EUROPEUS - english_edition

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, STOP THE OLYMPIC FLAME

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:17:55 +0200

Now, this is getting really weird. The Olympic flame is crossing the world and everywhere, it needs to be protected from protesters who do not wish to support these Olympic Games in a country which is oppressing Tibet and systematically violating human rights. However, it seems ridiculous when Chinese leaders talk about “a pure sports event” which should not be mixed up with politics. This truly is a great lesson from a country which, for political reasons, has boycotted Olympic…

EU'S REGIONAL POLICY AND KURDISH QUESTION

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Tue, 8 Apr 2008 14:00:12 +0200

The Republic of Turkey has a credibility problem regarding solutions to the Kurdish question. Accepting Kurds as interlocutors seems difficult for those ruling elites whether they are old-style Kemalists or new-fashion Islamists. Turkish governments' approach to comparable situations in other countries and mainly their stance on the Cyprus question shows a clear double standard. On Cyprus, policies to introduce an independent state, if not a federal structure are brought up, whereas a strictly centralist and �Unitarian� approach is adopted for…

GERMANY: REGIONAL ELECTIONS IN HAMBURG – THE LEFT IS SCARED TO HELL BY THE LEFT

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:11:20 +0100

Regional elections in Germany always have a national significance, since the heads of the regional governments (Länder) sit in the Bundesrat, the second German legislative chamber. This week-end, on of the smallest German Bundesländer, Hamburg, voted and the results are stunning.

TURKEY: WOMEN CAN NOT RELY ON THE ARMY FOR THEIR GAINS

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:35:47 +0100

(By Ertuğrul Kürkçü / Source : Bianet.org – Turkey) Those who believe that the issue of headscarves at university is a “legal issue” are totally mistaken. We are faced with a historical question: Does the new block of Islamist AKP and ultranationalist MHP with the passive consent of the army represent a moment of freedom?

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US CAMPAIGN'08: CLINTON CAN'T EXPLAIN OBAMA'S WINS...

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0100

(By Ari Berman / Source The Nation - USA) The Clinton campaign has been busy inventing new reasons for why Barack Obama keeps winning state after state. "One of the hilarious side-effects of every Obama victory is the spin from Clinton quarters and its surrogates and supporters explaining why said victories 'don't matter,'" Markos Moulitsas blogged this week. Either the state has a caucus, or too many black people, or too many affluent people, or too many independent voters, or…

TURKEY URGENTLY NEEDS PEACE JOURNALISM

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:55:17 +0100

(By Erol önderoglu / Source : Bianet.org – Turkey) A reaction in the Turkish press to the fire in Ludwigshafen which killed nine Turks shows how great the need for more balanced reporting is. A newspaper accusing Germany of covering up a neo-Nazi attack is perpetrating racism itself.

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RECEP ERDOGAN POURS OIL IN THE FIRE OF RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:53:29 +0100

The reason for Recep Erdogan’s visit to Germany was sad. During the recent carnival period, a house in Ludwigshafen (south-west of Germany), where Turkish families lived, burnt down and left nine Turkish persons dead. While the Turkish media explained a racist and xenophobe background of this disaster to their readers, German authorities conduct a very transparent investigation allowing Turkish officials to supervise their work. For the time being, the reason for this deadly fire remains unclear.

LETTERS FROM ISTANBUL: MEDIA, TURBAN AND BAN

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Sat, 9 Feb 2008 15:15:00 +0100

9h20. Phone’s calling. “Mr. Nonnenmacher? Hi, I’m Irem from the Turkish Daily News. I had to pick you up at your hotel. I’m sorry but i’ll be 10 to 15 minutes late. Trafic is horrible today”. Just time for a quick coffee break. Taking the elevators to the lobby. Sitting there, facing the street. Turning the computer on. Quick look at gmail. Then to the Six35’s yesterday edition. Some people look at me wondering: “God, who’s that guy with its…

TURKEY: PARLIAMENT PASSES HEADSCARF CHANGES IN FIRST ROUND

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 15:13:37 +0100

(By Gökce Gündüc / Source: Bianet.org - Turkey) The bill put forward by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) suggesting constitutional change in order to allow women wearing headscarves to attend university was passed in the first round yesterday (6 February). After a debate lasting for over thirteen hours, amendments to Articles 10 and 42 were passed with between 397 and 404 votes. The second round of votes will be on Saturday…

TURKEY: NO COURT CASE AGAINST HRANT DINK'S LAWYER

noreply@blogspirit.com (EUROPEUS.ORG, FIRST EUROPEAN INTERACTIVE MEDIA) — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:31:26 +0100

(By Erol Önderoglu / Source : Bianet.org – Turkey) An Istanbul court dropped the case against Hrant Dink’s lawyer Erdal Dogan for writing that nationalist lawyer Fuat Turgut should be tried for threatening Hrant Dink. After lawyer Hrant Dink’s lawyer Erdal Dogan wrote an article entitled “The big brothers use the law very well” in the Aksam newspaper on 9 April 2007, lawyer Fuat Turgut filed a criminal complaint against him. Fuat Turgut, who was taken into custody and later…