Women Rights In Turkey

In its less visible, more subtle forms, gender-based violence threatens the physical and emotional integrity of millions of women living in Turkey, and billions globally

TURKISH - CHINESE RELATIONS SINCE 1971 AND THE EAST TURKISTAN ISSUE

Turkish and Chinese people have historical relations since the periods of the Hun Empire and Göktürks. These relationships are driven, sometimes friendly and sometimes went to war in the history

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Canadian government collapses in no-confidence vote


Canadian opposition parties have brought down the government of Stephen Harper in a vote of no confidence, triggering an election that polls suggest will reinstate the status quo of minority rule by his Conservative party.

The opposition parties held the prime minister in contempt of parliament in a 156-145 vote for failing to disclose the full financial details of his tougher crime legislation, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets.

Opinion polls expect Harper's Conservative party to be re-elected but not with a majority, meaning he could only continue governing dependent on opposition votes.

The opposition parties combined hold the majority of the seats in parliament with 160 while the Conservatives have 143. There is a chance the left-of-centre parties might join forces in a coalition if Harper wins another minority government on the expected election date of 2 May.
On Saturday Harper will ask the governor general, David Johnston, to call Canada's fourth election in seven years.

"The vote today, which obviously disappoints, will I suspect disappoint most Canadians," Harper said.

Harper might be gambling that an election will confound conventional wisdom and hand him the majority in parliament that has eluded him through his five years as prime minister. He is counting on the economy to help him win re-election.

Canada has outperformed other major industrialised democracies through the financial crisis, recovering almost all jobs lost during the recession while its banking sector remains intact. It avoided a property crash and most economists expect 2010 growth to come in at 3%.

"By forcing an unnecessary election in this time of fragile economic recovery, Michael Ignatieff and his coalition partners are irresponsibly and recklessly putting at risk Canadians' jobs, our economy and stable government," Harper said.

The opposition tried to form a coalition before, after Harper won minority re-election in 2008. But before he could be defeated in a no confidence vote Harper shut down parliament for three months and successfully whipped up public opposition against the coalition. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of treason for uniting with the Bloc Quebecois, a party that seeks independence for Canada's French-speaking province of Quebec.

Fourth election in seven years will take place in May after opposition parties bring down Stephen Harper government.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Libya: Nato to control no-fly zone after France gives way to Turkey


Western allies and Turkey have secured a deal to put the entire military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi under Nato command by next week, UK and French sources have told the Guardian.

The US, Britain, France and Turkey agreed to put the three-pronged offensive – a no-fly zone, an arms embargo, and air strikes – under a Nato command umbrella, in a climbdown by France that accommodates strong Turkish complaints about the scope and control of the campaign.

The deal appeared to end days of infighting among western allies, but needed to be blessed by all 28 Nato member states. At the end of a four-day meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general, said Nato had agreed to take command of the no-fly zone from the Americans. Disputes have raged at Nato HQ every day this week. Rasmussen contradicted leading western officials by announcing that Nato's authority was limited to commanding the no-fly zone, but he signalled there was more negotiation to come.

"At this moment, there will still be a coalition operation and a Nato operation," he said. This meant Nato would command the no-fly zone and police the arms embargo. But on the most contentious part, air strikes and ground attacks against Gaddafi, consensus remained elusive.

The agreement emerged from phone calls between William Hague, the foreign secretary, Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, following rancorous attacks from the Turkish leadership on French ambitions to lead the anti-Gaddafi war effort.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

NATO TO IMPLEMENT UN ARMS EMBARGO ON LIBYA


NATO has now decided to launch an operation to enforce the arms embargo against Libya. All Allies are committed to meet their responsibilities under the United Nations resolution to stop the intolerable violence against Libyan civilians. 

Our top operational commander, Admiral Stavridis, is activating NATO ships and aircraft in the Central Mediterranean. They will conduct operations to monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries. This will be done in close coordination with commercial shipping and regional organisations. And we will welcome contributions from NATO partners to our common endeavour.

At the same time, NATO has completed plans to help enforce the no-fly zone -- to bring our contribution,  if needed,  in a clearly defined manner, to the broad international effort to protect the people of Libya from the violence of the Gaddafi regime. 

(NATO)

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Security Council effectively authorized the use of force in Libya to protect civilians from attack


Security Council authorizes ‘all necessary measures’ to protect civilians in Libya. The Security Council today effectively authorized the use of force in Libya to protect civilians from attack, specifically in the eastern city of Benghazi, which Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi has reportedly said he will storm tonight to end a revolt against his regime.

Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which provides for the use of force if needed, the Council adopted a resolution by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions, including those of veto-wielding China and Russia, authorizing Member States “to take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.”

Mr. Ban, who is currently visiting Guatemala, is keeping in close touch with “the critical discussions” under way in the Security Council over measures aimed at protecting civilians, and last night spoke by phone with Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa.

The special envoy whom Mr. Ban sent to Tripoli, the capital, for humanitarian and political talks with Mr. Qadhafi’s Government, former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib, has now left the city after two days of discussions in which he conveyed “the strong calls by the international community to cease the fighting and the violence, to ensure humanitarian access and to work toward a peaceful solution of the crisis,” the statement said.

“The Special Envoy stressed the need for a firm and unambiguous commitment on the part of the Libyan government to cease hostilities immediately,” it added.



Mr. Khatib is continuing his efforts, including contacts with representatives of Libyan political groups in Benghazi, as well as with the authorities in Tripoli.

Muammar Gaddafi
Security Council members are holding consultations over an Arab League request that it impose a no-fly zone against Mr. Qadhafi’s air force, which has been pounding cities held by his opponents.

The 15-member body last month imposed sanctions against the Libyan authorities, placing an arms embargo on the country and freezing the assets of its leaders, while referring the violent repression of civilian demonstrators to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo subsequently announced that he is opening an investigation into Mr. Qadhafi, some of his sons and members of his inner circle for crimes against humanity in repressing peaceful protesters in violence that has claimed hundreds or even thousands of lives, according to media reports. Mr. Ban has said Mr. Qadhafi lost his legitimacy when he declared war on his people.

(UN)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Japan's Disaster Affects Global Economy



The tsunami disaster in Japan and the nuclear crisis has put a strain on the already fragile global economy.

The disaster has rattled markets across the world, though its impact is believed will be slight and short-termed.

Japan, whose contribution to world economy has decreased by half in the last 15 years is known for its resilience enabling it to rally fast following past disasters.

Accustomed to natural disasters, earthquakes in particular, Japan has so far healed its wound relatively much easier than many other countries.

Producers returned to their normal production levels 15 months after the Kobe earthquake in 1995 which left 5 thousand people dead. 4 out of every 5 stores also re-opened within a year and a half.

In other words, Japan defied guesses that the period for its economy to rally would take a decade.

Although the latest disaster in Japan has aroused concern in financial circles all around the world, there are different views regarding its impact on the global economy.

While Japan's contribution to world economy accounted for 18 percent of the whole in 1995, this receded to 9 percent last year.

Some economists call attention to the fact that Japan is not the driving force of economic growth in Asia or in the world.


One of the world's leading importers of oil, agricultural products and raw material, Japan, with a weakened economy, may lead to reduced prices of goods.

However, different effects may also come into the fray.

It is feared the shortage of electricity in Japan will have an adverse effect on the production of steel, automobile spare parts and electronic goods.

For example, more than one third of the US imports from Japan are comprised of cars and car spare parts.

To put it differently, production in Japan coming to a halt or dwindling is something the whole world is closely interested in.

Meanwhile, there is also the possibility of Japan bumping into difficulties in getting financial support in the re-structuring of its devastated regions.

The damage the disaster has inflicted on Japan is estimated to be more than 200 billion dollars.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Istanbul to host Leaders of Change Summit


Prominent international figures including former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are set to meet in Istanbul as part of a summit on regional change.
The academics, intellectuals and senior government officials attending the Leaders of Change Summit in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday will discuss the recent wave of change in the region and Turkey’s role and position amid this transformation.
“The Leaders of Change Summit plans to transform itself into an annually organized Istanbul World Political Forum. Istanbul will be one of the major international political decision-making centers,” said Ahmet Eyüp Özgüç, the president of the Turkish Future Researches Foundation, or TUGAV, which organized the two-day summit along with Istanbul University.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will speak at the opening ceremony of the summit, which is supported by the Prime Ministry’s Promotion Fund and its Public Diplomacy Office, while President Abdullah Gül will deliver his remarks during the closing event.
Developments in international social and economic policies and the background of transformation in the region will be evaluated along with potential future scenarios during the summit’s main sessions, business councils and parallel sessions at the Istanbul Convention Center in the Harbiye area.
TUGAV President Özgüç said the topics to be covered at the summit will help decision-makers shape the future in the middle and long run, adding that the event also aims to create new strategies and evaluate cooperation possibilities.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

International Women's Day

International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.


The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies. Following is a brief chronology of the most important events:


1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.


1910
The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.


1911
As a result of the decision taken at Copenhagen the previous year, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.


Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working girls, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This event had a significant impact on labour legislation in the United States, and the working conditions leading up to the disaster were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women's Day.


1913-1914
As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.


1917
With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike for "bread and peace". Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway. The rest is history: Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.


Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts to demand women's rights and participation in the political and economic process. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women's rights.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

First Head of State to Visit Egypt after the 25th January Revolution



Leaving for Egypt upon the invitation of the Head of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, President Abdullah Gül commented on why he is paying this visit: “We would like to share our experiences and provide our corroboration for the Egyptian people to fashion the new term as per their demands.”

President Gül held a press conference at Esenboğa Airport prior to his departure for Egypt, where he noted the biggest change has been realized through a great popular revolution, drawing attention to the historical and deep-rooted fraternal bonds between the two countries, which he declared two strategic partners in the region as well.

These changes that the Egyptians pioneered to have a higher democracy and better standards of life and enjoy the rule of law touched off a transition process, stressed the President, further pointing out to the responsibility falling upon the Egyptian Armed Forces in order to conduct this transition period successfully.

TURKEY’S SUPPORT FOR THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE

The President also revealed why he will be visiting Egypt, asserting: “I will be paying this visit to share our experiences and provide our full corroboration for the Egyptian people to fashion the new term as per their demands. Our expectation and wish is that Egypt come out of thistransition period even stronger.”

“TURKEY’S WISH IS FOR MORE DEMOCRACY FOR ALL THE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION”

President Gül further proclaimed that all Turkey wishes is that all the states in the region become more democratic countries with their peoples enjoying more democracy, the rule of law and better standards of life.

"TERRORISM CAN SOLVE NO PROBLEMS"

The President also responded to another query about terrorism, commenting: “Everyone has understood terrorism cannot solve any problems and everyone should also know that all our citizens altogether decry and condemn terrorism and that they all band together against it. 

Therefore, terrorist activities must not be resorted to; otherwise, our reaction to this will be harsh.”

GÜL ARRIVES IN CAIRO

President Gül was welcomed by the Egyptian FM, Ahmad Abul Geit, and other officials at Cairo Airport.

Proceeding to the National Defense Ministry, the President was welcomed with an official ceremony by the Head of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. The two leaders later conferred for a while.


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Financial Times Eulogizes Turkey's Automotive Producer Karsan

British economy newspaper Financial Times eulogized Turkish automotive producer Karsan which was qualified for final in New York taxi cab tender.


The newspaper defined V1 model of Karsan as "eye-catching", and wrote that two thirds of 22,000 people voted for Karsan, referring to the survey conducted on residents of New York 15 days ago. 

V1 is followed by the other two finalists Nissan and Ford, wrote FT.

The newspaper said that taxi cab owners in New York had to drive a vehicle which was approved by New York Taxi & Limousine Commission, and that 13,200 taxi cabs in New York would be gathered under a single model as of 2014.

The winner of the tender is expected to be announced by the Commission within this month.
Karsan's V1 model includes disabled access, inbuilt WiFi and a glass roof.

(AA)

WikiLeaks, Internet in record Nobel Peace field


The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Tuesday that the 2011 field includes 53 organizations and tops last year's 237 nominees.

Known nominees also include Afghan rights advocate Sima Samar, the European Union, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, Russian rights group Memorial and its founder Svetlana Gannushkina.

"Looking at the long term, we can say interest in the prize is strong and growing along with the number of candidates," Geir Lundestad, a non-voting member of the Nobel panel, told Reuters.

Members of all national parliaments, professors of law or political science and previous winners are among those allowed to make nominations. Some reveal their nominations publicly.