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In The News

Black Sea Drones — How Ukraine Targets The “Shadow Fleet” Carrying Russian Oil

Ukrainian sea drones have been attacking Russian tankers in the open sea for the first time in recent weeks. The risky tactic is proving effective and has angered Putin. But even allies are issuing warnings.

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Geopolitics In The News Israel Israel-Palestine War Society The Endless War Trump And The World

Calls To Dismantle Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Thai Prime Minister Suspended, Norwegian Surprise

👋 Goeie!* Welcome to Tuesday, where dozens of NGOs and charities call for the controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be shut down, Thailand’s prime minister is suspended over a leaked phone call and our daily quiz question involves an emotional rollercoaster for Norwegians. Meanwhile, Rabea Weihser for German weekly Die Zeit explores […]

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In The News

Putin In A Corner: How Zelensky Came Back After The White House Debacle

By challenging Putin to face-to-face talks in Istanbul, Ukraine’s president has reshaped the diplomatic game and forced Moscow into a high-stakes dilemma.

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Geopolitics

In Turkey’s Dark Times, Protesters Are A Democratic Light

As protests continue against the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, there’s no doubt that Turkey is in a dark chapter of its history — and a common story in authoritarian and populist regimes. But the protests also show that the will for democracy is alive.

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This Happened

Meltdown, Memory, And The Rise Of A Pop Icon — On This Day In History March 28

A nuclear scare, a literary loss, and the birth of a pop sensation.

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This Happened

A Nuclear Scare To The Rise Of A Pop Icon — On This Day In History March 28

A nuclear scare, a literary loss, and the birth of a pop sensation.

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Migrant Lives

New Turkey-To-Germany Migration Routes — With The Help Of “Asylum Influencers”

Thousands of Turks who want to come to Germany are having their visa requests denied. Asylum influencers show them how to get in and how to navigate welfare and benefits.

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Geopolitics

A Tragedy In Four Acts: Palestine, Israel, The U.S. — And Turkey Too

The October 7 attack and Israel’s brutal response have left a trail of devastation, which materializes in very different tragedies for Palestine and Israel, a story of missed opportunity for Turkey — and a tragicomedy of U.S. leadership.

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Food / Travel

Beyond The Grand Bazaar: A Local’s Guide To The Magic Of Istanbul

There’s the obvious stops. And then there’s the off-the-beaten path venues and activities — all recommended by an Istanbulite travel journalist!

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This Happened

This Happened — April 24: Armenian Genocide Began

Updated April 24, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. The Armenian genocide began on this day in 1915, when the Ottoman government arrested and deported hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople (now Istanbul). What led to the start of the Armenian genocide? The Ottoman government had long been hostile towards the Armenian population, who […]

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Geopolitics

Erdogan Exit Scenarios? Where Turkey Fits Between Brazil, Poland — And Putin

Former mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan had once theorized that a victory in the capital meant an easier path to a national victory. Following this theory, having lost by ten points to the Republican People’s Party means an even tougher defeat for the 70-year-old president. Is this the beginning of the end?

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In The News

Worldcrunch Magazine #59 — How The World Sees The War In Gaza

November 20 – November 26, 2023

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Ideas Russia-Ukraine War

What I Missed In Turkey’s Earthquake — A Ukrainian Reflection On Caring From Afar

One Ukrainian writer looks back on a year of international support for her nation, and what happened when the world’s attention shifted to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

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In The News

Tour Of Istanbul’s Ancient Yedikule Gardens, At Risk With Urban Restoration

The six-hectare gardens in the center of Istanbul, which are more than 1,500 years old, have helped feed the city’s residents over the centuries and are connected with its religious history. But current city management has a restoration project that could disrupt a unique urban ecosystem.

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Russia-Ukraine War

How Istanbul Became The Top Destination For Russians Fleeing Conscription

Hundreds of thousands of men have left Russia since partial mobilization was announced. Turkey, which still has air routes open with Moscow, is one of their top choices. But life is far from easy once they land.

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LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: Spain’s Transgender Bill, Istanbul Pride Arrests — And The Week’s Other Top News

Welcome to Worldcrunch’s LGBTQ+ International. We bring you up-to-speed each week on the latest news on everything LGBTQ+ — a topic that you may follow closely at home, but can now see from different places and perspectives around the world. Discover the latest news from all corners of the planet. All in one smooth scroll! […]

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In The News

Poopgate: Is Beloved Istanbul Street Dog Caught In Turkey’s Political Dirty Tricks?

Boji the dog was giving a good image to Istanbul’s public transportation system. Some wonder if opponents of the mayor exercised the canine nuclear option…

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In The News

Istanbul’s Opposition Mayor And Hopes For Turkish Democracy

For the first time in 25 years, the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not be running Turkey’s biggest city. With his​ landmark victory in Sunday’s election rerun, Ekrem Imamoglu will be the new mayor of Istanbul, with significance that reaches well beyond the city’s 15 million residents. Imamoglu, who won easily 54% to […]

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In The News

Why The Stakes Are So High For Erdogan In Istanbul

Turkey’s president first burst on the scene in 1994 when he was elected mayor of Istanbul. Now, his party tries to hold the city.

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In The News

Dare Not Steal The Opposition Victory In Istanbul Elections

Turkey’s politics has been shaken up after President Erdogan’s ruling AKP lost major cities in nationwide municipal elections. Results in the biggest city hang in the balance.

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In The News

Erdogan’s Global Witch Hunt, With A Little Help From Interpol

-Analysis- Even as the European Union has wavered on whether to let Turkey into its exclusive grouping, Ankara has flexed its muscles within the bloc. It has done so by using a shared tool and resource to fight crime: Interpol. Last Saturday, Spanish authorities arrested author Dogan Akhanli after Turkey issued an Interpol arrest warrant […]

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In The News

After The Coup, Why I Left My Beloved Home In Turkey

-Essay- Until last year I lived in Istanbul with my husband. We’re both from Australia and we taught English at local universities. We had a great life, with wonderful Turkish friends like Hasan and Nurhan (not their real names.) On Friday nights in the summer, we went out to dinner with them. On one such […]

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In The News

Why Turkey’s Assault On Press Freedom Is Different This Time

When I told the guy at my neighborhood grocery store in the Turkish city of Istanbul that I was traveling abroad, he said, “Don’t come back. Not if you can.” I told him I have a life here. “They will arrest us all, one day,” he responded. I’d never previously discussed politics with my grocer. […]

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blog

Turkey, Erdogan Leads Massive Rally In Istanbul

Milliyet, Aug. 8 “A New Turkey Is Born” reads Monday’s front page of Turkey daily Milliyet, which joined virtually every other national paper in its wall-to-wall coverage of the massive rally in Istanbul to demonstrate national unity against the recent failed coup attempt. Perhaps more than one million people thronged to the Yenikapi district of […]

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Ideas Terror in Europe

Terrorists Take Our Lives, Populists Steal Our Souls

How should we react in the face of the threat of Islamist terrorism? It’s a fine line to walk between the double threat of jihadism and our own worst instincts.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Turkey, A Failed Coup And Faith In Democracy

-OpEd- ISTANBUL — Years ago I told myself: “If there is another coup in this country, I will quit this profession…” Last night reminded me of that promise. My conscience, my sense of self, my education… My faith in democracy… They were all saying the same thing. Once again I realized, democracy is the only […]

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blog

Istanbul Aftermath, Scotland’s Brexit, Toyota Recall

SPOTLIGHT: AIRPORT TERROR, BRUSSELS TO ISTANBUL After a week of Brexit uncertainty and anxiety, outright horror has returned to the top of the news. The wail of sirens and scenes of panic are back on our screens after last night’s terrorist attack at Istanbul’s airport killed dozens of people. Yet it is not too much […]

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Ideas LGBTQ Plus Society

Gay In Turkey, Facing Orlando And Istanbul Ban On LGBT Pride

ISTANBUL — Pride Week traces its roots back 47 years to a New York bar called the Stonewall Inn. On June 28, 1969 in response to a sudden police raid, gays who no longer wanted to cope in silence with the social pressure, violence and discrimination trapped the police officers that assaulted them in the […]

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blog

Istanbul Blast, N. Korea’s Faked Launch, Marrying Murdoch

AT LEAST 10 DIE IN ISTANBUL BLAST Photo: Zeynep Cermen/Xinhua via ZUMA An explosion in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet tourist district killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 others today, CNN Türk reports. Local authorities have said they believe an ISIS suicide bomber caused the blast, Turkish daily Hürriyet reports. UN CALLS FOR EVACUATING 400 […]

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blog

On This Day – December 27

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blog

Appointed Chairman

Who needs a moving truck?

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

From Syria To Iraq, Can Allies Of Circumstance Take Down Jihadists?

ISTANBUL — The Syrian regime today presents itself to the international community as a partner in “fighting terrorism,” and Bashar al-Assad is happy to leave his enemies on the northern front (where the Nusra, Islamic Front, Free Syrian Army, and YPG fight ISIS) to wear each other out. The proposed anti-terror partnership would function just […]

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blog

The Road Back To Turkey

I will be going back to Turkey next month, some 46 years after I took this photo. One of my two granddaughters, Véronique, now lives near Izmir with her Turkish-born husband Mutlu and my great-granddaughter Ada.

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Geopolitics

Shelter For Syrian Refugees Where Stray Dogs Once Slept

A visit to an abandoned corner of Istanbul, where 40 families who fled Syria live in squalor.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

Turkey And The West: A Nation’s Quest For A Modern Identity

ISTANBUL — The Republican era of Turkey began with the rejection of the Ottoman past by those destined to fill the ranks of the civilian and military cadres under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This new establishment was keen on modernization and Westernization, with the ultimate goal of creating a modern nation-state from the […]

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Geopolitics

After Backing Syria’s Islamist Rebels, Turkey Now Fears Al-Qaeda ‘Boomerang’

Ankara had bet on Islamist rebels taking down the Assad regime. Now they may have helped create a monster right across the border.

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Society

Turkish Government Aims To Increase Police Powers

ISTANBUL — Last month the Turkish government unveiled its so-called democratization package, which included everything from a lifting of a headscarf ban to new multilingual education and reform of the national electoral law. Now comes another legislative push, but this time it would include a series of measures to increase the authority of the police […]

Categories
Society

Olympics, No Thanks! Local Opposition Grows On Eve Of 2020 Host Announcement

Two weeks ahead of the naming of the 2020 Olympics location, as officials in Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo do last-minute bidding, protests rise in each city against the effects of hosting the Games.

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Society

Postcard From A Turkish Mall: Symbol Of Progress, Source Of Discontent

ISTANBUL – An electronic version of a Strauss waltz suddenly starts to play. In the small fountain in the center of the mall, some trickles of water start to sprinkle up, with blue and green spotlights illuminating the scene. All in rhythm. Everybody freezes at the moment the spectacle begins: a group of men seated […]

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blog Society

The Long, Strong, Slippery History Of Oil Wrestling In Turkey

ISTANBUL – On the eve of the traditional Kirkpinar oil wrestling competition, to be held in its 652nd year in the Edirne province in western Turkey, attention was turning to the “pehlivans,” as the wrestlers are called. The pehlivans hailing from Istanbul have arrived in Edirne for the July 5-7 competition, but the contingent from […]

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