| Friday, July 03, 2009 |
| Locals, officials at odds over bird deaths at lake |
"Locals, officials at odds over bird deaths at lake
ISTANBUL - Polemic erupts between a local environmental agency and the Forestry Directorate after the agency claims training exercises by fire fighting planes resulted in the deaths of thousands of birds near Lake Bafa. The directorate denies such exercises were carried out at all while the agency says it was local villagers that informed it in the first place"
More:Locals, officials at odds over bird deaths at lake
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posted by Turkish Digest @ 7:49 PM   |
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| SELCUK AYDIN VS. JACKSON BONSU JULY 11TH IN ISTANBUL |
"SELCUK AYDIN VS. JACKSON BONSU JULY 11TH IN ISTANBUL
On July 11th ARENA will bring boxing back to Turkey. Two of the world’s best welterweights will meet at the Besiktas Cola Turka Arena in Istanbul when Turkey’s “Mini-Tyson” Selcuk Aydin defends his WBC international championship against former European champion “Sugar” Jackson Osei Bonsu from Belgium. The winner of this highly anticipated bout between WBC #2 (Aydin) and #3 (Bonsu) will not only become the new EBU welterweight champion but will also be very close to a title shot against unbeaten WBC king Andre Berto."
More:Boxeo Mundial : Boxeo Entrevistas. Noticias De Boxeo..
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 3:15 PM |
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| Creeping Islamism in Turkey |
"Creeping Islamism in Turkey
The Islamist ruling party in Turkey [AKP] has “a strategy for a creeping Islamization that culminates in a Shari’a (Islamic law) state not compatible with a secular, democratic order. The AKP does not advertise this agenda and often denies it.” Turkish courts confirmed the secret agenda. However, in the name of democracy, the U.S. and the EU demand that countervailing Turkish circles accept the AKP positions subverting the military, judiciary, and educational system. This Western pressure is naïve, for it betrays the democratic elements in Turkey to the Islamists, who, as they consolidate power, crimp democracy. Democracy is not just rule by the majority but allows civil rights, minority opinion and cultural freedom consistent with constitutional order. In Turkey, democracy is a cover for creeping Islamism and the ending democracy."
More:Creeping Islamism in Turkey
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:57 AM |
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| Russia seeks Turk help in gas project |
"Russia seeks Turk help in gas project
MOSCOW - Russia seeks Turkish cooperation in the South Stream gas pipeline project, says Russian deputy prime minister as he invites Turkey to join the project, which some see as a rival to the Nabucco pipeline. Turkish energy minister welcomes the offer, saying Turkey will examine all proposals"
More:Russia seeks Turk help in gas project
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:51 AM |
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| Armenia expects practical steps from Turkey |
"Armenia expects practical steps from Turkey
Baku – APA. Armenia expects practical steps from Turkey toward establishing of bilateral elations, said Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian, APA reports quoting News Armenia. He said the two countries reached unconditional agreement on the opening of the borders. “If Turkey is ready to carry out these agreements, we will welcome it”."
More:APA - Armenia expects practical steps from Turkey
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:50 AM |
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| Talat urges Turkey, Greece, Britain to join Cyprus security talks |
"Talat urges Turkey, Greece, Britain to join Cyprus security talks
Talat told reporters, no joint decision was taken yet.
Friday, 03 July 2009 07:26
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Mehmet Ali Talat, said special meetings with participation of guarantor countries, Turkey, Greece and Endland should be held in the later stages of discussion of 'Security and Guarantees' chapter."
More:World Bulletin [ Talat urges Turkey, Greece, Britain to join Cyprus security talks ]
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:47 AM |
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| Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida |
"Harvey Milk’s nephew, Stuart, helps Turkey’s gays break through the barricades
A report from journalist Valentina Pasquali:
Istanbul – Mirroring Turkey’s difficult yet unyielding progress towards equality for all its citizens, Istanbul’s sixth annual gay pride parade took place successfully Sunday after policemen in combat gear initially threatened to prevent the participants from marching down Istiklal Caddesi, the city’s central pedestrian street."
More:Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:39 PM |
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| World renowned masters bring jazz winds to Istanbul |
"World renowned masters bring jazz winds to Istanbul
ISTANBUL - Kicking off last night with a performance by jazz pianist Kerem Görsev and singer Fatih Erkoç, the 16th International Istanbul Jazz Festival presents renowned jazz masters to music buffs in Istanbul until July 15. Traditional festival events such as a 'jazz boat' and street concerts will once again enliven the city, as they have in previous years."
More:World renowned masters bring jazz winds to Istanbul
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:36 PM |
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| Feminists irate over game show |
"Feminists irate over game show
ISTANBUL - A new game show claims there is entertainment value in asking men to guess which pair of women has managed to answer a simple trivia question. Women’s rights activists react after just two episodes, claiming the show is evidence of the discrimination against women in Turkish society. ’Its format is an attack on women,’ the activists say"
More:Feminists irate over game show
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:35 PM |
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| Turkey Adopts Civil-Military Reform |
"Turkey Adopts Civil-Military Reform
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 127
July 2, 2009 12:13 PM Age: 2 hrs
By: Lale Sariibrahimoglu
The Turkish Parliament's adoption of an amendment made during a late night debate on June 25 to the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), which has paved the way for the trial of military personnel in civil courts, marks an important step towards curbing military power in politics and in meeting one of the critical criterion set by the European Union in Turkey's membership bid. The amendment allows the civil courts to prosecute military personnel in peace time for anti-government activities, threats to national security, constitutional violations and organized crime. The law also transfers the power to prosecute civilians in peace time for offenses currently under the military penal code. The opposition criticized the bill, saying it aims to influence ongoing probes into the alleged plots to discredit or topple the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government (Hurriyet, June 29.)"
More:Turkey Adopts Civil-Military Reform - The Jamestown Foundation
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 2:26 PM |
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| Central bank still sees room for rate cut. |
"Central bank still sees room for rate cut
Deputy governor of the central bank, Erdem Basci, asserts that the monetary authority still has room for further rate cuts. The bank is ready to support economic activities by further lowering policy rates, Basci elaborates. In June, the central bank cut overnight borrowing and lending rates by a higher-than-expected 50bps to 8.75% and 11.25%, respectively."
More (Subscription rqd):Central bank still sees room for rate cut.
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:35 AM |
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| New poll estimates public support for ruling AKP at 36%. |
"New poll estimates public support for ruling AKP at 36%.
A public opinion survey, conducted by Sonar Arastirma between Jun 8 and Jun 22, shows that the ruling AKP is loosing ground. According to the poll, the public support for AKP declined to 36.26% in June, from 46.6% of the votes the party secured in the June 2007 parliamentary elections. We should also note that in the March 2009 municipal elections the ruling party got 38.4% of the votes. Meanwhile, the support for the main opposition centre-left CHP rose to 25.1% from 20.9% two years ago and from 23.1% in the March elections. Performance of the nationalist MHP is relatively poorer compared to CHP; the public support for MHP edged up to 15.6% in June."
More(Subcription rqd):New poll estimates public support for ruling AKP at 36%.
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:34 AM |
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| US does have involvement in Cyprus talks |
"US does have involvement in Cyprus talks
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
RE: Matthew Bryza in Cyprus. Famagusta Gazette, June 30
The notion Mr. Undersecretary Mathew Bryza, that the US has no role or is not taking part in the process of the Cyprus reunification talks, is not completely true.
The talks are under the aegis of the UN; and the US as a permanent member of the Security Council was and is involved with the “Cyprus question” since the mid. 1950’s. You also stated that you are in Cyprus to listen and see if any of the parties or both of them want the US to be involved more actively."
More: Famagusta Gazette
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:22 AM |
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| Istanbul - Turkey's Tiny Jewish Community Reaching Out to Its Muslim Neighbors -- VosIzNeias |
"Istanbul - Turkey's Tiny Jewish Community Reaching Out to Its Muslim Neighbors
Turkey - Instanbul's Neve Shalom synagogue is tucked away on a winding street near the Galata Tower. The synagogue isn't as easy to spot as the landmark turret with its panorama of the city's iconic mosques, but that hasn't stopped terrorists from finding the Jewish house of prayer over the years. In 1983 gun- and grenade-wielding attackers stormed worshipers, taking 23 lives; in 2003 a car bomb outside a bar-mitzvah service killed more than a dozen and injured hundreds—mostly Turkish Muslims who lived and worked nearby. Neve Shalom has since been rebuilt, but several bullet holes remain in a seat as a reminder of the bloodshed. Visitors can come to take a look, but only if they preregister and provide passport details ahead of their arrival. "
More:Istanbul - Turkey's Tiny Jewish Community Reaching Out to Its Muslim Neighbors -- VosIzNeias
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:56 AM |
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