Turkish suspect in Dink trial says ordered to kill...
Turkish suspect in Dink trial says ordered to kill | Reuters
Dink suspect 'was high on drugs'
A Turkish teenager accused of killing Hrant Dink tells a court he was high on drugs when he shot the journalist in January........
A notorious liar
by Hans A.H.C. de Wit
By calling the people who made a video with his latest hit as 'The ones who made it have no character. It’s not suitable with my character and beliefs', he is a real joker. Okay, take away the video, and listen to his song only. A song where he implicitly is telling that people like the murdered Hrant Dink have to watch out........
YAVUZ BAYDAR: The same old ground
Tomorrow, another round in the trial of the Dink murder begins. Again, as expected, his colleagues and friends, loved ones and relatives will gather to witness the proceedings. Perhaps some quiet demonstrations will occur before the trial, as happened last time.
Şahin Alpay: What does the draft constitution signify?
In the first week of June, at the start of their campaign in early elections, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Professor Ergun Özbudun, a liberal and highly esteemed political scientist and constitutional lawyer, and asked him to form a group of experts to prepare a draft for a new “civilian” and “democratic” constitution, as promised in the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) election manifesto.
Atalay must clean up the police
Interior Minister Beşir Atalay is a serious man. He cannot bear injustice. He dislikes small games and disruption at state level. He is an orderly human being. I cannot imagine him ignoring the...
EU, Schengen, and some idiotery on Cyprus
by Hans A.H.C. de Wit
Turkish Foreign ministry makes it also clear: visa's still required.
That especially Turkey has to deal with suspicions immigration officers and custom officers is also related to the following.
Last week, a former high ranked official (2000-2006) of the Dutch Immigration Office published a book. Turkey's people were allowed under a special law to get their spouses, husbands etc. over. After three years this person got a permanent residency and work permit. But what happened, after three years the couples divorced and announced that they planned to marry again with another. So one person was able to get 8 people a residency etc. Clearly misusing the system.
Turkey does not belong in Europe: Sarkozy
by mirdifderya
Has Sarkozy changed his stance?
by SAMİ KOHEN, MİLLİYET
Will the bilateral meeting held between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in New York bring a new momentum for Turkish-French relations, which have recently suffered as a result of Sarkozy’s firm opposition to Turkey’s EU membership?Why not two independent states in Cyprus?
Public opinion polls held recently in both parts of Cyprus, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) and the Greek Cypriot side, revealed the stunning fact that both people see the sustainable solution in two separate states rather than a unified federal state.
Irans, Malaysias, oligarchic elite and coups
We are a fortunate generation. If we were exposed to the psychological warfare today’s bureaucratic oligarchy was only two decades ago, almost all of us would be shivering in fear as we had to choose between Iranian or Malaysian regimes or a Kenan Evren-type junta regime.
Mukhtar of neighborhood counteracts pressure
The Çarşamba district of İstanbul’s Fatih neighborhood was the setting of choice to be used by those wishing to frighten the masses for years. If you had been able to capture only two women in black chadors in one frame and pen an exaggerated article to go along with the picture, you would have quite possibly gained the center position on the front page of the newspaper.
The point on which ‘forbidders’ are mistaken by FEHİM ÜÇIŞIK
The headscarf ban at universities and new dimensions beyond just the prohibition itself are on the agenda due to of the constitutional draft preparations.
Who would accept this suggestion?
by MEHMET ALTAN, STAR
Recently, I found out that a copy of the Magna Carta will be sold at auction; I pursued the news further.
How could the PKK seize a US tank?
by FİKRET BİLA, MİLLİYET
The cooperation agreement between Turkey and Iraq, including the part dealing with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but excluding hot pursuit, has many question marks on it.
The vicious game in Kandil
by ERDAL ŞAFAK, SABAH
We don’t believe that the agreement to fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) signed with Iraq will be of any benefit. US Army officers visit the PKK headquarters in Kandil almost every week.
Gül’s first month
by MUSTAFA ÜNAL, ZAMAN
Hot pursuit issue
by NASUHİ GÜNGÖR, STAR
Peer Pressure in Turkey and America
by jakedolson
There has been a lot of talk in the papers and throughout Turkey this past week about peer pressure. The term used in Turkish is more akin to "neighborhood pressure." There is a fear throughout Turkey that recent elections, in which a party with Islamic roots enjoyed an overwhelming victory, will embolden those with an [...]
