Ethnography in a time of upheaval – Egypt before and after the ‘Arab spring’ open Democracy News Analysis – by Leila Zaki Chakravarti and Mona Abaza Even within the narrower parameters of public spaces, debates which might lead to issues around accountability and transparency are not hugely popular in the public eye. Snapshots of daily life: … Read more
The role of the EU in the Syrian conflict open Democracy News Analysis – by Rim Turkmani As a new round of Geneva talks is under way, the EU should ensure that the outcome is not merely the result of US and Russian talks. VIDEO: Hollande and Merkel remember war dead BBC News | Europe | World … Read more
Putin approves sanctions on Turkey after jet downing Putin signs document that introduces sharp economic sanctions on Turkey, which include banning Turkish employment in the country, according to a statement by the Kremlin press service. Erdogan expresses ‘sadness’ over Russian jet shot down AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) Turkey’s president voices “sadness” over downing of Russian jet … Read more
French cartoonist shares beautiful sketches that celebrate life in Paris Mashable! by Sam Haysom LONDON — In the wake of last Friday’s Paris attacks, a French cartoonist has been sketching scenes that celebrate life in France’s capital city. Resettling Syrian Refugees: An Alternative Slate Articles by Reihan Salam In the wake of the Paris attacks, a number … Read more
Paris attacks were ‘act of war by IS’ BBC News | Europe | World Edition Near-simultaneous attacks in Paris that killed at least 127 people were an “act of war” organised by Islamic State, says France’s President Hollande. Metal Musicians React To Paris Terrorist Attacks Metal Injection The last few hours have been a whirlwind, trying to… … Read more
Twitter must be less cowardly and fight for activists The Next Web by Abhimanyu Ghoshal For years, Twitter has been the go-to communication medium for social and political activists and commentators. Its format is well suited to broadcasting ideas to a large audience in real-time. During the Arab Spring, Twitter proved to be an effective tool … Read more
Turkey says stands behind promise for $200 million aid to Palestine Attacks by opposition parties against the government over its perceived failure to keep its promises of assistance to the Gaza Strip appear to have prompted a top Turkish agency to list in detail the country’s assistance to Gaza, which has long been strangled by blockades, … Read more
Turkish university students demand Jedi, Buddhist temples amid mosque frenzy Thousands of Turkish students have raised their voices in online campaigns to build Jedi and Buddhist temples at their universities, after a series of mosques were constructed on their campuses by rectors who stressed “huge demand.” Boycott Call After Death of Rebuked Teacher Halil Serkan Öz Bianet … Read more
ISIS vs Twitter: A cautionary tale told through data visualization Boing Boing by Bob Parks A report by the Brookings Institution analyzed a sample 20,000 ISIS-supporting Twitter accounts, and sought to answer the question of how suspending accounts impacts the community. Meet the Editors Fighting Racism and Sexism on Wikipedia Wired Top Stories by Issie Lapowsky Wikipedia’s … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: Athens seeks new loan extension | 18/02/2015 euro|topics Athens will go ahead and request a loan extension in the debt conflict between Greece and the EU, a Greek government spokesperson said today, Wednesday. First the government must explain how it plans to service the loans, some commentators say. For others the onus is on … Read more
Relief, but ‘incredible angst’ for Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste Mashable! by Megan Specia Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste said he feels relief after his release from an Egyptian jail but is concerned for those still imprisoned Robots Writing Over 1,000 Stories Per Month for the Associated Press Writerswrite.com’s Writer’s Blog Over 1,000 stories per month are … Read more
A Turkish court decides to block hundreds of specific messages mostly written by journalists. Here is the news in Turkish and here is the court decision. Eren Keskin Sentenced to 10 Months Due to Article 301 Bianet :: English Human rights advocate Eren Keskin was sentenced to 10 months of prison due to Article 301, a … Read more
Panel delays key vote into graft claims related to former ministers Hurriyet Daily News A legislative commission investigating graft claims involving four former ministers has delayed a vote about whether to send them to the Supreme Council until Jan. 5, 2015 How Turkey Sabotaged Its Future NYT > Turkey by By MUSTAFA AKYOL President Erdogan’s fixation on … Read more
Qatar announces support to Cairo, marking split with Turkey Hurriyet Daily News Qatar has announced its determination to thaw ties with Egypt, diverging from an agreement with Turkey, only few days after renewing commitments to close relations with Ankara Brave New Turkey NYT > Turkey by By ANDREW FINKEL Why is the government going off the rails … Read more
Papa neden ve kime geliyor Ekümenik Patrik Bartholomeos’a geliyor. İsa Aleyhisselamın havarisi, MS. 31 yılında İstanbul Kilisesi’nin kurucusu ve Roma Kilisesi yani Katolik Kilisesini kuran Aziz Petrus’un ağabeyi bilinen Aziz Andreas’ın yortusu 30 kasımdır. 1967’den beri her yeni seçilen Papa Patrik tarafından davet edilir ve iki kilise yortuyu İstanbul’da birlikte kutlar. Ancak iktidar yıllardır “Fener … Read more