News Scan for Turkey, Oct 01st 2016
EU to issue pre-paid cash cards for refugees in Turkey
Massive EU programme will provide refugees with debit cards holding $33.50 a month to use for their daily needs.
The European Union has launched a 348 million euro ($392m) programme that will distribute monthly electronic cash grants to benefit a million refugees in Turkey, as part of a deal in which Ankara pledged to curb the number of people trying to enter Europe.
The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), launched on Monday, will give refugees pre-paid cards to use for their expenses in Turkey.
The refugees will be able to use the cards in shops or institutions to pay for food, education, housing and clothing, or also to withdraw cash from ATMs.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/eu-issue-pre-paid-cash-cards-refugees-turkey-160926193947857.html
Germany’s state-funded broadcaster sues Turkey over confiscated interview
German state-funded broadcaster Deutsche Welle has filed a lawsuit against the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports in a development that could have wider implications for relations between the two countries.
DW announced Monday that it had taken the decision after a videotaped interview it conducted with Turkish Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic on Sept. 5 was allegedly confiscated by Turkish authorities the same day. Turkey first denied those allegations. But DW stuck to its claims and gave the ministry repeated deadlines to hand over the material before it took legal steps Monday.
According to DW, its host discussed issues, such as the recent coup attempt, “press freedom and the status of women.” Turkish officials insisted that the footage should not be aired, before confiscating the tapes, the German channel said. Although it is funded by the German government, the channel perceives itself as being focused on fostering press freedom and mainly operates abroad.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/09/26/germanys-state-funded-broadcaster-sues-turkey-over-confiscated-interview/
CHP leader lashes out at Erdoğan’s Lausanne remarks
Kılıçdaroğlu’s remarks came as he answered press questions after a meeting in Istanbul with foreign press representatives.
The CHP leader also questioned why this issue was being brought up while there was “this much unemployment, corruption and people chasing after their lives, and in all 81 provinces of Turkey and all its districts victims are looking for an exit.” “Lausanne is Turkey’s deed. We defend Lausanne, they defended Sevres” said Kılıçdaroğlu, calling on Erdoğan to answer the question of whether he defended the Treaty of Sevres, which marked the beginning of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire.
“We defend Ankara, they defend Istanbul. We defend republic, they defend caliphate. We defend the citizens, they defend being subjects,” he said, calling on the president to remember that he “sat on that seat [the Presidency] thanks to the republic and the Lausanne Treaty.” “Nobody has the right to betray his/her history… If you do not know history, call a historian and talk with him… One sitting on the presidential seat cannot betray his/her country” he said.
http://www.dha.com.tr/chp-leader-lashes-out-at-erdogans-lausanne-remarks_1339143.html
Security council recommends extending 3-month state of emergency
The National Security Council (MGK), which convened on Wednesday in Ankara under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, made a number of statements on the July 15 coup attempt, Turkey’s Syria policy and counter-terrorism.
During the almost six-hour meeting, the council recommended that the state of emergency be extended beyond its initial three-month period. “It has been agreed to recommend an extension to the state of emergency in order to ensure the continuity of the effective implementation of the measures aiming to protect our democracy, the rule of law and the rights and freedoms of our citizens” read the statement issued after meeting.
After the coup attempt, which killed more than 240 people and injured nearly 2,200 others, Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20. According to the Turkish Constitution, a state of emergency can be declared for a maximum period of six months.
http://www.dha.com.tr/security-council-recommends-extending-3month-state-of-emergency_1337629.html
Turkish economic confidence rebounds after six-month low
Turkey’s economic confidence rose more than 20 percent in September, recovering from a six-month low hit in August, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) showed on Sept. 29. The index was at 87.8 in September, after falling to 72.7 in August, the data showed. The index indicates an optimistic economic outlook when above 100 and a pessimistic one when below 100.
The increase in the economic confidence index stemmed from increases in the services, real sector and construction confidence indices, according to the TÜİK data.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-economic-confidence-rebounds-after-six-month-low.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104419&NewsCatID=344
This is a news-scan from major Turkish papers and internet sites. However, we do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
01.10.2016
compiled by Editor BTT
