admin
Photojournalists of international organizations are arrested so that we cannot see what happens. But can they prevent reporting? Back to citizen journalism 101. In the meantime, I observed more motivation among the university students for further protests. Several journalists were detained during the protests in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. … Read more
Today, China has the manufacturing capacity to supply half the world’s cars. And it has its eyes on the United States. While there are already Chinese-owned brands available in the states, including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, no true Chinese brands have arrived in the U.S. as of yet. Insiders say it’s only a matter of … Read more
I am surprised to see how many American entities are giving in to rising authoritarianism. We sometimes talk about this nowadays. Even Turkish entities resisted longer. The whole federal system idea, the rule of law, etc. All should have more power to stay autonomous. Besides, a university like Columbia must have more than enough resources … Read more
I wanted to talk about Mahir Polat. I did not meet him, but I always heard positive feedback about him. -I cannot say the same for many others in Imamoğlu’s inner circle- A modest person who worked hard to contribute to Istanbul’s cultural heritage. He was arrested along with Imamoğlu. In the last elections, he … Read more
As of March 23, 2025, the Turkish government has appointed trustees to 13 municipalities since the March 31, 2024 local elections. Below is the updated list, including the latest appointment in Şişli Municipality: Updated List of Trustee Appointments Hakkari Municipality (June 3, 2024): DEM Party Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış was replaced by Hakkari Governor Ali … Read more
Well, Imamoğlu’s imprisonment seems like Turkish authorities symbolically annulled the right to vote and to be elected. Most Istanbulites elected him for the third time- he increased his votes every time-, and here is what we have now. Secondly, a strong potential rival of the current president is eliminated by imprisoning him. I observe a … Read more
Here is a round-up of what happened until noon on March 22 in the latest wave of crackdown in Türkiye: I have translated the allegations against İmamoğlu and his responses in this PDF file: Allegations against Ekrem İmamoğlu and İBB Turkey spends record $12bn defending lira after Erdoğan rival’s arrests. In the Istanbul Bar … Read more
There are some signs of protests I haven’t seen since the Gezi Protests. However, it is too early to say whether these will continue. In any case, we still need a VPN to continue our daily internet surfing. The police are not too brutal at the moment against the student movement we haven’t seen … Read more
Dear Bilge and her colleagues interviewed me, among other experts and academics, for the article: Şenyüz, B., Özgen, E., & Oğuzcan, A. U. (2025). Integrating GenAI into communication education for ‘generation prompt’: an exploration of academics’ perspectives on its benefits, challenges, and future prospects in Turkiye. Encontros Bibli: revista eletrônica de biblioteconomia e ciência da … Read more
I have a morning class starting at 9 am, and I didn’t check the news, but my students informed me about the developments during the break. Because of the internet throttling, it isn’t easy to access many social platforms. Police closed some of the main routes, my students had difficulty arriving at the campus, and … Read more
Remember Yelp? Back in the early 2010s, Yelp was plastered over everything restaurant you could think of. They would have signs like: “Help us with Yelp”. Yelp had quickly become the go-to place to review restaurants, shopping centers, and entertainment venues, but since then, Yelp has largely faded from the spotlight. It seems that most … Read more
The protests in Serbia, particularly the recent rally in Belgrade on March 15, 2025, have been described as the largest in the country’s history. The demonstrations were sparked by the tragic collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 15 people and is widely attributed to government corruption and … Read more
However, getting a visa still takes time. I waited a year for a tourist visa interview last year. A draft circulating inside the administration lists three tiers of countries whose citizens may face restrictions on entering the United States. via
Here are some instances of bootleg alcohol-related deaths in Turkey in 2025: Istanbul (January 2025): At least 30 people died in Istanbul over a three-day period after consuming bootleg alcohol, with dozens more hospitalized. This was part of a broader crisis where high taxes on legal alcohol led to increased consumption of counterfeit drinks1. Istanbul … Read more
The recent closure of Gazete Duvar triggered a new series of criticisms towards Google’s search engine algorithm changes. Below is a curation of news on this topic ending with a comparative angle with other countries. My approach to Google has turned relatively sour recently, but I still don’t believe the platform itself is the only … Read more