Istanbul calm after a day of earthquake, ferry accident, deadly car bomb… Istanbul news roundup…

Car Bomb in Istanbul Kills 11 NYT > Turkey by By CEYLAN YEGINSU Explosives in a parked car were detonated by remote control as a police shuttle bus passed through the historic quarter of Beyazit during rush hour. Deadly Blast Strikes Istanbul  NYT > Turkey Amateur video shows the wreckage from an explosion in the city center … Read more

Re-conquering Istanbul with residential housing projects, malls… Istanbul news roundup…

Istanbul to mark Ottoman conquest of city with grand ceremony Istanbul is set to mark the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul on its 563rd anniversary with a major event created by a grand team of 1,200, as expectations rise for the event, which is expected to attract 1 million spectators Istanbul marks 1453 Ottoman conquest of Istanbul with … Read more

Against the flow- “Erdoğan slams US over YPG support

Turkish fury at US commando photos  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Turkey calls the US “two-faced” over images appearing to show US commandos in northern Syria wearing Kurdish militia insignia Turkish President Erdoğan slams US over YPG support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized the United States after photos of U.S. special operations forces … Read more

For the record, Erdoğan could not silence a publisher…a German one…

Turkey’s President Erdogan Fails to Silence German Publisher NYT > Turkey by By MELISSA EDDY A German court rejected a request by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an injunction against the chief executive of Axel Springer over his support for a comedian who lampooned the Turkish leader. Another Lawsuit by Erdoğan in Germany  Bianet :: English President … Read more

Davutoglu’s departure started with an Erdoğanist blog post…

20 confrontations between Davutoğlu and Erdoğan during 20 months of prime ministry What determined outgoing Turkish PM Davutoğlu’s fate most was his up-and-down relationship with President Erdoğan. Here is a list of 20 of Davutoğlu’s confrontations with Erdoğan during his 20-month odyssey as prime minister How mysterious new Turkish blog exposed Erdogan-Davutoglu rift – Al-Monitor the … Read more

After all, “Turkish government seeks to mend ties with Israel, Egypt…

Turkish government seeks to mend ties with Israel, Egypt A nine-hour-long Turkish cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 22 focused on foreign policy, with the future of Ankara’s bilateral relations Israel and Egypt as well as its position regarding the Syrian conflict reviewed in a bid to update its roadmap on these … Read more

A report says Istanbul among Europe’s ‘Big Four’ megacities… Istanbul news roundup…

Istanbul among Europe’s ‘Big Four’ megacities: report VideoNewsUs–14 hours ago ANKARA – Istanbul now sits firmly among Europe’s “Big Four” megacities alongside London, Moscow and Paris, according to an international . Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak: Istanbul, city of dreams and nightmares World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Elif Shafak As his Museum of Innocence comes to … Read more

Civilians massacred in Cizre, National State TV, TRT teases with it and then retracts its story…

National State TV Draws Back Report ‘60 Terrorists Killed in Cizre’  Bianet :: English National state television TRT has drawn back its report broadcasted with the headline “60 terrorists killed in Cizre” without any explanation. TİHV: 224 Civilians Killed in Curfews  Bianet :: English According to the statement of TİHV, in the districts under curfew, 224 persons … Read more

In case you missed- #TutukluÖğrencilereÖzgürlük 4 more students are arrested for alleged links to Kurdish illegal groups…

These 4 students- two men in the middle are our own Bilgi University- are the latest victims of Turkish judiciary…  Turkey’s jailed university students – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of … www.al-monitor.com/pulse/…/02/turkey-university-students–jailed.html Feb 22, 2015 – Hundreds of Turkish university students have landed behind bars on …more than 3,000 university students are currently in prison, accused of…. … Read more

3 HDP deputies to hunger strike as conditions in Cizre and Sur deteriorates for residents…

3 HDP MPs on Hunger Strike for Ambulance to Reach Injured Bianet :: English Three HDP MPs who got no results from their meetings with Ministry of Interior have started hunger strike. Ambulances on Way to Cizre  Bianet :: English Following the meeting between HDP delegation and Ministry of Interior, ambulances have set off for wounded and … Read more

Peace bloc widens as more local and international support emerge for academicians…

Support for Academics from Paris  Bianet :: English In the conference where Etienne Balibar, Christian Laval and Vincent Duclert have taken place as speakers, importance of international support, in particular from France has been emphasized. Academics Overseas Support Signatory Academics  Bianet :: English 212 academics of whom 72 are professors have declared their support for their colleagues … Read more

As “EU ‘long way from satisfied’ with Turkish migrant cooperation”, “Turkey plans to issue work permits for Syrians…

Turkey plans to issue work permits for Syrians Ankara is planning to offer Syrian refugees work permits in order to encourage fewer of them to migrate to Europe, Turkish EU Minister Volkan Bozkır said on Jan. 11, amid pressure from the EU to reduce the flow of migrants from Turkey EU ‘long way from satisfied’ with Turkish … Read more

Demand for autonomy: Treason. AKP leadership pays for the nationalist votes they have gained in the last elections…

Turkey calls Kurdish plea ‘treason’  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Turkey’s President Erdogan condemns as “treason” a call by prominent Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas for Kurdish autonomy. Turkey’s ruling AKP: Declaration of autonomy ‘political assassination attempt’ A recent call for self-governance supported the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is “a political assassination attempt” targeting law order … Read more

100,000 people displaced in Turkey due to clashes in southeastern Turkey…

100,000 people displaced due to clashes with PKK Hurriyet Daily News A police report on the effects of the recent clashes in southeastern Turkey has revealed that some 100,000 people have been displaced in five towns in the region, with 1.3 million people being affected by the repeated curfews Erdoğan vows Kurdish rebels ‘will be buried in … Read more

Journalist jailer, Book censorer Turkey ranks 72th in Human Development Index…

CPJ: 199 Journalists in Prison, 14 From Turkey Bianet :: English According to a report of the Committee to Protect Journalists, 14 journalists out of 199 arrested journalists all over the world, are in prison in Turkey. Number of jailed journalists in Turkey ‘dramatically increases’ in 2015: CPJ report The number of journalists jailed in Turkey has … Read more