanbul
Tuesday, 24 February 2015

By extracting dozens of its soldiers surrounded by Islamist fighters in Syria, Turkey has warded off a potential crisis and shown its ability to maneuver between rival warring parties, including Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

More:In tomb rescue, Turkey plays off warring Syrian sides - Al Arabiya News

Europe and Eurasia: Turkey - EIN News

Europe and Eurasia: Turkey

More information about Turkey is available on the Turkey Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS

U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to 1831, when the United States established diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire. After World War I and the founding of the Turkish Republic, the United States established diplomatic relations with Turkey in 1927. U.S.-Turkey relations advanced further with the Economic and Technical Cooperation agreement signed July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine and its policy “to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”

More:Europe and Eurasia: Turkey - EIN News

Did Turkey Cut a Deal With ISIS to Save Soldiers? - The Daily Beast

Did Turkey Cut a Deal With ISIS to Save Soldiers?

The Turks’ mission to rescue an ancient Ottoman corpse and its guardians near Aleppo was not a step toward war with ISIS, but a step away.

More:Did Turkey Cut a Deal With ISIS to Save Soldiers? - The Daily Beast

Ottoman business empire | The Budapest Times

Ottoman business empire

24. February 2015 - by Ali Serim in Diplomacy

Orbán Viktor; DAVUTOGLU, AhmetTurkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made an official visit to Hungary on Tuesday and Wednesday aimed at strengthening trade, energy and business co-operation. Turkey and Hungary share a long-standing common history. Here’s a look at the relationship of the two countries.

More:Ottoman business empire | The Budapest Times

Turkey’s jailed university students - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey’s jailed university students

The entire world knows it now: being a woman, a worker or a journalist is not an easy business in Turkey. And what about being young? Bowing down to authoritarian fiats is even harder for Turkey's youth. Leading a free and joyous life, pursuing dreams and speaking their minds are not things that young people can enjoy in Turkey today. Rather, they are constantly on alert about what they write and read, and even what they wear. Those who dare to speak their minds are not forgiven, especially if they refuse to be the “pious and vengeful” youth President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imagines.

More:Turkey’s jailed university students - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish military mission becomes media circus - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish military mission becomes media circus

Public relations photos distributed to the press Feb. 22 overshadowed the realities of Turkey’s cross-border military operation. An image showed soldiers hoisting the Turkish flag exactly in the same manner and style as that unforgettable picture at Iwo Jima.

More:Turkish military mission becomes media circus - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Ankara averts pre-election crisis over tomb in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Ankara averts pre-election crisis over tomb in Syria

On the night of Feb. 21, Turkey evacuated the Tomb of Suleiman Shah in Syria, its only territory outside the mainland, and 38 soldiers guarding the shrine.

More:Ankara averts pre-election crisis over tomb in Syria - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey's Culture of Horror

Turkey's Culture of Horror

by Burak Bekdil
February 24, 2015 at 3:00 am

The problem is about the conservative culture in which the Turks take much pride. Child brides and buying brides (mostly in return for gold or cattle), are fine. Killing your daughter because she was raped is from a tradition to protect family honor. Killing your daughter because she fell in love with a boy is also normal. Covering up such horrible crimes is fine, too. But a boy putting on an earring would be unacceptable.

More:Turkey's Culture of Horror

Isbank shares fall 3 percent after gov't seizure claims Anadolu Agency

Isbank shares fall 3 percent after gov't seizure claims

23 February 2015 18:17 (Last updated 23 February 2015 18:24)
A social media whistleblower claims Turkey's banking watchdog will take over one of the financial establishment

More:Isbank shares fall 3 percent after gov't seizure claims Anadolu Agency

Drone does the shopping in Ankara | euronews, world news

Drone does the shopping in Ankara

24/02 10:33 CET

Bored of nipping out to the shops but can’t be bothered to wait for home delivery?

Two Turkish men have found the perfect answer – get a drone to do it for you.

More:Drone does the shopping in Ankara | euronews, world news

Turkey issues terrorism-related arrest warrant for Erdogan rival | EUROPE ONLINE

Turkey issues terrorism-related arrest warrant for Erdogan rival
Europe
24.02.2015
By our dpa-correspondent and Europe Online auf Facebook posten Auf Twitter posten
Istanbul (dpa) - A court has approved an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric who lives in the United States and is a bitter rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of setting up a terrorist organization, CNN Turk reported Tuesday.

More:Turkey issues terrorism-related arrest warrant for Erdogan rival | EUROPE ONLINE

Most honorable outcome of honorable loneliness - ERTUĞRUL ÖZKÖK

Most honorable outcome of honorable loneliness

From the moment our flag was lowered at the Tomb of Süleyman Shah on Sunday, the honorable breakdown of our foreign policy, which has been imposed on us as “honorable loneliness,” is as follows:

More:Most honorable outcome of honorable loneliness - ERTUĞRUL ÖZKÖK

Erdoğan’s giant Istanbul canal back on agenda with a new look - GREEN

Erdoğan’s giant Istanbul canal back on agenda with a new look

Erdinç Çelikkan ANKARA

Kanal Istanbul, one of the planned giant projects in the city’s pipeline pushed by the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be a canal 43 kilometers long and 400 meters wide with six bridges, according to sources.

More:Erdoğan’s giant Istanbul canal back on agenda with a new look - GREEN

Turkish outcry at murder of young woman has been a long time coming | Global development | The Guardian

Turkish outcry at murder of young woman has been a long time coming

The brutal killing of a student has put new focus on the alarming levels of domestic violence and now urgent change is required

More:Turkish outcry at murder of young woman has been a long time coming | Global development | The Guardian

A parallel state within Turkey? How the country's democracy came under attack from two men's rivalry - Telegraph

A parallel state within Turkey? How the country's democracy came under attack from two men's rivalry
They were once allies but since 2013, the feud between exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been steadily escalating

More:A parallel state within Turkey? How the country's democracy came under attack from two men's rivalry - Telegraph

Historic Beyoğlu district to become an educational center - Daily Sabah

Historic Beyoğlu district to become an educational center
DAILY SABAH

Istanbul's historical Beyoğlu district, which has made yet another name for itself thanks to urban transformation projects, has become a center of attraction for educational institutions. In addition to the campuses of Istanbul Technical University and Mimar Sinan University, which have been operating for many years, Bilgi University, Beykent University, Istanbul Commerce University and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University have recently opened campuses in the district. Moreover, it was announced that Haliç University will build a campus over a 35,000 square meters on the Sütlüce coast.

More:Historic Beyoğlu district to become an educational center - Daily Sabah

Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of tomb in Syria not a retreat - SWI swissinfo.ch

Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of t

By Tulay Karadeniz

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's military incursion into Syria to relocate a tomb surrounded by Islamic State militants and evacuate the soldiers guarding it was a temporary move to safeguard their lives and not a retreat, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of tomb in Syria not a retreat - SWI swissinfo.ch

It is not true that nuclear is cheaper - GİLA BENMAYOR

It is not true that nuclear is cheaper

We cannot make our voices heard. The ears of this government do not hear the screams of the citizens of this country.

More:It is not true that nuclear is cheaper - GİLA BENMAYOR

WORLD | Turkey gets first Christian TV station | Julia A. Seymour | Feb. 23, 2015

Turkey gets first Christian TV station
Turkey
By Julia A. Seymour
Posted Feb. 23, 2015, 12:00 p.m.

For the first time, millions of people in Turkey watching government-regulated satellite television will be able to find Christian programming.

More:WORLD | Turkey gets first Christian TV station | Julia A. Seymour | Feb. 23, 2015

Monday, February 23, 2015

Why Turkey Finally Made A Move Against ISIS

Why Turkey Finally Made A Move Against ISIS

WASHINGTON -- Turkey made its boldest move yet against the Islamic State over the weekend.

It wasn't to help the U.S.-led air campaign against the group, something Turkey could do by making its strategic Incirlik Air Base available to American jets. It wasn't, as has been the case for Egypt and Jordan, to avenge an attack by the extremist group on its nationals. And it wasn't to aid the Syrian Kurds of Kobani, who faced an Islamic State assault for months as Turkish tanks stood idle on nearby hilltops.

More:Why Turkey Finally Made A Move Against ISIS

Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of tomb in Syria not a retreat | Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of tomb in Syria not a retreat

By Tulay Karadeniz

ANKARA Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:54pm GMT

(Reuters) - Turkey's military incursion into Syria to relocate a tomb surrounded by Islamic State militants and evacuate the soldiers guarding it was a temporary move to safeguard their lives and not a retreat, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says relocation of tomb in Syria not a retreat | Reuters

International Energy Cooperation and Conflict | The Energy Collective

Germany, Turkey, and Russia: Strange Energy Bedfellows

Posted February 23, 2015
German-Turkish-Russian ‘Energy Security Triangle’: Building Long-term Resilience while Defusing Geopolitical Tensions

More:International Energy Cooperation and Conflict | The Energy Collective

Violence Against Women In Turkey Runs Deeper Than Ozgecan Aslan's Brutal Murder | Bustle

Violence Against Women In Turkey Runs Deeper Than Ozgecan Aslan's Brutal Murder
Erin Zaleski

The attempted rape and brutal murder of Özgecan Aslan in Turkey has led to protests across the country; thousands of outraged citizens have taken to the streets to demand an end to violence against women. Aslan, a 20-year-old student from Turkey’s southern city of Mersin, was riding a minibus home on the afternoon of Feb. 11 when the driver allegedly attacked her.

More:Violence Against Women In Turkey Runs Deeper Than Ozgecan Aslan's Brutal Murder | Bustle

Emma Watson to support skirt-wearing men’s protest in Turkey - Daily Sabah

Emma Watson to support skirt-wearing men’s protest in Turkey
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Published 5 hours ago

Famous actress and U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, who is known for her sensitivity to social events, has published a message of support on her Twitter account for the "#ozgecanicinminietekgiy" (wear skirts for Özgecan) hashtag, which has been organized by Turkish men to wear skirts to protest the brutal murder of Turkish student Özgecan Aslan.

More:Emma Watson to support skirt-wearing men’s protest in Turkey - Daily Sabah

New report looks into Turkey personal protective equipment market is expected to reach USD 1,285.4 million in 2020 - WhaTech

New report looks into Turkey personal protective equipment market is expected to reach USD 1,285.4 million in 2020

This market research study analyzes the personal protective equipment market in Turkey and provides estimates in terms of revenue (USD million) and in terms of volume (million units) from 2014 to 2020. In addition, it also provides average selling price (ASP) of personal protective equipment in Istanbul and rest of Turkey across types and application segments.

More:New report looks into Turkey personal protective equipment market is expected to reach USD 1,285.4 million in 2020 - WhaTech

Snow alleviates Istanbul’s water shortage concern - Daily Sabah

Snow alleviates Istanbul’s water shortage concern
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Last week's heavy snowfall frustrated millions in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, as it dealt a blow to daily life by blocking roads and leading to incessant traffic snarls. Yet there is a silver lining to the week-long ordeal – rising levels of water supplying dams to the city.

More:Snow alleviates Istanbul’s water shortage concern - Daily Sabah

ANKARA, Turkey: With IS threatening, Turkey abandons historic grave in Syria | World | NewsObserver.com

With IS threatening, Turkey abandons historic grave in Syria

By Duygu Guvenc and Roy Gutman

ANKARA, Turkey — After months of siege by Islamic State extremists, Turkey early Sunday sent an armored column into Syria to evacuate troops that had been guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

More:ANKARA, Turkey: With IS threatening, Turkey abandons historic grave in Syria | World | NewsObserver.com

Ozgecan Aslan and Violence Against Women in Turkey - NYTimes.com

Ozgecan Aslan and Violence Against Women in Turkey

Istanbul- Ozgecan Aslan, a 20-year-old college student, was the last person on the minibus traveling across the city of Mersin in southern Turkey on Feb. 11. Instead of taking her home, the driver is accused of veering into the woods and trying to rape her.

More:Ozgecan Aslan and Violence Against Women in Turkey - NYTimes.com

Turkey's Is Bank says activities in line with banking laws - Yahoo Maktoob News

Turkey's Is Bank says activities in line with banking laws

ISTANBUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Turkey's Is Bank said on Monday that its activities were in line with the country's banking laws and dismissed reports that it could face being taken over by its regulator as "incorrect."

More:Turkey's Is Bank says activities in line with banking laws - Yahoo Maktoob News

Analysis: Turkey outlines ambitious wind target | Windpower Monthly

Analysis: Turkey outlines ambitious wind target

23 February 2015 by Heather O’Brian , Be the first to comment
TURKEY: Turkey has laid out a blueprint for growth in wind and other renewable energy sources in its first national renewable energy action plan.

More:Analysis: Turkey outlines ambitious wind target | Windpower Monthly

Cisneros targets telenovelas for DISCOP Istanbul | News | Rapid TV News

Cisneros targets telenovelas for DISCOP Istanbul

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez
| 23 February 2015

Global distributor of Latin entertainment content, Cisneros Media, will use the upcoming DISCOP Istanbul as an opportunity to showcase its latest original programming, including its new super series Ruta 35, La Válvula de Escape and the soap opera Voltea.

More:Cisneros targets telenovelas for DISCOP Istanbul | News | Rapid TV News

Karsan Now in Europe With 'Karsan-Italy' -- ISTANBUL, February 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Karsan Now in Europe With "Karsan-Italy"
ISTANBUL, February 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Torino based Karsan-Italy will engage in the marketing, sales and aftersales activities for Karsan-branded vehicles in Western Europe

Karsan, a prominent Turkish automotive manufacturer specialised in the creation, production and sales of urban and suburban transport vehicles, founded Karsan Italy S.R.L headquartered in Turin, Italy on 12 December 2014. David Siviero, who has senior management experience with international companies in marketing, sales and aftersales services, was appointed as General Manager to head the company. Karsan-Italy initially will provide marketing, sales and aftersales services for Karsan's JEST, ATAK and STAR branded vehicles in the EU.

More:Karsan Now in Europe With 'Karsan-Italy' -- ISTANBUL, February 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Will Turkey go to war? - FATİH ÇEKİRGE

Will Turkey go to war?

To answer this question, first we have to outline these facts: A military operation was conducted to save our troops guarding the Tomb of Süleyman Shah. Turkey took its sons overnight from where they were under siege. By all measures, this is a very appropriate political decision and a successful operation.

More:Will Turkey go to war? - FATİH ÇEKİRGE

Erdoğan’s dominance starts weakening AKP - MURAT YETKİN

Erdoğan’s dominance starts weakening AKP

President Tayyip Erdoğan summoned the cabinet yesterday for yet another meeting on March 9, (the second such meeting), amid the ongoing debate in Turkish politics after he hosted his first one as president on Jan. 19.

More:Erdoğan’s dominance starts weakening AKP - MURAT YETKİN

The AKP’s public relations disaster - SEMİH İDİZ

The AKP’s public relations disaster

The evacuation of the Süleyman Şah tomb, and its relocation a hundred meters from the Turkish border, is a public relations disaster for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.

More:The AKP’s public relations disaster - SEMİH İDİZ

Turkish firms’ investment abroad on the rise; is this good or bad? - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Turkish firms’ investment abroad on the rise; is this good or bad?

In the 1990’s, a foreign country or institution showing interest in Turkey’s southeast was received with suspicion by the state. These were seen as modern “Lawrence of Arabia” initiatives to provoke Kurds in the south of the country.

More:Turkish firms’ investment abroad on the rise; is this good or bad? - BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Alleged Jihadi Terrorist Arrested In Istanbul At Request Of Spanish National Police - Eurasia Review

Alleged Jihadi Terrorist Arrested In Istanbul At Request Of Spanish National Police
February 22, 2015 Eurasia Review Leave a comment

By Eurasia Review

Turkish police this week arrested Mohamed Amine Aissaoui in Istanbul (Turkey) under an International Arrest Warrant issued at the request of the Spanish National Police by the Central Investigation Court number two of the Spanish National High Court.

More:Alleged Jihadi Terrorist Arrested In Istanbul At Request Of Spanish National Police - Eurasia Review

Boomtime for cities across Turkey

Boomtime for cities across Turkey

Economists warn that Turkey faces an economic slowdown with the lira staying stubbornly low for three months now

More:Boomtime for cities across Turkey

Turkey issued diplomatic note to Syria for relocation of historic tomb - DIPLOMACY

Turkey issued diplomatic note to Syria for relocation of historic tomb

Sevil Erkuş - sevil.erkus@hurriyet.com.tr ANKARA

Turkey delivered a diplomatic note to the Syrian consulate in Istanbul to inform Damascus that the Tomb of Süleyman Şah was being temporarily moved to a new site in Syria corresponding to the size of the previous one, to the north of Eşmesi village, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

More:Turkey issued diplomatic note to Syria for relocation of historic tomb - DIPLOMACY

Holy metal: Istanbul cymbals star in Oscar-tipped film - Daily Sabah

Holy metal: Istanbul cymbals star in Oscar-tipped film
HANDAN KAZANCI
ISTANBUL
Published 19 hours ago

Turkey-based cymbal makers are creating instruments that remain true to the Turkish code of handmade products, using nearly 800 years of tradition

More:Holy metal: Istanbul cymbals star in Oscar-tipped film - Daily Sabah

Strong reactions mount against killing of student in İzmir

Strong reactions mount against killing of student in İzmir

Youth organizations, politicians and party leaders have spoken out against the killing of a student during a clash between supporters of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at İzmir-based Ege University on Friday, calling for cooler heads to prevail.

More:Strong reactions mount against killing of student in İzmir

A mutual embrace will protect Turkey and Europe amid extremism - FT.com

A mutual embrace will protect Turkey and Europe amid extremism

Sinan Ulgen

Ankara can help ease islamophobia, but it must establish its own democracy, writes Sinan Ulgen

More:A mutual embrace will protect Turkey and Europe amid extremism - FT.com

Erdogan: Violence against women is Turkey's 'bleeding wound' - The Rakyat Post - The Rakyat Post

Erdogan: Violence against women is Turkey's 'bleeding wound'
Sunday February 22, 2015

Turkey’s president described violence against women as the “bleeding wound” of the country after a woman was stabbed and beaten to death after trying to fight off a man trying to rape her.

More:Erdogan: Violence against women is Turkey's 'bleeding wound' - The Rakyat Post - The Rakyat Post

Al Mazaya JV launches six-tower project in Istanbul

Al Mazaya JV launches six-tower project in Istanbul
KUWAIT, 10 hours, 4 minutes ago

Kuwait-based Al Mazaya Holding has launched a six-tower residential and office project, featuring recreational spaces and a shopping mall in Istanbul, Turkey, a report said.

More:Al Mazaya JV launches six-tower project in Istanbul

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish military enters Syria to evacuate troops, tomb | World | The News Tribune

Turkish military enters Syria to evacuate troops, tomb

By SUZAN FRASER

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish soldiers launched an overnight mission into neighboring Syria, evacuating dozens of besieged troops guarding an Ottoman tomb and moving the crypt Sunday back to Turkey after ceremonially planting the country's crescent-and-star flag.

More:ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish military enters Syria to evacuate troops, tomb | World | The News Tribune

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Tourists in Turkey opt to purchase homes over staying at hotels

Tourists in Turkey opt to purchase homes over staying at hotels

There has been a 15 percent decline in hotel lodging as tourists increasingly purchase homes in Turkey for their vacation needs. Meanwhile the number of tourists from the Middle East has been skyrocketing, most notably from Israel, despite political tensions.

More:Tourists in Turkey opt to purchase homes over staying at hotels

Turkish food chains seek to taste US market

Turkish food chains seek to taste US market
FURKAN DEMİRDÖVEN- ISTANBUL February 21, 2015, Saturday

Not long after a branch of Turkish cafe chain Simit Sarayı opened in New York City, a historic and famous köfte (a traditional meat dish) seller, Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta, has attempted to commence operations in the US, suggesting that growing foreign demand for Turkish food products has attracted local Turkish companies in recent years.

More:Turkish food chains seek to taste US market

BBC News - Turkish troops 'pass through Kobane' in Syria

Turkish troops 'pass through Kobane' in Syria

Turkish troops have reportedly crossed into Syria to relieve the garrison at the mausoleum of Suleyman Shah - a tiny enclave of Turkey where the forefather of the Ottoman empire is buried.

More:BBC News - Turkish troops 'pass through Kobane' in Syria

Healthy outcries in Turkey | Arts & Culture | The News Hub

Healthy outcries in Turkey

Turkey's cultural center Istanbul was home to two recent outbursts of very healthy anger and despair.

More:Healthy outcries in Turkey | Arts & Culture | The News Hub

ARZU KAYA URANLI - Sexual harassment is not a natural disease, it is preventable

Sexual harassment is not a natural disease, it is preventable

I am not sure which is more disturbing: the way Özgecan Aslan lost her life or the social reactions after her devastating death. Since then, many other tragic news stories have surfaced -- the murder of journalist Nuh Köklü, another murder story of domestic violence, a rape story from Ankara, a fight at the Turkish Parliament that left five wounded victims.

More:ARZU KAYA URANLI - Sexual harassment is not a natural disease, it is preventable

A long road to peace for Turkey and the Kurds | The National

A long road to peace for Turkey and the Kurds

Iason Athanasiadis

ISTANBUL // Passers-by stared in disbelief at the image printed on the flags being waved by a 500-strong crowd ringed by riot police against the backdrop of an Ottoman statue inside Istanbul’s Gulhane Park.

More:A long road to peace for Turkey and the Kurds | The National

Scandal surrounding Turkish tomb in Syria growing

Scandal surrounding Turkish tomb in Syria growing

Opposition delegate Tanrıkulu filed a parliamentary inquiry over reports alleging that Turkey sought help from Syrian Kurdish militants to protect army troops stationed in Syria, guarding a historic tomb.

More:Scandal surrounding Turkish tomb in Syria growing

From graft to sexual assaults, Turkey is in a state of moral collapse

From graft to sexual assaults, Turkey is in a state of moral collapse

Last week people all over Turkey were shocked by the brutal murder of 20-year-old Özgecan Aslan by a minibus driver in Mersin province on Feb. 11.

More:From graft to sexual assaults, Turkey is in a state of moral collapse

Fighting for Women’s Rights in Turkey - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

Fighting for Women’s Rights in Turkey

Saturday 21 February 2015, by Mattia Gallo, Selin Cagatay

The attempted rape, murder, and burning of 20-year-old university student Özgecan Aslan on Feb. 11th touched a nerve in a society where male-on-female violence has been a chronic problem. Massive demonstrations throughout Turkey followed soon after, but what will it take to stem the surge in femicide over the last decade or so? Mattia Gallo interviewed Turkish socialist feminist Selin Cagatay about the background to the situation.

More:Fighting for Women’s Rights in Turkey - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

Erdoğan’s careless remarks may harm Turkey’s initiative to develop ties with Latin America

Erdoğan’s careless remarks may harm Turkey’s initiative to develop ties with Latin America

Remarks ineptly made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his recent Latin America tour may have been found distasteful in the countries he visited, risking damage to Turkey's efforts to boost ties with the region.

More:Erdoğan’s careless remarks may harm Turkey’s initiative to develop ties with Latin America

Turkey rolls back secular education - The Japan News

Turkey rolls back secular education

4:00 am, February 21, 2015

The Associated Press ANKARA (AP) — Pastor Ahmet Guvener managed to get his daughter, a Christian, an exemption from mandatory religious classes in her Turkish school. But he soon found that the 17-year-old wasn’t really off the hook.

More:Turkey rolls back secular education - The Japan News

Men post mini skirt selfies under #ozgecanicinminietekgiy following the murder of Turkish student Ozgecan Aslan | Metro News

Men are posting miniskirt selfies following the murder of Turkish student Ozgecan Aslan
Siam Goorwich

Following the horrific rape and murder of 20-year-old student Ozgecan Aslan, men in Azerbaijan have started a selfie-led social media campaign to show their support of women’s rights.

More:Men post mini skirt selfies under #ozgecanicinminietekgiy following the murder of Turkish student Ozgecan Aslan | Metro News

Brzezinski: Turkey will ’pay price’ unless it joins anti-ISIL efforts

Former US national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter has said Turkey will »»

Former US national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter has said Turkey will pay the price if Ankara is unwilling to undertake what is necessary as part of a campaign to tackle the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in the region, claiming that Turkey's "self-interest is involved."

More:Brzezinski: Turkey will ’pay price’ unless it joins anti-ISIL efforts

Turkey's MIT warns IS has infiltrated Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey's MIT warns IS has infiltrated Turkey

According to press reports yesterday [Feb. 19], Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has issued a warning that Islamic State (IS) militants who had to withdraw from Kobani have infiltrated Turkey. Further, IS was preparing for bomb attacks against embassies and consulates in Ankara and Istanbul. About 3,000 militants, including leaders who plan such attacks, are now in Turkey without any surveillance, mostly living in safe houses. If these reports are accurate, it means that we are now facing the possibly the most terrifying consequences of the government’s lunatic Syria policy.

More:Turkey's MIT warns IS has infiltrated Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdoğan’s politics of tension to bring more chaos to Turkey - SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ

Erdoğan’s politics of tension to bring more chaos to Turkey

An Ankara prosecutor launched a probe on Feb. 20, based on two pro-government newspapers’ claims that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Fethullah Gülen community were jointly plotting an assassination of Sümeyye Erdoğan, the daughter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

More:Erdoğan’s politics of tension to bring more chaos to Turkey - SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ

Death of nationalist student stirs politics in Turkey - CRIME

Death of nationalist student stirs politics in Turkey

A student in the western Turkish city of İzmir has been killed during a fight at his university, sparking a political debate in which Turkey's leading nationalist and Kurdish problem-focused parties have been involved.

More:Death of nationalist student stirs politics in Turkey - CRIME

Turkey's ruling AKP rejects parliamentary motion to probe ISIL - POLITICS

Turkey's ruling AKP rejects parliamentary motion to probe ISIL

ANKARA

A parliamentary motion asking for an inquiry into the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) activities inside Turkey has been rejected by the votes from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

More:Turkey's ruling AKP rejects parliamentary motion to probe ISIL - POLITICS

Turkish Singer Kicked Off Reality Show for Sexist Tweet - Hollywood Reporter

Turkish Singer Kicked Off Reality Show for Sexist Tweet

by Nick Holdsworth
2/20/2015 9:52pm PST

A singer has been kicked off the Turkish version of reality show Survivor after suggesting on Twitter that women who wore miniskirts were inviting unwelcome sexual attention from men.

More:Turkish Singer Kicked Off Reality Show for Sexist Tweet - Hollywood Reporter

Friday, February 20, 2015

Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster

With the June 7 general elections four months away, Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is building a comprehensive strategy to end the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) 13-year rule.

More:Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Have AKP's policies caused rise in violence against women? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Have AKP's policies caused rise in violence against women?

The BBC reported on Feb. 17 that her name had been tweeted 4.6 million times. Ozgecan Aslan was not even 20 years old when she fell victim to a brutal murder. She was a college student in the southern town of Mersin in Turkey. While returning home from class on the afternoon of Feb. 11, the minibus driver attempted to rape her. She did as Minister of Family and Social Policies Aysenur Islam had recommended: women and children in distress should “learn to scream.” Aslan screamed, fought and used her pepper spray against her attacker. There are scratch marks on the murderer’s face. He got mad at her for resisting the assault and stabbed her with his knife. According to him, she was not dead when he called for help from his father and a friend, both of whom complied. Things then only get worse. It is not just murder, but the attempt to get rid of the evidence by cutting off Aslan's hands and burning her corpse. Reading the detailed accounts of the murderers, one cannot help but feel deep sorrow, embarrassment, fear and fury.

More:Have AKP's policies caused rise in violence against women? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey's perilous security package - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey's perilous security package

Foul-mouthed quarrels and hassles between government and opposition members of parliament are frequent in Turkey’s parliament, even commonplace. In recent days, however, things have reached an alarming point, with an unprecedented climate of violence descending on parliament.

More:Turkey's perilous security package - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

BBC News - Men in miniskirts campaign for women's rights

Men in miniskirts campaign for women's rights

How did men in miniskirts become a protest meme on social media?

Turkish men aren't known for wearing skirts. But it's expected they will turn out in large numbers in Istanbul later to protest about violence against women in Turkey.

More:BBC News - Men in miniskirts campaign for women's rights

'Gezi doctors' win case against Health Ministry - RIGHTS

'Gezi doctors' win case against Health Ministry

An Ankara court has rejected a lawsuit filed by the Health Ministry against the Turkish Medical Association’s (TTB) Ankara Chamber of Doctors (ATO) for assisting injured protesters during the Gezi Park protests in 2013.

More:'Gezi doctors' win case against Health Ministry - RIGHTS

Turkey, the country where woman come after the oxen - BLIND SPOT

Turkey, the country where woman come after the oxen

BELGİN AKALTAN - belgin.akaltan@hdn.com.tr

This is from Nazım Hikmet’s poem, “Our Women”: “And women, our women, with their magnificent sacred hands… our mothers, lovers, wives, who die without ever having lived and whose place at our table comes after our ox…”

More:Turkey, the country where woman come after the oxen - BLIND SPOT

Uproar Over Plans to Pay Turkish Men ‘Prostitute Allowance' / Sputnik International

Uproar Over Plans to Pay Turkish Men ‘Prostitute Allowance'

18:58 20.02.2015(updated 21:07 20.02.2015)

An attorney in Turkey has caused widespread outrage after suggesting single men should be given a government pension to pay for sex with prostitutes.

More:Uproar Over Plans to Pay Turkish Men ‘Prostitute Allowance' / Sputnik International

Turkish Jews plan a future in Spain - FT.com

Turkish Jews plan a future in Spain

Daniel Dombey in Istanbul
Turkish Jews gather at Etz Ahayim synagogue to commemorate Holocaust remembrance day in Istanbul in 2013

In an Istanbul classroom, six greying students are converting the language of their grandparents into a possible passport out of Turkey.

More:Turkish Jews plan a future in Spain - FT.com

Economical Impacts Of TTIP On The US, EU And Turkey - International Law - Turkey

Turkey: Economical Impacts Of TTIP On The US, EU And Turkey
Last Updated: 20 February 2015
Article by Serap Zuvin and A. Aybala Kurtuldu

From past to present, international trade and investments have continued growing rapidly and connected the countries globally. Many bilateral treaties and/or conventions have been signed by many countries to boost the trade and the investment between the same. Those international treaties, at the same time, provided for a sustainable economic development in the commercial and investment areas by removing the trade and investment barriers among such countries.

More:Economical Impacts Of TTIP On The US, EU And Turkey - International Law - Turkey

Can Istanbul Be Saved from Overdevelopment? · Global Voices

Can Istanbul Be Saved from Overdevelopment?
Posted 20 February 2015 8:45 GMT

An installation exhibited at the Istanbul Design Biennial. It reads ‘Construction, my dear prohpet', satirising the thirst for construction of Turkey's religiously-inclined AKP (Justice) party. Widely shared on Twitter.

In the space of the last decade, Turkey has become a land of construction: highways, strategic bridges, ostentatious hotels and other items are constantly being built throughout the republic in the name of development and economic prosperity. Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, lies at the heart of this frenzied process.

More:Can Istanbul Be Saved from Overdevelopment? · Global Voices

Turkish PM calls for media action on violence against women | Al Bawaba

Turkish PM calls for media action on violence against women

Published February 20th, 2015 - 08:52 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on Turkish local media organizations to mobilize against violence targeting women and children.

More:Turkish PM calls for media action on violence against women | Al Bawaba

Turkish MP Ismet Ucma links rapes to promiscuous soap operas

Turkish MP Ismet Ucma links rapes to promiscuous soap operas

Umberto Bacchi
By Umberto Bacchi
February 20, 2015 15:03 GMT

A Turkish lawmaker within President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party has blamed the tangled love plots of local soap operas for a rise in rape cases.

More:Turkish MP Ismet Ucma links rapes to promiscuous soap operas

Second punch-up in a week between MPs in Turkish parliament - Middle East - World - The Independent

Second punch-up in a week between MPs in Turkish parliament

Politicians fought each other over a controversial new security law
Jon Stone

Friday 20 February 2015

A second mass brawl in a week has broken out in Turkey's parliament as MPs debate a controversial new law.

More:Second punch-up in a week between MPs in Turkish parliament - Middle East - World - The Independent

Different faces of Turkish Islamic nationalism - The Washington Post

Different faces of Turkish Islamic nationalism
By Senem Aslan February 20 at 9:52 AM

On Dec. 17, 2013, Turkish prosecutors started a corruption investigation into the activities of the sons of three ministers of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, businessmen close to the government, and bureaucrats. The corruption allegations later included then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after wiretapped telephone conversations between Erdogan and his son about hiding large sums of cash were leaked on the Internet. The prosecutors were believed to be followers of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic scholar who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

More:Different faces of Turkish Islamic nationalism - The Washington Post

Porous Syria-Turkey Border Poses Challenge in Fight Against Islamic State - WSJ

Porous Syria-Turkey Border Poses Challenge in Fight Against Islamic State
Fighters, Oil and Military Supplies Flow Across Frontier
By
Yaroslav Trofimov

KARKAMIS, Turkey—Officially, Turkey’s border with the Islamic State-run region of Syria is closed to all traffic. That, however, doesn’t stop some two dozen professional smugglers from accosting prospective clients in full view of a lone Turkish soldier, a few yards from the Karkamis border gate.

More:Porous Syria-Turkey Border Poses Challenge in Fight Against Islamic State - WSJ

Snow breaks Istanbul record in Mideast cold snap - Al Arabiya News

Snow breaks Istanbul record in Mideast cold snap

Staff writer, Al Arabiya News
Friday, 20 February 2015

Parts of the Middle East continue to grapple with blizzards as heavy snowfall breaks a chilling new record in Istanbul and a third snowstorm in Lebanon prompted the education minister to order all schools in mountainous areas to shut on Friday and Saturday.

More:Snow breaks Istanbul record in Mideast cold snap - Al Arabiya News

Strictly class warfare - AHU ÖZYURT

Strictly class warfare

College student Özgecan Aslan’a brutal killing in Mersin once again brought the usual discussion to the surface. Columnists, politicians, experts think and limit the scope of the argument to “violence against women.” Yet the real picture is far more complicated than the “men gone mad” cliché.

More:Strictly class warfare - AHU ÖZYURT

We are shocked! - BURAK BEKDİL

We are shocked!

How awful! A psychopath stabs to death a 20-year-old female student because she had resisted his rape attempt. He then chops off her hands and burns her, all while ringing his father and a friend who arrive at the scene to “help” him. The next day, nearly 80 million Turks are shocked! How shocking one of us committed such a monstrous act! How could this happen in the noble land where an overwhelming majority identifies itself as “conservative” and nearly three-fourths say that they fulfil all Quranic commandments?

More:We are shocked! - BURAK BEKDİL

Better remove our veils of ignorance… - YUSUF KANLI

Better remove our veils of ignorance…

A young E.Y. praying for more snowfall wrote in Twitter: “Be colder my Turkey, so that daughters of the nation of Islam learn how to dress” (to cover themselves from top to toe). What and how a woman dresses up should be something that she decides for herself. Can it be the duty of the state, some self-proclaimed religious “doctrine-logues” or an officious young lady who somehow was made to believe that a “decent woman” must cover herself from top to toe?

More:Better remove our veils of ignorance… - YUSUF KANLI

We are shocked! - BURAK BEKDİL

We are shocked!

How awful! A psychopath stabs to death a 20-year-old female student because she had resisted his rape attempt. He then chops off her hands and burns her, all while ringing his father and a friend who arrive at the scene to “help” him. The next day, nearly 80 million Turks are shocked! How shocking one of us committed such a monstrous act! How could this happen in the noble land where an overwhelming majority identifies itself as “conservative” and nearly three-fourths say that they fulfil all Quranic commandments?

More:We are shocked! - BURAK BEKDİL

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Turkey’s European dream

Turkey’s European dream
February 20, 2015
SHARE :
Fe’reeha Idrees
inShare

Is Turkey fast losing its right of freedom of speech? This hypothesis seemed a bit surreal and almost unrealistic in the beginning but proved to be alarmingly true.
Turkey stands tall amongst many Muslim countries offering freedom of religion, and as a modern example of a strong economy which encompasses the beauty of East and West alike.

More:Turkey’s European dream

BBC News - Loud calls to action follow murder of young Turkish woman

Loud calls to action follow murder of young Turkish woman
By Selin Girit BBC News, Istanbul

Turkey has been mourning the murder of a young woman for the last week.

Ozgecan Aslan, a 20-year-old psychology student, was stabbed in a minibus while resisting a rape attempt on her way home.

More:BBC News - Loud calls to action follow murder of young Turkish woman

GMF: Visa-free travel, win-win for Turkey, EU - Daily Sabah

GMF: Visa-free travel, win-win for Turkey, EU
MERVE AYDOĞAN @mgulaydogan
ANKARA

The visa liberalization for Turkish people, which began between Turkey and the European Union in efforts to provide an opportunity for the integration of populations by signing the Re-admission Agreement in Ankara on Dec. 16, 2013, would benefit the EU, according to experts from one of the world's most prominent think tanks, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). The agreement, which was ratified on Oct. 14, is "likely to enhance tourism, which, in turn will contribute to the growth of local economies," according to the analysis published by Kemal Kirişci and Sinan Ekim.

More:GMF: Visa-free travel, win-win for Turkey, EU - Daily Sabah

Turkish women changing names to escape violence from men - LOCAL

Turkish women changing names to escape violence from men

ANKARA
With the police and the Family Ministry weighing up steps to take in the fight against violence against women, 125 victims have changed their names to escape further attacks. Figures also reveal a recent jump in violence

More:Turkish women changing names to escape violence from men - LOCAL

Turkey Linking Major Arms Purchase To Armenian Genocide Recognition | EurasiaNet.org

Turkey Linking Major Arms Purchase To Armenian Genocide Recognition
February 19, 2015 - 2:57pm, by Joshua Kucera

Turkey is reportedly linking its purchase a multi billion-dollar air-defense system to whether the bidder countries recognize the Armenian genocide.

More:Turkey Linking Major Arms Purchase To Armenian Genocide Recognition | EurasiaNet.org

Jailed police chief says PKK held talks with British intelligence beyond Turkey’s knowledge

Jailed police chief says PKK held talks with British intelligence beyond Turkey’s knowledge

Former İstanbul Counterterrorism Unit Police Chief Yurt Atayün, who was arrested in July of last year as part of a government-backed operation against the police force, said in an interview with a daily on Friday that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held secret meetings with officials from the British intelligence agency ahead of the 2010 Oslo meetings between some senior PKK operatives and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) officials aimed at resolving Turkey's Kurdish problem.

More:Jailed police chief says PKK held talks with British intelligence beyond Turkey’s knowledge

Turkey’s Kurdish rebels: A dramatic change | The Economist

A dramatic change
The role of Turkey’s main Kurdish guerrilla party is shifting remarkably
Feb 21st 2015 | QANDIL MOUNTAINS
Ocalan turns Swiss

“THE new PKK is quite different from the old PKK,” says Cemal Bayik, a co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party who heads the movement at its guerrilla headquarters in the rugged, snow-covered Qandil mountains where the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey converge. He dismisses its doctrinaire Marxist-Leninist past, and now says, “We reject class dictatorship and we reject dictatorship of the party.” Much more meaningfully, according to Mr Bayik the PKK now strenuously denies it wants a separate state in south-eastern Turkey, where Kurds predominate.

More:Turkey’s Kurdish rebels: A dramatic change | The Economist

Heavy snowfall, blizzard in Istanbul affect street animals negatively - CİHAN

Heavy snowfall, blizzard in Istanbul affect street animals negatively
ISTANBUL - 19.02.2015 11:49:48
Video

Street animal has negatively affected as heavy snowfall wreaking havoc in Turkey’s economic hub and most populated metropolitan city of Istanbul.

More:Heavy snowfall, blizzard in Istanbul affect street animals negatively - CİHAN

Istanbul snowfall breaks 28-year record - LOCAL

Istanbul snowfall breaks 28-year record

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

The heavy snowfall that has been paralyzing Istanbul over the past three days has broken a 28-year record in the city, according to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

More:Istanbul snowfall breaks 28-year record - LOCAL

Greece: Syriza declares war at home on Greece's "'oligarchs' who control the economy

International attention on Greece since the Syriza party took over has focused on the leftist government's fight against austerity.

But Panagiotis Nikoloudis (65), a supreme court prosecutor and specialist on economic crime, is leading another battle declared by Syriza: one on the home front, against some of the wealthy businessmen who dominate Greek political and economic life.

Speaking to parliament last week, Nikoloudis denounced an elite that included a "handful of families
who think that the state and public service exists to service their own interests."

"Such businessmen influence politicians and state officials abuse their control of the media to unfairly win state
contracts, change regulations to their advantage or escape prosecution for illegal conduct," he said.

As a non-political outsider with a clean record, Nikoloudis is a popular appointment among Greeks who
believe corruption is deeply embedded in society.

He has a reputation for action, and says the financial intelligence unit, which he led until now, developed a system of audits that identified over 20,000 people whose assets do not match their tax declarations.

Read more: Syriza declares war at home on Greece's 'oligarchs' - Independent.ie

Intelligence: ISIL could hit embassies in Turkey - INTERNATIONAL

Intelligence: ISIL could hit embassies in Turkey

Fevzi Kızılkoyun ANKARA

The Turkish intelligence agency has issued a warning for the police and gendarmerie about Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) members who have retreated from Kobane in northern Syria and crossed into Turkey.

More:Intelligence: ISIL could hit embassies in Turkey - INTERNATIONAL

Wiretaps Reveal Turkey’s Involvement in Kessab Attacks - Armenian News By MassisPost

Wiretaps Reveal Turkey’s Involvement in Kessab Attacks
By MassisPost
Updated: February 19, 2015

Fehim Tastekin
Al-Monitor.com

Media reports based on eyewitness and opposition sources saying that Turkey has become a party to the civil war in Syria have found their way into court proceedings. During the trial of the Islamic State (IS) militants who attacked Turkish security forces at Nigde last year, court files revealed that Turkey, beyond supplying opposition forces with weapons and ammunition, had also given artillery support to the opposition groups that captured Kessab. The prosecutor obtained striking admissions by tapping the defendants’ phones. According to documents obtained by Ahmet Sik of Cumhuriyet, the wiretapping transcripts reveal that the opposition forces at Kessab informed people in Turkey of the coordinates of Syrian army positions around Kessab, after which Turkish forces shelled those locations.

More:Wiretaps Reveal Turkey’s Involvement in Kessab Attacks - Armenian News By MassisPost