Turkish opposition wants debate on corruption
ISTANBUL – One of Turkey’s opposition leaders, Deniz Baykal, wants a television debate on an alleged corruption scandal in which governing party AKP is involved. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not responding to the offer.
Erdogan hopes that the scandal will blow over, but in the meantime it has kept Turkish politics and media enthralled for weeks. Tension is still high …
Mariska married the love of her life, Turkish man Ayhan. He moved to Holland, and everything seemed fine. That is, until he went to visit his family for a vacation and was promptly married off.
Mariska (30): “My husband and I planned to go on a holiday at his family’s place for a month. But he missed his family and his …
The divisive dilemma facing Turkish feminists
Anyone who is pro womens’ rights in Turkey is almost automatically against more rights for women wearing a headscarf. Ever since devout Muslims gained political and economic power, Turkish feminists have been in an awkward position.
The fact that it was the political party representing devout Muslims that lifted the headscarf ban at universities makes Handan Koç angry. “Of course”, says …
Karataş was one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorists
ISTANBUL – With the death of Dursun Karataş, who died in the Netherlands last Monday of cancer, one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorists has left the stage. Karataş, leader of the far-left DHKP-C, lived in various European countries with a false identity since he escaped from an Istanbul prison in 1990. Whether the death of Karataş also means the end …
Turkish hospital in trouble over infant deaths
ISTANBUL – One of the most modern hospitals in Turkey is under intense scrutiny after 27 newborn babies died over a fifteen day period. The Ankara state hospital declared the babies (some of them premature) had infections that can’t be blamed on the hospital, but experts doubt that. The Health Ministry is conducting an investigation.
The hospital has one
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Meanwhile, at TRT… a game show
A game show. State broadcaster TRT 1 is broadcasting a game show after the announcement that governing AK Party will not be closed down for anti-secular activities. TRT 2 and 3 are not much better: faithfully the TRT cameras (the only ones allowed in parliament) are recording parliamentary proceedings. Interesting, a debate about education.
But of course, TRT is not …
Forest fires in Turkey sometimes lit by army
ISTANBUL – The forest fires raging across the southern Turkish region of Antalya have nothing to do with terrorism or the fight against it. Some fires in others parts of the country do: the Turkish army sometimes lights them in its fight against the Kurdish PKK, which threatens to set forests on fire in the west of Turkey in retaliation.
In …
ISTANBUL – A period of political uncertainty has come to an end in Turkey: governing party AKP will not be closed down, the Constitutional Court decided today. Various reforms and negotiations initiated by the AKP but stalled by the constitutional crisis, can now be taken further. For example the accession talks with the EU and a proposed presidential visit to …
Turkish would-be immigrants unmoved by Dutch court decisions
ISTANBUL – Any excitement among Turks who plan to move to the Netherlands after two legal verdicts challenged immigration rules? None whatsoever. The embassy and the consulate in Turkey only got a handful of phone calls asking about the verdicts and their implications, while the Turks and their Dutch partners who are affected don’t even bat …
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 …
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