Nice to see Andrew Bolt’s one-time fiancée Sue Walshe coming out in Saturday’s Age following Crikey’s revelations last Tuesday that she actually existed and that the duo were definitely engaged. Plus other media news.
Turkey
Is Turkey the only solution to the Syrian slaughter?
While the world is focused elsewhere, the Syrian government continues to defy regional pressure to end its slaughter of its own citizens.
Turkish generals fire their last shot
Turkey’s politicians, with very different experience, know that they have to hold the line.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Banning wanky terms like referenda
Crikey readers have their say.
Turkey blazes the trail for a democratic Mid-East
It’s a bad time to be an autocrat, especially in the Middle East, but incumbents in democracies are not doing too badly — and few better than Turkey’s prime minister Recep Erdogan, who won re-election for a third term at the weekend with a substantial majority.
A chilly drive through Turkey
Pleasure-seeking humans are invariably drawn to sunny skies and welcoming climes. Which would explain the absence of fellow tourists in Turkey when Nicola Heath visits in February, driving to freezing cold Gallipoli and barely-crowded Ephesus.
travel Istanbul: eat a borek, wander bookstores and soak up the exotic
Possessed of a vast history and sitting at the border between Europe and Asia, Istanbul, Turkey exists in popular imagination as both exotic and cosmopolitan, writes Nicola Heath.
The road ahead for Turkey
Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is steering the country closer towards realistic prospects of joining the European Union, and has had his package of constitutional EU-friendly reforms endorsed by a majority of voters. However, some commentators argue that a great deal more will be needed to embolden Turkey’s future.
US and Turkey no longer pals?
Turkey — along with Brazil — voted no for tougher sanctions against Iran by the UN, but the sanctions were passed. Is it the relationship between the US and Turkey — long-term allies — now tarnished?
Israel shoots itself into a corner
Daily Media Wrap: The Israel navy has stormed a pro-Palestinian flotilla bound for Gaza yesterday, killing at least nine people, raising the ire of the diplomatic community. Will the incident isolate Israel further?
Is Iran’s nuclear deal a Turkey?
Iran has attempted to defuse some of the international concern over its nuclear program by agreeing to ship its uranium off to Turkey to be enriched. But if you read the details of the deal, it’s all a farce, explains Glenn Kessler: Iran’s nuclear ambitions are as strong as ever.
Istanbul: the next Haiti?
Istanbul, a hastily erected city of 10 million people, is at risk of a major earthquake. NY Times examines who would happen if a Haiti-like earthquake were to hit, including a mapt predicting which Istanbul suburbs would suffer the most deaths.
We think we’ve got problems — Greece has a backlog of 30,000 refugees
Rather than self-righteous indignation on asylum seekers, we need to regain our sense of perspective — in Greece, there is an estimated backlog of at least 30,000 refugees waiting to be processed, writes Tony Barrell.
Turkey debates a deal with terrorists
Turkey’s government is showing that an “Islamist” party can become a force for democracy and progress, challenging so many of our usual assumptions about Muslims, terrorism and the Middle East.
The image makeover that Israel didn’t want
Israel is alienating more and more of its traditional allies and its criticism of the Goldstone report — which accuses Israel of targeting citizens in its attacks last Dec-Jen — may further damage its relationship with the US, writes Patrick Seale.
Turkey and Armenia kiss and make up (just don’t mention the genocide)
Armenia and Turkey have ended almost a century of mutual hatred, signing a peace deal that will see them open their borders to each other. But the two countries went immediately back to squabbling again. One step forward, two steps back?
New game show: Who Wants to be a Religious Zealot?
A new Turkish game show challenges a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk to convert one of 10 atheists to their religion of choice, with new converts winning a trip to Mecca, Jerusalem or Tibet. Plus eternal salvation, presumably.
Turkish Airlines makes a digital pitch
Turkish Airlines is looking for a new ad agency — but to get the account, agencies have to compete in an online treasure hunt through social media. And it’s all in Turkish.
Prospects of a united Cyprus look dim
The prospects of a united Cyprus receded when a nationalist party won the parliamentary election recently.
Turkey another wild card in the Middle East
In an already unstable region, Kurdish rights represent another wild card, writes Charles Richardson.
Talking Turkey, democracy and EU membership
Turks have just elected an Islamist government. Yet Turkey’s Islamists combine: free market economics, recognition of Israel, pro-Western foreign policy and more zeal to join the EU than any of its more allegedly secular predecessors. Irfan Yusuf investigates.
Turkish tensions rising over northern Iraq
While America’s role in Iraq is being fiercely debated, facts on the ground are making it increasingly irrelevant with the situation in northern Iraq rapidly becoming a purely regional question.
Tarring democrats with the “Islamist” brush
A range of observers keep telling us that Australia and other western countries face a terrorist threat from “Islamists”. No doubt the threat is real, but I’ve been saying for years that this term for it is unhelpful and offensive.
Turkey in grip of election fever, but a nice place to visit
That’s democracy and freedom in the West’s official good Muslim state, which I must say is also a fantastic easygoing place, full of douceur de vie, especially compared with the grim soft-1984 CCTV hell of the UK.
