Friday, July 31, 2020

Serdar Denktash announces run against Akinci in October election - Cyprus Mail

Serdar Denktash announces run against Akinci in October election
By Evie AndreouJuly 31, 2020113

Serdar Denktash has announced he will be running as candidate in the elections in October for a new Turkish Cypriot leader.

Denktash, former head of the Democratic Party (DP) in the north, will run as an independent.

More:Serdar Denktash announces run against Akinci in October election - Cyprus Mail

Erdogan Enlists Hagia Sophia and Hasankeyf in Turkey's Culture War | Foreign Affairs

The Mosque, the Dam, and Erdogan’s Widening Culture War
The Linked Fates of Two Cultural Heritage Sites in Turkey
By Nick Danforth
July 31, 2020

Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Turkish Presidential Press Office / Reuters
In recent weeks, the Turkish government has courted international condemnation for its handling of the country’s unique cultural heritage. In early July, rising waters from a new dam flooded the archaeological site of Hasankeyf, leading The New York Times to declare that the ancient valley had been “lost to ‘progress.’” Then, soon after, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia—the ancient church turned mosque turned museum—would be changed back into a mosque. Critics have fretted about what this will mean for the building’s ornate Byzantine mosaics, highlighting the growing material toll of Erdogan’s religious and authoritarian policies.

More:Erdogan Enlists Hagia Sophia and Hasankeyf in Turkey's Culture War | Foreign Affairs

New law on Turkish bar associations : Damaging judicial impartiality - Qantara.de

New law on Turkish bar associations

Damaging judicial impartiality
While the government claims the new lawyers' act will be more pluralistic and democratic, lawyers believe it will harm the right to free trial and split them down political lines. By Ayşe Karabat

More:New law on Turkish bar associations : Damaging judicial impartiality - Qantara.de

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Muddying the waters - Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for now | Europe | The Economist

Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for now
But a dispute over drilling rights is far from settled

On patmos, a small Greek island popular with jet-setters, flags flew at half-mast on July 24th. Church bells tolled every hour in protest against Turkey’s transformation of the Hagia Sophia, in Byzantine times the grandest cathedral in Christendom, from museum to mosque. That was not the islanders’ only concern. Coastguards, together with almost all the Greek navy and air force, were placed on high alert after Turkey announced on July 21st that the Oruc Reis, a drilling ship, would carry out ten days of exploration for oil and gas in a disputed area of the south Aegean.

More:Muddying the waters - Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for now | Europe | The Economist

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Turkish lira hits record low against the euro amid selling, sanctions risk

Turkish lira falls to a fresh record low against the euro amid investor selling, sanctions risk
PUBLISHED TUE, JUL 28 202012:02 PM EDT
Natasha Turak

The lira was briefly trading at a record low of 8.1733 to the euro just after 10 a.m. London time on Tuesday. The euro, which is also at its strongest level against the dollar in almost two years, has gained about 22% on the lira year-to-date.

More:Turkish lira hits record low against the euro amid selling, sanctions risk

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Turkey considers ‘draconian’ social media legislation | South Carolina Public Radio

Turkey considers ‘draconian’ social media legislation
By LYDIA EMMANOUILIDOU • 1 HOUR AGO

Turkey’s Parliament on Tuesday began debating legislation that would give the government more control over foreign social media companies operating in the country.

More:Turkey considers ‘draconian’ social media legislation | South Carolina Public Radio

Violence against women: Femicide on the rise in Turkey - Qantara.de

Femicide on the rise in Turkey

The recent murder of Turkish student Pinar Gültekin by her ex-boyfriend has sparked outrage in Turkey. Women's rights activists are calling for the government to tackle the widespread problem of femicide in the country, but their calls are being met with silence from the government and in some cases even tear gas and rubber bullets by police. By Daniel Bellut

More:Violence against women: Femicide on the rise in Turkey - Qantara.de

Monday, July 27, 2020

A curtain on history

A curtain on history

Had Turkey been a member of the EU, its President couldn’t just have told the world that it was all about the ‘sovereignty’ of Turkey.

More:A curtain on history

Turkish lira drops towards record low against euro | Financial Times

Turkish lira drops towards record low against euro

Investors’ unease over monetary policy contrasts with optimism on EU economic plans

More:Turkish lira drops towards record low against euro | Financial Times

How Erdoğan and Orbán pulled off the modern coup | Shout Out UK

How Erdoğan and Orbán pulled off the modern coup
Democracy has been subverted in plain view by those purporting to act in its name
by Oliver Walsh 27/07/2020

On March 30, 2020 Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz allies in the Hungarian parliament used coronavirus as a pretext to push through a law that suspended elections, criminalised free speech and gave the prime minister the authority to rule by decree indefinitely. Hearing echoes of twentieth-century European coups, many decried the ‘end of democracy’ and the establishment of a dictatorship.

More:How Erdoğan and Orbán pulled off the modern coup | Shout Out UK

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Opinion | The Next Global Flash Point - The New York Times

The Next Global Flash Point

In the Eastern Mediterranean, the West has retreated. That leaves Turkey and Russia to fill the vacuum.

More:Opinion | The Next Global Flash Point - The New York Times

What Remains Of Turkey's Democracy? - Analysis - Eurasia Review

What Remains Of Turkey’s Democracy? – Analysis
July 25, 2020 Neville Teller 0 Comments
By Neville Teller

Once a shining example to the world of a national liberation movement brought to  vibrant, democratic reality, Turkey has been reduced in the last two decades to a near-dictatorship, with well over 100,000 political and media opponents to the government languishing in prison, hundreds of thousands of websites and social media platforms banned, and strict censorship imposed on those media outlets still permitted to operate.

More:What Remains Of Turkey's Democracy? - Analysis - Eurasia Review

Friday, July 24, 2020

Turkey′s long history of femicides | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 24.07.2020

Turkey's long history of femicides

The recent murder of Turkish student Pinar Gültekin by her ex-boyfriend has sparked outrage in Turkey. Womens' rights activists are calling for the government to tackle the widespread problem of femicide in the country.

More:Turkey′s long history of femicides | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 24.07.2020

Libyan civil war: Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya? - Qantara.de

Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya?

Relations between France and Turkey reached an historic low in June after Turkish ships allegedly targeted a French warship in the Mediterranean, resulting in France suspending its role in Operation Sea Guardian while accusing Turkey of violating an arms embargo against Libya. By Stasa Salacanin

More:Libyan civil war: Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya? - Qantara.de

Turkey Retreats From Modernity - WSJ

Turkey Retreats From Modernity
Hagia Sophia is a mosque again, and Atatürk’s secular experiment is over.
By Charlotte Allen
July 23, 2020 7:07 pm ET

This Friday marks the end of Turkey’s experiment with secular modernity. That’s when regular Islamic religious services begin at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. The 1,500-year-old structure had served as a museum and symbol of Turkish tolerance until President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decreed the change earlier this month.

More:Turkey Retreats From Modernity - WSJ

bne IntelliNews - Turkey’s policy rate held again as central bank weighs risk of inflation overshooting

Turkey’s policy rate held again as central bank weighs risk of inflation overshooting

Will it be a case of "Hold on tight" for Turkey's central bank from here on in?
By bne IntelIiNews July 23, 2020
Turkey’s central bank held its policy rate steady at 8.25% for a second consecutive month on July 23, meeting the widely-held market expectation. It said that there was a risk of inflation overshooting its year-end projection.

More:bne IntelliNews - Turkey’s policy rate held again as central bank weighs risk of inflation overshooting

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Next Rate Move for Turkey May Be Up But It’s Set to Hold for Now

Next Turkey Rate Move May Be Up But It’s Set to Hold for Now
Cagan Koc

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey’s first interest-rate hike since 2018 may be in play later this year but economists are unanimously predicting the central bank will extend its current pause on Thursday.

More:Next Rate Move for Turkey May Be Up But It’s Set to Hold for Now

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Turkey court halts five-day broadcast ban on opposition channel TELE1 | Middle East Eye

Turkey court halts five-day broadcast ban on opposition channel TELE1

Administrative court in Ankara says Turkish media watchdog's ban breached press freedoms and citizens' rights

More:Turkey court halts five-day broadcast ban on opposition channel TELE1 | Middle East Eye

Monday, July 20, 2020

Google doodle celebrates female Turkish astrophysicist Dilhan Eryurt | Space

Google doodle celebrates female Turkish astrophysicist Dilhan Eryurt
By Meghan Bartels 10 hours ago

It's the 51st anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Google Doodle program is celebrating by commemorating the scientific legacy of Turkish astrophysicist Dilhan Eryurt.

More:Google doodle celebrates female Turkish astrophysicist Dilhan Eryurt | Space

US court upholds Turkish banker's conviction in Iran case - StarTribune.com

US court upholds Turkish banker's conviction in Iran case
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press JULY 20, 2020 — 11:35AM

NEW YORK — A Turkish banker was properly convicted of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions in a case that strained relations with Turkey, a federal appeals panel said Monday.

The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan concluded that Mehmet Hakan Atilla received a fair trial after he was arrested in 2017 during a business trip to the United States.

more:US court upholds Turkish banker's conviction in Iran case - StarTribune.com

Libyan civil war: Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya? - Qantara.de

Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya?

Relations between France and Turkey reached an historic low in June after Turkish ships allegedly targeted a French warship in the Mediterranean, resulting in France suspending its role in Operation Sea Guardian while accusing Turkey of violating an arms embargo against Libya. By Stasa Salacanin

More:Libyan civil war: Turkey versus France – a game of one-upmanship in Libya? - Qantara.de

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Brazil's Bolsonaro says coronavirus restrictions kill economy - by Carolina Mandl, Leonardo Benassatto

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that lockdown
measures used to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus “kill” and
have “suffocated” the country’s economy. 



Read more at: Brazil's Bolsonaro says coronavirus restrictions kill economy - Reuters

Abandoning secularism in Turkey | Palatinate Online

Abandoning secularism in Turkey

By Kathryn Ellison

The recent decision by the Turkish Council of State to convert the Hagia Sophia back into a Mosque has led to outcry from global Christian organisations and increased tension between the Turkish and Russian governments. While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s support for the decision is clearly based on a desire to appeal to the Islamic fundamentalism of the country’s religious right, it demonstrates how increasing cultural nationalism could potentially threaten ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Libya as well as Turkey’s image on the international stage.

More:Abandoning secularism in Turkey | Palatinate Online

Friday, July 17, 2020

Lives Lost: A Doctor Dubbed Turkey's Medical 'Robin Hood' - The New York Times

Lives Lost: A Doctor Dubbed Turkey's Medical 'Robin Hood'
By The Associated Press
July 17, 2020
Updated 10:56 a.m. ET

ANKARA, Turkey — Dr. Murat Dilmener sometimes bent hospital rules in Istanbul to ensure patients without health insurance got the treatment they needed. He frequently saw poor Turks for free at his private clinic and persuaded more affluent ones to sponsor medical student scholarships.

More:Lives Lost: A Doctor Dubbed Turkey's Medical 'Robin Hood' - The New York Times

CHP applies to Constitutional Court over multiple bar law - Turkey News

CHP applies to Constitutional Court over multiple bar law
ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) applied to the Constitutional Court on July 16 to annul a controversial law known as the “multiple bar” amendment that now permits Turkey’s bar associations to split into smaller groups.

More:CHP applies to Constitutional Court over multiple bar law - Turkey News

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Hagia Sophia will open outside prayer time: Turkey

Hagia Sophia will open outside prayer time: Turkey

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Hagia Sophia could open to visitors outside prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious officials said on Tuesday, after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque.

More:Hagia Sophia will open outside prayer time: Turkey

Monday, July 13, 2020

Erdogan Is Erasing Ataturk’s Stamp On Turkey - BNN Bloomberg

Erdogan Is Erasing Ataturk’s Stamp On Turkey
Bobby Ghosh, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Under normal circumstances, the most important news out of Turkey last weekend would have been a new law that, critics say, represents a blow to the country’s already weakened judicial system. But you might have missed it for the furor over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to convert the famed Hagia Sophia museum, one of the world’s top tourist destinations, into a mosque.

More:Erdogan Is Erasing Ataturk’s Stamp On Turkey - BNN Bloomberg

Turkish current account data shows superficial recovery | Foreign Brief

Turkish current account data shows superficial recovery
In Daily BriefJuly 13, 2020William O'Neil

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The Central Bank of Turkey is expected to announce today that the country ran a $4 billion current account (CA) deficit in May, a decrease from a $5.1 billion deficit in April.

Reduced domestic consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the falling value of the lira is responsible for May’s reduced CA deficit, making Turkish exports relatively cheaper for foreigners and imports from the EU, collectively Turkey’s largest trading partner, significantly more expensive.

More:Turkish current account data shows superficial recovery | Foreign Brief

Turkey approves zoning for Qatari royal family land along Istanbul canal - report | Ahval

Turkey approves zoning for Qatari royal family land along Istanbul canal - report

The Turkish authorities have issued zoning plans for the land purchased by the Qatari royal family along the route of Kanal Istanbul, a shipping canal project designed to bypass Istanbul’s Bosporus waterway, Sözcü newspaper reported on Monday. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, mother of Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, purchased, through a company established in Turkey, 4.4 hectares (10.8 acres) of land, which was registered as farmland, in Istanbul's Arnavutköy district in December 2019.

More:Turkey approves zoning for Qatari royal family land along Istanbul canal - report | Ahval

Brussels Edition: Tested by Turkey - Bloomberg

Brussels Edition: Tested by Turkey
By John Ainger and Jonathan Stearns
July 13, 2020, 1:12 AM EDT

Tensions with Turkey will dominate today's first in-person meeting of EU foreign ministers since the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Strains within the EU itself are possible as it gropes for a strategy to address Turkish challenges ranging from energy drilling off Cyprus to involvement in the Syrian and Libyan civil wars. The latest irritant is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plan to reconvert the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to a mosque. EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell sent conciliatory signals last week after a visit to Turkey, telling the European Parliament ''what we're trying to do is avoid any kind of confrontation.'' The question these days is not only whether Ankara agrees, but also whether EU national capitals do too.

More:Brussels Edition: Tested by Turkey - Bloomberg

Turkey’s fertility rate is now below the replacement rate » MercatorNet

Turkey’s fertility rate is now below the replacement rate
Making it more like Europe than the Middle East

by Marcus Roberts

Turkey is a young country with a quickly growing population. Nearly a quarter of Turkey’s 84 million people are children, below the age of 15, while less than 9 per cent are elderly (over the age of 65). Turkey’s population is also a quickly growing one: in the last fifty years it has nearly trebled in size.

More:Turkey’s fertility rate is now below the replacement rate » MercatorNet

Outbreak treats Turkish women harsher than men, study shows - Turkey News

Outbreak treats Turkish women harsher than men, study shows

Sixty-six percent of women feel tired due to the coronavirus outbreak, while this rate was 47 percent for men, according to the results of a survey conducted by independent market research company Ipsos.

More:Outbreak treats Turkish women harsher than men, study shows - Turkey News

Good News for Freedom: Turkish Youth Don’t Believe in Erdogan | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Good News for Freedom: Turkish Youth Don’t Believe in Erdogan
by Burak Bekdil

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not lost a single election, including municipal elections and referenda, since his AKP (Justice and Development) party came to power in November 2002. This is ostensibly a flawless performance for a politician. But Erdogan wants more than just win one election after another. In 2012, he declared his political mission to be “raising devout generations.” That is a far more ambitious mission than just winning at the ballot box.

More:Good News for Freedom: Turkish Youth Don’t Believe in Erdogan | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Sunday, July 12, 2020

US Economy: Coronavirus’s Spread Broadens Across U.S.

New coronavirus infections topped 15,000 in Florida, the largest one-day increase in any state since the start of the pandemic, while more than half U.S. states—including some that avoided a significant surge in the spring—were reporting steady climbs in new cases.

The number of daily infections in the U.S. surpassed 60,000 for a third consecutive day on Saturday, after reaching a record of more than 66,000 ases the previous day, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed.

Read more: Coronavirus’s Spread Broadens Across U.S. - WSJ

Turkey revokes experience requirement for central bank deputy governor | Financial Post

Turkey revokes experience requirement for central bank deputy governor

ISTANBUL — Turkey has revoked a requirement that central bank deputy governors have 10 years prior experience and dropped a rule that banks set aside 20% of annual profit, the official gazette showed on Sunday.

More:Turkey revokes experience requirement for central bank deputy governor | Financial Post

Erdogan’s Big Gamble on the Hagia Sophia - The Globalist

Erdogan’s Big Gamble on the Hagia Sophia

Turkey’s president, desperate to boost his popularity at home, further damages his country’s international standing.

More:Erdogan’s Big Gamble on the Hagia Sophia - The Globalist

Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law - GulfToday

Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law
19 hours ago

Turkey's parliament passed a law on Saturday on changing the structure of bar associations, a move that lawyers argue will further undermine judicial independence in a country where they say the judiciary is already in disarray.

More:Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law - GulfToday

Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law - GulfToday

Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law
19 hours ago

Turkey's parliament passed a law on Saturday on changing the structure of bar associations, a move that lawyers argue will further undermine judicial independence in a country where they say the judiciary is already in disarray.

More:Turkish parliament passes disputed bar associations law - GulfToday

Erdogan's controversial presidential system - a balance sheet News

Erdogan's controversial presidential system - a balance sheet

The Reform of the Turkish system of government was preceded by a months-long mud battle between supporters and opponents. The government argued that with the new System decisions "could be faster, more effective and stable" to be like - in addition, red tape would be reduced. The Opposition was represented, in turn, is of the opinion that this step would lead to a "One-man rule. Some critics even saw in the new system of government, a nail in the coffin of Turkish democracy.

More:Erdogan's controversial presidential system - a balance sheet News

Friday, July 10, 2020

Converting the Hagia Sophia - Turkey’s president is playing religious politics | Europe | The Economist

Turkey’s president is playing religious politics
He wants to turn Justinian’s cathedral from museum back to mosque

It was born as a church, one of the icons of the Byzantine world, before being converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks and into a museum by their secular-minded successors. But now it would be transformed again. Workers squeezed a bland wooden minbar into a corner of the nave and a mihrab into a nearby portico, drew panels and screens to obscure the dazzling 13th-century Christian frescoes looking down from the vaults and the dome, and unfurled a red carpet over the marble floor. A muezzin summoned the faithful to prayers. The Hagia Sophia was now a mosque.

More:Converting the Hagia Sophia - Turkey’s president is playing religious politics | Europe | The Economist

Erdogan to Make Hagia Sophia a Mosque Again, But Will It Help Him? - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Erdogan to Make Hagia Sophia a Mosque Again, But Will It Help Him?
Soner Cagaptay

July 10, 2020

Turkey’s president seems focused on cementing his legacy and boosting his popularity with voters, but the move is more likely to damage the country’s international brand.

More:Erdogan to Make Hagia Sophia a Mosque Again, But Will It Help Him? - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Political transition on the Bosphorus?: Turkey's "woke" Generation Z haunts President Erdogan - Qantara.de

Turkey's "woke" Generation Z haunts President Erdogan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to win over the millions of young Turks who will soon be of voting age. Yet many of the country's youth are in rebellious mood and openly reject him and his policies. By Sinem Ozdemir and Daniel Derya Bellut

More:Political transition on the Bosphorus?: Turkey's "woke" Generation Z haunts President Erdogan - Qantara.de

Ancient relics get swallowed up in Turkey's push to go green - StarTribune.com

Ancient relics get swallowed up in Turkey's push to go green

Turkey's government has forged ahead with hydroelectricity, but archaeologists say program swallowed national treasures.

More:Ancient relics get swallowed up in Turkey's push to go green - StarTribune.com

Thursday, July 09, 2020

Turkey needs a serious fight against inflation | Financial Times

Turkey needs a serious fight against inflation

Micromanagement tools and restrictions on capital mobility are not the answer

More:Turkey needs a serious fight against inflation | Financial Times

A way forward for the United States and Turkey

A way forward for the United States and Turkey

Turkish-US relations, while fraught with tension, must also align with a mutual interest in stability in the Middle East and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

More:A way forward for the United States and Turkey

US to start Cyprus military training, defying Turkey

US to start Cyprus military training, defying Turkey
AFP•July 8, 2020

Turkish troops parade in July 2019 in the northern part of Nicosia in Cyprus, where the United States plans to start military training of the Republic of Cyprus forces (AFP Photo/Birol BEBEK)
More
Washington (AFP) - The United States said Wednesday it plans to conduct military training with Cyprus for the first time, defying NATO ally Turkey, which warned of destabilization.

More:US to start Cyprus military training, defying Turkey

Turkey’s Erdogan Is a Man Without a Plan in Libya

Erdogan Is Libya’s Man Without a Plan

Turkey is standing in the wreckage of a foreign-policy adventure with no discernable strategy.

More:Turkey’s Erdogan Is a Man Without a Plan in Libya

Wednesday, July 08, 2020

Britain extends lifeline to Turkish tourism by lifting quarantine rule

Britain extends lifeline to Turkish tourism by lifting quarantine rule

Turkey hopes visitors from the United Kingdom will help offset the deep losses its coronavirus-hit tourism industry is expected to suffer this summer season and is pushing the European Union to reconsider its "safe list" that excluded the Mediterranean destination.

More:Britain extends lifeline to Turkish tourism by lifting quarantine rule

USA: What 1.1 million foreign students contribute to the U.S. economy

The Trump administration said on Monday that foreign universitystudents will have to leave the country if their classes are all taught
online - clouding the future of tens of thousands of enrollees and
potentially straining budgets at schools struggling to reopen during the
coronavirus pandemic.

Read more at:
What 1.1 million foreign students contribute to the U.S. economy - Reuters

Turkish Textiles, Apparel Sector Struggles in Wake of COVID-19 – WWD

Turkish Textile Sector Struggles in Wake of Pandemic

The industry is expected to contract by 20 percent this year as the sector battles with overseas brands about order payments.

More:Turkish Textiles, Apparel Sector Struggles in Wake of COVID-19 – WWD

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

Turkey vows to retaliate if EU imposes new sanctions - Chinadaily.com.cn

Turkey vows to retaliate if EU imposes new sanctions
Xinhua | Updated: 2020-07-07 10:19

ANKARA - Turkey on Monday vowed to retaliate the European Union if the bloc decides to impose new sanctions on Turkey due to disagreement over the Eastern Mediterranean.

More:Turkey vows to retaliate if EU imposes new sanctions - Chinadaily.com.cn

Sunday, July 05, 2020

Turkey′s Erdogan fears Generation Z | News | DW | 05.07.2020

Turkey's Erdogan fears Generation Z

Millions of young Turks will soon be of voting age and President Erdogan wants to win them over. Yet many of the country's youth feel rebellious and openly reject him.

More:Turkey′s Erdogan fears Generation Z | News | DW | 05.07.2020

Friday, July 03, 2020

‘A de-facto civilian coup is happening in Turkey:’ Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu

‘A de-facto civilian coup is happening in Turkey:’ Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu

Leader of CHP party addresses a number of pressing issues in interview with the Independent Turkish
Kilicdaroglu wants newly formed political parties to join forces with the opposition Nation Alliance

More:‘A de-facto civilian coup is happening in Turkey:’ Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu

Inflation Going the Wrong Way for Turkey After Rate Cuts Paused - Bloomberg

Inflation Going the Wrong Way for Turkey After Rate Cuts Paused
By Cagan Koc
July 2, 2020, 12:47 PM EDT Updated on July 3, 2020, 3:14 AM EDT

A pickup in Turkey’s inflation is becoming hard to ignore even for a central bank that spent almost an entire year cutting interest rates.

Faster cost increases for food and energy kept inflation accelerating for a second month in June. Consumer prices rose an annual 12.6% after a gain of 11.4% in May, more than the median of 12% in a Bloomberg survey of 22 analysts.

More:Inflation Going the Wrong Way for Turkey After Rate Cuts Paused - Bloomberg

Undoing Atatürk: What Erdoğan Gains in Turning Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque Again

Undoing Atatürk: What Erdoğan Gains in Turning Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque Again
"You say to us: 'Please don't turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque.' Do you mean Turkey should bow to your will?"

Hagia Sophia is the symbol of Istanbul and Turkey’s most popular tourist attraction. Every year, millions of visitors take in its gigantic brick dome and elaborate frescoes, which have earned the building UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site status.

More:Undoing Atatürk: What Erdoğan Gains in Turning Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque Again

Thursday, July 02, 2020

Hagia Sophia: Turkey delays decision on turning site into mosque - BBC News

Hagia Sophia: Turkey delays decision on turning site into mosque
2 July 2020

The Hagia Sophia has huge significance as a religious and as a political symbol
A Turkish court has delayed a decision on whether the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul can be converted into a mosque.

The Council of State - Turkey's highest administrative body - said it would make a ruling within 15 days, after a hearing lasting just 17 minutes.

More:Hagia Sophia: Turkey delays decision on turning site into mosque - BBC News