Istanbul police raided a “vape party” hosting at least 800 guests on the night of Sept. 17, detaining three organizers and handing administrative fines to all attendees for “smoking indoors,” which is officially banned in Turkey.
Comment(s)9/19/2017
The attacker who kicked a dog named “Mia” in the Aegean province of İzmir was released a couple of hours after his detention on Sept. 18.
Two “pink” trambuses, designed for use only by women, were brought into service on Sept. 18 in the central Anatolian province of Malatya.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 19 once again called on the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government to cancel its planned independence referendum.
U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Turkey for hosting Syrians who escaped from their war-torn country
The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposal to let President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security guards buy $1.2 million in U.S.-made weapons, a congressional official said on Sept. 18, following a brawl during the president’s visit to Washington this spring.
Ankara has once again stressed that it will not allow any fait accompli in northern Iraq and will take all necessary measures against the independence referendum
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s economic clout, driven by oil revenue, could be at risk due to row with Turkey over an independence vote, an energy expert says
Meral Akşener, a former Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmaker who is currently in the preparations of setting up a new nationalist party, has said experiences she went through as a woman being smeared by allegations while leading a dissident movement would resonate with many women
An appeals court has resolved a dispute between two different courts on the legal files on jailed Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, a disagreement that meant that the case was not processed for ten months
The Turkish wives and children of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Iraq are facing an obscure future, with many families in Turkey searching desperately to reach their relatives.
The number of Turks seeking asylum in Germany is up sharply this year and has been rising steadily since last year’s failed coup attempt, German government data showed on Sept. 18.
MIDEAST
KIRKUK
Police deployed overnight in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk to prevent any outbreak of ethnic violence ahead of an independence referendum strongly opposed by the Baghdad government, local residents said.
Comment(s) 9/19/2017
DIPLOMACY
NEW YORK
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been continuing his meetings in New York, where he arrived on Sept. 18 to hold bilateral talks with world leaders and attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Nerdun Hacıoğlu – MOSCOW
The Russian authorities have carried out a search at the St. Petersburg headquarters of Renaissance Construction, a large-scale Turkish contractor, seizing computers and other accounting documents.
ANKARA
As Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz confirmed on Sept. 19 that Turkey’s high school entrance exam will not be held this year, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) continued to raise concerns on the issue, with one of its deputies claiming that the move aims to funnel students to religion-focused high schools.
MARDİN
Police detained four Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suspects on Sept. 18 in raids on two sleeping cells of the jihadist group in the southeastern province of Mardin, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 19.
Scandinavian Telia AB has sold about 1.78 billion Turkish liras ($508 million) worth of stock in Turkey’s largest mobile operator, Turkcell İletişim, in order to focus on its operations in the
ISTANBUL
A Turkish court ordered on Sept. 19 the continuation of arrest for all journalists, including Nazlı Ilıcak, Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan, after a second hearing in the case into the alleged “media leg” of what prosecutors call the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). The trial was postponed to Nov. 13
Fevzi Kızılkoyun – ANKARA
An Ankara court has arrested three people and released four others previously detained over an attack against the funeral of the mother of jailed Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker Aysel Tuğluk.
Aziz Özen – ISTANBUL
An Istanbul court released a woman who had shot her father-in-law to death in Istanbul at the first hearing on Sept. 18, after she testified that he had sexually abused her.
ÇANAKKALE – Doğan News Agency
A group of Syrian refugees have turned an abandoned cattle facility in the northwestern province of Çanakkale into a makeshift residence camp.
OPINION - all the columnists »
On the same day as the Washington Post published an editorial “unwelcoming” Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to U.S. soil and urging U.S. President Donald Trump to stop arms sales to Turkey, Trump thanked Ankara for hosting refugees fleeing from the civil war in Syria in his Sept. 19 speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
Comment(s)9/20/2017
The historic referendum that will take place in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region is what Turkey has been denying for decades. Now that the decision is at the door, Turkish officials are halfheartedly making angry statements about a possible independent Kurdish state.
Unsurprisingly, the 2017-18 academic year began full of unresolved problems in the Turkish education system, stemming from both structural deficiencies and politically driven curriculum controversies.
What has changed since the inconclusive termination of the Cyprus talks at Crans-Montana? Nothing. Is there hope for the success of a new round of Cyprus talks should the sides decide to rehash the process?
China is getting closer to Europe with its “One Belt One Road” project, according to Ahmet Musul, the chairman of Ekol, one of Turkey’s leading logistics firms.
I have been writing about the indictments in the July 2016 coup attempt case and the ongoing trials for many months.
The past few weeks have been a grim reminder that natural disasters know no borders.
The Middle East went through similarly painful times almost a century ago. That was the dawn of the oil age and a time when three dynasties (Ottoman, Romanov and Habsburg) of three land empires (Turkey, Russia and Austria-Hungary) were falling apart.
The 4th Istanbul Coffee Festival will be organized between Sept. 21 and 24 at Küçükçiftlikpark. The event will feature workshops and seminars related to coffee, live performances and talks with coffee experts and the world’s leading baristas.
Göller Yöresi is one of the most important habitats for storks during their migration period in Turkey, which is home to two species of storks, white and black storks
The findings in Antalya’s ancient city of Arykanda, include the ruins of a villa, which show the importance of the city in the ancient era, say archaeologists
The Turkish Super League’s defending champion Beşiktaş defeated Konyaspor 2-0 in the closing game of the week at home late on Sept. 18, equalizing matters with Galatasaray on top of the standing.
Daily Hürriyet has taken photographs of historic artifacts in the ancient city of Palmyra, which was taken over and destroyed by ISIL in 2015
“Why Are We ‘Artists’? – 100 World Art Manifestos,” newly published by Penguin Books, is a collection of 100 artists’ manifestos from across the world between 1909 and 2012, bringing together activists, post-colonialists, surrealists, socialists, nihilists and a host of other voices.
Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and HBO miniseries ‘Big Little Lies’ were the big winners, with five statuettes each, on Sept 17 at the 69th Primetime Emmys
Imagine sunset over a vineyard stretching downhill towards the sea, tables spread on grass with light bulb chains hanging on top.
Comment(s)9/18/2017
An exhibition by speculative Australian architect, artist and filmmaker Liam Young, “New Romance” is on view at Istanbul’s Studio-X.