News archive of November 2015

As writing news has become sufficient reason to be placed behind bars or kicked out of the country, perhaps Turkish authorities may ban the distribution of Wall Street Journal in Turkey for having news on its pages.

In less than a week's time, Turkey has witnessed three major, worrying events, one after another. On Nov. 24, we learned that Turkey downed a Russian jet on the Syrian border. It was a dark day, since we did not know if we were on the verge of a war while wondering how it all happened.

The Sultan of Turkish cinema, Türkan ?oray, returns to the director's chair after more than three decades with "Uzaklarda Arama" (Not Far Away)This week's new release of "Uzaklarda Arama" (Not Far Away) will serve as a notch in the history of Turkish cinema, despite opening to mostly poor reviews and disappointment for many in the audience.

December in the northern hemisphere is the darkest of all months. As midwinter advent solstice days get shorter, nights get longer and colder. All one needs is the warmth of the glow of a fire. As each night gets darker, we need another candle to lift our spirits, another log in the fire to warm our hearts. 

Turkey will help stem the flow ofmigrants to Europe in return for cash, visa liberalization andrenewed talks on joining the European Union in a Nov. 29 deal thatthe Turkish prime minister called a "new beginning."

The plateau of Myanmar’s Shan State, the second-largest opium producer in the world, is rife with insurgency. But each year tens of thousands of people from around the world attend the Tazaungdaing Festival of Lights during the full moon night at the end of the rainy season.

By Naomi Shihab Nye – poet, songwriter and novelist born to a Palestinian father and American mother

EU leaders struck a deal with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the EU Council in Brussels on Sunday where Turkey will help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed EU entry talks. Davutoglu called the deal that was hammered out by diplomats in the previous weeks a “new beginning”.

Turkish fighter jets violating Greek air space over the Aegean were a daily occurence until the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet by Turkey on November 24. Now, a diplomatic source in Athens, cited by RIA Novosti, states that these suddenly stopped.

Turkey is sending back the dead body of Lt. Colonel Oleg Peshkov to Moscow after he had been shot while parachuting from the Ru-24 jet plane that Turkey downed. Turkish forces shot down the pilot’s plane after they said he had violated Turkish airspace for 17 seconds. Russia denies this and the incident has sparked a row between both countries.