| Thursday, January 31, 2008 |
| Dutch minister for EU affairs in Ankara for talks |
"Dutch minister for EU affairs in Ankara for talks
Dutch Minister Frans Timmermans
Turkey will become a more transparent and democratic country through making reforms as part of its drive to be a full member of the European Union, Dutch European Affairs Minister Frans Timmer-mans told reporters yesterday following his talks with Turkish officials in the capital."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| Olive oil competition among Turkish and Spanish producers |
"Olive oil competition among Turkish and Spanish producers
Thursday, 31 January 2008
The delegation of Turkish olive producers and exporters watch over the harvesting of olives in Spain.
Turkish olive and olive oil exporters examine factories in the Spanish cities of Madrid, Seville and Cordoba that meet 51 percent of total global demand for olive oil, and hold meetings with representatives of the Olive and Olive Oil Exporters Association, the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives and prominent olive and olive oil producers in the region."
More:TurkishNY.com World & Local News Portal
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 5:54 PM |
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| Turkish Olive oil sector aims for Asia | Olives, olive oil, news, health, info and article, recipes. | Olives101.com |
"Turkish Olive oil sector aims for Asia
To increase foreign trade, the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) is preparing some overseas publicity activities for all sectors, particularly olive and olive oil.
China and India are the priority targets for the advertising campaigns, TİM Chairman Oğuz Satıcı said midweek at a press conference held by olive and olive oil sector representatives at the Foreign Trade Complex. The preparations have just begun, Satıcı said."
More:Turkish Olive oil sector aims for Asia | Olives, olive oil, news, health, info and article, recipes. | Olives101.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 5:52 PM |
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| Turkey and Postnational Europe: Challenges for the Cosmopolitan Political Community -- Baban and Keyman 11 (1): 107 -- European Journal of Social Theo |
"Turkey and Postnational Europe
Challenges for the Cosmopolitan Political Community
Feyzi Baban
TRENT UNIVERSITY, CANADA, fbaban@trentu.ca
Fuat Keyman
KOC UNIVERSITY, TURKEY, fkeyman@ku.edu.tr
The question of Turkey's membership in the EU has been the subject of debates about the cosmopolitan future of Europe. Using the concept of cosmopolitanism as developed by Beck, Habermas, and Delanty, this article argues that the possibility of an antiontological and multicultural cosmopolitan European community will largely depend on how Europe answers the question of whether Turkey should be granted membership in the EU. Turkey forces a debate on three crucial areas that are directly related to the cosmopolitan future of Europe: (a) Europe's geopolitical place in the global world, (b) postnational forms of a European public sphere, and (c) European identity. The potential for a multicultural and pluralistic cosmopolitanism is a two-way street, and while Turkey's membership will have a transformative impact on the EU, the membership process will also have a similar impact on Turkish democracy and modernity."
Turkey and Postnational Europe: Challenges for the Cosmopolitan Political Community -- Baban and Keyman 11 (1): 107 -- European Journal of Social Theory
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 5:35 PM |
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| ScienceDirect - Economic Modelling : An analysis of regime shifts in the Turkish economy |
"An analysis of regime shifts in the Turkish economy
Hakan Yilmazkudaya, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author and Koray Akayb
aDeparment of Economics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
bDepartment of Economics, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, 34440, Turkey
Accepted 29 November 2007. Available online 30 January 2008.
Abstract
We use a time-varying dynamic factor model with regime switching to construct and estimate the leading indicators of the currency crises in Turkey. After that, we analyze the business cycles of the Turkish economy, by using a three-state univariate Markov-switching model. Both models capture the observed dynamics of the Turkish economy over the period 1987–2002. "
More:ScienceDirect - Economic Modelling : An analysis of regime shifts in the Turkish economy
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 7:49 AM |
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| Expats pay homage to Robert Burns, Atatürk and Turkey |
"Expats pay homage to Robert Burns, Atatürk and Turkey
Çalış resident Charlie Leighton played the bagpipes as guests stood in honor of Robert Burns and Atatürk.
Foreign residents convened, paying homage to Robert Burns, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and their host country, Turkey, at a traditional Scottish Burns Night Supper held in Çalış, Fethiye, on Friday."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 6:59 AM |
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| Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Ensemble | PerthNow |
"Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Ensemble
THE Perth Concert hall proudly presents Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Ensemble on Monday, March 17 at 8pm.
UNESCO Artist for World Peace and all-round virtuoso, Turkish born Omar Faruk Tekbilek is widely revered as the guru of new world and Sufi music. Master of the ney (bamboo flute), the double-reed oboe-like zurna, the baglama (long-necked lute) and numerous percussion instruments, Tekbilek - and his ensemble - weave traditional Arabesque and Turkish melodies with distinct traces of folk and flamenco to create sublime ambient soundscapes."
More:Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Ensemble | PerthNow
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 6:53 AM |
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| Turkish Islam and the headscarf |
"Turkish Islam and the headscarf
The struggle between secularism and Islam in Turkey continues; now the Islamic-inclined government, which defeated the keenly secularist party in the election, plans to lift the ban on women covering their heads, Muslim-style, at universities (dating in spirit from Ataturk's secularism and in law from 1997). Under the changes only traditional scarves will be permitted in universities, tied loosely under the chin. No burqas, no chadors. Even so there is a row about it, and the Prime Minister has stressed that this reform will be restricted to universities and that women civil servants and teachers will still be banned from covering their heads."
More:Faith Central - Times Online - WBLG: Turkish Islam and the headscarf
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 6:52 AM |
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| EU regulation challenges Turkish chemicals - Turkish Daily News Jan 31, 2008 |
"EU regulation challenges Turkish chemicals
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Turkish companies may be prevented from shipping products into the European Union market if their products do not comply with the requirements of Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), an EU institution set up last year to ensure safe usage of chemicals and to ensure competitiveness across the continent. Secondly and more crucially, companies whose supply chains intersect the EU market face the risk of costly supply chain disruptions, said Murat Akyüz, president of Istanbul Chemical and Chemical Products Exporters' Association (İKMİB) at a press meeting yesterday."
More:EU regulation challenges Turkish chemicals - Turkish Daily News Jan 31, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 6:43 AM |
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| A nation's delicate retreat from secularism |
"A nation's delicate retreat from secularism
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has begun to rewrite the country's legal code. The push may upset a political and cultural balance
DOUG SAUNDERS
In a small ritual every morning in downtown Istanbul, church and state collide: As the streetcar stops at Bosporus University, dozens of young women remove the colourful scarves from their heads, fold them and put them in their handbags."
More:globeandmail.com: A nation's delicate retreat from secularism
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 6:33 AM |
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| James in Turkey: A crash course in Turkey's headscarf debate |
"A crash course in Turkey's headscarf debate
Not for the first time in recent Turkish politics, the headscarf is all anyone can talk about. That piece of fabric that Muslim women use to wrap around their heads has been banned in universities and public buildings de jure since 1980, and de facto since 1997, meaning that Turkish women wearing it are not allowed to work in most civil service positions. Many, including the president's wife, were given a place at university but were unable to go because of the headwear."
More:James in Turkey: A crash course in Turkey's headscarf debate
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:45 AM |
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| Renewable Energy Planned for Turkish Islands |
"Renewable Energy Planned for Turkish Islands
Yesterday, Turkey announced plans to invest in renewable energy on the island of Bozcaada in the Aegean Sea, following a project on Sedef. 'We will implement a similar project on Bozcaada if we accomplish our solar and wind energy project on Sedef islet (in Marmara Sea),' said Hilmi Guler, the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister."
More:Renewable Energy Planned for Turkish Islands
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:22 AM |
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| Turkish-Afghan-Pakistani cooperation forum discusses projects |
"Turkish-Afghan-Pakistani cooperation forum discusses projects
A cooperation forum between Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan that was established at the initiative of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) held its second landmark meeting yesterday in İstanbul, where they released a joint statement heralding concrete projects they are planning to pursue."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:20 AM |
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| Moscow to Close Turkish Lycees in Muslim Regions of Russia |
"Window on Eurasia: Moscow to Close Turkish Lycees in Muslim Regions of Russia
Paul Goble
Baku, January 30 – Moscow is taking steps to close the elite lycees Turkey created in Muslim regions of the Russian Federation in the 1990s out of fears that these schools are spreading radical Islam or providing cover for Turkish espionage. And that plan has prompted Ankara and Kazan to consult on how to prevent this from happening.
The Russian education ministry has set a letter to its counterpart in Tatarstan saying that Turkish citizens teaching in the Tatar-Turkish lycees in that Middle Volga republic do not have the necessary pedagogical training, according to Zvezda Povol’zha"
More:WindowonEurasia: Window on Eurasia: Moscow to Close Turkish Lycees in Muslim Regions of Russia
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:13 AM |
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| Turkish Progress - WSJ.com |
"Turkish Progress
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE
January 30, 2008
Turkey's long struggle to build a liberal society is one of many baby steps forward and back. So it was Monday.
First, one backward. Atilla Yayla was convicted and given a 15-month suspended sentence yesterday for daring to suggest that the one-party secular regime imposed by 'this man' -- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk -- wasn't 'progressive.' For expressing himself, Mr. Yayla fell afoul of a little-known 1951 statute against insulting the long-dead founder of modern Turkey."
More:Turkish Progress - WSJ.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:55 AM |
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| World Bank to boost employment in Turkey |
"World Bank to boost employment in Turkey
The New Anatolian / Ankara
30 January 2008
A large part of a 6.5 billion USD loan --to be granted by World Bank to Turkey within the scope of the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) between 2008 and 2011-- will be used to boost employment and competitiveness."
More:The New Anatolian
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:38 AM |
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| Turkey's Headscarf Dilemma: Is There a Way Out?By Soner Cagaptay |
"Turkey's Headscarf Dilemma: Is There a Way Out?
By Soner Cagaptay
September 7, 2007
Note: This PolicyWatch is based on the author's recent op-ed in Financial Times Deutschland. Read the original op-ed (in German).
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the July 22 parliamentary elections with a solid mandate. A major task awaiting the new AKP government is resolving the controversy surrounding the turban, an Islamic head covering for women that emerged in Turkey in the 1980s. The Turkish turban -- not to be confused with the south Asian male turban -- is considered a political symbol by Turkish courts and is banned on school campuses. Although the AKP did not deal with the turban issue during its first term, the controversy has now taken center stage in Turkish politics: in a striking break with precedent, the wife of recently elected president Abdullah Gul wears a turban. Can the AKP resolve this issue? And what are its implications for Europe and the United States?"
More:www.washingtoninstitute.org
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 5:38 PM |
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| Professor’s daughter forced out of French local polls |
"Professor’s daughter forced out of French local polls
A Turkish candidate standing in French local elections has been forced to withdraw her candidacy amid pressure from Armenian groups who wanted her to publicly recognize Armenian claims of genocide in the final years of the Ottoman Empire."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 3:20 PM |
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| Police detain Turkish Airlines hostage-taker |
"Police detain Turkish Airlines hostage-taker
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Police detained a Turkish Airlines employee on Tuesday after he released a woman he had been holding hostage with a gun at the company's headquarters, a company spokeswoman told Reuters."
More:Reuters.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 2:23 PM |
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| Alarm in Turkey over violence against Christians (SETimes.com) |
"Alarm in Turkey over violence against Christians
29/01/2008
A spate of recent attacks has highlighted the threat religious minorities face, mostly from marginal ultranationalist groups.
By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 29/01/08
photo
The EU has faulted Turkey for not providing adequate protection to Christians and other minorities. [SETimes photo]
Adriano Franchini, a 65-year old Catholic priest, had just celebrated Sunday Mass at Izmir's St. Anthony Church when a teenager approached him, expressing an interest in converting to Christianity. As the priest spoke with him, the young man -- actually a fervent nationalist -- flew into a rage and stabbed him in the stomach."
More:Alarm in Turkey over violence against Christians (SETimes.com)
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 2:22 PM |
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| In Turkey, a Step to Allow Head Scarves - New York Times |
"In Turkey, a Step to Allow Head Scarves
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: January 29, 2008
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s governing political party — a class of young, observant Muslim politicians — reached an agreement late Monday to lift a ban on the wearing of head scarves by women attending universities, a move likely to enrage the country’s staunchly secular old guard and clear the way for a more openly religious society."
More:In Turkey, a Step to Allow Head Scarves - New York Times
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:44 AM |
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| The 5th Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival |
"The 5th Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival
Last night K, Joe and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see Istanbul Tales (Anlat Istanbul, 2005), which opened The 5th Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival. I likened the film to a Turkish Pulp Fiction, in which the world of organized crime and mob violence were prominent themes and in which seemingly disconnected stories were woven together. Ts fairytales."
More:Marriage Like People Spirit Work » The 5th Boston Turkish Film and Music Festival
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:43 AM |
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| A controversial genocide - Turkish Daily News Jan 28, 2008 |
"A controversial genocide
Monday, January 28, 2008
Robert ELLIS
Presidential candidate Barack Obama has jumped onto the Armenian bandwagon and pledged to recognize the Armenian genocide, should he be elected, and Hillary Clinton has just done the same. No doubt the prospect of wooing a potential one and a half million Armenian votes plays a role in this pledge. "
More:A controversial genocide - Turkish Daily News Jan 28, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:39 AM |
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| TURKEY: No Agreement, But a Breakthrough |
"TURKEY: No Agreement, But a Breakthrough
Analysis by Hilmi Toros
ISTANBUL, Jan 29 (IPS) - For the first time in half a century, a Greek head of government has paid an official visit to Turkey. The two Mediterranean neighbours, often described as the worst of friends or the best of enemies, attempt to tackle their old problems in a volatile eastern Mediterranean."
More:TURKEY: No Agreement, But a Breakthrough
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:39 AM |
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| Turkish Immigrants Can Impact German Election |
"Turkish Immigrants Can Impact German Election
January 29th, 2008 by Fred Stopsky · No Comments
Voters in the German state of Hesse are voting after a campaign that was highlighted by vicious attacks against Turkish immigrants. Sparked by the virulent anti-immigrant rantings of Roland Koch, the electorate has been told all problems in Hesse are the result of the presence of young Turkish immigrants who commit crimes and cause fear among people. There are about one million immigrants in Hesse and at least 250,000 are Turks. It is estimated 40,000 Turks have obtained the right to vote and they undoubtely will support candidates who oppose the anti-immigrant rhetoric of Koch."
More:Turkish Immigrants Can Impact German Election
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:37 AM |
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| Energy security: A new buzzword for Europe - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008 |
"Energy security: A new buzzword for Europe
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Without ensuring its energy security, Europe's ability to be a serious global player is at risk. The answer to the question “is Europe ensuring its energy security?” is negative. If current trends continue, Europe will be more energy hungry and more dependent on unreliable suppliers. On the other hand, attempts to build alternative energy supply routes for European markets face opposition by Russia. The EU should develop a common European Energy policy, collaborate with NATO in securing routes of supply from asymmetric threats, integrate energy rich countries like Azerbaijan and Kazahkstan into Euro-Atlantic structures, and develop stronger dialogue with Russia"
More:Energy security: A new buzzword for Europe - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:26 AM |
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| Looking at Istanbul with eyes wide open - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008 |
"Looking at Istanbul with eyes wide open
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Anyone who has ever spent time maneuvering the trinket-laden streets of Sultanahmet would have come across the wonderful Basilica Cistern. Now the cistern is one of my favourite things in Istanbul. Not only is it evidence of the engineering brilliance of the Byzantines, but what I find really interesting is the fact that after the Turks arrived, the cistern was forgotten about for about the first hundred years of the Ottoman Empire. Sure the locals knew something was down there but, thanks to the presence of holes in the floors of houses through which you could simply lower a bucket and collect water, nobody bothered to go down there and investigate."
More:Looking at Istanbul with eyes wide open - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:22 AM |
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| Turkish diplomats killed by Armenians remembered |
"Turkish diplomats killed by Armenians remembered
The New Anatolian / Ankara
29 January 2008
The Federation of Turkish Associations in the U.K. organized a conference in London to commemorate Turkish diplomats killed by Armenian gangs.
'This is the second conference held in memory of our martyred diplomats, and this is the most serious way to enlighten painful incidents of history,' Bahadir Kaleli, Turkey's consul general in London, said during the conference."
More:The New Anatolian
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:21 AM |
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| Turkish c.bank calls for fiscal discipline |
"Turkish c.bank calls for fiscal discipline
By Emma Ross-Thomas
ISTANBUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Turkey's central bank on Tuesday urged fiscal discipline at a time of shrinking global risk appetite and said a worse-than-expected global slowdown could hurt the inflation outlook."
More:Feed Article | Business |
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:20 AM |
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| Rehn: EU ready to help Turkey in nuclear energy |
"Rehn: EU ready to help Turkey in nuclear energy
The New Anatolian / Ankara
29 January 2008
Olli Rehn, EU commissioner for enlargement, said Tuesday the EU was ready to assist Turkey in nuclear energy.
Rehn said the Turkish government should take into consideration nuclear safety when it makes a decision on construction of nuclear power plants when he responded to a question motion. The European Commission asked member countries to assure a high-level nuclear safety, he stated."
More:The New Anatolian
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:19 AM |
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| Turks in Germany: an interesting study | jakedolson.com |
"Turks in Germany: an interesting study
Despite my frustration with the quote from Steve Inskeep that I mentioned yesterday; the report on Germany’s Muslim subculture was absolutely fascinating. Sylvia Poggioli reported about the phenomenon of the Muslim subculture in Germany. It was especially interesting to hear how Anatolian Rural traditions are maintained by the practice of importing brides from Turkey; rather than finding a Turkish woman raised in Germany."
More:Turks in Germany: an interesting study | jakedolson.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:18 AM |
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| Five-star by-pass in heart of ancient Istanbul - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008 |
"Five-star by-pass in heart of ancient Istanbul
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The five-star Four Seasons Hotel, built on the relics of the Grand Byzantine Palace and operating in a century-old building, Dersaadet Tevkifhanesi, (Sultanahmet prison), a neoclassic structure in the heart of Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district, has plans to expand with a 50-bed capacity additional building, the body of which will be constructed with steel. Art historians are anxious about these developments"
More:Five-star by-pass in heart of ancient Istanbul - Turkish Daily News Jan 29, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:15 AM |
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| Monday, January 28, 2008 |
| Turkey Busts Alleged Murder Network - TIME |
"Turkey Busts Alleged Murder Network
Monday, Jan. 28, 2008 By PELIN TURGUT/ISTANBUL
Turkey's Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk might sleep a little easier tonight — or not. A series of dramatic arrests over the weekend has laid bare what is alleged to be a shadowy network of ultra-nationalist killers with connections in high places. Their hit list allegedly included the famous writer, targeted for speaking out about Turkey's patchy treatment of its minorities."
More:Turkey Busts Alleged Murder Network - TIME
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 7:57 PM |
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| ‘Disappeared' Turks to be shown in footnotes |
"‘Disappeared' Turks to be shown in footnotes
Ömer Demir
The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) will explain the difference in the Turkish population figure cited in its previous projections and the results of the latest address-based census to the international public with footnotes when translating the statistics into English."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 12:49 PM |
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| DWW and Deniz Feneri send a team of volunteer Turkish medics to Niger |
"DWW and Deniz Feneri send a team of volunteer Turkish medics to Niger
The Turkey branch of Doctors Worldwide (DWW) and the Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) foundation have taken steps to help the estimated 200,000 Nigerien women suffering from post-natal complications requiring surgery.
The two organizations started the “Violets of Hope” campaign in 2007 and treated 26 women suffering from fistulas following childbirth. Today they are sending the 11-strong 6th Nigerien Medical Team to the African nation from İstanbul’s Atatürk Airport."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 12:45 PM |
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| The Turks do science fiction comedy in A.R.O.G. |
"The Turks do science fiction comedy in A.R.O.G.
Posted on Monday, January 28th 2008 by: quietearth
Posted under: movie news scifi comedy
Thanks to the boys at Twitch comes news of a sequel to a film I've never even heard of, called GORA. They described it as Mel Brooks inspired comedy, and with the high production values, I'm already looking for a copy. While no English synopsis is forthcoming, the first 3 minutes, which is embedded after the break, speaks for itself. Is it a collection of comedic meanderings or a set storyline?"
More:The Turks do science fiction comedy in A.R.O.G.
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 12:45 PM |
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| Quiet Bridge-Building |
"Quiet Bridge-Building
By Soner Cagaptay
Washington Times, January 26, 2008
In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower reassured West Germany of its NATO security against any Soviet invasion, Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba's government, and the prime ministers of NATO allies Greece and Turkey held official meetings in Ankara for the last time -- until this week."
More:Article or Op-Ed
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 12:40 PM |
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| Turkish Delight At Singapore Orchestra | HULIQ |
"Turkish Delight At Singapore Orchestra
AddThis Social Bookmarking Widget
Christoph Poppen, Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, joins the Singapore Symphony Orchestra for an all-Mozart programme of popular showpieces on March 14 and 15, including the Haffner Symphony - commissioned for the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner – and yet another of Mozart's most familiar symphonies, the Jupiter."
More:Turkish Delight At Singapore Orchestra | HULIQ
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:27 AM |
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| Istanbuls new Greek faces | Hotels in Turkey |
"Istanbuls new Greek faces
28 January, 2008 at 3:20 pm
1) So much to love in Istanbul 2) A country of opportunities and varieties 3) ‘Turks enjoy themselves like Greeks Mutual trust conquers taboos An accidental journey
1
Stella Papakonstantinou, 26, is the administrative assistant in the Credit Department at Finansbank and a master’s student in Bilgi University’s Turkish-Greek Studies program.
She has always loved Turkey, as her grandfather is from İzmir, and she made many Turkish friends during her studies in London. 'After completing my master’s degree I decided to come to Istanbul to improve my Turkish,' she said. She has been living in Cihangir since May 2007."
More:Istanbuls new Greek faces | Hotels in Turkey
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:17 AM |
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| Turkey delays easing law on writers |
"Turkey delays easing law on writers
Mon 28 Jan 2008, 14:36 GMT
[-] Text [+]
By Hidir Goktas
ANKARA (Reuters) - An EU-backed reform of a Turkish law used to prosecute writers has been held up while government moves to lift a ban on Islamic headscarves in university, a senior deputy from the ruling AK Party said on Monday."
More:World | Africa - Reuters.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:10 AM |
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| İstanbul’s taxpayers get little bang for their buck |
"İstanbul’s taxpayers get little bang for their buck
İstanbul, home to about a sixth of Turkey's total population, accounts for almost two-fifths of the government's budget, yet receives just under a 10th of that back in government spending.
In 2007 İstanbul residents paid YTL 5,607 on average in taxes and other fees, but per capita government spending in the nations' most populous city was only YTL 633.7."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:51 AM |
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| CYPRUS’ HISTORY FROM 1960 TO 2008 (11) |
"CYPRUS’ HISTORY FROM 1960 TO 2008 (11)
The influence of Archbishop Makarios on the Greek government started deteriorating after the 1967 incident, which immediately resulted in a crisis between Greece and Turkey.
Corruption in the demagogic government of Andreas Papandreou in Greece paved the way for a dramatic change in the democratically elected parliamentary system and the Greek military junta took over rule of the country."
More:Arca Haber Ajansı
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:44 AM |
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| Armenian, Greek and Hebrew departments for Turkish university |
"Armenian, Greek and Hebrew departments for Turkish university
The New Anatolian / Ankara
28 January 2008
Nevsehir University is preparing to open new departments on Armenian, Greek and Hebrew languages.
The Dean of Faculty of Science and Letters at Nevsehir University Prof. Dr. Metin Hulagu says the university will be the first one in Turkey to open departments on the three languages."
More:The New Anatolian
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:34 AM |
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| Turkish military leader to U.S. |
"Turkish military leader to U.S.
The New Anatolian / Ankara
28 January 2008
Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Ergin Saygun will attend Turkish -U.S. High Level Security Group meetings and have talks on fight against terrorist organization PKK, in Washington, D.C. this week."
More:The New Anatolian
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:27 AM |
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| Istanbul for teenagers - Times Online |
"Istanbul for teenagers
The Sunday Times opens its travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries. Today: a family short break in Turkey
My family love Turkey, and hence my daughter wants to celebrate her 18th birthday in Istanbul. We have booked flights and accommodation for a four-day stay, but can you recommend places to see with an 18 and a 14 year old, apart from the usual tourist sights? Julia Trace, Isle of Man"
More:Istanbul for teenagers - Times Online
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:23 AM |
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| Turkish professor found guilty of insulting Ataturk : Europe World |
"Turkish professor found guilty of insulting Ataturk
Posted : Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:54:02 GMT
Ankara - A Turkish professor was on Monday handed a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of insulting the memory of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish republic, the Dogan news agency reported. A court in Izmir found that Professor Atilla Yayla had insulted Ataturk's memory in comments he made at a panel last year that Turkey was not as politically progressive during the early years of the Turkish republic as is generally thought."
More:Turkish professor found guilty of insulting Ataturk : Europe World
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:14 AM |
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| Iraq halts oil exports to Turkey temporarily |
"Iraq halts oil exports to Turkey temporarily
(Updates with oil ministry spokesman comments)
BAGHDAD/DUBAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Iraq has temporarily halted crude exports through a pipeline from its northern fields to Turkey's port of Ceyhan and plans to pump oil intermittently to discourage saboteurs, the oil ministry said on Monday.
'We have stopped pumping,' Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said. 'We are halting pumping when we reach certain levels of crude in Ceyhan. Iraq is pumping crude oil intermittently to Ceyhan in order to avoid sabotage against the pipelines.'
Jihad did not say how intermittent pumping would help to prevent sabotage, nor give details on what storage level would trigger future stoppages."
More:Feed Article | Business |
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:13 AM |
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| Cyprus: Reversing the Drift to Partition |
"Cyprus: Reversing the Drift to Partition
Europe Report N°190
10 January 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
One more major effort, strongly encouraged by the UN and European Union (EU), should be made in 2008 to resolve the long-running dispute between ethnic Greeks and Turks on Cyprus and achieve a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island. All sides have much to gain from such a settlement. For the Greek Cypriots, it would end lingering insecurity, give them access to the Turkish economy, the most dynamic in the region, and increase their service industry’s value as an eastern Mediterranean hub. For Turkish Cypriots, it will mean being able to enjoy the benefits of EU citizenship of which they are presently largely deprived. For the EU, the unresolved Cyprus problem now hampers its functioning on issues as diverse as cooperation with NATO in Afghanistan and Chinese shoe imports. And for Turkey a settlement would overcome a major obstacle to its convergence with the EU. "
More:International Crisis Group - Cyprus: Reversing the Drift to Partition
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:56 AM |
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| Iran Resumes Gas Exports to Turkey |
"Iran Resumes Gas Exports to Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey, Jan 27--Iran began pumping natural gas to Turkey Sunday after cutting supplies for three weeks, the Anatolia news agency reported.
'Iran's gas exports to Turkey resumed an hour ago (around 4:00 pm) at a rate of three million cubic meters (105 cubic feet) a day,' the head of the National Iranian Gas Company, Seyed Reza Kasaizadeh, told the state broadcaster."
More:Alalam News
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 4:29 PM |
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| Turkey to become world’s top 10 economies in 15 years: Turkish Foreign Minister |
"Turkey to become world’s top 10 economies in 15 years: Turkish Foreign Minister
Between 2002-2006, Turkey’s economic growth averaged 7.5%, while in 2007, it is estimated to have been around 4-5% because of drought and higher energy prices
AP
Davos: Turkey expects to move into the world’s top 10 economies in 15 years as it steps up major reforms and becomes a more European country, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Saturday, 26 January.
He said Turkey is preparing for European Union membership despite opposition led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has tried to shift the goal of talks to a lesser partnership."
More: livemint
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:28 AM |
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| KEPCO Eyes 1st Atomic Power Plant in Turkey(The Korea Times) |
"KEPCO Eyes 1st Atomic Power Plant in Turkey
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ENKA, the largest construction firm in Turkey, in a move to win an order to build a nuclear power plant there, according to the South Korean state-run firm.
KPECO President and CEO Lee Won-gul signed the MOU with ENKA Chairman Sinan Tara and met other government officials and business leaders in Ankara on Friday, the company said Sunday."
More:KEPCO Eyes 1st Atomic Power Plant in Turkey(The Korea Times)
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:18 AM |
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| The return of the repressed Byzantium |
"The return of the repressed Byzantium
excavated port
Deciding to dig a hole in an ancient city full of archeological mysteries is a doomed venture.
In the centre of Mexico City, for instance, is the Zócalo, the square fronting the cathedral, which tends to sink at one end. It was built by the Aztecs, surrounded by pyramidical structures bright with colour and Jaguar emblems. Horrified by this pagan island city on its artificial lake, the Spanish drained it, and destroyed the ritual centre."
More:Barista » Blog Archive » the return of the repressed Byzantium
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:11 AM |
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| American Chronicle | False Historical Dogmas to Destroy Peace in Europe |
"False Historical Dogmas to Destroy Peace in Europe
By Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
January 26, 2008
Due to an article published 2 weeks ago under the title "Turkey as Birthplace of the European Identity, and Mr. Markus Soeder's Historical Ignorance" (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/turkey-as-birthplace-of-the-european-identity-and-mr-markus-soeder-historical-ignorance.html), I had the opportunity to receive extensive feedback from various readers; one comment was published online (http://www.buzzle.com/comments/171892-1.html) and is truly enlightening; not in the sense that it supports my analysis but due to the fanatic defense of a false version of pseudo-History, which – discriminatory and absolutely inaccurate – is totally detrimental for those who believe it. "
More:American Chronicle | False Historical Dogmas to Destroy Peace in
Europe
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 10:09 AM |
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| From kebabs to property: how Ali Ozmen Safa made it big |
"A tycoon with a difference
From kebabs to property: how Ali Ozmen Safa made it big
By Simon Bahceli
WHILE Cyprus is the home of numerous of rags-to-riches stories, tales of the kebabs-to-riches variety are considerably less common. But it was from the humble take-away doner and the pre-packed sandwich that Turkish Cypriot Ali Ozmen Safa began building a fortune that has made him arguably one of the biggest names in north Cyprus.
So influential has he become that last April, Abdullah Gul – now President of Turkey, but then Foreign Minister – turned up at the launch of Safa’s Star Kibris newspaper in Kyrenia and revealed to all that the first time he had ever traveled in a Rolls Royce it had been in London, and it had been in one of Safa’s."
More:www.cyprus-mail.com
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:56 AM |
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| Lifting of Headscarf Ban Angers Turkey’s Secular Opposition |
"Lifting of Headscarf Ban Angers Turkey’s Secular Opposition
Written by Adam Gonn
Published Sunday, January 27, 2008
[Analysis] News that Turkish President 'Abdallah Gül supports the pro-Islamic government’s plans to abolish the ban on wearing headscarves at universities has angered the country’s secular opposition. The announcement by Gül, who previously served as foreign minister for the ruling Justice and Development Party, know by its Turkish acronym AK, has angered the opposition for two reasons."
More:The Media Line
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 9:40 AM |
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| Reconciliation via trade |
"Reconciliation via trade
Business seen helping two countries overcome longstanding differences
KERIM OKTEN/EPA
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis greets students of a local Greek school during his visit to Istanbul yesterday. After meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish officials indicated Ankara may be ready to change its position regarding its refusal to recognize the patriarch as having ecumenical or universal status. ‘We will need to see the issue differently and rethink it,’ said Foreign Minister Ali Babacan. Many Turks fear a Christian church with universal status could carve out a Vatican-like state in Istanbul."
More:ekathimerini.com | Reconciliation via trade
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 11:11 AM |
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| Babacan signals new policy over ‘ecumenical' row |
"Babacan signals new policy over ‘ecumenical' row
Recognition of the ecumenical status of the İstanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate should no longer be a "taboo" subject, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said yesterday, triggering curiosity over whether the Turkish government has plans to amend the country's long-established policy on the controversial issue."
TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 8:45 AM |
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| The Turkish Leviathan under arrest? - Turkish Daily News Jan 26, 2008 |
"The Turkish Leviathan under arrest?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The hottest news in Turkey these days is the arrest and questioning of the members of a covert ultra-nationalist cell called 'Ergenekon.' Among the 33 members of this cell, there are notorious celebrities such as the retired general Veli Küçük, the shadowy name believed to be one of the masterminds of Turkey's 'deep state,' and lawyer Kemal Kerinçsiz, who has sued many liberal intellectuals for 'insulting Turkishness.' According to their confessions leaked to the press, the group's aim was to stop the EU accession and liberalization process, and force a military coup to overthrow the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government, which they saw as non-nationalist and treacherous."
More:The Turkish Leviathan under arrest? - Turkish Daily News Jan 26, 2008
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 5:48 AM |
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| Friday, January 25, 2008 |
| Famous ski center Uludağ to become ‘Turkish Davos’ |
"Famous ski center Uludağ to become ‘Turkish Davos’
Officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) have formed a plan to redevelop the Uludağ holiday resort, increasing the number of hotels and adding a state-of-the-art convention center.
According to the plan Uludağ will soon become a ski and tourism center more akin to Switzerland’s Davos, known for both its excellent winter sports and its hosting of global conferences."
More:TODAY'S ZAMAN
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| posted by Turkish Digest @ 7:39 PM |
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