NEWS SCAN for Turkey – July 17th, 2013
Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites.
At least 22 journalists fired in connection with Gezi protests
The Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) has announced that at least 22 journalists have been fired in connection with the Gezi Park protests, while 37 others have had to resign from their posts.
The İstanbul branch of the TGS held a press conference on Sunday to discuss dismissals and resignations from media outlets. Many journalists were in attendance, including Akşam columnist Tuğçe Tatari, who was dismissed, and Culture and Arts Editor Hasan Cömert, who resigned from his position.
Speaking at the conference, TGS İstanbul branch head Gökhan Durmuş said 22 journalists have been fired and 37 others forced to resign since May 27, when a small group of environmentalists began a sit-in protest in Gezi Park in the heart of İstanbul, attempting to block the government’s plan to build an Ottoman-style barracks on the park. Following a heavy-handed police crackdown on the peaceful protesters, thousands took to the streets and rallies spread across Turkey. Five people, including a policeman, died and more than 7,000 were injured in the clashes, according to a Turkish rights group.
Drawing cash from credit cards double in five years in Turkey
The rate of credit card cash withdrawal surged by 105 percent in the first half of this year from 2008 in Turkey amid the officials’ heated discussions about the improper use of credit cards. 15 billion liras of cash was withdrawn in the first five months of 2013, the Interbank Card Center’s data Show.
While around 19.9 billion liras of cash was withdrawn from credit cards in the whole 2008, over 15.1 billion liras of cash was withdrawn in the first five months of 2013, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the Interbank Card Center (BKM) in Turkey. An average of 49.1 million liras of cash was withdrawn from credit card accounts per day in the first five months of 2008, with the amount increasing to 100.6 million liras in the same period of 2013.
The use of credit cards has been at the center of heated discussions among politicians as well as business representatives, particularly after Prime Minister Erdoğan’s recent order for people to stop using credit cards, publicly slamming banks for collecting large sums of money from “the poor.”
Hyundai relies on its Turkish plant to meet demand in European market
South Korea’s leading automaker’s way to a larger market share in Europe crosses through Turkey. Aiming to sell half a million vehicles per annum in the continent by 2014, Hyundai relies on its recently upgraded Turkish plant to meet the increasing light segment vehicle demand in the highly competitive European market.
Manufacturing cars in Turkey since 1997, Hyundai invested USD 600 million to increase capacity in its plant in Kocaeli’s Izmit district in northwestern Turkey. Beginning September, the company will churn out the next generation of the i10 hatchback in addition to the i20 Troy at a combined rate of 200,000 units per year. Hyundai plans to export 90 percent of the vehicles manufactured in Turkey.
Established as a joint venture with Turkish Kibar Group, Hyundai Assan plant in Izmit is Hyundai’s longest-operating overseas manufacturing facility that has received EUR 1 billion of investments to date.
Number of Syrians in camps in Turkey: 201,067
Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) announced Monday that there were 201,067 Syrians currently staying in tent and container cities in Turkey after fleeing clashes in their country.
In a written statement released Monday, AFAD reminded that they set up 4 tent cities in Hatay, 2 in Sanliurfa, 3 in Gaziantep and one each in Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Mardin and Adana and two container cities in Kilis, and one each in Sanliurfa, Malatya, Hatay and Gaziantep.
The statement noted that tent cities in Kilis’s Elbeyli Besiriye and Malatya’s Beydagi as well as the container city in Mardin’s Midyat were put into service and added that Syrian citizens were being placed into those accommodation centres.
Court lifts injunction for controversial Taksim project
The Istanbul Regional Administrative Court has recently lifted an injunction issued by a lower administrative court on a government decision to build a replica of the Topçu Barracks as part of the Taksim rejuvenation project, a plan which has led to violent clashes between protestors and police over the past weeks.
The court’s decision paves the way for the government to begin construction work on Gezi Park adjoining Istanbul’s famed Taksim Square. The park is a leafy oasis that has lent character to Turkey’s most high-profile public square for more than seven decades. Over the years it has hosted many different kinds of events — from protests to picnics, from exhibitions to concerts.
The Istanbul 6th Administrative Court on May 31 unanimously issued an injunction on the government’s decision to rebuild the Topçu Barracks on Gezi Park, after police used tear gas and water cannon to oust a sit-in by environmentalists in the park. The Culture and Tourism Ministry later appealed this ruling with the İstanbul Regional Administrative Court. The regional court has decided to lift the injunction, paving the way for the government to start construction work in the famous park.
Turkey solar power investments to reach EUR 500 million by 2015
The prospect of generating power from renewable sources in place of hydrocarbon fuels is getting stronger in Turkey as the rapidly growing country seeks to reduce its dependence on imported energy.
Being a highly attractive location for solar projects for its long sun exposure periods during the year, Turkey is expected to attract EUR 500 million of solar energy investments by 2015, according to an industry association.
Experts say “Renewed legislation favoring renewable energy investments has brought in a combined total of 8900 megawatt (MW) capacity in license applications. There is immense potential in Turkey to harness solar energy”.
20.07.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
