-
-
Turkey's first gay 'honour' killing?
One of the most prominent gay figures in Turkey, Anhmet Yildiz, has been fatally shot in a pre-meditated attack by a group of men.
Yildiz, 26, was a physics student, and had attracted notoriety after he represented Turkey at an international gay gathering in San Francisco last year.
This murder is viewed by many as representative of the onflicting social attitudes in Turkey today: between more conservative "old mentalities", and "growing civil liberties". Here it seems that one of these liberties, the right to a life without prejudice, has met vicious opposition.
Turkey's sudden exposure to 'western' mentalities, since it first began to make steps to join the european union in the late 1980s, has lead to an awkward juxtaposition of more progressive thinking with the traditionalist cirlces; who have here expressed themselves in the only way they know how: certainly rational argument has not prved too successful.
One of the most prominent gay figures in Turkey, Anhmet Yildiz, has been fatally shot in a pre-meditated attack by a group of men. ... more -
A Thousand Wrestlers and Two Tons of Olive Oil
Every summer for the last 650 years, Turkish men have gathered to see who was the strongest, fastest and slickest of them all. It's called Kirkpinar, and it's the biggest oil wrestling competition in the world.
The well-muscled men face off in the middle of a grassy field, as a crowd of thousands looks on eagerly. Slowly, methodically, they cover their chests and legs with olive oil -- first with the right hand, then with the left. Then they take turns oiling each others' backs.
Then the fun begins: Turkey's annual Kirkpinar festival, the highlight of the Turkish sporting calendar, is a three-day orgy of oil wrestling. Known as "yagli gures" (pronounced "yaw-luh gresh"), the slippery sport is considered by some to be the Turkish national game.
Read more... Every summer for the last 650 years, Turkish men have gathered to see who was the strongest, fastest and slickest of them all. It's ca... more -
Turkey charges 86 for 'coup plot'
BBC: A top Turkish prosecutor has brought charges against 86 people allegedly involved in a coup plot.
Aykut Cengiz Engin said those charged included leading figures from the army, business and the secular press.
The charges follow speculation about a shadowy group of hardline nationalists determined to act in what they see as defence of Turkey's secular values.
Tensions have been rising in Turkey amid efforts to close the ruling party over alleged anti-secular activities.
The Constitutional Court is considering a case against the AK Party, in which it is accused of aiming to introduce Sharia law in Turkey, in contravention of the strictly secular constitution.
The Turkish prime minister and president - both AKP members - are named in that case and could be barred from office. They and the party reject the charges, which they say are part of a campaign against the party. BBC: A top Turkish prosecutor has brought charges against 86 people allegedly involved in a coup plot. ... more -
43 nations creating Mediterranean union
French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the disparate and conflicted countries around the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday to make peace as European rivals did in the 20th century as he launched an unprecedented Union for the Mediterranean.
"The European and the Mediterranean dreams are inseparable," he told leaders from more than 40 nations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. "We will succeed together; we will fail together."
The union Sarkozy championed as a pillar of his presidency brought together around one table for the first time dignitaries such rival nations as Israel and Syria, Algeria and Morocco, Turkey and Greece.
Coping with age-old enmities involving their peoples and others along the Mediterranean shores will be a central challenge to the new union encompassing some 800 million people.
"We will build peace in the Mediterranean together, like yesterday we built peace in Europe," Sarkozy said. He insisted the new body would not be "North against south, not Europe against the rest ... but united."
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, co-presiding the summit with Sarkozy, said: "We are linked by a common destiny."
He said the union has better chances of success than a previous cooperation process launched in Barcelona in 1995 because the new body focuses on practical projects parallel to efforts toward Mideast peace.
Mubarak called on the new union to tackle reducing the wealth "gap" between north and south, and cited other southern Mediterranean "challenges" as education, food safety, health and social welfare.
"The success of the Union will depend on ... reforms and durable development," Mubarak said.
A draft declaration obtained by The Associated Press shows that summit participants will announce "objectives of achieving peace, stability and security" in the region. The six firm measures it names are things such as a region-wide solar energy project, a cross-Mediterranean student exchange program and a plan to clean up the polluted sea. French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the disparate and conflicted countries around the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday to make peace as... more -
Attack outside US consulate in Istanbul, 6 dead
Three unidentified gunmen and three Turkish policemen were killed Wednesday in an attack on a checkpoint outside the well-fortified US consulate in Istanbul that officials labelled a "terrorist" act.
The assailants "directly" targetted the police post outside the high-walled US consulate in the upscale district of Istinye, Istanbul province Governor Muammer Guler said.
Interior Minister Besir Atalay called the gunmen "terrorists" and the investigation was handed to prosecutors specialising in terrorism cases.
The three assailants jumped from a car and opened fire at the police checkpoint around 11:00am (0800 GMT), a witness told NTV television, adding that they also fired shots at the building.
The security forces returned fire, killing all three gunmen.
One policeman died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital, Guler said.
Two other people -- a policeman and the civilian driver of a police truck -- were injured, he said.
No consulate personnel were injured, the spokeswoman of the US embassy in Ankara, Kathy Schallow, told AFP.
Guns and rifles were seized at the scene after the shootout, which lasted about eight minutes.
The police post was situated outside a gate for visa applicants from where steep steps lead up to the fortified consulate building.
The consulate was moved to its current high-security location in 2003 as foreign missions across the world stepped up security measures following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
Television footage showed a bloodied body, covered with newspaper, lying in the street as emergency services rushed the wounded to hospital.
The car, described either as white or grey, was driven by a fourth accomplice who drove off after the attack.
The security forces launched a major hunt for the vehicle and a police helicopter was overflying the area.
The car had waited a while at a nearby car-wash before driving down towards the consulate, a witness said.
Investigators were trying to determine the identities of the assailants, who were aged between 25 and 30, Istanbul's chief prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin told reporters.
"We consider the incident a terrorist act," he said.
Two of the dead gunmen were Turkish nationals, while the police were still trying to establish the identity of the third, NTV quoted officials as saying.
The most recent attack on a foreign mission in Turkey was in 2003 when Al-Qaeda militants detonated a car bomb at the British consulate in central Istanbul, and simultaneously attacked the British HSBC bank.
The British consul was killed in the attacks, which followed the bombings five days earlier of two synagogues in Istanbul. About 60 people were killed in the four blasts, the deadliest terrorist attacks in Turkey.
Three unidentified gunmen and three Turkish policemen were killed Wednesday in an attack on a checkpoint outside the well-fortified US... more -
Government arrests more as tension mounts in Turkey
Political tensions rose Tuesday across Turkey as police seized two retired generals, a prominent journalist and others accused of plotting to overthrow the government and prosecutors undertook a court case to ban the ruling party.
The developments dramatize the sharp and serious political tensions between the country's ruling party and its outspoken critics from the nation's secularist establishment.
Since autumn, police have been arresting and jailing people accused of being part of Ergenekon, an alleged plot to overthrow the government. During the effort, there has been harassment of journalists, and news reports have said many people are being held without charge.
On Tuesday, police made 22 arrests in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya and Trabzon, according to Turkey's semi-official Anadolu Agency, which said its information came from prosecutors. Three other people were being sought, the agency said.
Political tensions rose Tuesday across Turkey as police seized two retired generals, a prominent journalist and others accused of plot... more -
Peace in the Middle East?
Praising Turkey's ongoing efforts to resolve regional disputes, Alon Ben-Meir, journalist, author and professor of international relations, suggests that Turkey has "a golden opportunity" for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestine dispute. "In last five or six years, it mended its relations with Syria, that's why it's able today to talk to Israel and Syria," he said,
Earlier this month, Israel and Syria concluded a second round of indirect peace talks and agreed to continue the negotiations over the fate of the Golan Heights in July. Syria is demanding that Israel return the water-rich plateau, which Israel captured from it in 1967 in the Six-Day War. Israeli officials have repeatedly said a peace deal depends on Damascus distancing itself from Iran and severing ties with groups such as Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbullah.
"Turkey has good relations with Iran, it's very important. Turkey has good relations with Palestinians, both with the moderate as well as with the extremists, including Hamas. Turkey has excellent relations with state of Israel and has very good relations with Egypt and every single Arab country," he elaborated.
Read the rest of this awesome article...
Praising Turkey's ongoing efforts to resolve regional disputes, Alon Ben-Meir, journalist, author and professor of international relat... more -
US removes its nuclear arms from Britain
The US has removed its nuclear weapons from Britain, ending a contentious presence spanning more than half a century, a report will say today. According to the study by the Federation of American Scientists, the last 110 American nuclear weapons on UK soil were withdrawn from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on the orders of President George Bush.
The report's author, Hans Kristensen, one of the leading experts on Washington's nuclear arsenal, said the move had happened in the past few years, but had only come to light yesterday.
He described the withdrawal of the B-61 "freefall", or "gravity", bombs as part of a general strategic shift since the end of the cold war.
"The northern front is not very relevant any more for these deployments. The US nuclear posture is almost entirely focused on the southern region, in Incirlik [in Turkey] and Aviano [in Italy]." The US has removed its nuclear weapons from Britain, ending a contentious presence spanning more than half a century, a report will sa... more -
Germany defeats Turkey in Euro 2008 Semifinals
Germany, get ready for the Finals! Philip Lahm's last-gasp goal gave Germany a thrilling 3-2 win over Turkey to book their place in the final of Euro 2008. Germany, get ready for the Finals! Philip Lahm's last-gasp goal gave Germany a thrilling 3-2 win over Turkey to book their place in th... more
-
Islamic scholar voted worlds no.1 thinker
Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar has been voted the world's top intellectual in a poll to find the leading 100 thinkers.
The scholar attracted a massive half a million votes according to the survey organised by a British (Prospect) & an American magazine (Foreign Policy).
The top 10 individuals were all Muslim and included two Nobel laureates, the novelist Orhan Pamuk, who is also Turkish, at No 4, and the Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, in 10th.
Gülen has been praised in the West for promoting dialogue & condemned Osoma Bin Laden as a monster after 9/11. Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar has been voted the world's top intellectual in a poll to find the leading 100 thinkers. ... more -
Turkish singer tried over dissent
One of Turkey's best known singers, Bulent Ersoy, has gone on trial charged with attempting to turn the public against military service.
The charges were brought after she suggested it was not worth sacrificing soldiers' lives in Turkey's conflict with the Kurdish separatist PKK group.
The transsexual singer made her comments on television last February.
The army was conducting a major operation against the PKK in northern Iraq at the time.
Some 40,000 people have died since the conflict with the PKK began in 1984.
Ms Ersoy did not show up in court, saying she had to attend a concert, so the trial has been postponed until September, when she will be obliged to attend.
Ms Ersoy has already said she will stand by her comments.
But she faces up to four-and-a-half years in prison if she is convicted.
***Criticism risky***
Hakkan Ozgur, one of those who submitted an official complaint against her, was in court for the start of the trial.
"The Turkish military is fighting a war on terror," he said.
"I believe making propaganda against this is illegal. It creates doubts in people over whether to go to the military. It sows doubt in the minds of those whose children are already serving."
"The lives of our soldiers are at stake."
Ms Ersoy is Turkey's best known diva, adored across the country, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Istanbul.
She was already one of the country's most popular male singers, when in 1981 she underwent a sex-change operation.
But questioning the Turkish military can be a risky business, our correspondent says.
Article 318 of the penal code - dissuading people from military service - is frequently used by the military against its critics.
Meanwhile critics say a separate article, making it a crime to insult the Turkish nation and its institutions, is used to stifle free speech.
Ms Ersoy's trial may well scare many others into silence, our correspondent says. One of Turkey's best known singers, Bulent Ersoy, has gone on trial charged with attempting to turn the public against military servic... more -
Iraq In Talks With Turkey, Syria As Rivers Run Dry
Iraq said on Tuesday it is opening talks with Turkey and Syria in a bid to increase the flow of Euphrates and Tigris rivers and end severe water shortages.
Water Resources Minister Latif Rashid is heading to Turkey and then to Syria with an appeal from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to increase the amount of water released into the two rivers, the government said in a statement.
Iraq is in the grip of a severe drought and needs more water for agriculture and drinking, it said, adding that Iraq also wants tripartite talks to implement water sharing agreements reached in January this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bechtel must be in it's glory.
http://www.citizen.org/documents/bechteliniraq.pdf
Edit:
Apparently, Bechtel hightailed it out of Iraq about two years ago after making enough cash and leaving a trail of malfeasance behind, including water projects completed that do not do any good since electricity runs it and that is still in shambles. Surprise, surprise.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44251/ Iraq said on Tuesday it is opening talks with Turkey and Syria in a bid to increase the flow of Euphrates and Tigris rivers and end se... more -
Turkish war planes bomb northern Iraq
Turkish warplanes attacked several Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq on Thursday, Turkey's military said. No casualties were immediately reported.
The fighter jets targeted 16 rebel positions in the Hakurk region, just across the shared border, the military said in a statement posted on its Web site. It said the raids were "effective" and "successful" and that an assessment of the damage inflicted on the rebel group was under way. Turkish warplanes attacked several Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq on Thursday, Turkey's military said. No casualties were imme... more -
US imposes sanctions on Kurdish rebels
"President George W Bush has used a US drug trafficking law to impose financial sanctions on separatist Kurdish rebels in Turkey. The sanctions deny the PKK access to the US financial system and block any transactions involving American companies and individuals.
Sanctions were also announced against the 'Ndrangheta mafia from Italy and a Mexican drug-lord and his cartel. Three individuals from Afghanistan, Venezuela and Turkey were also listed.
"This action underscores the president's determination to... end the suffering that trade in illicit drugs inflicts on Americans and other people around the world, as well as prevent drug traffickers from supporting terrorists," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
The PKK is branded a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU. There is a widespread belief in Turkey that the PKK uses drug trafficking to finance terror. More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK its campaign in 1984. The 'Ndrangheta, from the Calabria region of Italy, has overtaken Sicily's Cosa Nostra as the richest and most violent of the Italian mafia. In Mexico, nearly 1,400 people have died this year across the country, as drug cartels fight among themselves and government forces.
Previously there were 68 individuals and entities subject to sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which became law in December 1999". "President George W Bush has used a US drug trafficking law to impose financial sanctions on separatist Kurdish rebels in Turkey. The... more -
Turkish gay group will fight ban
A leading Turkish gay rights group will fight a court ruling that ordered it be closed for "violating morality".
Lambda, which has become increasingly vocal in calling for gay, lesbian and transgender rights in Turkey, says it will appeal against the decision.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but many gay and transgender people complain of discrimination.
A report last week by Human Rights Watch highlighted extensive harassment and called for legal reforms.
The court said the group must be closed, following a complaint, initiated by the Istanbul governor's office, that Lambda violated laws on the protection of the family, and an article banning bodies "with objectives that violate law and morality".
"This is a mistake and we hope that the Appeals Court will correct it," the group's lawyer, Firat Soyle, told the AFP news agency.
The group can continue to operate in the mean time.
Mr Soyle said a prosecutor threw out a similar application against another gay rights advocacy group, KAOS-GL in 2005, saying that homosexuality does not amount to immorality.
A leading Turkish gay rights group will fight a court ruling that ordered it be closed for "violating morality". ... more -
Istanbul opens Museum of Islam, Science and Technology
Turkey's PM has opened the worlds first Istanbul Museum of the History of Islam, Science, and Technology which is backed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in cooperation with the Greater İstanbul Municipality.
In the initial stages, the museum will display 140 different pieces, though over time the number of displayed items is expected to rise to 800 & will exhibit works produced by Turkish and Muslim scientists well in advance of the industrial revolution. A special Science History Library will also be included as part of the museum.
Items to be displayed include examples of devices and tools used in geography, astronomy, oceanography, machinery, geometry, optics, medicine, chemistry, mining, physics, mechanics, war and architecture. Turkey's PM has opened the worlds first Istanbul Museum of the History of Islam, Science, and Technology which is backed by the Turkis... more -
Rock Turkish stylie
The word ayyuka has two very different meanings: to the highest part of the sky and to tell that a secret has been revealed (an idiom); both meanings describe Ayyuka's music perfectly. Ayyuka patiently spins all the yarns of its name and connotations. Various types of music such as Anatolian rock, arabesque, punk, surf, psychedelic rock, funk are all melt together meticulously by Ayyuka. Ayyuka’s music is not just a simple extension of Western music or a genre easily blended with local motives.
Ayyuka have played with the likes of Sonic Youth and Jonathan Richmond.
http://www.myspace.com/ayyuka
Influences: RHCP, Fugazi, Orhan gencebay, Erkin Koray, Queens of the stone age, The Mars Volta, Pj Harvey, Jack White, Beastie Boys, Pink Floyd, John Frusciante, Marc Ribot, Radiohead, Ataxia...
Band members:Özgür yilmaz, Ahmet Kul, Altan Sebuktekin, Alican Tezer. The word ayyuka has two very different meanings: to the highest part of the sky and to tell that a secret has been revealed (an idiom)... more -
Turkey donates $2 mln to heal wounds after China earthquake
Turkey has donated $2 million of aid to help relief efforts in earth-quake hit China.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that the $2 million aid was dispatched quickly to Chinese authorities following the Turkish government's decision:
"Turkey, which is among the countries that know well the destructive effects of earthquakes and the importance of international solidarity during sensitive periods, hasn't left China alone -- with which it traditionally has good relations in every field -- during its difficult days," Turkey has donated $2 million of aid to help relief efforts in earth-quake hit China. ... more -
Turkish Rambo
This clip is worth watching just for the way the rocket falls of the end of the launcher. Go Turkish Rambo!
-
12,000-year-old temple found in Turkey
A temple has been discovered in Turkey. The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated. Such a find has the potential to alter forever the existing paradigm of human development and demonstrates conclusively that complex societies existed in our most remote past, thousands of years before Stonehenge and the Giza Pyramids were built. A temple has been discovered in Turkey. The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated. Such a find has the potential to alte... more
-
related topics
Turkey
Contributors (299)
Turkey
