‘Spring has started, you don’t need wood for the heater anymore, do you?’ I asked my neighbour when I saw her chopping wood. I knew what she was chopping it for, I just needed to start the conversation. ‘It’s for the barbecue, why don’t you come and join us!’
The first real spring weekend in Istanbul seemed a good occasion to …
Kurds start long term civil disobedience
ISTANBUL – Kurdish groups in Turkey have announced long term civil disobedience to demand more cultural and political freedom. They have started with mass sit-ins in several cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of the country. On Thursday thousands of people are expected to gather in the city of Batman, according to reports in Turkish papers on Thursday.
The actions have …
Boring elections coming up! Or not?
We already know who’s going to win the elections in June. The latest poll even predicts a 46% victory for governing AKP – that’s hardly a loss compared to the previous elections in 2007. Opposition party CHP is growing and would get 25% of the votes if elections were held now (an increase of about 5% compared to 2007), and …
Late summer time causes trouble for Turkish companies
ISTANBUL – Turkish companies will add overtime and incur extra costs because the Turkish government decided on short notice that summer time will start one day later,. In Turkey time will go forward by one hour not on Sunday night the 27th of March, but on Monday night. The reason is the university entrance exam, on Sunday. How much damage …
Why Istanbul is not the new Davos
Kofi Annan, Al Gore and Abdullah Gül were there. And high profile leaders of academics and civil society, famous in and beyond their field: Helen Clark, Wim Kok, prof. Tariq Ramadan, Patriarch Bartholomeus, Wendy Chamberlin, Kemal Dervis, Lord Nicholas Stern. It was, overall, interesting and now and then even inspiring, but does that make Istanbul the new Davos, like some …
Demonstration for press freedom in Turkey
ISTANBUL – Several thousand people demonstrated for press freedom on Sunday in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Since two prominent journalists were arrested last week for alleged involvement in plans to topple the AKP government, solidarity among Turkish journalists is on the rise.
The demand for press freedom was reinforced by carrying portraits of arrested journalists. So far 68 journalists are …
The prospect of major disaster
Japan was prepared. As far as you can be prepared for an earthquake, Japan was prepared. The buildings swayed like they were supposed to so as not to collapse, the people didn’t panic but knew what to do and what not to do. And still, the disaster is tremendous. That makes it so hard to imagine what could happen in …
Anybody who thinks the increase in the killings of women will vanish as soon as the AKP is no longer governing Turkey, should really very quickly wake up. One, because that’s not going to happen any time soon (they will probably win the coming elections). Two, because it is a dangerous form of denial of the complexity and seriousness of …
Turkey confusing terrorists and journalists
Now and then I publish guest blog posts on this website, written by Turkish journalists. The second guest blog post is written by Ayla Albayrak, who is …
This is a very cynical thing to say, but honestly, I think at MHP headquarters there is some relief after the decision by Kurdish separatist movement PKK to end its unilateral cease-fire. The more PKK violence, the stronger Turkish nationalist feelings and the more votes the MHP will get. Will they, thanks to the PKK, be able to pass the …
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