Agence France-Presse

#CharlieHebdo Massacre roundup: “20 Heartbreaking Cartoons… “Sharpening Contradictions: Why al-Qaeda attacked Satirists in Paris…

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20 Heartbreaking Cartoons From Artists Responding To The Charlie Hebdo Shooting BuzzFeed – Ryan Broderick – Can’t sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones #CharlieHebdo — RLOppenheimer (@Ruben L. Oppenheimer) I am devastated by what just happened in France. #CharlieHebdo — jean_jullien         Turkey’s irreverent satire mag … Read more

AKP leadership attacking Supreme Court as 4 former ministers’ corruption case to be determined today…

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Supreme Court plotted against AKP, health minister claims Hurriyet Daily News Mehmet Müezzinoğlu diagnosed the Supreme Court as ‘the main element which plotted against the ruling party’ Inquiry panel to vote on fate of former ministers A parliamentary inquiry commission is expected to decide whether to send four former ministers to the Supreme Council for trial on … Read more

Such Endorsement (!) Hamas leader Mashaal endorses Turkish leaders

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Hamas leader Mashaal endorses Turkish leaders in surprise speech Khaled Mashaal has made a surprise appearance at an event of Turkey’s ruling party, endorsing the Turkish leaders and voicing his hope to ‘liberate Palestine and Jerusalem’ together AKP’s new election song praises Davutoğlu as ‘grandson of Ottomans’ Ironically, the original song was a praise for a bandit … Read more

Turkish government continues to pursue to block internet access without legal order… Dispatches from Turkey…

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Turkish gov’t in new bid to block Internet access without legal order Hurriyet Daily News The Turkish government has been preparing to make yet another move which would add insult to injury for those who have been concerned over plight of freedom of expression in the country Prosecutor Requests Arrest of Journalist After Release  Bianet :: English … Read more

Eurosphere agenda: [Not in Turkey but] Confidence in the EU on the rise…Greek political crisis

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Confidence in the EU on the rise  EurActiv.com Citizens’ confidence in the European Union has grown since the European elections in May 2014. The uncertain economic situation and immigration are among the main issues still causing concern for the electorate. EurActiv France reports.   Greek political crisis: Huge amount at stake BBC News | Europe | World … Read more

Erdoğan ‘closely following’ judicial process against Gülen movement, shows off with Putin and Qatar leaders…

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Putin praises Erdoğan as ‘tough man’ for defying EU over pipeline decision Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a “tough man” Erdoğan: Best buddy of Putin and ally of Obama? Hurriyet Daily News Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is known as one of the toughest leaders on earth calls, him a … Read more

Clear cut: “The End of Turkey in Europe”/ “New Turkey” deconstructed in Open Democracy series…

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The End of Turkey in Europe Freedom House – Nate Schenkkan – On December 17, 2013, Turkey woke up to mass police raids across the country. The chief executive of state-owned HalkBank was detained, and television stations showed shoeboxes stuffed with millions of American dollars pulled out from under his… Turkey’s politicians should not be let … Read more

Eurosphere agenda: EU court takes Hamas off terror list…Russia’s currency crisis escalates..

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EU court takes Hamas off terror list BBC News | Europe | World Edition A European Union court annuls the bloc’s decision to keep Hamas on a list of terrorist groups, but temporarily maintains a funding freeze. VIDEO: Mass tango for Pope’s birthday  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Hundreds of mainly elderly couples have performed … Read more

A few days ago Islamic scholar Gülen called for calm among supporters, President Erdoğan vowed to finish off ‘parallel structure’ and today…

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European Commission – Statement Joint statement on the police raids and arrests of media representatives in Turkey Brussels, 14 December 2014 Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, and Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, issued the following statement today: The police raids and arrests … Read more

#ÖzgürBasınSusturulamaz Coup on media. 23 journalists in Pro-Gülen media detained for Erdoğan’s revenge

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Turkish police raid media outlets close to Gulen, detain some people Reuters.com – Dec 14, 2:44 AM – ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police raided a television station and a newspaper close to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen on Sunday, detaining some people, media reports said, two days after President Tayyip Erdogan signaled a fresh Turkish police … Read more

Eurosphere agenda: Merkel coalition partners’s strange desire…

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Merkel coalition partners want immigrants to speak German at home  EurActiv.com Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian allies have caused outrage by suggesting immigrant families that want to remain in the country should be obliged to speak German at home.   ‘Speak German at home’ row erupts BBC News | Europe | World Edition A call by German conservatives … Read more

New EU foreign policy chief Mogherini in Turkey to encourage [possibly in vain] for anti-ISIL fight…

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EU to press Turkey for help in anti-ISIL fight New EU foreign policy chief Mogherini makes her first visit to Turkey with ISIL on top of her agenda EU to press Turkey over IS militants BBC News | Europe | World Edition EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is in Turkey to urge it to participate fully … Read more

Despite more transparency claims “Turkey falls behind in global corruption index…

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Turkey falls behind in global corruption index Turkey slumps alarmingly in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index Turkey’s Growing Corruption Problem Is Getting Harder to Hide  Global Voices Online by Ece Basay Money in a shoebox. Viral image. In the last twelve months, the Turkish state has appeared significantly more corrupt. That is the underlying message of … Read more

Erdoğan’s palace to be protected by commandos… Open Source Analysis of The IS Attack on Kobane… “NATO calls on Turkey to join EU sanctions against Russia as Putin visits Ankara…

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The IS Attack on Kobane: Open Source Analysis turkeywonk.wordpress.com – aaronstein1 – Nov 30, 6:55 AM – Yesterday, the Islamic State detonated four suicide car bombs in the embattled town of Kobane. One VBIED detonated just inside the Mursitpinar border gate. After the explosion, clashes broke out between the YPG and the Islamic state in … Read more

Eurosphere agenda: “EU Parliament takes Google to task… “Finland Becomes an Unlikely Battleground for Same-Sex Marriage Debate

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MAIN FOCUS: EU Parliament takes Google to task | 28/11/2014 euro|topics The European Parliament voted on Thursday in a non-binding resolution to separate Internet companies’ search engine business from other commericial activities. This could lead to Google being split up. Some commentators praise the Parliament for countering Google’s abuse of its market dominance. Others call for … Read more