Erkan's field diary

Barroso's talk was calculated, sympathetic and diplomatic. He was determined not to talk on the current AKP trial but he could not resist to tease Turkish secularists at one particular moment. When he was talking about political miracles he had witnessed, he said "I hope secularists won't accuse me being religious when I use the word miracle" :)

Barroso pushes Turkey on reforms

On his first visit to Turkey as Commission President, José Manuel Barroso said he was confident that two more chapters in the accession talks with the country could be opened by July, while stressing that Turkey still has "a long way to go" before fulfilling EU membership conditions.

Oh well, AKP is lazy for sure. 19 of 114 promised promised laws since 18 April 2007 has been created.

Barroso urges Turkey to speed up reform

The president of the European Commission has called on Ankara to hasten changes on matters including free speech to show it is serious about joining the European Union

EU’s right to ‘meddle’ in Turkey’s internal affairs

Amid the political turmoil that was triggered by a closure cased filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) last month, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn paid a landmark visit to Turkey, where they met with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and opposition party leaders.

Oktay Eksi: What I understood from Barroso

Yesterday, president of the European Commission, Jose-Manuel Barroso addressed members of the Turkish parliament. Our first impression of his speech is like this:

Barroso verbalized his thoughts while seemingly not alluding to the 'hearing process' in the AKP closure case that he had previously expressed to the public opinion. For instance, he repeated his opinion about the European Union's stance that 'does not judge non-violent opinions.'"

Secularism suggested by Barroso by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE

The visit of European Union Commission President José Manuel Barroso to Turkey coincided with a critical period of time.

Judicial intervention and Turkey’s EU road by SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME

The decision of the Constitutional Court to initiate a case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came as no surprise, especially considering last year's unprecedented and highly contentious "367 criteria" that was brought to the presidential elections by the very same court to hinder the AK Party by means of "law."


Turkish women react Barroso on headscarf

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Fighting for free speech in Turkey

U.S. calls Turkish court to rule free from politics

Which image of Istanbul is in Brussels? - Turkish Daily News Apr 12, 2008

EU must implement dual-deterrence in Turkey - Turkish Daily News Apr 11, 2008

EU winds blow through Ankara

By MUSTAFA ÜNAL, ZAMAN

European Union Commission President José Manuel Barroso, along with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, came to Ankara this week for a visit.

Which road will the AK Party choose?

By MAHMUT ÖVÜR, SABAH

AK Party members, having recently shaken off the initial shock of the court case aimed at shutting them down, are now waking up every morning making calculations about exactly how it is they will emerge from this vicious cycle.

Not Islamist but conservative

By YASİN DOĞAN, YENİ ŞAFAK

Since the very first day his party was formed, Erdoğan has been reiterating that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is neither a religiously based movement nor the continuation of an Islamist profile.

The AK Party and the oligarchy's despotism

By HASAN CELAL GÜZEL, RADİKAL

Aside from those who laugh knowingly and say: "Well you know, there is a justice system. Let's just await the results of this system," the court case aimed at closing down the ruling AK Party is viewed across Turkey, in fact across the whole world, as being not a legal matter but in fact a struggle for administrative power. Turkey Is Well Ahead Of At Least 10 E.U. Member States, Erdogan

Lawfare and Wearfare in Turkey - Greece / Turkey / Cyprus Religion - Anarkismo

Redefining Turkishness - - Breaking News, Political News & National Security News - The Washington Times

Turkish PM chides European Union

The priorities of Turkey were in line with those set out in the EU’s accession requirements, Erdogan said.

After AKP, What?

By Jenny White

Graphs from Today’s Zaman

Turks are unhappy about the case before the Constitutional Court to close down the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). If the party is closed down and new elections are held, none of the other parties will have enough votes to create a functioning government and at present there are no viable alternative centrist parties. Voting patterns will lose their moorings and the outcome is anyone’s guess.

Turkish secularism vs. European secularism

Debates on secularism had their peak in France, the motherland of secularism, three years ago. The imposition of a headscarf ban in public primary schools was one of the reasons why the debates heated up.

MAM cuts his finger

Divergent European Approaches to Combating PKK Terrorism

By Abdulkadir Onay
April 11, 2008

Earlier this month, Europol -- the European Union law enforcement agency that handles criminal intelligence -- released its annual Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, part of which addresses the European criminal activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The release comes on the heels of a March 29 German report outlining considerable details about PKK activities in Germany. Although these reports help illustrate the extent of the group's European infrastructure, many European governments have still not taken serious steps to counter the threat, despite the PKK's presence on the EU's terrorism list."

PARTY CALLS FOR A COMMITTEE ON SOUTHEAST TURKEY - Eurasia Daily Monitor

Ability to react to lawlessness

Turkey's agenda was abuzz last week as another military blacklist was leaked to the press. It has been revealed that the list, prepared in March 2006 for the Turkish General Staff, included civil society organizations, academics, businesspersons and journalists.

So there is democratic secularism as well

Conceptual ambiguity plays a dramatic role in Turkey's current situation where fundamental problems remain unresolved and become the source of polarization and tension.

Secularist community

Turkish modernity still remains committed to classical sociological assumptions of the 19th century. One of the reasons for the lawsuit demanding closure of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was references by some party members to the notion of "community."

Who will stop the coup?

Turkey finally has the chance to openly discuss and name a coup process for the first time, following several successful coups and far more coup attempts.

Posted by erkan at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fixing Europe's problems: 'less policies, more politics'

As the European Parliament approaches the one-year countdown to the 2009 Elections, a leading academic has emphasised the need to put politics back into the European arena.

 

Sebastian Bersick | Gudrun Wacker

Great Expectations for Cross Strait Relations

Ma Ying-jeou wins presidential elections

SWP Comments 2008/C 06, April 2008, 4 pages

Daniela Schwarzer | Isabelle Werenfels

The Union for the Mediterranean: A Missed Opportunity

The challenges in the region would require a fundamental revision of the existing framework

SWP Comments 2008/C 05, April 2008, 8 pages

 

 

MEP Van Orden: 'Not happy' about Kosovo outcome

British Conservative MEP and foreign affairs committee member Geoffrey Van Orden believes greater autonomy for Kosovo within Serbia would have been a better solution, strengthening reformists in Serbia and improving Western relations with Russia. He was speaking to EurActiv in an interview.

Poll: Serbs pro-EU, but not ready to give up Kosovo

As Kosovo confirmed its recently declared independence with the parliamentary adoption of a new constitution, a new survey reveals a large majority of Serbian citizens are opposed to their country's recognition of Kosovo being made a condition of EU membership.

The Politics of the Beijing Olympics

By Henning Laptop

DOSSIER: Northern Ireland, a model for peace | 10/04/2008

Northern Ireland marks the ten year anniversary of the Belfast Agreement, also called the Good Friday Agreement, signed April 10, 1998. The European press notes that this province has succeeded in establishing a lasting peace, and a power-sharing arrangement between former enemies.

CAP is out of date

By Nico

European agriculture is characterised by a massive overproduction each year, hence the so called “lakes of wine/milk” which are so often referred to. For instance, billions of liters of wine are not sold each year, especially in France, Italy or Spain and yet the CAP still pays for wine makers to produce as much. Since the Agenda 2000 decisions, taken in 1999, overproduction in the wine sector has decreased a little.

Slovakia, Poland ratify Lisbon Treaty

Slovakia has become the ninth country to ratify the new EU Treaty as deputies approved the text by a margin of 103 votes to five - after settling a dispute over a controversial media bill that had dragged on for months.

France hopeful on EU immigration deal

Brice Hortefeux, the French immigration minister, is completing a tour of EU capitals in order to prepare the ground for a "European immigration pact" to be endorsed by heads of state at a summit in October.

Western Balkans project launched while region 'on the brink'

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), an initiative launched in February to promote regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, is hanging in the balance as the region hovers between resolving the conflicts it has inherited or a prolonged period of stagnation, according to RCC Secretary General Hido Biscevic.

EU governments call for common armaments strategy

European government representatives have asked the European Defence Agency (EDA) to produce an "Armaments Strategy" to help meet future military needs and share the ever-increasing costs of developing and procuring high-technology defence equipment.

EU sees 'huge scope for cooperation' with Central Asia

A high-profile European Union delegation held meetings with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, on 9-10 April. The two-day talks focused on the implementation of the EU-Central Asia strategy adopted nearly a year ago and touched upon energy issues and human rights.

Europe rejects anti-piracy plans

Persistent file-sharers should not be thrown off the net, say European politicians.

Commission to increase mobility of learners

Twenty years after the EU introduced measures to facilitate the mobility of students in higher education via its credit transfer system, learners in manual or practical activities are set to get their own EU-wide system.

EU Parliament pushes for China Olympics boycott

A large majority of MEPs have voted in favour of a resolution urging EU leaders to boycott the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing unless China agrees to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled 'spiritual leader'.

DOSSIER: Can Berlusconi return to power? | 11/04/2008

Silvio Berlusconi, the Leader of the Italian rightwing opposition, hopes to win the legislative elections taking place April 13th and 14th, and retake his position as prime minister. He faces Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome and leader of the Democratic Party. The European press wonders if the centre-left candidate can prevent the return to power of 'il Cavaliere'.

Brussels to reveal secret list of items banned on planes

Italy: the ungovernable nation, Geoff Andrews

This is the election that few Italians wanted. One of the failures of Romano Prodi's disputatious government, elected by a narrow majority in the election of 9-10 April 2006, was the strengthening of the belief among its citizens that Italy's political class was more remote than ever. La Caste (as Sergio Rizzo & Gianantonio Stella have described Italy's political elite) - better paid and more numerous than its European peers, overwhelmingly male and more likely to have been involved in criminal activities - is seemingly entrenched in power.

Posted by erkan at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a flood of b-day celebration messages at my Facebook account. Thank you very much for all your well wishes. I have no elaborate plans but just to hang out in GepGenç festival and drink to death:)

My PC is back so that I can resume normal net activities:) 

Posted by erkan at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

Barroso has been Istanbul today. He paid a visit to Fener Patriarchate. His visit and his responses to critics (in Turkish).  

 

Posted by erkan at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (L) welcomes European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the entrance of his office in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials. REUTERS/Presidential Press Office/Mustafa Demirel/

 

Barosso: EU respects Turkish court decisions

The New Anatolian / Ankara
10 April 2008

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Thursday that the EU respects the top court's decision regarding the case filed to ban Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party."

EU calls on Turkey to meet Cyprus obligations | World | Reuters

ANKARA (Reuters) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called on Turkey on Thursday to meet its obligation under European Union membership talks to open its ports to ships from Cyprus."

Turkey’s “undemocratic” constitution

By James Ryan

Istanbul - The furor regarding the case accepted by Turkey’s highest court that could result in the banishment of the AKP ruling party makes me laugh out loud."More:Turkey’s “undemocratic” constitution

Barroso promises to open two more chapters; Turkey more reforms

Not what he said, but what he didn't

Maintaining his critical outlook about an ongoing legal case against the ruling party the European Union chief yesterday during a visit to Ankara said party closure was unusual in a democratic and

POLL SUGGESTS AKP CLOSURE CASE HAS BOOSTED PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR EU MEMBERSHIP - Eurasia Daily Monitor

Double scandal

By MUSTAFA ERDOĞAN, STAR

In the last few days, first the Taraf newspaper revealed a military document with the names of some citizens and civil society organizations on a blacklist whose patriotic feelings were suspected by the military, and then a columnist for the same paper, Yasemin Çongar, brought up the rumors that the military manipulates the courts in some critical cases.

Judiciary and Article 301

By TAHA AKYOL, MİLLİYET

Two important amendments are being made to Article 301 of the TCK. The text of the article is being changed, the ill-famed phrase "Turkishness" is being changed to "Turkish nation" and "republic" to "Turkish Republic," thereby making the definition of the crime more tangible.

Turkey's EU bid hurt by turmoil - Polish president

Political turmoil in Turkey is jeopardising its European Union aspirations, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said on Wednesday. Kaczynski said Poland remained a supporter of Turkey's long-

EU must implement dual-deterrence in Turkey

Semih İDİZ

EU project wins, as AKP loses votes

Mehmet Ali Birand

If I were in Barroso's shoes...

BARÇIN YİNANÇ

Fighting an uphill battle against hypocrisy and self-interest

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has decided to push ahead with EU reforms amid a court case for its closure on charges of alleged anti-secular activities.

IMF predicts Turkey to become world’s 15th largest economy

By meb on Comments & Analysis

With the adoption of revised national accounts using improved methods of calculation, Turkey’s gross domestic product in terms of purchasing power parity (GDP-PPP) will climb to $941.6 billion as of the end of 2008, rendering it the 15th largest economy in the world, the latest forecast in the World Economic Outlook of the International Monetary

Posted by erkan at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

the "neo-fascist" CHP leader Deniz Baykal threatened to leave the parliament with his MEPs if Barroso talked about banning AKP....

 

 

 Barroso had a moderate talk  though he underlined the EU's approach to the ban etc.

 

Because his talk was calculated, CHP people did not feel threatened while AKP found it positive and DTP found it not satisfactory (3 parties, 3 different reactions).  

Well, i am done for today. My home PC is at the IT shop, needing to be fixed and i guess i will spend another night without  internet:( Early morning tomorrow I have to go to the military office to postpone my duty again. The quarterly pain in the a**. Hmm tomorrow i have classes all day, it will be hard to be on the net. I will do my best though:) But then guess: Barroso will have a talk at Bilgi right in the building next to my office's! hahaha

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (L) welcomes European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso at the entrance of his office in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials. REUTERS/Presidential Press Office/Mustafa Demirel/Handout

photo: FIRAT YURDAKUL

Turkish court ruling bans access to Google Groups

Balkanalysis.com » Blog Archives » Turkey: A Tale of Two Unions

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Do Turkey’s civil society organizations accurately represent the public? by ULVİ SARAN

The function of civil society and the role of civil society organizations have become popular and a focal point of public opinion with recent developments that have occupied Turkey's daily agenda.

 

 

Trouble-On-Demand: University Clash Update

By Jenny White on Politics

It seems the incident that sparked the violent outbreak at Akdeniz University a few days ago (see my April 7 post) was personal, not political — a male student verbally harrassing a female student, and when he was told off, sneaking into her dorm and sexually harrassing her. A female friend tried to protect her, then other men inside and outside the dorm became involved until the two groups went after each other with sticks and chains. Two people, both non-students, used guns. According to news accounts, one group consisted of “PKK sympathizers”, the other — including the female student’s fiance — “ultranationalists”. (click for article in Turkish)(article in English)

 

Violent Provocation at University

By Jenny White

Tensions between right-wing and left-wing students at Akdeniz University in Antalya (on the Mediterranean coast) have been rising over the past few weeks and yesterday turned violent as groups of students, together numbering about 150, attacked each other with knives and sticks and shots rang out. The police used armored vehicles to separate the groups. Seven people were wounded and 34 arrested. Photos taken during the clash, however, showed that one of the two shooters was not a student, but an unknown man with a tattoo of the Sword of Zulfikar across his forehead. A week earlier, a group of left-oriented students had approached the local police station and asked for protection from a group of right-wing students that they said were preparing to attack them. (for article in Turkish click here)

Turk unions relaunch mass protests against labor law

What we earn, and how

By Dorte

Not only, but also because the government currently debates the social security of workers in Turkey, it is worth looking at how people in this country actually make their living.

Literacy is Up, But Turks Don’t Read

By Jenny White on Turkish literacy

Antalya Governor Alaaddin Yüksel asked last week, “Why is it that in this country there are over 400,000 coffeehouses, when there are only 1,500 libraries?” Turkey currently has 800,000 carded library members compared to 36 million members in Mexico. In Turkey, there is one library for every 50,000 citizens, compared to one for every 7,558 people on average in the EU. A survey by the Child Society found that only 8 percent of regular library-goers go there to actually read.

Headscarves depict Turkey in art event

A Slovakian artist's depictions of the faces of today's Turkey in portraits that included women wearing headscarves are part of an exhibition that opened in Ankara Monday under the patronage of

Tragedy in Sulukule

By Jenny White on Sulukule

Photo from Turkish Daily News

According to news reports, the thousand-year old Romani (gypsy) Sulukule neighborhood that dates back to Byzantium has become a site of despair as more and more houses are torn down with many residents given only 24-hour notice. (70 houses have been demolished so far.) An urban transformation project will replace the existing houses with middle-class villas and tourist facilities.

Learning Turkish

By jakedolson

I have been a little discouraged lately about my Turkish. I see that I’m still struggling to have deep conversations in the language spoken by my neighbors, friends and acquaintances. I was happy to see that Today’s Namaz had a piece by Charlotte McPhearson about language-learning plateaus.

Posted by erkan at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EU commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

 

EU commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (C) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (L) at the entrance of Erdogan's office in Ankara April 10, 2008. Barroso is in the Turkish capital for talks with top Turkish officials.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

EU's Barroso Urges Turkey to Press Ahead With Reforms | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 10.04.2008

Top EU officials meet Turkish PM amid renewed reform efforts

rpp is worse than a rotting political carcass

By Galip

just a short note for anybody anywhere who had hopes about the repuıblican peoples party of ever serving some use in turkey's future:

the supposedly left wing party that did absolutely nothing to liberate any sector of the society, including labor, from the restraints of the military constitution of the 1982 coup d'etat, now reached the point where it prides itself on stopping the debates on the article 301 of the penal code that is universally recognized as a stumbling block before freedom of expression in the country.

Turkey’s turmoil, the EU’s reaction

By Centre for European Reform

by Katinka Barysch

Political turmoil is nothing new in Turkey. After six years of unusual stability, tensions have mounted since early 2007. The army threatened to topple the AKP government in case it made Abdullah Gul president. Gul did become president, and the AKP emerged strengthened from an early election. Now the chief prosecutor has pushed a case in front of the constitutional court that threatens to ban the AKP because of its alleged anti-secular activities, most notably ending the ban on women wearing headscarves in universities.

 Some more items related to Turkish politics....

The problem with 'modern' Turks is... they are outdated

Who is an Islamist? Who is a Muslim? And what about me?

Mustafa AKYOL

Fight over Secularism Dims Prospects: Turkish Politics Take an Economic Toll - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Turkey's risk, Europe's role

With half of Turkey's political parties facing challenges in the Constitutional Court, the government needs to show renewed commitment to EU reforms, argue a diverse group of European scholars in an April commentary for Open Democracy.

THE AKP SCRABBLES FOR AN ANTI-CLOSURE STRATEGYEurasia Daily Monitor By Gareth Jenkins

Turkish Bid to Ban Party Poses EU Risk, Solana Says (Update2)

Conspiracy theory

By MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE, ZAMAN

The general layout of the Ergenekon organization, as published by the Radikal newspaper this past weekend, has shown us that what we face in Ergenekon is a paramilitary group organized along the lines of military standards.

Turbulent times ahead

On Monday, the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) highest body announced the party's strategy for the closure case opened against it.

Is the high judiciary comfortable?

By YASEMİN ÇONGAR, TARAF

We are going through a coup period. This is a coup attempt at the hands of the high judiciary to invalidate results from the ballot box.

PoliGazette » Considering the Fate of the AKP

Turkey seeks IMF reward for transition

In January 1961, a few months after enduring its first military coup, Turkey received its first Inter-national Monetary Fund loan. Three more coups, at least three...

Diyarbakır NGOs ask president for cultural rights

Members of several nongovernmental organizations from the southeastern province of Diyarbakır visited President Abdullah Gül yesterday, the latest in a series of meetings with

Turkey as a U.S. Security Partner

Posted by erkan at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

EU commission chief Jose Manuel Baroso (C), Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (L) and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn (R) pose in front of the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey, in Ankara April 10, 2008, as they are flanked by delegates.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY)

 

EU chiefs to drop in amid political turmoil

As the repercussions of the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spread beyond the country's borders, the president of the European Commission will find himself at the

The EU's message: More democracy

Mehmet Ali Birand

Awaiting Barroso...

Murat YETKİN


EU chief heads to Turkey with warning on possible ban against governing Islamic-rooted party

From my vantage point

When I listened to some prominent members of the European Parliament the other day in Brussels speaking very highly of Turkey's performance on reforms, my mind wandered to a not-so-distant history in the same venue.

A reasonable conciliation proposition

By H.GÖKHAN ÖZGÜN, RADİKAL

Let us accept the presence and rule of law in Turkey. But in return, you should accept the rule of law as a minimum -- but not the rule of Ergenekon law, but that of Turkish law.

Yet another TSK memorandum draws ire

A 73-page internal Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) memo drafted by Col. Dursun Çiçek in March 2006 and uncovered by the Taraf daily early this week, which lists some nongovernmental and business organizations as well as journalists and various celebrities according to their relations with the US and the EU and as being pro or against the TSK, has sparked both amazement and criticism.

Amendments to article 301 on “Turkish identity” fail to satisfy

Reporters Without Borders is not satisfied by the bill presented on 7 April by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for the revision of two controversial articles in the criminal code - article 301, which punishes “humiliation of the Turkish identity, the Republic and the institutions and organs of the state,” and article 305, which punishes “any action against major national interests.”

Posted by erkan at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EU global poverty goal threatened

The EU risks failing to meet its commitment to tackle poverty in developing nations, says Jose Manuel Barroso.

'Ambitious' EU eco standards in the making

Current standards and labelling schemes for appliances and office equipment are insufficient in the light of the EU's climate change agenda and need to be expanded to a range of non energy-consuming products, according to draft Commission plans seen by EurActiv.

'Le Monde' goes Europe, the UK goes chicken

The ambiguous attitude of Europeans towards an ever-expanding and increasingly complex EU and its present and future role in the world is leading to "introspective views on Europe" and "feelings of isolation and estrangement from politics and politicians," according to Judith Merkies and Marcel Canoy of the European Commission.

Croatia says it will do 'whatever it takes' to join EU in 2010

Croatia's foreign minister Gordan Jandrović said he was confident that his country would meet the June deadline for the completion of 11 pre-negotiation 'benchmarks' set by Brussels as a condition for opening accession talks.

Denmark tops IT league

Denmark tops the table of most networked economies, followed by Sweden and Switzerland.

CAP Reform

By Dr James Cooper

CAP must deliver environmental outcomes

The CAP is the most important European policy influencing how people manage their land. Some reform of the CAP has taken place. This has decoupled payments from production, generated and increased funding for rural development measures, and introduced basic environmental standards across most farms.

The European elections of 2009 and the need to inform the citizen about the EU

By Sofie Foets

By voting for the European Parliament (EP) of the EU, all Europeans are allowed to have their voice heard in Europe, and as such the European elections raise the democratic value of the Union. However, few Europeans make use of their right to vote for the EP. Since 1979, with the first direct elections for the EP, voter turnout for the European elections has been falling. Among important reasons underlying the high level of absenteism are often mentioned: disinterest in European policy (partly caused by knowledge deficit), political distrust, and limited media attention dedicated to the European elections.

Balkans left wondering after NATO summit by HAJRUDIN SOMUN

All of southeastern Europe felt the presence of NATO and US President George W. Bush at the event in Bucharest featuring Bush's talks with the heads and prime ministers of Croatia, Albania and Macedonia in Zagreb, and the American-Russian summit at the Black Sea resort of Sochi at the end was of extreme importance.

DOSSIER: Eating at what cost? | 09/04/2008

Staple food prices continue to soar, inciting concerns and riots around the world. Is a food shock inevitable, or are there solutions to alleviate the crisis?

Schengen blues

By Gábor Miklósi

Hungary's entry into the Schengen Zone in December 2007, along with eight other new EU member states, brought a further relaxation of historical borders. While many communities have benefited, the process has not been without its absurdities, writes Gábor Miklósi.

Olympic games: Europe up in arms over Tibet

A huge victory for some, enormous disappointment for others. For the first ever time, the Olympic torch has been extinguished under mass pressure, as Europe makes itself heard

Europe pre-eminent in networked economies, WEF survey finds

Europe's small rich countries still dominate top rank of the world's most networked economies, WEF report reckons

Kosovo adopts new constitution

Kosovo has adopted its constitution as a "parliamentary republic" to take effect on June 15, when the new western-backed state intends to take over authority from the United Nations.

Kosovo's new constitution: Egyptians have rights too

By Lucy Moore on United Nations

Kosovo is one step closer to full statehood. Today, its assembly officially adopted a new constitution declaring Kosovo a democratic, secular, multiethnic state. Right from the start, the constitution makes clear that Kosovo will not be partitioned nor will it be joining a Greater Albania.  From Article 1:

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Parliament chair is in an official visit to China, and vice-chair CHP MP Güldal Mumcu does not start the process....according to Hürriyet.

Barroso and Rehn head for Ankara

In the coming days European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn will pay a three-day visit to Turkey.

How US, EU, and 'Jews' conspire with Turkish civil society

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Let's listen to what Rehn and Barroso will say

Mehmet Ali Birand

Gov't says Article 301 to pass next week

A long-awaited proposal to revise an infamous article of the penal code, which Brussels says restricts free speech, will pass in Parliament next week, said the prime minister

Turkey moves on freedom of speech

Just days before Commission President José Manuel Barroso's visit to Ankara, the Turkish government has introduced a bill to soften a controversial article in the country's penal code outlawing criticism of Turkish identity.

Turkey looks to speed up reforms for EU entry | France 24

Turkey's court case poses risk to EU bid, says Solana

Moves by Turkish prosecutors to ban Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's political party pose a “grave'” risk to Turkey's bid to join the European Union, the bloc's foreign policy chief said

EU'S REGIONAL POLICY AND KURDISH QUESTION

EU officials should respect Turkey

Noyan ÖZKAN

EU toughens criticism against Turkey as AKP set to speed reforms

Yusuf Kanlı: First reforms, then salvaging AKP

A six-hour-long meeting of the Party Executive of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ended late Monday evening with a rather wise decision, which can be best summarized as “finally common sense prevailed.” The question now is how sincere the AKP is and how long will it manage to walk down the roadmap Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the top brass of the ruling party decided on after such lengthy deliberations.First of all, the decision demonstrated that the prime minister and his men have finally realized the need to return to the reform path before it can indeed indulge in some serious efforts to save the ruling party and the political life of the premier and some 70 othe

Who, really, are Turkey's 'elites'?

Burak BEKDİL

Turkey determined to complete Nabucco project

By meb on Energy & Transport

Turkey’s energy minister said Wednesday that Turkey and Hungary were determined to complete in the shortest time possible a pipeline project that would carry natural gas to Europe. Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler held talks with Hungarian officials in Budapest about the Nabucco pipeline project, including Hungarian economy and foreign ministers, as a

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Digital preservation: The uncertain future of saving the past

Blogging Kills Disproportionately? NYT’s Story Doesn’t Make the Case

By Dan Gillmor 

ZDNet: Anatomy of a ‘Blogging will kill you’ story: Why I didn’t make the cut. I read the New York Times’ take on how the stress of blogging and how it can kill you with great interest: I was interviewed for it. But I pretty much knew I wouldn’t make the final story as my take was different than Matt Richtel’s.

Blogs and Military Information Strategy

Source: Joint Special Operations University (via Cryptome.org)

Internet as Political Information Tool Popular, But Television Still Dominates, Annenberg Survey Finds

Source: National Annenberg Election Survey

Student Speech Rights in the Digital Age

Source: Boston College Law School Faculty Papers

A List of Twitter Apps, Services and Tools

Twitter is rapidly becoming one of the most popular services to create applications and mashups for. New Twitter apps and tools seem to be launching daily. Graham Langdon at the Entrecard Blog recently blogged (via Adrants) that Twitter will be bigger than Facebook.

Campaign: “What would you like a free Zimbabwe to look like?”

Description of Campaign: The outcome of the recent presidential election has still not been announced and while President Robert Mugabe is campaigning in expectation of a run-off election, opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is asking for international assistance in pressuring Mugabe to step down (source: AP). In this time of political uncertainty, civil society community site Kubatana.net is running a e-mail and SMS campaign to engage ordinary Zimbabweans in their country’s political future.

The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It

Berkman co-founder and faculty co-director Jonathan Zittrain's new book, The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It, is in stock at Amazon, and Jonathan has been out speaking and writing about the book's central arguments.

Mapping Iran’s Online Public: Politics and Culture in the Persian BlogosphereSource: Berkman Center for Internet & Society

The Best New Internet Hoaxes

By hahanu on _interesting

ComputerWorld has compiled a list of best new hoaxes, circulating around the net. Included is the one below with Haiti UFO, which we already have posted here. Read the entire list.

found in @ haha.nu.

Ofcom Social Networking report

By Philip Young

Ofcom has published a valuable report on the penetration of social media in the UK, finding that  just over one fifth (22%) of adult internet users aged 16+ and almost half (49%) of children aged 8-17 who use the internet have set up their own profile on a social networking site

Online Credibility Survey

An overwhelming majority of editors and the public agrees that local news content online is trustworthy, but the two groups disagree on whether anonymous postings should be allowed on news websites, according to a new study from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI), in partnership with the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME).

Webby Award finalists announced

News finalists include BBC News, nytimes.com, CNN.com, Discovery.com and Wired.com. Full list of finalists …

Podcast Notes: Sex online and Rise and Shine

By Chris Vallance

Right click this link to download to your computer or the blue arrow to listen.
If you'd like to subscribe to the podcast, by far the easiest way to get it, click here. Bit of an odd show this week as I was under the weather, so if you wonder why I disappear after the start, that's why. Thanks to Rhod and Jamillah for holding the fort. This week we featured:

Q + A with Steve Ward of the Oxford Internet Institute

By ashar

Today's Berkman Luncheon Series guest, Steve Ward of the Oxford Internet Institute, sat down with Berkman Center intern Yvette Wohn for a Q+A where they discussed the virtual identities of politicians, technology's role in politics, and blogging civil servants.

May 1st RSS Awareness Day: Get Involved

By Daniel Scocco on Blogosphere

Back in 2005 5% of the Internet users said they were using RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online (according to the Pew Internet Project).

Feedburner recently reported that they track around 60 million RSS subscribers. Even if we bump that number to 70 million RSS users (counting people that use RSS with other applications or platforms) this would still convert to a meager 5,4% of the Internet users around the world, as of today.

@ haha.nu.

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Mainstream Media Finally Catching On To How News Propagates

Techdirt is reporting that the mainstream press may finally be "getting it" when it comes to how the next generation of news readers consumes and shares news. One student summed it up very succinctly by saying "If the news is that important, it will find me." "According to interviews and recent surveys, younger voters tend to be not just consumers of news and current events but conduits as well -- sending out e-mailed links and videos to friends and their social networks.

Journalism at its very best

The Pulitzer Prize for public service shows newspaper courage still lives.

Part 1: The value of the journalism graduate

By Jean Yves Chainon

Here's a piece submitted to us by Chris McGillion, former Editorial Page Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. He currently coordinates the journalism program at Charles Sturt University in Australia. In the following two-part essay, he reviews the pros and cons of journalism school programs today, and how editors, teachers and journalists can benefit from them :

A Lie or Terrifying Negligence: Why Won’t Journalists Demand an Answer?

By Dan Gillmor 

A truly extraordinary example of journalistic malfeasance is playing out right now. Attorney General Michael Mukasey told a San Francisco audience last week that the Bush administration was aware in the days before the 9/11 attacks that an Al Qaeda official was making calls from a “safe house in Afghanistan” to U.S. but that our government failed to act on that.

Beyond ATNA::It's Time for Newsrooms to Walk the Talk of Change

Seems like nearly every day I get a notice in my in-box about a new conference, a new initiative, a new working group that will be looking at ways that traditional media can change with the digital times. For the most part, these programs have thoughtful people who sincerely want to help news organizations change.

US: Washington Post takes home 6 Pulitzers

By Kelley Vendeland

The Washington Post won a record six Pulitzer prizes on April 7th, topping the paper's previous record of four Pulitzers in 2006.

The Post took home the public service medal honoring its expose on Walter Reed hospital, which revealed the negligent care of American war casualties.

L'Observatoire des Médias maps show world media attention

By Carolyn Lo

The blog L'Observatoire des Médias posted world maps of attention paid to the media in 164 countries in the world and received links from Gawker and Boing Boing.  The numbers included the blogosphere as a whole and 10 media organizations, including the New York Times and the Economist.

David Weinberger, reframing media around abundance

By Ethan

My colleague David Weinberger has been teaching a course at Berkman this semester on the topic, “What’s different about the web?” He answers this question on his first slide of his Media Re:public talk: “No atoms, no centralized control, and everyone’s connected.” But to really understand what changes are brought to us by the web, we need to understand how frames and metaphors are changing.

Journalism in 2013

By Ethan

Alas, dear readers, we’ve moved from the “long speeches on stage” phase of Media Re:public to panel-land. Panels are a great way to put a lot of cool people on stage… which is useful, because it allows you to invite them to the conference and feel honored as attendees. But they’re murder for bloggers. Panelists don’t use slides, they react to time constraints by flitting topic to topic, and you can barely finish looking up one speaker before the next one takes the mic.

Study shows that newspaper blogs need to step up interaction with audience

By Carolyn Lo

Ball State University and the University of Nevada, Reno have conducted a study on newspaper blogs that found that newspapers did not create much interaction between bloggers and audience during the week before the fall 2006 elections.

Online Newspaper Advertising Jumps 19 Percent in 2007
Source: Newspaper Association of America

PM denies reality by attacking media, say media experts

As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid all the blame on the media Saturday for the mounting social tension in the country, media experts

Roberto Suro, looking backwards to understand the future of media

By Ethan

Professor Roberto Suro is a veteran print journalist, formerly with the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Washington Post and other major publications. He’s our resident journalist, asked to frame
journalism’s role in democracy for the Media Re:public conversation.

Manuel Castells on media and power

By Ethan

Professor Manuel Castells opens the discussions at Media Re:public by framing the relationship between media and political power. Democracy, he tels is, reflects the values of powers that shape the norms and institutions of society. And power is asserted through two methods - coercion, and through the construction of meaning in the minds of the people. This second power is “the most fundamental form of power, particularly in democracies.” Power relationships, he asserts, are never defined in absolute terms - there’s never absolute power even in dictatorships, because there’s always resistance to domination.

Interactive world maps of media coverage

World maps of media attention, publish on the blog L’Observatoire des Médias, purport to show the attention media organizations and blog paid to various parts of the world. …

Turkish Press Scanner

Two Turkish students among most intelligent in world - YENİ ŞAFAK Two students from the Gaziantep College Foundation (GKV), Ece Çakıcı and Barış Ersoy, were named two of the 45 most intelligent students in the world and qualified to participate in the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Scholarship Program by the U.S. State Department, daily Yeni Şafak reported yesterday. Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Adana Eric Green raised the hands of the students and introduced them to guests during a ceremony held at Gaziantep College. “These students are among the most intelligent 45 students in the world. I congratulate them, their families and the school administration,

Press Roundup

A man, later identified as Ömer Ulusoy, opened fire during a skirmish between students of differing ideologies at Akdeniz University in Antalya on Sunday.

Press Roundup

Bomb experts defused a hand grenade planted in a street in İstanbul's Fatih neighborhood on Sunday just minutes before it was set to explode. The street was closed to traffic for some time as experts worked to defuse the bomb.

Turkish Press Scanner

ZAMAN Careless drivers have more accidents in Mount Bolu Tunnel With the opening of a tunnel on the Istanbul-Ankara route on Jan. 23, 2007, 95 percent of traffic on the D-100 highway through Mount Bolu has switched to TEM highway, daily Zaman reported yesterday. Ever since the tunnel opened through April 1, no accidents have occurred in the tunnel. But at the exit of the tunnel, on a 3.5-kilometer stretch of highway that is located in the Ankara-Istanbul direction and reaches the provincial borders of Düzce, a total of 116 traffic accidents occurred during the given period. Again, in the given period and on the same highway, but this time in the Istanbul-Ankara direction, a total

Press Roundup

Runners on Sunday competed in the 32nd Marathon de Paris on Champs Elysees Avenue, with the Arc de Triomphe seen in the background.

Turkish Press Scanner

SABAH Young people in Turkey's eastern provinces want to study law A survey conducted among 300,000 students on their choice of profession shows that youth in the eastern provinces of Turkey would like to study law, while those in Marmara region in the West mostly want to study interior design, daily Sabah reported yesterday. While participants in the Aegean region want to become soldiers in the future, those in the Mediterranean region mostly aim to become dentists. Students in the Black Sea region, on the other hand, explained their choice of profession was industrial engineering, while those who participated in the survey in the southeastern region dream of becoming scie

Press Roundup

A Turkish torchbearer carries the Olympic torch flanked by police officers during the Olympic torch relay, crossing over the Bosporus Bridge in İstanbul on Thursday.

Turkish Press Scanner

VATAN Illegal casino with super technology Following a general ban on gambling, security officers continually raid illegal casinos, daily Vatan reported Friday. In the last of these raids, police

Press Roundup

Joyful Fenerbahçe fans took to the streets on Wednesday night after their team defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals  in İstanbul. With this victory, Fenerbahçe has broken a new record in the Champions League. The team has now made the most goals scored in one season.

Press Roundup

Turkey saw massive demonstrations all across the nation on Tuesday as five labor unions took to the streets to protest the government's social security reform bill, currently being debated in Parliament. The unions gathered in front of İstanbul's Haydarpaşa train station at 2 p.m.

Press Roundup

Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia with a delegation of deputies, meeting with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on Sunday. Development of commercial relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia and the establishment of a branch of Ziraat Bank in Jeddah were discussed by the leaders.

Press Roundup

Anti-war protestors created a symbolic graveyard on South Beach, Miami. They laid out cardboard gravestones on which the name, birth and death dates of every US soldier killed in Iraq since 2003 was written.

Press Roundup

President Abdullah Gül met with Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli at Çankaya Palace yesterday to discuss ways to end the country’s politically tense atmosphere.

Press Roundup

In a statement released on Wednesday, representatives of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and six other major nongovernmental organizations issued a strong call to the government and opposition parties to dampen an escalating political crisis.

Turkish Press Scanner

TF Five murders not enough? Warnings against missionary activities, that have been considered responsible for an atmosphere that has led to the murders of non-Muslims in Turkey, were echoed once again by a mufti in the Black Sea province of Samsun, daily Taraf reported yesterday. Osman Şahin called on Turkish society “to be cautious against missionary activities,” urging all parties “to act against these works immediately.” He stressed that missionary activities occasionally intensified in Turkey and the Islamic world. “We should do our best to prevent our children from falling into this trap,” he said. “Any sign of distraction and negligence would have disastrous consequences. We

Turkish Press Scanner

Istanbul suffocates in traffic – CUMHURİYET Around 600 new vehicles are added to Istanbul's traffic daily, causing the projects to improve the traffic situation in the city to remain inadequate, daily Cumhuriyet reported yesterday. Roughly 400,000 people migrate to the city each year while projects to improve Istanbul's traffic problem, such as widening of roads, shifting of highway and bridge tollbooths, and widening of bus stops remain inadequate. Okan University Transportation Logistics Department Member Professor Güngör Evren said irregular development remained at the heart of Istanbul's traffic problem and that many projects that are in contradiction with transportation plannin

Turkish Press Scanner

MİLLİYET No budget to replace kebab house with florist A shortage of resources has prevented the realization of a project to replace the kebab restaurant located below Madımak Hotel in the central Anatolian province of Sivas with a florist, daily Milliyet reported yesterday.Sivas Governor Veysel Dalmaz said “a certain amount of resources and collaboration is needed to reach a solution. We could not yet find the resources to allocate to this project.” Meanwhile, Sebati Manav, the owner of the kebab restaurant, said he was surprised that there had been no developments. The plans to replace the kebab restaurant Sebatibey İskender Kebapçısı were made due to intense reactions from Alev

Turkish Press Scanner

TF Forgiveness does not matter in domestic violence A regulation that foresees a 50 percent penalty increase in domestic violence cases even when no complaint has been filed received the support of the Constitutional Court, daily Taraf reported yesterday. According to the regulation, people assaulting family members would not be able to escape increased penalty even if they say, “I have been forgiven” or “There was no complaint.” The regulation divided the Constitutional Court where four judges of the total 11 opposed the decision. The third clause of Article 86 of the Penal Code provides that ordinary assault does not require a complaint if committed domestically and stipulates 50 percent

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