News Scan for Turkey, April 15th 2016
Turkey blocks Russia’s Sputnik news website
Turkey’s Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication (TİB) has blocked access to Russia’s state news agency website Sputnik, without issuing prior notification, citing “legal consideration” of a law regarding crimes committed through online broadcasts. In a statement, Sputnik’s top editor, Margarita Simonyan, described the block as “a further act of harsh censorship” in Turkey and said the site had been blocked late on April 14, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin made comments criticizing “some political leaders” in Turkey.
Turkey faced strong criticism from both the European Parliament and the U.S. State Department on April 15, after the former’s progress report and the latter’s annual human rights report slammed the country for a sharp deterioration in civil rights and liberties.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-blocks-russias-sputnik-news-website-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97844&NewsCatID=339
Turkey’s new 4G mobile network comes with many dark clouds
While the fourth-generation mobile data network arrived in Turkey this month, high costs, insufficient infrastructure and potential concerns from the government mean doubts remain about the extent to which it will benefit citizens.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/04/turkey-4g-mobile-network-what-cost.html#
Kanal İstanbul Project Approved in Omnibus Bill, Experts Express Concerns
Kanal İstanbul Project has been awarded a legal basis by being characterizes as “waterway” in the omnibus bill approved by TBMM General Assembly. The project was subject to the critics of many experts expressing their concerns regarding environmental issues, legal matters as well as Istanbul’s water problem and earthquake risks.
Prof Dr. Emin Özsoy had noted that the Bosporus had controlled the water cycle between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and building a channel would be like adding four additional rivers to the Bosporus which would totally destroy the climate balance in these sees.
http://bianet.org/english/people/173877-kanal-istanbul-project-approved-in-omnibus-bill-experts-express-concerns
Forbes puts Turkey-born biotech billionaire’s story on its cover
Forbes magazine has put the story of a Turkey-born biotech billionaire, Osman Kibar, who has been named the inventor of the “God Pill,” along with his company Samumed on its latest cover as one of the top 30 global game changers in the world. “Samumed, the San Diego firm he (Kibar) has been stealthily building for a decade, is the most valuable biotechnology startup on the planet,” said the Forbes story.
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.
15.04.2016
compiled by Editor BTT
