December 1, 2013

Silvio Berlusconi expelled from parliament

Silvio Berlusconi, the man who

has given new meaning to the

word chutzpah, defiantly pledged

to remain at the heart of Italian

politics yesterday despite being

ignominiously stripped of his seat

in parliament as a result of a con-

viction for massive tax fraud.

His expulsion, which came at the

end of a momentous day, would

have left most politicians bruised,

demoralised and slinking off to an

obscure retirement stained with

shame and regret.

But Mr Berlusconi is no ordinary

politician, and instead used the

occasion to audaciously relaunch

himself once again, promising to

lead his Forza Italy party to future

elections and vowing never to

“betray” his voters.

Far from being bowed, the scan-

dal-ridden 77-year-old came out

with all guns blazing.

Continues to Page 2...

THIS

WEEK

EUROPE

PAGE 2

AMERICAS

PAGE 3

OPINION

PAGE 4-5

ASIA

PAGE 6

MIDDLE EAST&AFRICA

PAGE 7

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

PAGE 8-9

TURKEY

PAGE 10

SOCIAL

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

PAGE 12

End of Silvio Berlusconi's parliamentary career as Senate votes to expel Il Cavaliere following

conviction for tax fraud

Volume 8, Issue 4

Egypt passes law restricting public protests

The interim president, Adly Mansour, signs bill that requires Egyptians to seek permission to pro-

test ahead of event.

Egypt's interim president, Adly

Mansour, has signed a restrictive

new "protest law" that would re-

quire Egyptians to seek approval

days in advance before organizing

demonstrations. The law will take

effect later this week once the fi-

nal text is published in the official

state register. It gives police wide

latitude to use force against dem-

onstrators, which could give the

government a pretext for a wide-

spread crackdown. Election cam-

paign events are subject to a 24-

hour notification period in some

drafts, and "processions" of more

than 10 people are only allowed

for "non-political" purposes.

Violators could face fines of up to

$4,360. Continues to Page 7...

EUROPE

PAGE 2

Proposed date for Scottish

independence named T h e e u r o z o n e ' s

unemployment rate has

fallen for the first time

since early 2011, according

to official data. BBC /

November 29, 2013

Weeks of talks ended early

Wednesday morning with a

contract between Angela

Merkel's conservatives and

the center-left Social

Democra t s t o f o rm

G e r m a n y ' s n e x t

government. The deal still

faces a difficult vote by all

S P D m e m b e r s i n

December. Der Spiegel /

November 27, 2013

France to triple troops in

Central African Republic as

country descends into

chaos. French surge

pledged as fighting between

Muslims and Christians

spirals into a religious war

that has left more than half

a million homeless. The

Telegraph / November 26,

2013

Silvio Berlusconi expelled from parliament

Continues from Page 1...

Having defied the advance of time with facelifts, hair transplants and a 28-year-old fiancée, Mr Berlus-

coni pledged to defy his political enemies, promising to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes of his humilia-

tion. “I’m not going to be retiring to some convent,” he told a crowd of around 1,500 supporters who had

been brought to the capital from all over Italy by buses paid for by his party. “We’re staying here!”

Also, the 28-year-old girlfriend of Silvio Berlusconi has called on Pope Francis to grant her an audience

so she can fight to clear the expelled senator's name.

"I am appealing to Pope Francis. An appeal for him to receive me and hear

Berlusconi's story," she was quoted as saying in the daily newspaper Corri-

ere della Sera. The Telegraph & The Guardian/ November 27 &

28,2013

Scotland could be independent on 24 March, 2016, if voters back leav-

ing the UK in the independence referendum, the Deputy First Minister

has announced.

The date is included in the Scottish government's White Paper, described as

a "blueprint" for independence. Nicola Sturgeon said it was a "landmark

document" which had economic growth, jobs and fairness at its heart. The

Scotland Office said naming a date weakened the government's negotiating

position in the event of a yes vote. The Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmi-

chael said the vote posed "a very real danger to the future of the United

Kingdom". BBC/November 24,2013

Valdis Dombrovski accepts political responsibility for tragedy in which

54 people were killed and at least 40 injured.

Valdis Dombrovskis' decision means that his center-right government auto-

matically falls. He was the longest serving prime minister in Latvia's his-

tory. "Considering the ... tragedy and all the related circumstances, the

country needs a government that has a majority support in parliament and

can solve the situation that has arisen in the country," Dombrovskis told

journalists after meeting President Andris Berzins.

Last week's collapse of the Maxima super-

market was the worst disaster since Latvia

declared its independence from the Soviet

Union in 1991, and has caused outrage

among Latvians. The Guardian/November

27,2013

Latvia's prime minister resigns over

supermarket roof collapse

AMERICAS

PAGE 3

President Barack Obama’s agreement with Iran is part of a high-stakes set of diplomatic initiatives

that is unnerving Middle East allies concerned that his goal is to reduce U.S. commitments in the region.

The U.S. and five other world powers, in an interim deal concluded Nov. 24 in Geneva, set a six-month

timetable to reach a comprehensive accord with Iran denying it a nuclear-weapons capability. That dead-

line roughly coincides with Secretary of State John Kerry’s goal of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian accord

by May, an effort that may only be further complicated by the overtures to

Iran.

While the U.S. pursues the three-pronged diplomatic push, leaders in the

Mideast see the burst of American diplomacy as a possible precursor to an

American pullback, according to Dennis Ross, a former Mideast negotiator

who is counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Wash-

ington. Bloomberg/November 27,2013

China scrambles jets in air zone to monitor

US and Japanese planes

Argentina threatens companies over Falklands oil drilling

The Obama administration

has announced another

delay to its healthcare law,

this time to online medical

insurance for small

businesses. Bloomberg/

November 27, 2013

The ruling party's

candidate appears to have

won the presidential poll

but his main rival also

declares victory.

Economist/ November 26,

2013

Pope Francis on Tuesday

called for major changes in

the Roman Catholic

Church -- from the top

down -- saying he knows it

will be a messy business

but he expects his flock to

dive in feet-first. CNN/

November 26, 2013

Obama’s Iran Deal Strains Efforts From Israel to Syria

Argentina intends to go after companies drilling for oil off the disputed

Falkland Islands, triggering a fresh diplomatic row with Britain.

The Latin American country's Congress passed a law Thursday threatening

"criminal sanctions" on companies and individuals involved in "the illegal

exploration" of hydrocarbons in the area, the Argentine Embassy in London

said in a prepared statement."The law provides for prison sentences for the

duration of up to 15 years; fines equivalent to the value of 1.5 million bar-

rels of oil; the banning of individuals and companies from operating in Ar-

gentina; and the confiscation of equipment and any hydrocarbons that

would have been illegally extracted," it said. CNN/November 29,2013

China says it scrambled fighter jets to monitor US and Japanese planes

as they flew in its newly declared air defence zone in the East China

Sea on Friday.

The zone covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Ko-

rea. China said last week that all aircraft crossing through the zone must

file flight plans and identify themselves or face "defensive emergency meas-

ures". The US, Japan and South Korea say they have since defied the ruling

and flown military aircraft in the area. The establishment of the Air Defence

Identification Zone (ADIZ) has caused widespread anger, with the US calling

it a "destabilising attempt to alter the status quo in the region.” On Friday,

Air Force spokesman said Chinese warplanes

had been scrambled that morning to identify two

US surveillance aircraft and 10 Japanese planes

crossing through the ADIZ, state media reports.

BBC/November 29,2013

PAGE 4

OPINIONS

MIDDLE EAST&AFRICA

Geneva Agreement: Historical Agreement or Historical Mistake ?

After start of the deals of Iran nuclear program in Geneva, it’s only one week. However, Iran and six ma-

jor powers agreed on the deal. According to that deal, Iran accepted an increase in insight including daily

monitoring by international nuclear inspectors, and it can revive the trade relations of Iran with the West

that was ended by the pressure of the USA that claims that Iran nuclear program is for the nuclear weap-

ons, not for the nuclear energy. According to many newspapers and columnists from the Western coun-

tries, agreement on Nuclear programs between Iran and six major powers is a historical deal, but their

focus is not mainly about Iran and USA relations rather than other five powers because Iran and USA

firstly succeeded to agree on an issue.

In contrast, Israel PM Netenyahu claimed that the Geneva agreement is not a historical talk, but a his-

torical mistake. Furthermore, Saudi government also implied that the agreement will result in a freer

space for Iran in the Middle East and easier production of nuclear weapons. It makes clear that Israel

and Saudi Arabia is not happy with the agreement, and this agreement makes them nervous. The ques-

tion is why they are unhappy with these agreements. Actually, it’s beyond the nuclear diplomacy because

they believe that USA will leave them alone in the region because US government always helped them

militarily and politically for the problems with Iran.

As a result, while most of the newspapers described this agreement as a historical talk, Israel and Saudi

government is relatively unhappy and don’t hesitate to talk about that. Although the agreement is just for

6 months, in the long term, it can change the balance of power in the Middle East.

Deniz AYYILDIZ

Kîne em ? Who are we ?

‘‘Kîne em ?’’ Ballad of Şivan Perwer was not only a ballad but also an answer of Kurdish people to the

dictatorships of Middle East which tried to assimilate Kurds.

However, establishing Kurdistan regional government in Iraq has changed answers of this question. Saying ‘em

kurdin’ –we are Kurds- today is less problematic than saying that in 1990s’ Turkey or Iraq. In 1990s, most of

Kurd demanded to recognize their national identity but demands changed. Visit of Mesud Barzani- president of

Iraqi Kurdistan- is an example of this demand change.

For Mesud Barzani, Turkey has already been a perfect political and economic partner. Barzani signed eco-

nomic agreements –especially about the new construction of petroleum and natural gas pipelines- with R. Tay-

yip Erdogan last week. This is not a new issue. Barzani prefers Turkey in economic issues rather than central

government of Iraq or other countries. This may be more profitable for him and his government. Nearly all of

Kurds understand the economic perspective. Criticisms of Barzani’s relations with Turkey are not related to

economy, but related to politics.

Mesud Barzani – is also leader of conservative Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP)- must choose whether he is on

the side of R.Tayyip Erdoğan and AK Party’s conservative side or BDP( Peace and Democracy Party)’ s side

which includes both some of conservative and left wing Kurd politicians. Pragmatic politics won’t be profitable

anymore. Kurdish problem of Turkey will be solved by carefrontation not by ignorance. Thus, if a confrontation

exists, everyone must take a position. Visit of Barzani in last week indicates Barzani’s position is nearer Er-

dogan than BDP. H. Sinan GÜLER

TURKEY

PAGE 5

OPINIONS

AMERICAS

Mass Graves, Lost Hopes...

A few days ago, a mass grave consisting of 42 bodies have been found. These bodies have wounds and

signs of torture. We have been encountering with these kinds of mass graves a lot lately. I believe that

these nameless graves are a result of the battle between drug cartels trying to control the area. A lot of

people, especially the young ones, become victims of these drug races. In those graves, there are young

people whose dreams, hopes and lives are lost in mass graves with many others. In those graves, there

lays families' hopes of finding their children's dead body to bury them in the way they deserved. It is so

sad that families are hoping to have their loved ones' dead bodies because they have no expectation of

them to be still alive.

In Mexico, drug cartels destroy the possibility of living in a peaceful society. People are dying everyday

either because of drug addiction or because of the conflicts going on between drug cartels. Families are

losing their children for no sensible reason. To stop these murders, the government should immediately

take action and try to make Mexico a better and more secure country to live in. Actually, we are not un-

familiar with the motion of mass graves. In our history, too, there have found a lot of nameless mass

graves but these mass graves are believed to be dug because of political reasons like rightism and leftism.

Unfortunately, people have been killed for a long time because they have chosen the wrong side. To get

rid of the killings of people, everybody, especially governments, should not avoid doing what they must.

Özge YÜKSEKKAYA

EUROPE

Triumph in Dual Citizenship

Angela Merkel will prepare for her third presidency. Results of her negotiations between SDP and

her party (CDU) brought much good news for immigrants and raised hope for their dual citizen-

ship. Germany do not accept that their country as a country of immigrants. Thus, they forced the immigrants

to chose between their national citizenship and German citizenship at the age of 23. It is a quite difficult

situation for the people; the government offers two options and people must choose one of them. Either

people will reject their nation and ethnicity or they will refuse German citizenship which provides many

advantages for them. Moreover, 23 is a very early age to make such a crucial decision. This issue is ar-

gued in our country a lot. Mesut Ozil’s situation can be given an example. He preferred German citizen-

ship, plays in German national football team and he is criticized by Turkish people. Although German

government makes difficulties about dual citizenship for immigrants, they provide dual citizenship oppor-

tunity for European Union’s citizens. It is a really double standard. Moreover, France, Belgium and the

other European countries which have very high immigrants’ population, especially Turks, accept dual

citizenship for immigrants, Germany’s attitude about this situation is really irrational and unacceptable.

However, Germany is trying to correct their mistake in nowadays. After the negotiations, it was an-

nounced that people who was born after 2000s will have a right to dual citizenship. I think this result is

not enough for people, but it will bring a really big advantage for millennium children. This right should

be developed for all immigrants in the upcoming days. Germany owe this right to its immigrants; due to

efforts of immigrant workers, Germany is in the high position in many aspects of the world.

Meriç YAŞAR

PAGE 6

ASIA

ASIA

China sends warplanes into

airspace over East China Sea

Sri Lanka's government on

Thursday started counting the

dead, wounded and missing in

its quarter-century civil war

amid international pressure to

c o n d u c t a c r e d i b l e

investigation into war crimes

allegations. ABC News /

November 28, 2013

R u s s i a ’ s I n v e s t i g a t i v e

Committee will press criminal

charges against former

Defense Minister Anatoly

Serdyukov who is suspected of

negligence, punishable with

up to three months in

d e t e n t i o n w i t h i n

days,acommittee spokesman

said in an interview published

Friday.

Ria Novosti / November 29,

2013

Afghanistan's President Hamid

Karzai said the killing

demonstrated the US did not

respect the lives of Afghan

civilians and, if such attacks

continued, he would not sign a

bilateral security pact. Al

Jazeera /November 29, 2013

Thailand PM Yingluck Shinawatra rules out early

election Thai Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ruled out an early election, following six days of pro-

tests aimed at removing her from office.

She told the BBC the situation in Thailand was not calm enough for polls and she would not authorise

the use of force against protesters occupying government ministries. She was speaking after demonstra-

tors forced their way into the army headquarters in Bangkok and held a

demonstration there. She said that if she called a new election, she was not

sure the protesters would be satisfied. On Thursday, she called for an end

to the demonstrations after surviving a no-confidence vote. However pro-

testers has rejected her appeal. Demonstrators have been surrounding and

occupying official buildings this week in an attempt to disrupt the govern-

ment. BBC / November 29, 2013

Air force spokesman says fighter jets have been sent after Japanese

and South Korean aircraft flew through disputed area.

China announced the zone at the weekend, prompting criticism from Japan

and the US. Some experts said it was aimed not only at chipping away at

Tokyo's control of disputed islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and

the Diaoyu in China, but also at challenging US dominance in the region.

On Tuesday the US flew 2 unarmed B-52 bombers over the islands without

informing Beijing. China's air force spokesman Shen Jinke says several

fighter jets and an early warning aircraft were sent on normal air patrols in

the zone on Thursday. Shen described the flights as "a defensive measure

and in line with international common practices". He said China's air force

would remain on high alert and will take measures to protect the country's

airspace. The Guardian / November 28, 2013

Bangladesh's opposition blocked roads, railways and waterways to pro-

test government plans to hold a general election on January 5, the lat-

est turn in a violent political crisis that has paralysed the country.

The opposition, led by former PM Khaleda Zia, is demanding that the gov-

ernment, led by PM Sheikh Hasina, resign so that a neutral caretaker ad-

ministration can oversee the polls.. After the Election Commission an-

nounced the election date, the opposition called a 48-hour transport strike.

According to police, at least seven people have

died since late Monday in violence between oppo-

sition activists and government supporters and

police. In all, 37 people have been killed in the

last month of protests. Al Jazeera / November

26, 2013

Political protests in Bangladesh

turn violent

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

PAGE 7

Continues from Page 1...

"They could have stuck to earlier versions, where if the interior ministry wants to ban a protest, the onus

is on them to go to court and seek a ban," said Heba Morayef, the Egypt director for Human Rights

Watch. "Instead they've done the opposite. The end result is that we could see an increase in violent

crackdowns on peaceful protests."

Authorities last week lifted a three-month state of emergency and night-time curfew imposed after secu-

rity forces cleared two Cairo sit-ins filled with supporters of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsi, who

was overthrown in July.

More than a thousand people were killed in the clearings and several days of

unrest that followed.

Al Jazeera / November 25, 2013

Mali strongman General Amadou Haya Sanogo has been arrested and is

expected to face charges of torture.

Military General Amadou Haya Sanogo who led last year's military coup in

Mali has been arrested and charged with kidnapping. Wednesday’s arrest

indicates that the government of Mali's newly elected president is not afraid

to stand up to Sanogo, who led the March 2012 coup, and has been ac-

cused of systematically torturing and execut-

ing those who questioned his rise to

power.“Sanogo has been inculpated for com-

plicity in kidnapping. Right now that is the

only charge,'' said the country's chief prosecu-

tor Daniel Tessougue. “He could be charged

with other crimes later.'' Al Jazeera / No-

vember 28, 2013

Mali coup leader arrested and

charged

While the EU and the United States cheered a deal that world powers

reached with Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, Israel was fierce in its

criticism Sunday.

"What was concluded in Geneva last night is not a historic agreement, it's a

historic mistake," Israeli PM Netanyahu told reporters. "It's not made the

world a safer place. The deal, Netanyahu argued, leaves Iran "taking only

cosmetic steps which it could reverse easily within a few weeks, in return,

sanctions that took years to put in place are going to be eased.” Israel has

repeatedly warned the West to tread warily when dealing with Tehran. The

regime in Iran is dedicated to destroying Israel and Israel has the right and

obligation to defend itself with its own forces against every threat," he said.

"I want to make clear as the prime minister of Israel, that Israel will not let

Iran develop a nuclear military capability." CNN / November 25, 2013

Iran and six major powers

agreed early Sunday on a

historic deal that freezes

key parts of Iran’s nuclear

program in exchange for

temporary relief on some

economic sanct ions .

Washington Post /

November 24, 2013

Police in Egypt have

arrested a prominent

activist accused of calling

for protests in defiance of a

new law restricting

demonstrat ions. The

blogger Alaa Abdul Fattah

took part in a rally outside

the upper house of

parliament on Tuesday.

BBC / November 29, 2013

Al-Qaeda-linked militants

have executed t he

commander of a rival rebel

faction and six of his men,

an amateur video of the

public execution showed,

part of their campaign to

marginalise other groups.

Al Arabiya News /

November 28, 2013

Egypt passes law restricting public protests

Israeli PM Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal

'historic mistake'

PAGE 8

ARTICLE of the WEEK

Oleh Kotsyuba

Op–ed contributor of the New York Times

On Nov. 21, summoned by a Facebook post by a journalist named Mustafa Nayem, more than 1,500

Ukrainians showed up in Independence Square in Kiev to protest their government’s decision to “pause”

preparations for signing an association agreement with the European Union. The next day, more crowds

gathered, in Kiev and other cities. Soon, the protesters numbered over 100,000.

This month is the ninth anniversary of the “Orange Revolution,” which forced the authorities to annul

the results of a contested presidential runoff and hold a revote. But in a country that has been largely

apathetic for nearly a decade, no one could have expected such a strong reaction to a decision that would

not even guarantee Ukraine’s full membership in the European Union — not even in the future.

The government’s arguments against the agreement seemed reasonable enough: Russia was pressur-

ing Ukraine to join a Russian-led customs union, and the country could not risk losing access to the

Russian market, which would surely happen if it signed a free-trade deal with the European Union.

Yet Ukrainians, despite poverty and cynicism, care. President Viktor Yanukovich had raised hopes for

integration, and Parliament had passed measures that would move Ukraine toward compliance with the

terms necessary to sign an association agreement and form a free trade zone with the European Union.

Polls showed that a strong majority of Ukrainians supported integration with Europe, even in the East,

the region most oriented toward Russia.

The dashing of those hopes — formalized at the end of a two-day summit meeting in Vilnius, Lithua-

nia, on Friday — comes as a bitter disappointment.

The protesters have at times called for resignations, impeachments and new elections. But what’s most striking is their association of Europe with a set of values that results in absence of corruption, a strong

social safety net, an inclusive health-care system, fair wages, a stable currency and a responsible govern-

ment that delivers reliable services and treats citizens with respect. For them, these were even more valu-

able than the tangible benefits of joining the E.U., like the right to work in other European countries and

the prospect of big European investments in Ukraine.

The 20- to 40-year-olds protesting today are the first generation to be fully free of the grip of the Cold

War’s totalitarian heritage. They were disappointed by the failure of the last president, Viktor Yu-

shchenko, whom the Orange Revolution brought to power, to fight corruption, reform the government,

remove barriers to entrepreneurship and bring the country closer to Europe.

UKRAINE’s BATTLE for EUROPE

PAGE 9

This generation watches little TV, gets its news and entertainment online, and, until now, has mostly

avoided politics. The organizers of the recent protests took advantage of this. Amateur broadcasting on

Ustream and YouTube quickly spread news of the events. Independent, crowd-funded radio and televi-

sion networks used the same low-budget streaming technology to deliver live content from an attic apart-

ment in Kiev. Every movement of the unpopular Berkut (the Ukrainian special forces) was closely fol-

lowed on Facebook and Twitter; supporters were mobilized to defend tents erected by protesters.

The protesters also insisted that the political parties have no overt role — from uniforms to banners to

speeches — in the demonstrations. They didn’t want to play into the hands of the government, which

would have claimed that the protests were merely a political attempt to undermine it.

Still, it remains to be seen whether the pro-European movement will survive these efforts. Representa-

tives of various rightist parties — including Svoboda, whose nationalist, xenophobic, anti-intellectual and

homophobic messages have frustrated European-minded Ukrainians in the past — were embedded in the

protests early on.

The protesters express their Europeanness frequently, with excitement, and often touchingly: They

emphasize politeness, friendliness and cleanliness. Why? Because this is “the European way.” Everything

else is perceived as backward, inconsiderate and annoying — in short, it’s “sovok,” or the dustbin, a

euphemism for the disappointing post-Soviet state.

More conservative Ukrainians have a different view. They’ve lumped together tolerance, nondiscrimina-

tion and openness into the term “tolerasty,” a neologism that suggests that those who are oriented to-

ward the West are weak, decadent and dangerous. Sexuality is a hot-button issue: To join the Union,

Ukraine would have to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

According to this view, the promotion of so-called European values would lead to the annihilation of

the Ukrainian family. This is a powerful discourse. For decades, religion, speech, language and culture

were suppressed in Ukraine. The horror of tragedies like the famine of 1932-33 were never confronted.

The activists are very much aware of the power of these scare tactics. With their apolitical messages,

they are trying to alleviate the fears of a post-Soviet society that has only begun to grapple with the trau-

mas of its past.

They have been inspired by prominent intellectuals, like the political philosopher and essayist Mykhailo Minakov, who has called on the protesters to heed the lessons from the Orange Revolution:

peaceful demonstrations, generational and cultural solidarity, ideological neutrality and reintegration

around European ideals as a counterbalance to nationalist and separatist impulses.

Even if they don’t succeed in pushing Ukraine’s leaders toward Europe, the activists are continuing the work of building a nonviolent, nonideological movement of justice and solidarity.

The strength of the fragile civil society that these activists are helping to build will be most tested not

in the streets, but back home, where liberal values will be challenged every day, after the current battle

for them is won, or lost.

The New York Times/ November 29, 2013

TURKEY

PAGE 10

Egypt announced on Saturday that it was downgrading its diplomatic relations with Turkey and

expelled the Turkish ambassador because of “provocative” criticisms of Cairo by Turkey’s prime

minister, a spokesman for Egypt’s foreign minister said.

Egypt also said its ambassador to Turkey, who was withdrawn in August,

would be permanently recalled, all but severing relations with a regional

heavyweight that had been one of Egypt’s most prominent allies before the

ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in July. In retaliation, Turkey declared

the absent Egyptian ambassador “persona non grata” and also downgraded

diplomatic relations. Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was

unapologetic, calling Egypt’s government a “pro-coup administration” and

saying, “We never respect those who do not respect people’s right to sover-

eignty.” The New York Times/ November 23, 2013

Despite all the signals to the contrary, senior executives of the ruling

Justice and Development Party said they will not allow for conflict

between their party and the Islamic scholar Gülen’s movement.

‘An approach suggesting that the AKP and the Cemaat are fighting with

each other may be desirable for some circles, but we never allow such a

thing, they said.

Pre-existing tension between the government and Gülen’s movement has

escalated after Prime Minister Erdoğan announced plans to abolish private

examination prep schools, many of which were financed and run by

Gülen’s followers. The tension has recently peaked, with Erdoğan describ-

ing the group’s objection to his government’s plans as “a smear campaign.”

Hurriyet Daily News/ November 22, 2013

Egypt Expels Turkey’s Ambassador, Further

Fraying Diplomatic Ties

Ruling AKP Officials Downplay Tension

with Gülen Movement

An iconic singer's return from exile has opened up a divide among

Turkey's Kurds, who may be at a crossroads in their history.

There is a legend that a Kurdish peshmerga fighter, facing surgery with no

anaesthetic, decided to get through the operation by singing Sivan Perwer

songs.The fighter is said to have felt no

pain - such is the reported effect of Sivan

Perwer's music on Kurdish life (and medical

science). Over the last three decades, the

singer's music has become a symbol of

Kurdish national identity. He has helped to

define a people without a state. BBC/ No-

vember 18, 2013

Returning hero Sivan Perwer divides

Kurds

Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan

signed a multi-billion-dollar

energy package this week that

will help transform the semi-

autonomous region into an oil

and gas powerhouse but

i n f u r i a t e t h e c e n t r a l

government in Baghdad.

Reuters/ November 29, 2013

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit

rose to $7.3 billion in October,

from $5.5 billion in the same

month in 2012, representing a

31.8 percent increase,

according to figures revealed by

state-run statistics body TÜİK

on Nov. 29. Hurriyet Daily

News/ November 29, 2013

Cyprus talks are unlikely to

restart anytime soon despite

e a r l i e r h o p e s f o r a

breakthrough in the coming

months, as the island's

Turkish and Greek sides

remain divided over the terms

of a fresh round of negotiations

on reuniting the island.

Hurriyet Daily News/

November 29, 2013

PAGE 11

EVENT

CALENDAR

100. Yıl

284 20 00 — www.dominos.com.tr

WITHOUT WORDS

December 1, 2013

16. Rock Station Festivali

If Performance Hall

Üstü Kalsın (theatre)

ODTU KKM

December 2, 2013

Yaşamaya Dair- Genco ERKAL (theatre)

Şinasi Sahnesi

December 3, 2013

Motto (concert)

If Performance Hall

December 4, 2013

Bülent Ortaçgil (concert)

If Performance Hall

December 5, 2013

Notatan Alternatif Caz Blues

Nefes Bar

Redd ( concert)

IF Performance Hall

December 6, 2013

Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası (Gustav

Mahler 5. Senfoni)

INFO & ADS

GENERAL DIRECTOR

Asude Dilan YİĞİT

CO-EDITOR

Özge YÜKSEKKAYA

COORDINATORS

Meriç YAŞAR, Ayça ŞEN, H. Sinan GÜLER, Deniz

AYYILDIZ, Deniz PERÇİN, Didem ELERMAN

EUROPE CORRESPONDENTS

Özge YÜKSEKKAYA, Gizem KAYA, Tutku ZENGİN,

Emre KOSİF

AMERICAS CORRESPONDENTS

Didem ELERMAN, İrem GÖL, Merve O’KEEFE

ASIA CORRESPONDENTS

Ayşenur ŞANLI, Okan İDUĞ, Ezgi KAHRAMAN,

Zeynep ÖZDEMİR

M. EAST & AFRICAS CORRESPONDENT

Derya ERKAN, Burak TIRAŞ, Safa KAÇAR, Yavuz

YAVUZ, Uğur ZAMAN

TURKEY CORRESPONDENT

Ayşin Çelik, Eyüp ŞEN, İlayda BAKIRCI, Tuğçe

ERDOĞU, Erdoğan ARABACIOĞLU, Ömer Faruk

AYKUT

Special Thanks to: Deniz PERÇİN, Meriç YA-

ŞAR, H. Sinan GÜLER, Deniz AYYILDIZ, Yavuz

YAVUZ, Derya ERKAN who contributed to the

edition of this week’s News Report.