Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Erdogan is in danger of overreaching with foreign interventions | Financial Times

Erdogan is in danger of overreaching with foreign interventions

The Turkish president would be mistaken to leap into a brewing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

More:Erdogan is in danger of overreaching with foreign interventions | Financial Times

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Covid-19: Turkey cracks down on doctors who doubt official figures | The BMJ

Covid-19: Turkey cracks down on doctors who doubt official figures

Doctors in Turkey who post information about local covid-19 cases on social media are facing harassment and criminal charges from authorities anxious to hide the extent of the pandemic’s spread in the country, the Turkish Medical Association has said.

More:Covid-19: Turkey cracks down on doctors who doubt official figures | The BMJ

How Turkey’s ‘zombie’ companies keep afloat

How Turkey’s ‘zombie’ companies keep afloat

A number of big companies that would have normally gone bust amid Turkey’s economic turmoil are surviving thanks to government favors.

More:How Turkey’s ‘zombie’ companies keep afloat

Monday, September 28, 2020

Turkish lira skids to new lows as Caucasus clashes weigh | Reuters

Turkish lira skids to new lows as Caucasus clashes weigh
By Daren Butler, Nevzat Devranoglu

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The lira skidded to record lows against the dollar, euro and pound on Monday amid concern that Turkey could get more involved in a fast-escalating conflict in the Caucasus, despite last week’s surprise rate hike meant to support the currency.

More:Turkish lira skids to new lows as Caucasus clashes weigh | Reuters

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Turkey's government steps up measures to protect women from domestic violence | Daily Sabah

Turkey's government steps up measures to protect women from domestic violence
BY DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL TURKEY SEP 27, 2020 2:59 PM GMT+3

A woman holding a placard reading "We don't want to die" during a protest of the murder of Pınar Gültekin, the latest victim of femicide, in Kayseri, central Turkey, July 25, 2020. (AA Photo)
The brutal killings of women at the hands of their spouses in Turkey, which raised a public outcry in recent years, prompted the government to boost measures to stop domestic violence. The Sabah newspaper reported on Saturday that women will be provided police protection even if they do not press criminal charges against their assailants for fear of reprisal.

MoreŞTurkey's government steps up measures to protect women from domestic violence | Daily Sabah

Saturday, September 26, 2020

‘This isn't a colony!’ Ankara snaps at Washington over risk that US pharma might exit Turkey if it fails to repay $2.3bn debt - Editorials 360

‘THIS ISN’T A COLONY!’ ANKARA SNAPS AT WASHINGTON OVER RISK THAT US PHARMA MIGHT EXIT TURKEY IF IT FAILS TO REPAY $2.3BN DEBT
SEPTEMBER 26, 2020ADMIN

‘This isn’t a colony!’ Ankara snaps at Washington over risk that US pharma might exit Turkey if it fails to repay $2.3bn debt

US Ambassador David Satterfield is treating Turkey like a colony, Ankara’s well being minister Fahrettin Koca stated, commenting on the escalating row over the skyrocketing debt Turkey owes to American drug firms.

More:‘This isn't a colony!’ Ankara snaps at Washington over risk that US pharma might exit Turkey if it fails to repay $2.3bn debt - Editorials 360

Friday, September 25, 2020

Turkey orders dozens of arrests including opposition mayor | Turkey | Al Jazeera

Turkey orders dozens of arrests including opposition mayor

Warrants relate to 2014 protests in Turkey sparked by the seizure of mainly Kurdish Syrian town of Kobane by ISIL.

More:Turkey orders dozens of arrests including opposition mayor | Turkey | Al Jazeera

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Turkey yields to markets, raises interest rates as lira tanks

Turkey yields to markets, raises interest rates as lira tanks

The central bank hikes its benchmark rate for the first time since 2018, hoping to curb double-digit inflation and a currency that is plumbing record lows.

More:Turkey yields to markets, raises interest rates as lira tanks

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Turkey considers new restrictions as infections rise

Turkey considers new restrictions as infections rise

New COVID-19 cases and death rates in Turkey have returned to levels not seen since May, prompting officials to consider tighter restrictions following a partial reopening of public schools.

More:Turkey considers new restrictions as infections rise

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Neither Biden nor Trump bodes well for Turkey - Mehr News Agency

Neither Biden nor Trump bodes well for Turkey

TEHRAN, Sep. 22 (MNA) – Faruk Logoglu says Biden has been consistently anti-Turkish throughout his political career and Trump doesn't see Turkey as an ally, so it is up to Turkey to review its outlook and policy toward the US.

Due to the US position in the economic, political, security, and military spheres, the country has taken many unilateral steps in the international arena in recent decades, which has led to the formation of a trend in its foreign and economic policy.

More:Neither Biden nor Trump bodes well for Turkey - Mehr News Agency

Virus fears hit stocks, FX; Turkey's lira slides for the 7th day | Financial Post

Virus fears hit stocks, FX; Turkey's lira slides for the 7th day

Medha Singh
Publishing date:Sep 21, 2020  •  Last Updated 23 hours ago  •  2 minute read
Article content
Most developing world stocks and currencies fell on Monday as a rise in domestic COVID-19 cases and fears over another lockdown in Europe hit risk appetite, with the Turkish lira plumbing new lows as focus turned to a central bank meeting this week.

More:Virus fears hit stocks, FX; Turkey's lira slides for the 7th day | Financial Post

Saturday, September 19, 2020

OPINION | The EU's Munich Moment | Vocal Europe

OPINION | The EU’s Munich Moment

Inside Europe Robert Ellis

History has an unfortunate habit of repeating itself, and this could happen when the EU’s European Council meets on 24 – 25 September. The Council meeting, which was called by President Charles Michel in August, will in particular discuss relations with Turkey and the standoff in the Eastern Mediterranean.

More:OPINION | The EU's Munich Moment | Vocal Europe

Friday, September 18, 2020

How Turkey’s former central bankers would dodge a crisis | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM

How Turkey’s former central bankers would dodge a crisis
Kalamazoo, MI, USA / WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM
Syndicated Content
Sep 17, 2020 8:53 AM

By Nevzat Devranoglu and Jonathan Spicer

ANKARA (Reuters) - Veterans of Turkey's central bank have some advice for today's policymakers, who are on the frontlines of Ankara's unorthodox battle against a record-low lira and the economic impact of coronavirus: raise interest rates now and get back to basics.

More:How Turkey’s former central bankers would dodge a crisis | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM

Analysing the Effects of Turkey’s Social Media Regulation Bill - JURIST - Commentary - Legal News & Commentary

Analysing the Effects of Turkey’s Social Media Regulation Bill
Akshita Tiwary
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 11:30:52 PM
Edited by: Khushali Mahajan | Rajiv Gandhi National U. of Law, IN

On July 29th, 2020, the Parliament of Turkey passed a controversial bill to regulate content posted on social media platforms, which will come into effect on October 1st, 2020. The bill is expected to have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression within the country. Several human rights groups are viewing it as a political tactic to curb criticism against government functionaries within the country, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The passing of the bill is a concerning development, especially amidst the pandemic when social media platforms exist as one of the few alternatives through which people can assess and denounce wrongful government actions.

More:Analysing the Effects of Turkey’s Social Media Regulation Bill - JURIST - Commentary - Legal News & Commentary

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Turkey’s Two-State Proposal Riles Divided Cyprus Before Vote

Turkey’s Two-State Proposal Riles Divided Cyprus Before Vote
By Selcan Hacaoglu and Firat Kozok
September 17, 2020, 8:10 AM EDT

Turkey on Thursday explicitly floated the concept of a two-state solution for divided Cyprus, a proposal sure to alarm the Mediterranean island’s internationally recognized administration and hobble a proposal to resume reunification talks.

More:Turkey’s Two-State Proposal Riles Divided Cyprus Before Vote

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Erdogan Is Turning Turkey Into a Chinese Client State

Erdogan Is Turning Turkey Into a Chinese Client State

With few friends left in the West, Ankara is counting on Beijing for help.

More:Erdogan Is Turning Turkey Into a Chinese Client State

Turkey’s arrest of lawyers draws international criticism | WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM | The Voice of Branch County

Turkey’s arrest of lawyers draws international criticism
Coldwater, MI, USA / WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM | The Voice of Branch County
Syndicated Content
Sep 15, 2020 6:14 AM

By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish and international lawyers' groups have voiced concern over the arrest of dozens of lawyers, saying they had been doing their job when representing clients accused of links to the network Turkey blames for an attempted coup in 2016.

More:Turkey’s arrest of lawyers draws international criticism | WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM | The Voice of Branch County

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

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Turkey's smart game: keeping the EU divided

Turkey's smart game: keeping the EU divided

By MALIK AZMANI

BRUSSELS, TODAY, 07:05
After a little over a year in Brussels as an MEP, and closely following the EU's foreign affairs, it astonishes me how ineffective the European Union leverages its power on the world stage.

At this very moment, a mid-sized power named Turkey is punching above its weight by interfering in multiple conflicts in the Mediterranean region in a bid to defend its geopolitical interests and we are letting it happen right under our noses.

More:Turkey's smart game: keeping the EU divided

New homes, highways boost flood risk on Turkey's northern coast

New homes, highways boost flood risk on Turkey's northern coast
by Jennifer Hattam | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 15 September 2020 03:00 GMT

Two recent deadly floods have sparked fresh warnings about unchecked development in the country's Black Sea region

More:New homes, highways boost flood risk on Turkey's northern coast

Monday, September 14, 2020

Why Erdogan wants to turn Istanbul into an island - Big Think

Why Erdogan wants to turn Istanbul into an island

'Kanal Istanbul' would create a second Bosporus – and immortalise its creator

More:Why Erdogan wants to turn Istanbul into an island - Big Think

Turkish ship at centre of row with Greece returns to coast - BBC News

Turkish ship at centre of row with Greece returns to coast

A Turkish research ship at the centre of a row with Greece over oil and gas exploration in a disputed area of the Eastern Mediterranean has returned to waters near southern Turkey.
Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the move as a "positive first step".
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the move did not mean Turkey was "giving up on our rights there".
Tensions flared when Ankara sent the research ship to survey an area claimed by Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

More:Turkish ship at centre of row with Greece returns to coast - BBC News

In Turkey, Weak Lira Powers Fresh Gold Rush - WSJ

In Turkey, Weak Lira Powers Fresh Gold Rush

Turkish households bought record volumes of gold this summer—and safe-boxes to keep it at home

More:In Turkey, Weak Lira Powers Fresh Gold Rush - WSJ

Sunday, September 13, 2020

bne IntelliNews - Moody’s hits Turkey with downgrade to all-time lowest rating in unscheduled move

Moody’s hits Turkey with downgrade to all-time lowest rating in unscheduled move

Turkey's Moody's grade is at its lowest level since the country received its first rating from the agency at the beginning of the 1990s. (Chart by @e507)
By Akin Nazli in Belgrade September 12, 2020
Moody's Investors Service has downgraded its rating on Turkey by one notch to B2, taking it to five notches below investment grade, while maintaining the Negative outlook, the rating agency said on September 11 in an unscheduled rating action.

More:bne IntelliNews - Moody’s hits Turkey with downgrade to all-time lowest rating in unscheduled move

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Istanbul limits size of weddings, parties as virus spreads

Istanbul limits size of weddings, parties as virus spreads
September 12, 2020
1:12 pm
Associated Press
NATIONAL NEWS FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISTANBUL (AP) — The governor of Istanbul has banned boating companies from hosting weddings and similar gatherings as part of new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Turkey’s most populous city.

More:Istanbul limits size of weddings, parties as virus spreads

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

What is at stake in the eastern Mediterranean crisis? | Financial Times

What is at stake in the eastern Mediterranean crisis?
Competition over gas and regional rivalries fuel stand-off between Turkey and neighbours

Competition over gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean has combined with bitter regional rivalries to fuel dangerous tensions between Turkey and its neighbours in recent months.

More:What is at stake in the eastern Mediterranean crisis? | Financial Times

Erdogan thinks big - Turkey’s strongman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, takes to the world stage | Europe | The Economist

Turkey’s strongman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, takes to the world stage
He is posing as the voice of Muslims everywhere and of the global South

Europe
Sep 8th 2020
ISTANBUL

PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN likes to cut to the chase. Others may think the multilateral dispute over territorial waters, continental shelves and hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has brought Turkey close to war with Greece, is complicated. For Turkey’s leader, however, it is simply an “example of modern colonialism” by European countries, as he put it in a speech on September 1st. “The era of those who for centuries have left no region unexploited from Africa to South America, no community unmassacred and no human being unoppressed is coming to an end,” he added.

More:Erdogan thinks big - Turkey’s strongman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, takes to the world stage | Europe | The Economist

GE Renewable Energy Brings Two More Wind Farms to Life in Turkey

Renewable Energy Brings Two More Wind Farms to Life in Turkey

GE Renewable Energy announced that it has completed the installation and commissioning of the 53 MW Kirazli and 32 MW Meryem wind farms in Turkey. These two wind farms are part of a bigger order made a year ago with Turkerler and RT Enerjito supply five wind farms. In total, the five onshore wind farms at Kirazli, Meryem, Sile, Pamukova and Mahmut Sevket feature forty-nine of GE’s 3 MW onshore wind turbines, with a total capacity of 158 MW will provide renewable energy to the region, powering the equivalent of 183,000 homes.

More:GE Renewable Energy Brings Two More Wind Farms to Life in Turkey

Why Mediterranean tensions may not benefit Erdogan at home

Why Mediterranean tensions may not benefit Erdogan at home

An equitable resolution to the crisis with Greece and France would be great for Turkey, but even that may not help the Turkish president’s approval ratings.

More:Why Mediterranean tensions may not benefit Erdogan at home

Tuesday, September 08, 2020

Turkey: Strict new measures announced to fight virus – Middle East Monitor

Turkey: Strict new measures announced to fight virus
September 7, 2020 at 9:21 pm | Published in: Coronavirus, Europe & Russia, News, Turkey

Turkey on Monday announced strict new measures to fight the novel coronavirus, as the daily infection numbers in the country recently crossed 1,000 and beyond, reports Anadolu Agency.

“In all provinces, no standing passengers in public transportation will be allowed,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after an over four-hour Cabinet meeting at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

More:Turkey: Strict new measures announced to fight virus – Middle East Monitor

Friday, September 04, 2020

Turkey’s push to win over the Maghreb: The gateway to Africa

Turkey’s push to win over the Maghreb: The gateway to Africa
By Frida Dahmani, Larissa Samba
Posted on Friday, 4 September 2020 18:22

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left and Tunisian President Kais Saied, inspect a military honour guard at the airport, in Tunis, Tunisia, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2019. (Slim Abid/Tunisian Presidency via AP)
For several years, the Turks have been working to strengthen their ties with Algiers, Tunis and Rabat. This strategy is all the more crucial since Recep Tayyip Erdogan has engaged his country on several fronts in the region.

More:Turkey’s push to win over the Maghreb: The gateway to Africa

Exclusive: How a pro-Trump Black group became an off-the-books Turkish lobbying campaign | Salon.com

Exclusive: How a pro-Trump Black group became an off-the-books Turkish lobbying campaign
A Salon investigation reveals a strange tale of Black Trump surrogates who tried to leverage Turkish billions

ROGER SOLLENBERGER - KATHLEEN O'NEILL
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 10:00AM (UTC)
This article is the first in a two-part series.

In 2018, officials with a controversial pro-Trump nonprofit called the Urban Revitalization Coalition (URC) — which recently lost its tax-exempt charity status and made headlines earlier this year with suspicious cash giveaways to Black voters — facilitated an off-the-books foreign influence campaign on behalf of powerful people in Turkey, according to social media posts and people familiar with the organization.

More:Exclusive: How a pro-Trump Black group became an off-the-books Turkish lobbying campaign | Salon.com

Thursday, September 03, 2020

Erdogan’s Love for Ottoman Empire Should Worry The World | Time

Why Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Love Affair with the Ottoman Empire Should Worry The World

At the end of August, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the Islamic New Year with aplomb. Fresh off his conversion of the monumental Haghia Sophia to a mosque, he converted another former Byzantine church, the fourth-century Chora church, one of Istanbul’s oldest Byzantine structures. The day after that he announced the largest ever natural gas depository in the Black Sea. This followed another recent discovery of natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. Both of these areas are hotly contested zones of international competition between the powers around these seas.

More:Erdogan’s Love for Ottoman Empire Should Worry The World | Time

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

Turkish Inflation Pendulum Swings Higher With Lira at Record Low

Turkish Inflation Pendulum Swings Higher With Lira at Record Low

Cagan Koc

The lira’s latest downswing is taking a toll on Turkey’s inflation outlook.

The emerging world’s worst performer against the dollar last month, Turkey’s currency has fallen victim to a campaign of stimulus that’s consisted of steep interest-rate cuts alongside a surge in fiscal spending and a government-sponsored credit push.

More:Turkish Inflation Pendulum Swings Higher With Lira at Record Low

Turkey braces for a perfect economic storm - Asia Times

Turkey braces for a perfect economic storm

Turkey's monetary policy is fixated on defending the value of the lira no matter how myopic the measures

More:Turkey braces for a perfect economic storm - Asia Times

Tuesday, September 01, 2020

Erdogan Calls for Stricter Laws on Turkish Lawyers Accused of Terrorism Links - The New York Times

Erdogan Calls for Stricter Laws on Turkish Lawyers Accused of Terrorism Links
By Reuters
Sept. 1, 2020, 8:12 a.m. ET

ANKARA — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on Tuesday for the suspension of lawyers accused of links to terrorism, following protests over the death of a hunger-striking lawyer last week.

More:Erdogan Calls for Stricter Laws on Turkish Lawyers Accused of Terrorism Links - The New York Times

Turkey Announces Arrest of a Major Islamic State Militant - The New York Times

Turkey Announces Arrest of a Major Islamic State Militant

The country’s interior minister said Mahmut Ozden, described as a top Islamic State figure in Turkey, had been planning attacks and kidnappings.

More:Turkey Announces Arrest of a Major Islamic State Militant - The New York Times

Mikis Theodorakis issues urgent plea for Greek-Turkish understanding - ΤΑ ΝΕΑ

Mikis Theodorakis issues urgent plea for Greek-Turkish understanding

You will say Erdogan is in power today. Certainly, Turkey has changed. What will not change unto the ages is that Turkey is our neighbour and will always be.

More:Mikis Theodorakis issues urgent plea for Greek-Turkish understanding - ΤΑ ΝΕΑ