Sunday, October 31, 2021

Biden tells Erdogan US and Turkey must avoid crises | Miami Herald

Biden tells Erdogan US and Turkey must avoid crises BY ZEKE MILLER AND JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS OCTOBER 31, 2021 8:07 AM President Joe Biden told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that their countries must better manage disagreements after the partnership between NATO allies was tested by Turkey's threat to no longer recognize the U.S. envoy and its purchase of a Russian missile defense system. More:Biden tells Erdogan US and Turkey must avoid crises | Miami Herald

Friday, October 29, 2021

Turkey’s interest rate cuts can stabilise lira, central bank governor says | Financial Times

Turkey’s interest rate cuts can stabilise lira, central bank governor says Economists dismiss claim that reductions will help to tame inflation More:Turkey’s interest rate cuts can stabilise lira, central bank governor says | Financial Times

Erdogan Leads Turkey Deeper Into Political and Economic Crisis

Erdogan Leads Turkey Deeper Into Political and Economic Crisis Bobby Ghosh (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Who can protect the Turkish economy from the maneuvers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan? His threat to expel 10 Western ambassadors may have been withdrawn, but not before the lira took another severe shellacking. More:Erdogan Leads Turkey Deeper Into Political and Economic Crisis

As the lira tanks, so does the stock of Turkey’s president | The Economist

As the lira tanks, so does the stock of Turkey’s president But it is too soon to write off Recep Tayyip Erdogan Oct 28th 2021 ISTANBUL Agood dust-up with one Western ally or another is something that Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, always relishes. On October 23rd he took on ten of them at the same time, announcing that he had ordered the American, French, German, Dutch, Canadian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, and New Zealand ambassadors to be declared personae non gratae, a prelude to having them kicked out of the country. More:As the lira tanks, so does the stock of Turkey’s president | The Economist

Atatürk cultural centre reopens in boost to Istanbul’s arts scene | Turkey | The Guardian

Atatürk cultural centre reopens in boost to Istanbul’s arts scene State-of-the-art complex retains style of the old building and includes theatre, library and art galleries More:Atatürk cultural centre reopens in boost to Istanbul’s arts scene | Turkey | The Guardian

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Erdogan says Turkey signed $3.2 bln green climate fund deal | Reuters

Erdogan says Turkey signed $3.2 bln green climate fund deal Reuters ISTANBUL, Oct 27 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey had signed a memorandum of understanding under which it will receive loans worth $3.2 billion to help it meet clean energy goals set out in the Paris climate accord. More:Erdogan says Turkey signed $3.2 bln green climate fund deal | Reuters

Erdogan, Biden to discuss Turkey's F-35 ouster in Glasgow

Erdogan, Biden to discuss Turkey's F-35 ouster in Glasgow ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he expects to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a climate summit in Glasgow, during which he would take up Turkey’s ouster from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program. More:Erdogan, Biden to discuss Turkey's F-35 ouster in Glasgow

Latest Erdogan spat leaves ‘bitter aftertaste’ in US-Turkey relations | Financial Times

Latest Erdogan spat leaves ‘bitter aftertaste’ in US-Turkey relations Tense backdrop as Ankara seeks fighter jets from Washington instead of turning to Moscow More:Latest Erdogan spat leaves ‘bitter aftertaste’ in US-Turkey relations | Financial Times

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

There Was Once a Dream That Was the Turkish Republic - War on the Rocks

THERE WAS ONCE A DREAM THAT WAS THE TURKISH REPUBLIC SELIM KORUOCTOBER 25, 2021 COMMENTARY Elections in Turkey are scheduled for June 2023, the centenary of the Republic. It’s a nice symbolic year, and the government of president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has quite the show planned for its voters: an indigenous electric car, a sleek new fighter jet, a nuclear power plant, and the launch of Turkey’s first space mission. Erdoğan is also going ahead with his “crazy project” to dig a whole new waterway through Istanbul. He is proud of the economic growth the country has clocked in during the pandemic, and is determined to see Turkey into the world’s top 10 economies in his lifetime. More:There Was Once a Dream That Was the Turkish Republic - War on the Rocks

Monday, October 25, 2021

Erdogan backs down in row with 10 western ambassadors | Financial Times

Erdogan backs down in row with 10 western ambassadors Pressure eases on lira after Turkey president retreats over envoys’ expulsion threat More:Erdogan backs down in row with 10 western ambassadors | Financial Times

Erdogan aims to ′boost Turkish growth′ with lira depreciation | Business | Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 25.10.2021

Erdogan aims to 'boost Turkish growth' with lira depreciation The lira extended its fall into record-low territory after the Turkish president had pushed the central bank to cut interests rates to boost lending and growth. But the drawbacks are dire, say economist Erdal Yalcin. More:Erdogan aims to ′boost Turkish growth′ with lira depreciation | Business | Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 25.10.2021

Lira and geopolitical tensions

Lira and geopolitical tensions ANALYSIS | 10/25/2021 5:27:53 AM GMT Geopolitical tension The Turkish lira has taken a beating after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that ambassadors from ten western countries, including the United States, France, and Germany, are no longer welcome in Turkey after these nations demanded the release of a well-known businessman, Osman Kavala. In 2016, Osman Kavala allegedly assisted in a failed coup attempt against Erdogan's government. Kavala has denied any ties to Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric based in the United States who is believed to be the mastermind behind the attempted takeover. President Tayyip Erdogan has taken offence to the request by Western countries as he deems that they are contesting Turkey’s independence and its judicial system. More:Lira and geopolitical tensions

Friday, October 22, 2021

Turkey's Erdogan threatens ambassadors over calls for Osman Kavala's release | Euronews

Turkey's Erdogan threatens ambassadors over calls for Osman Kavala's release COMMENTS By Euronews with AP, AFP  •  Updated: 21/10/2021 - 20:33 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has slammed ten ambassadors over their call for the release of a jailed philanthropist. Erdoğan said that their demands were "irresponsible" and threatened to expel them from Turkey, according to national media. More:Turkey's Erdogan threatens ambassadors over calls for Osman Kavala's release | Euronews

Turkish lira continues to slide after interest rate cut

Turkish lira continues to slide after interest rate cut Oct. 22, 2021 Updated: Oct. 22, 2021 7:45 a.m. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish lira continued to slide and reached a record low against the U.S. dollar Friday, a day after the Central Bank sharply cut interest rates. It was another hit after a global financial watchdog placed Turkey on a list of countries to monitor for money laundering and terrorism financing. More:Turkish lira continues to slide after interest rate cut

Freedom of the press in Turkey: Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens the media thumbscrews - Qantara.de

Freedom of the press in Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens the media thumbscrews Critics are in for a rough ride: in future, opposition media in Turkey that receives funding from abroad will have to disclose all sources of income. Journalists' associations fear a further attack on press freedoms. By Hilal Koylu More:Freedom of the press in Turkey: Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightens the media thumbscrews - Qantara.de

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Turkey faces threat of ‘grey-listing’ by global finance watchdog | Financial Times

Turkey faces threat of ‘grey-listing’ by global finance watchdog FATF move would further dent country’s ability to attract crucial foreign capital More:Turkey faces threat of ‘grey-listing’ by global finance watchdog | Financial Times

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Top European court says Turkey should change law on insulting president | Reuters

Top European court says Turkey should change law on insulting president By Ali Kucukgocmen ISTANBUL, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Europe's top human rights court called on Turkey on Tuesday to change a law regarding insulting the president under which tens of thousands have been prosecuted, after ruling that a man's detention under the law violated his freedom of expression. More:Top European court says Turkey should change law on insulting president | Reuters

How Erdogan’s Unorthodox Views Rattle Turkish Markets - The Washington Post

How Erdogan’s Unorthodox Views Rattle Turkish Markets By Onur Ant and Lynn Thomasson | Bloomberg Today at 1:35 a.m. EDT Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doesn’t like it when the country’s banks charge people relatively heavily to borrow money. That alone doesn’t make him unusual for a politician, given that cheap money can garner electoral support. What makes Erdogan extraordinary is his unorthodox argument for low interest rates and his determination to bring them about by wresting control of monetary policy from theoretically independent central bankers. More:How Erdogan’s Unorthodox Views Rattle Turkish Markets - The Washington Post

Turkey cenbank likely to do 'irrational' 100-pt rate cut -SocGen | Reuters

Turkey cenbank likely to do 'irrational' 100-pt rate cut -SocGen ISTANBUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Turkey's central bank would likely cut its key rate by another 100 basis points on Thursday, after surprising markets with an equal easing last month, pushing the lira to a record low 9.8 versus the dollar by year end, Societe Generale said on Tuesday. More:Turkey cenbank likely to do 'irrational' 100-pt rate cut -SocGen | Reuters

German pharmaceutical giant plans to invest Turkey – Middle East Monitor

German pharmaceutical giant plans to invest Turkey October 18, 2021 at 3:50 pm The head of the German Turkish Chamber of Industry and Commerce said that German pharmaceutical giant plans to make investments in Turkey and establish a joint venture with the prominent Turkish pharmaceutical player, Anadolu News Agency reports. More:German pharmaceutical giant plans to invest Turkey – Middle East Monitor

Strong earthquake strikes off Turkish Mediterranean coast | International | bgdailynews.com

Strong earthquake strikes off Turkish Mediterranean coast Turkey's disaster management agency says a strong earthquake has struck off the Turkish Mediterranean coast More:Strong earthquake strikes off Turkish Mediterranean coast | International | bgdailynews.com

Turkish business association calls for central bank independence | Financial Times

Turkish business association calls for central bank independence Rare and thinly veiled critique of Erdogan’s economic policies comes as inflation rises and lira hits new lows More:Turkish business association calls for central bank independence | Financial Times

Turkey’s youth dodging vaccination calls despite rise in virus cases - Turkey News

Turkey’s youth dodging vaccination calls despite rise in virus cases ISTANBUL Despite a recent spike in COVID-19 infections Turkey’s young people are still dodging calls from officials and experts to get the coronavirus vaccine. More:Turkey’s youth dodging vaccination calls despite rise in virus cases - Turkey News

Turkey summons 10 ambassadors over call to release activist Osman Kavala

Turkey summons 10 ambassadors over call to release activist Osman Kavala Tue, 19 October 2021, 5:26 am·2-min read Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the ambassadors of France, the United States and eight other countries to protest a statement they issued that called for the release of imprisoned philanthropist and civil rights activist Osman Kavala in line with a European Court of Human Rights decision. The statement angered government officials who accused the countries of meddling in the Turkish judiciary. More:Turkey summons 10 ambassadors over call to release activist Osman Kavala

Friday, October 15, 2021

Cengiz Aktar's "The Turkish Malaise": Why is Erdogan gambling away Turkey's future? - Qantara.de

Cengiz Aktar's "The Turkish Malaise" Why is Erdogan gambling away Turkey's future? In his essay “The Turkish Malaise”, Turkish economist and writer in exile Cengiz Aktar provides a crisp, concise explanation for his nation’s rapid, recent backslide into dictatorship. By Christiane Schloetzer More:Cengiz Aktar's "The Turkish Malaise": Why is Erdogan gambling away Turkey's future? - Qantara.de

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Erdogan-linked foundation faces fresh barrage of accusations of nepotism, abuse - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan-linked foundation faces fresh barrage of accusations of nepotism, abuse A whistleblower has made claims that, in addition to hundreds of job hirings made at TUGVA's request, the organization was also allocated over 1,000 government-owned buildings to use as dormitories for its members. More:Erdogan-linked foundation faces fresh barrage of accusations of nepotism, abuse - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Turkish fires endanger world pine honey supplies - Digital Journal

Turkish fires endanger world pine honey supplies ByAFPPublishedOctober 10, 2021 Beekeepers Mustafa Alti and his son Fehmi were kept busy tending to their hives before wildfires tore through a bucolic region of Turkey that makes most of the world’s prized pine honey. More:Turkish fires endanger world pine honey supplies - Digital Journal

Inside the murky world of Istanbul’s taxi cartels | Turkey | The Guardian

Inside the murky world of Istanbul’s taxi cartels Turkey’s biggest city’s drivers caught in brutal power struggle between politicians, unions and wealthy licence holders More:Inside the murky world of Istanbul’s taxi cartels | Turkey | The Guardian

Friday, October 08, 2021

Turkey court keeps civil rights activist in jail despite EU pressure | News | DW | 08.10.2021

Turkey court keeps civil rights activist in jail despite EU pressure Osman Kavala told an Istanbul court the charges against him "are not based on any evidence." He's spent years in pretrial detention, and was arrested again on separate charges hours after a Turkish court acquitted him. More:Turkey court keeps civil rights activist in jail despite EU pressure | News | DW | 08.10.2021

Turkish lira swings on rumours of new central bank firing | Financial Times

Turkish lira swings on rumours of new central bank firing Currency rebounds as Erdogan’s administration denies reports that it would sack Sahap Kavcioglu More:Turkish lira swings on rumours of new central bank firing | Financial Times

Thursday, October 07, 2021

Turkey's parliament votes for Paris climate agreement

Turkey’s parliament votes for Paris climate agreement By Virgil Harper A few weeks before the UN climate conference in Glasgow, Turkey also ratified the Paris climate agreement. Parliament on Wednesday evening voted on a deal to tackle climate change, state news agency Anadolu reported. Climate activists are now calling on the government to take action. More:Turkey's parliament votes for Paris climate agreement

Wednesday, October 06, 2021

IKEA plans to shift more production to Turkey to shorten supply chain - Latest News

IKEA plans to shift more production to Turkey to shorten supply chain ISTANBUL  Sweden’s flat-pack furniture giant IKEA is planning to move more production to Turkey to minimise problems with global supply chains and increased shipping costs, the company’s chief financial officer for Turkey said on Oct. 6. More:IKEA plans to shift more production to Turkey to shorten supply chain - Latest News

Turkey sees price hikes amid near 20pc inflation - newkerala.com

Turkey sees price hikes amid near 20pc inflation Ankara, Oct 5: Turkey's economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has caused painful increases in prices of consumer goods for most people amid troublesome inflation that authorities are struggling to take under control. More:Turkey sees price hikes amid near 20pc inflation - newkerala.com

The firefighting women blazing a trail in conservative Turkey - La Prensa Latina Media

The firefighting women blazing a trail in conservative Turkey Online News EditorOctober 6, 2021 1 minute read By Ilya U. Topper Istanbul, Oct 6 (EFE).- The historic 100-year-old firefighting department in Istanbul since the summer has welcomed women in Turkey, a majority Muslim country ruled by the Islamic conservative AKP, to its ranks. More:The firefighting women blazing a trail in conservative Turkey - La Prensa Latina Media

Tuesday, October 05, 2021

Erdogan’s Beef With Social Media Gets Louder After Facebook Outage

Erdogan’s Beef With Social Media Gets Louder After Facebook Outage Onur Ant (Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc.’s massive outage on Monday spurred calls for a new digital “order” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a man with little tolerance for political criticism on social media. More:Erdogan’s Beef With Social Media Gets Louder After Facebook Outage

Behind bars: resisting the Turkish state, by Ariane Bonzon (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2021)

Behind bars: resisting the Turkish state In Turkey hunger strikes and death fasts are still tools of political resistance to the state. In an effort to curb them, the earlier policy of separating prisoners by affiliation gave way to the building of far harsher isolation prisons. What will be the effect of the current dismantling of Turkey’s rule of law? More:Behind bars: resisting the Turkish state, by Ariane Bonzon (Le Monde diplomatique - English edition, October 2021)

Monday, October 04, 2021

Protesters sit tight as President Erdogan’s trucks roll in to pave over Validebag Grove in Istanbul | World | The Times

Protesters sit tight as President Erdogan’s trucks roll in to pave over Validebag Grove in Istanbul Hannah Lucinda Smith, Istanbul Sunday October 03 2021, 6.00pm BST, The Times The Validebag Grove was designated a protected area in 1999 but the authorities are planning to turn it into a “national garden” with paved paths and pavilions One of the last wildernesses in Istanbul is nestled between a gargantuan new mosque, a futuristic television tower and hundreds of drab concrete tower blocks. More:Protesters sit tight as President Erdogan’s trucks roll in to pave over Validebag Grove in Istanbul | World | The Times

Erdogan Finds Himself Stuck with Russia As He Burns Bridges with America - Bloomberg

Erdogan Says Bye-Bye Biden But Is Putin a Keeper? The Turkish leader may have no place to turn to but Moscow now that he’s burning his bridges to Washington More:Erdogan Finds Himself Stuck with Russia As He Burns Bridges with America - Bloomberg

Outgoing German chancellor Merkel to pay 'farewell visit' to Erdoğan | Daily Sabah

Outgoing German chancellor Merkel to pay 'farewell visit' to Erdoğan BY BETÜL USTA ANKARA DIPLOMACY OCT 03, 2021 12:13 PM GMT+3 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to receive outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel for "a farewell visit" in the coming days. The two leaders have established close cooperation and dialogue based on rational decisions during the Merkel era in Germany. More:Outgoing German chancellor Merkel to pay 'farewell visit' to Erdoğan | Daily Sabah