Istanbul taxi drivers protest against illegal drivers

ISTANBUL – Eighteen thousand legal taxis and at least twenty-five thousand illegal ones: Istanbul taxi drivers protested today against their unlicensed colleagues. Their most important demand was more severe punishments for illegal drivers. However, many Instanbul residents think that the licensed cabbies should first try a bit of introspection.

It’s the first time that taxi drivers have protested so massively against …

Row over press freedom in Turkey

ISTANBUL – A restriction of the freedom of press, or simply an effort to get big businesses to pay their taxes too? A tax fine of 700 million lira (325 million euros) for tax evasion by a big newspaper publisher, has sparked a debate about press freedom in Turkey.
Dogan Publishers is part of Dogan Holdings, one of Turkey’s biggest businesses, …

Turks get another new currency

ISTANBUL – For the second time in four years the Turks have to get used to new money: on the first of January, the ‘yeni Türk lirasi’ (new Turkish lira), which was introduced at 1 January 2005, will be a thing of the past. The word ‘yeni’ will be removed and the notes will have a new look.
The new Turkish …

In Tuzla, we don’t work with wool

The shipbuilding business is growing rapidly in Turkey. Especially in Tuzla, south of istanbul, it’s powering ahead. Unfortunately the number of fatal accidents is also on the rise. The employers say: “Accidents are inevitable in this industry. Here in Tuzla we’re not working with wool.”

After her husband died, nobody from his work-place came …

Turkish gold fever

Gold mines threaten green Turkey: even national parks are no longer safe. Villagers protest and go to court. “We expected more support from Europe.”

If only it was so simple, sighs Kumsal Yenilmez, protester against the opening of more mines in the west of Turkey. A judge recently decided that a gold mine close …

Turkish owner regrets buying the Otapan

The Otapan is finally on it’s way to Turkey to be broken up. Will the Turkish owner earn some money with it? “No, the Otapan only gave us trouble.”

If they had known beforehand what trouble buying the Otapan would cause them, they would never have bought the ship. Financially it has been a loss-maker, it has damaged the image of …

Buying a house in Turkey temporarily impossible

There is unrest in the Turkish property market because of a court decision that, for the time being, foreigners can not buy property in Turkey. This also has consequences for people who want to buy a holiday house in Turkey.  

“Have I lost my money now?”, asks Dutchman Peter by mail to his advisor on the Turkish property market, Tugrul Sezgin. …

“This is where the action will be, not in Europe”

Turks all long to move to Europe. Isn’t it? Well, not the more highly educated Turks. Turkey offers them enough opportunities!

Exactly one week after finishing his studies, he found a job. Majoring in environmental technology, Kaan Alpaslan (24) modestly says he ‘was lucky’, but there is more. Not only the company that hired him apparently sees a future for him, …

Going to Europe? I think not!

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Turkey and the EU: the negotiations about access might not go so smoothly, and probably only in about ten or fifteen years will Turkey be part of the EU. And then of course, many Europeans fear, hordes of Turks will come to Europe to find work. In reality the Turkish economy is growing, the country is rapidly developing, …