News archive of August 2014

Turkey’s 11th President Abdullah Gül has told his close circle that he is ready to testify in an old corruption case from the 1990s in the upcoming weeks, Hürriyet columnist Taha Akyol reported on Aug. 30.

Citing a similar case of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Gül reportedly said the issue was “about the rule of law.” 

A group of Turkish-Jewish intellectuals have denounced being targeted over Israel’s recent operations in Gaza, describing attempts to hold them responsible for Israel’s policies as "racist."

Despite having made clear that he would take an executive role in the presidential palace rather than the largely ceremonial role so far cast for the head of the state, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will still have to fulfill certain ceremonial duties.

Turkey is currently in a political transition process – a very orderly one so far. Let me tell you what we know as of this Friday. We have a new president, a new prime minister and a new council of ministers. The successful Babacan-Şimşek team has kept its portfolio as deputy prime minister responsible for the economy and minister of finance, respectively.

August was a very meaningful month for Turkish politics this year. It brought about a new president, a new prime minister and a new Cabinet. Turkey’s new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu formed the country’s 62nd government hours after he was given the mandate by the country’s new President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

On Aug. 28, Turkey’s new president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, assumed office with a series of ceremonies – at Parliament, at the presidential palace where former President Abdullah Gül changed seats with him and at Anıtkabir, the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey’s founder.

Most of the convictions on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have proven to be false so far, which has urged the West and regional powers to revisit their strategies toward Iraq and Syria.

Neither the balcony speech of 2007 nor 2010... Nor the speech given after the presidential election, which sounded unplanned... It was the other day, when I heard a straight remark coming from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the first time.  

Over the past few days I am sure you’ve seen in many newspapers, including daily Hurriyet, about the results of the new Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG) exams.

Istanbul may not sound like the likeliest place a Scottish woman and an Irishman to tie the knot in. Having previously lived in Turkey’s capital Ankara, before moving to their current home in Dubai, Stephanie and Henry chose Istanbul for their wedding celebration because “they had fallen in love with Turkey.”