* The terms of the European Union’s discussions with Turkey need to be reformed, according to Turkey’s former Economy Minister Kemal Derviş, who said the "conditionality of accession has collapsed", reports the Hurriyet Daily News.
  Mr. Derviş, who is currently the vice president of the Brookings Institution, was speaking at the first strategic event to mark the cooperation between Sabancı University’s Istanbul Policy Center and the German think tank Stiftung Mercator.
  Mr. Derviş said there could be a different type of relationship between Turkey and the European Union. "The European Union has rules, but they are not absolute, they are evolving. We could talk about a different form of integration. I am not talking about a privileged partnership outside of Europe, but a special relationship inside Europe," said Mr. Derviş, who was head of the United Nations Development Program in the second half of the 2000s.
  In the same meeting, Daniel Gross, the director of the Center for European Studies, has warned that with each new entrant, the bar for membership has gone higher for future applications, adding that good governance has become much more important than economic indicators. "Greece has been a big failure for European Union, and this is becoming more apparent. The bar will go higher, as we learned that the quality of internal administration was very important," he said. "It’s not enough to say that ‘We are better than the two worse cases in European Union.’ Turkey needs to get up to the average of European Union," he said.
  For decades Turkey has been striving to be a member of the European Union, but says it is being kept out because of anti-Turkish sentiments of some European countries.
  See more at Kemal Dervis speech
  

* According to the British paper Guardian, Turkish prime minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the American novelists Paul Auster are fighting with words.
  Earlier this week Paul Auster told the Turkish daily Hurriyet that he is not visiting Turkey because hundreds of journalists and writers are imprisoned. He further advocated that Turks get rid of Erdogan administration like Americans got rid of Bush and Cheney.
  After hearing this, the Turkish prime minister said "who cares if you come or not?", then continued on to criticize Mr. Auster for visiting Israel. The prime minister also called Mr. Auster and ignorant man.
  Mr. Auster's books are popular in Turkey, Guardian adds.

* According to Reuters, five Turkish engineers kidnapped last September in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur were freed and flown to the capital Khartoum on Thursday, the state news agency SUNA and the Red Cross said. SUNA said the men had been working on a water project near the city of El-Fasher in North Darfur when they were abducted by armed men.

* According to Bloomberg, Turkish inflation rate climbed to a three year high and reached 10.6%.
  An analyst at Morgan Stanley in London says that this probably represents the peak and expects the inflation rate to decline in the coming months.

* According to the Tehran Times, the Turkish Energy minister is quoted as saying that Turkey will continue buying oil from Iran despite U.S. sanctions.
  The Turkish minister said the decisions made by the U.S. and the European Union "does not concern us."
  In related news, the Turkish Energy minister says that Turkey referred its dispute with Iran on the price of gas to the International Arbitration Court.

* According to the Turkish daily Aksam, an analysis entitled "Turkey’s defense power grows at a pace to be envied" by Yuri Mavashev and published in the English edition of the Russian daily Pravda warns Russian leaders.
  The article writes about Turkey’s success in weapon production, saying, "Turkey is a traditional partner, and even more traditional rival at Russia's southern borders. This 70,000,000-strong country is part of NATO, and the Turkic and Muslim people in Russia are the subject of Turkish 'courtship.'
  "Russia should be concerned about the strengthened power of the Turkish army that is already one of the top ten in the world. Today, the Turkish army is the most organized, numerous and powerful state institution. Turkish army of half a million soldiers is the largest in size after the United States in the NATO military bloc."

* Speaking of the Turkey's military, according to UPI, the indictment against former chief of the general staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, was forwarded to the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court.
  The indictment charges General Basbug with "seeking to unseat the government of the Republic of Turkey by force."

* National Public Radio correspondent Peter Kenyon reported about Turkish leaders plans for Istanbul and certain segments of the public opposing these plans.
  According to Peter Kenyon, rapid building in Istanbul is remaking the city, and activists are seeking to preserve historic places.
  Working-class neighborhoods have been cleared of their inhabitants to make way for villas and hotels. Public schools and hospitals, some in historic buildings, are being sold to private developers. And a third bridge across the Bosporus is planned, which would bring roads and development to a large swath of forest land in the city's northern reaches, Peter Kenyon reports.
  It's all part of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's drive to revamp Istanbul and make its future as glorious as its past.
  Several groups have sprung up in opposition to the various projects to transform parts of the city, but they're hampered by disparate goals and small numbers, Peter Kenyon says.
  See more at NPR Peter Kenyon on Istanbul

* According to Reuters, Growth of Turkish bank loans slowed to less than 28 percent year-on-year in mid-January, adding to signs of an economic slowdown after a year of unorthodox monetary policy by the central bank aimed at preventing overheating.

* Three big drug manufacturers are said to be wooing the Turkish drugmaker MN Pharmaceuticals.
  GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly and Pfizer are among the companies eyeing a bid for the company, formally known as Mustafa Nevzat Ilac Sanayii, Bloomberg reports. Read more at:  Turkish drugmaker wooed by GSK, Pfizer, Bloomberg says - FiercePharma

* According to the Turkish daily Aksam, US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Riccardione has been lobbying to encourage American investors to come to Turkey.
  Mr. Riccardione was in the US last week asked major U.S. companies to turn to Turkey, saying that there is lot of potential there.
  According to Michael Lally, the U.S. consular for commercial affairs in Turkey, as a result of the ambassador's efforts 35 companies operating in automotive, finance and energy sectors, agreed to see investment opportunity closely in Turkey.

* And a short news. We reported to you last week about Turkey's first three limb transplant operation. The Dogan News Agency reports that the patient is getting better and he was able to touch his son with his new arms.
  See more at New Limbs

* Turkish Armed Forces have accelerated its efforts to put a softer, less nonmilitaristic look, and as part of this effort they are looking for an artist.
  The top brass announced recently that they are interested in hiring a female cellist or violonist. In addition to musical talent, the musician has to be perfect-looking, the armed forces say!
  Here is the full description of an ideal candidate:
  - Graduate of at least a two-year college or school of music - Minimum 5' 3" height and 110 lbs weight - Up to 25 years old
  Accepting the application started on Jan 26 and will continue until Feb. 10.
  A written exam will be held in the Turkish capital Ankara on Feb. 19. Applicants who pass and qualify in terms of physical appearance will go through an interview.
  All this will be followed by a "practical exam" on March 5-7. Those who succeed will begin to work on August 30 as a pettyofficer.
  Our correspondent Lutfi Marasli says he will follow what the Turkish Armed Forces will do on this project with amuzing requirements and keep you posted.

* Istanbul looks to become a hub for TV series, films, documentaries and commercial shoots, reports the Anatolia News Agency.
  It has been already the setting for filming for many during the past two years:
  The city boasted a total of 1,600 shoots for television series, films, documentaries and commercials in 2010 and 2011.
  Istanbul is like an open air studio, according to Culture and Tourism Provincial Manager Ahmet Emre Bilgili.
  In addition to domestic productions, Istanbul also hosted many international films and documentaries.
  "That's why we can say that there is no city like Istanbul anywhere in the world," he said.
  While some international teams visited Istanbul for episodes of daily or monthly broadcast programs, international commercials and films also took place in Istanbul.
  Mr. Bilgili says that the production companies are required to get a permit from the Turkish government when they are using public venues such as palaces or bridges. A permit is not alwasy guaranteed, however: If the government determines that the shooting may have adverse affect on the structures involved, a permit is not granted.
  See more at Istanbul as a stage

* Turkey's first "World Beauty Queen" Keriman Halis Ece Tamer passed away in Istanbul on Saturday Jan. 28, reports the Anatolia News Agency.
  Ms. Tamer died of heart failure and she was 99 years old. Ms. Tamer became the "World Beauty Queen" on July 31, 1932.
  A video of Ms. Tamer is available at Tamer Youtube Video

* According to the Anatolia News Agency, Turkish opera artist Orhan Yıldız, 33, has won the second place at the 49th International Francisco Vinas Singing Competition in Barcelona, Spain.
  The Jan. 22 competition, organized at the Liceu Theater, did not award the first place to anyone in the category of male singers, but awarded second place to Turkish baritone Yıldız, and third place to Korean Chae Wook Lim.
  Yıldız was given 5,000 euro in prize money in the competition.

* Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party started showing films at its headquarters, reports the Anatolia News Agency.
  Dubbed the "Republican People's Party movie days" the event was started back in November 2011 and so far 5000 people attended the movies.
  The movie days also became a platform to commemorate important events and people, deputy party chairman Gursel Tekin says. For example Human Rights Week was celebrated with the showing of Francois Truffaut's classic 1966 film, "Fahrenheit 451."

* Turkey's president Mr. Abdullah Gül visited the United Arab Emirates this week.
  According to the Hurriyet Daily News, President Gül said Turkish soap operas were the focal point of the meetings with officials of the Emirates, which broadcasts Turkish soaps on TV.
  "They asked me what will happen at the end of the Turkish series," Gül said, "and said their wives were always sitting in front of the televisions for the shows."
  The Turkish president also met with Zayed University students. He said the students told him they all watched the Turkish series "Magnificent Century".
  Magnificent Century is based on Ottoman history of the 1500s.

* The latest film by Ata Demirer "Berlin Tiger" was celebrated with a gala in Berlin on Jan. 28, reports the Anatolia News Agency.
  "I have experienced many things and when I turned into 40, I decided to make them into a film. I hope you enjoyed it, too," said Demirer, the movie's writer and star.
  The gala, organized at Alhambra Movie Theater in Wedding neighborhood, was attended by the film team as well as Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu, Berlin State Assembly members Emine Demirbüken-Wegner and Özcan Mutlu.
  Demirer said the story told in the film was not his own. "But I have so many relatives that I grew up with this story" he said.
  See excerpts from the film at Kaplan film excerpts on YouTube

* According to the Hurriyet Daily News, Turkish director Raşit Çelikezer has been presented with the special jury award at the 12th Sundance Film Festival for his film "Can."
  The film, starring Selen Uçer and Serdar Orçin, previously won the Behlül Dal Jury Special Prize at the Golden Orange Film Festival organized in the southern province of Antalya.
  "Can" won the prize along with the documentaries "Love Free or Die" by Macky Alston, "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry" by Alison Klayman and "Searching for Sugarman" by Malik Bendjelloul.
  Nearly 120 feature films, including 58 in competition, were presented this year at Sundance. The festival was founded by actor and director Robert Redford as a counterweight to big-ticket Hollywood events and is held in the U.S. state of Utah. The awards were given Jan. 28.

* Hurriyet Daily News reporter Emrah Guler wrote about how Turkish TV programmers are integrating twitter messages.
  Always quick to follow the latest cultural trends in the West, TV programmers in Turkey have jumped on the bandwagon to integrate TV viewing and social media.
  On-screen hashtags and live Tweets have become part of a "controlled engagement" says Emrah Guler.

* In an interview with the National Public Radio's Jeffrey Brown, Zbigniew Brzezinski said that as American power declines relative to other countries, and China's influence grows, the United States can no longer dictate to the world, or be "the determining player of everything that is important on the global scene."
  "I think drawing in Turkey, drawing in Russia would greatly increase the vitality of the West. And after all, the Turks in the course of the last 100 years have demonstrated a determination to be modern, secular and democratic. So they're really part of our value system," Dr. Brzezinski added.
  Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.
  See the full interview at Brzezinski NPR Interview

* According to the Dogan News Agency, a Turkish prosecutor who called earlier in the week an intelligence agency team to testify in an alleged terror case has been removed from the case.
  The prosecutor, Sadrettin Sarikaya, said that he heard of his removal from the case on the TV.
  The former prosecutor was responsible for the Kurdistan Communities Union - alleged urban wing of the rebel Kurdistan workers party- investigation and he ordered on Feb 8. the detention of four intelligence officers including former intelligence chief Emre Taner and other former senior official Afet Güneş, as well as chief assistants, Yaşar Yıldırım and Hüseyin Kuzuoğlu.
  None of them abided to the order.
  CNN Turk called the detention order " unprecedented". Sarıkaya's move to summon the current intelligence chief and the two former intelligence officials had shaken the Turkish capital Ankara, with some speculating on the existence of a simmering power struggle within the state.
  And on Saturday February 11, the Daily Hurriyet reported that three senior police officers, who were unexpectedly removed from their posts, were given new tasks, the reports have said.
  In related news, in an urgent move to avert the prosecution of the intelligence officials, Turkey's Justice Ministry launched an initiative to amend both the Intelligence Act and the Penal Code to make probing intelligence members' probe more difficult.

* According to the Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey's main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has slammed the government over Turkey's specially authorized courts saying that the courts are transforming Turkey into a Nazi camp day by day.
  The courts were transformed from the (now defunct) State Security Court system and their roots go back to the military commissions of 1980 coup, Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that the courts function as extensions of the 1980 coup institutions.
  See more at Kilicdaroglu

* The head of a fisheries association was allegedly shot by a gang of illegal fishermen in Istanbul for his stance against the illegal practice.
  Mr. Ahmet Aslan lost his left eye in an armed attack while he was sitting in a teahouse in Istanbul's Rumelikavağı neighborhood, broadcaster NTV reported on its website.
   "There is a gang with trawlers, and we are under constant threat," Mr. Aslan was quoted as saying.
  Defne Koryürek, an activist who has been campaigning against trawler fishing for some time, said it was "horrifying" that illegal fishers were now bold enough to try and assassinate people.
  Ms. Koryürek said the number of illegal fishing boats in Istanbul had increased from around 50 in the last year to nearly 300 this year.
  See more at http://www.slowfood.com/international/slow-stories/123881/fishing-activist-shot/q=F5717E

* Turkish prime minister's office confirmed that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underwent a second surgery, the Turkish daily Hürriyet reported.
  Prime minister's office stated that the 30-minute long minor surgery was a follow-up on the operation on his digestive system on Nov. 26, 2011.

* According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the World Bank has published a report on its website that said 12 percent of CEOs in Turkey were women despite the low level of female employment in the country.
  Only 24 percent of Turkish women were employed in the workforce, the report by Tunya Celasın said, even thought Turkey boasted the 16th largest economy in the world.
  The report also mentioned claims by equal opportunity advocates who said the political culture in Turkey blocked women from working. Women were reluctant to find work until they had powerful role models, Yeşim Mutluer from Women Entrepreneurs Association said.
  See more at Turkish Women CEOs.
  The World Bank report is at WB Report.

* Anatolia News Agency reports that Turkey's top diplomat lashed out at Israel on Friday over its uncompromising stance on core issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
  "Enough is enough. Longer the Palestinian-Israeli issue remained unresolved, greater the price peoples of the region including Turkey pay. Israelis should decide on they want," Ahmet Davutoğlu told a meeting of Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
  While in Washington, Mr. Davutoglu also talked about the ongoing conflict in Syria. He said Turkey wanted to set up an international platform for a solution to the Syrian crisis.
  "Will we wait and see after [last week's] Russian and Chinese veto [on a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria]? No, never. As Turkey, we will not simply watch a massacre taking place in our region even if everybody remains silent and indifferent. We are trying to raise a new international awareness," Davutoğlu told students at Washington's George Washington University
  Mr. Davutoğlu also said Cold War structures should be erased from the Middle East and added that Turkey had hoped al-Assad would handle his country's crisis like ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev but he turned into former Yugoslavian leader Slobadon Milosevic instead.
  In related news, NATO said Friday it is considering an Israeli offer to contribute a warship to the alliance's naval patrol in the Mediterranean, despite Turkey's opposition.

* The cornerstone of what makes Turkey so important to the United States strategically is that it remains a secular democracy with a Muslim majority population, said a former US diplomat.
  The Turkish-US strategic partnership would become unsustainable if there were no sustained progress on democracy, said Matt Bryza, a career diplomat who was the U.S. ambassador to Baku until recently.
  Mr. Byrza was speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News reporter Barcin Yinanc.
  See more at Bryza Interview

* Demolition works have started at a hotel site in Istanbul built on the remains of a Byzantine palace, while Greece has protested to Turkey over the alleged neglect of Byzantine heritage sites, reports the Hurriyet Daily News.

* Many asylum seekers and illegal immigrants have said they will continue living in Turkey regardless of the consequences following a new law that limits foreigners' stay in the country, reports the Hurriyet Daily News reporter Vercihan Ziflioğlu.
  The law requires foreigners entering Turkey with a Three-month tourist visa to wait three months abroad before re-entry.
  See more at Asylum seekers
  

* According to the Anatolia News Agency the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, which was formed in 1987 by tambour artist Necdet Yaşar, celebrated its 25th anniversary at a concert Jan 29.
  Art director and soloist of the ensemble Aylin Şengün Taşçı said the ensemble had performed countless numbers of concerts on stage and on television.
  "Last year, we released an album called 'Mehtabiyeler' for the first time. We will also release a new album 'Ustadan Çırağa' (From Master to Apprentice) for our 25th anniversary. In March, the third album 'Baba ve Oğul Besterkarlar' (Father and Son Composers) will come."
  Taşçı said she did not agree with the idea that the interest of young people in Turkish music had decreased. "If you give high-quality music to people, regardless of their age, you definitely get its return.
  "The half of the audience in our concerts is young people. There are very talented young people in conservatories.[..]"
  See the ensemble's pages at http://www.istdevletturkmuzigi.com/

* Turkish Pharmaceutical company Abdi İbrahim is celebrating its 100th year by presenting the work of Vincent Van Gogh in the new, never before experienced Van Gogh Alive Digital Art Exhibit format reports the Hurriyet Daily News.
  The exhibition opened at Antrepo 3 art gallery for the first time since its premier in Singapore, providing art lovers with an experience above and beyond typical gallery exhibits in İstanbul Turkey
  The exhibition gives a chance to explore the work and life experiences of this prolific artist during the period from 1880 to 1890. Over 3,000 digital images of Van Gogh's most famous works will be presented in a synthesis of traditional art and modern technology display.
  The frameless art exhibit was created by Australian Grande Exhibitions and reflects the famous artist's lively and passionately detailed works from 1880 to 1890 through the use of 40 projectors equipped with SENSORY4 high resolution technology on giant screens, walls, columns, floors and ceilings.
  Synchronized to a powerful classical score, more than 3,000 Van Gogh images in enormous scale create a thrilling display that fills every available surface - immersing you entirely in the vibrant colors and vivid details that constitute Van Gogh's unique style.
  Photographs and video have also been augmented with Van Gogh's works to demonstrate his sources of inspiration.
  See more at Van Gogh

* Madonna will perform at Türk Telekom Arena in Istanbul Turkey on June 7, reports the Hurriyet Daily News.
  Madonna will go on tour in May for the first time in three years, starting in Israel before moving on to Europe, with legs in South America and Australia, where she has not performed for 20 years.
  The 2012 World Tour will be the first for the Grammy Award-winning 53-year-old Material Girl since her "Sticky & Sweet Tour" in 2008 and 2009. The tour will stop in more than 20 European and Middle Eastern cities, including London, Edinburgh, Paris, Milan, Abu Dhabi and Berlin.

* A new exhibition invites people to take a look at the Aegean province of Muğla, which has the longest coastal line in Turkey, through a bird's eye view, according to the Hurriyet Daily News. The exhibition titled "Bird's Eye View Photos of Muğla," which opened Saturday, February 11 at the Press Museum in Istanbul's Çemberlitaş, features 48 photos taken by famous photography artist Abdullah Kırbaş.
  It gathers together the visuals of Muğla's cultural and natural beauties that cannot be reached via highway.
  The exhibition is being organized by the Muğla Municipality in collaboration with the Istanbul-based Muğla Cultural and Promotional Association. In the exhibit, visitors will enjoy seeing from above the first Turkish fortress in the southwestern Aegean as well as the first traces of human beings in caves.
  The exhibition will continue through Feb. 22.

* According to the Hurriyet Daily News, World-renowned Australian actor Mel Gibson will star in Turkish director Serdar Akar's new project "Çanakkale İçinde" (Within Çanakkale).
  Gibson will play a British commander in the film about the Battle of Gallipoli.
  In 1981, Gibson also starred in another film about the battle called "Gallipoli."
  Other actors of Akar's new film will be Erdal Beşikçioğlu, who is known for his role in the "Behzat Ç" series, and Yekin Dikiciler.
  The film, which will bring audiences to 1915, centers on the heroism and dramas during the Battle of Gallipoli.

* Turkish dailies covered on their Wednesday editions the first hearing of a soccer match-fixing case.
  As we reported to you last July, scores of people were detained as part of the largest match-fixing investigation in Turkey's history. BBC then reported that 19 of last season's league matches have been affected.
  Turkish dailies Milliyet, Sabah and Vatan wrote that fans of Fenerbahce, one of Turkey's most prominent soccer teams, gathered outside the courthouse. They chanted slogans supporting 93 suspects including Fenerbahce soccer club president Mr. Aziz Yildirim in the match-fixing case.
  Vatan daily said that 113 pages of 400-page indictment were read out in the first hearing of the case.
  See more at BBC

* The Turkish dailies Vatan and Turkiye quoted Turkish Economy Minister Mr. Caglayan as saying that they are concerned over high import figures and working on the matter.
  The dailies said Turkey's imports reached $241 billion in 2011. Turkey's trade deficit widened by 48 percent in 2011 reaching $106 billion.
  See more at HDN

* Secretary of Defense Mr. Leon Panetta thanked Turkey for its ongoing contributions under NATO and its decision to host the early-warning NATO radar during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Davutoglu on Feb 13, says Mr. Panetta's spokesman Mr. George Little.

* Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday that Turkey and the United States had agreed that there should be a new humanitarian initiative to reach out to the Syrian people, as a real humanitarian tragedy was taking place in the country.
  Mr. Davutoglu said that he hoped all obstacles to a humanitarian aid corridor would be removed, and that this was not a political or an intervention issue. "The issue is to allow all Syrians to receive humanitarian aid regardless of their being pro-regime or not," Mr. Davutoglu said in a press conference after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton in Washington.
  After the vetoes of the U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria by Russia and China, the international community and regional partners could not adopt a "wait and see" approach on Syria, he said.
  Mrs. Clinton said Syria was at the top of the list of important matters that she discussed with Mr. Davutoglu.
  Mrs. Clinton also praised Turkey as being "a nation of conscience that understands the suffering of the Syrian people and serves as an example alternative to the al-Assad regime."
  The Arab League initiative for the Friends of Syria group, which will hold its first meeting in Tunisia next week, was originally Turkey's idea, said Mr. Davutoglu, adding that if the U.N. Security Council had fulfilled its ethical and political responsibilities there would have been no need for a meeting in Tunisia.
  Mr. Davutoglu also said the U.N. Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon had agreed to accelerate the procedures of a U.N. humanitarian aid office.

* A recent survey in Turkey revealed that the current prime minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the most admired politician.
  Mr. Erdogan was liked by 41.7% of the participants in the survey, whereas the main opposition party leader Mr. Kemal Kilicdaroglu only received 9.1% of the votes. The second largest opposition party leader received a mere 4.1% of the votes.

* Turkish dailies are also reporting that Mr. Erdogan is doing fine after his surgery that we reported to you last week.
  Mr. Erdogan is still confined to rest at his home.
  However, Mr. Erdogan met with Bakir Izzetbegovich, the Bosniak member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency in his home at Istanbul's Uskudar neighborhood.

* We reported to you last week that a Turkish prosecutor tried to have some former intelligence officials arrested and called a number of current officials to testify at court.
  The prosecutor was immediately removed from office, and the Turkish government prepared a draft law to make it difficult for intelligence officials to be summoned by courts.
  According to Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, Turkish parliament passed the controversial bill in the early hours of Friday, February 17.
  The new law requires the prime minister to give consent to any court cases against intelligence agents for their work on missions controlled directly by the premier.

* In related news, the Hurriyet Daily News reported Wednesday, February 15, on a speech by Mrs. Umit Boyner, the head of Turkey's top business association. The speech was in relation to the new bill.
  Mrs. Boyner says Turkey has to allow for freedoms with no exceptions and prepare new laws, including ones covering courts with special powers and the anti-terror fight.
  Turkey is watching with growing trepidation and horror as elements within the state, the police and judiciary on one side and the intelligence services on the other, clash over a judicial challenge to the country's intelligence service and the government's attempts to defend it, she added.

* Mrs. Boyner was speaking at a press conference about their association's 2012 program, She also said Turkey had launched a democratization initiative in the early 2000s but added that the gains it had made so far were "insignificant."
  The process that started in 2008 to clean the gangs within the state has now come to a point where many question whether this process is taking place within the norms of the universal rules of law, said Mrs. Boyner.
  Turkey is distancing itself from the rule of law, said Mrs. Boyner, highlighting the number of people who have been jailed on terrorism charges.
  "As the phrase goes, many people, from the journalist to the civil servant, from security personnel to academics, are regarded in the eyes of many citizens as ‘those poor souls killed in the crossfire.' Once they get into the system, it becomes nearly impossible to hear from them. The [judicial] process continues very slowly," she added.
  "This lack of confidence increases polarization in society. While it is important to destroy the illegal organizations within the state, it is equally important that the Turkish justice system adopt universal legal criteria as soon as possible", said Mrs. Boyner.
  "What is also equally important is that the military tutelage system comes to an end not only through civilianization but that the responsibilities and duties of the powers in the state becomes clearer and into conformity with the norms of law, transparency and accountability," she added.
  Mrs. Boynr also commented on a bill that would protect the Turkish Industry & Business Association and other personnel from prosecution.
  Turkish Industry & Business Association unconditionally supports the government and Parliament's right to make policy; she said but added that the new law was just a stop-gap solution and would not create a democratic state.

* According to Hurriyet Daily News of Turkey, a recent World Bank report showed that the average Turkish 15-year-old is below his or her average OECD, Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, counterpart in reading, math and science.
  According to the report, Turkey's student population has more than 12 million students, 11 million in primary education and more than 1 million in pre-primary education.
  The press release of the report states that although education has significantly improved in Turkey in the last decade, the country still faces problems in terms of the "equity and quality" of the education system.
  In a recent publication by UNICEF, out of ten indicators considered for assessing the quality and access standards of childhood development, Turkey met only three, ranking at the bottom of OECD countries.
  Better early childhood education, more efficient teachers, better systems of financing and more accountability are all possible solutions to the challenges, the report said.
  Another recent report by the OECD also showed that Turkey ranks low in rates of higher-education, exhibits gender disparities and has high unemployment rates among youth.
  Accordingly, only 18 percent of Turks attend college, while the average among Economic Development and Cooperation, or OECD countries is 40 percent.
  OECD includes developed countries such as United States Japan and United Kingdom on the one hand, and developing countries such as Turkey, Chile, Hungary and Mexico on the other hand.
  See the full list here: OECD COUNTRIES

* According to the Turkish daily Sabah, Turkish Informatics Foundation says there are opportunities in improving the education through a recently launched government project dubbed the "Conqueror".
  In a report the foundation advocates that the project should "become a mid and high level technological center, and to answer citizen needs through technology by adopting the e-state format as soon as possible."
  "E-state" refer to here is a recent project that successfully launched a series a web sites for government related activities.
  The report also states that both the 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities of the tablets that are being distributed make the project an excellent model for countries around Turkey.
  The report emphasized the importance of transferring educational curriculum into the digital environment, such as through mobile and video education, e-books and virtual classes and adds that when doing so, it is crucial to add interactive options.

* The Hurriyet Daily News on Thursday reported that the Turkish government, backed by opposition parties, has promised to tighten regulations to protect animal rights and punish abusers.
  Turkish Forestry and Waterworks Minister Mr. Veysel Eroglu said that a draft law on the issue would be sent to Parliament soon, speaking at a meeting in Parliament with a group of activists, led by Turkish pop singer Ms. Yonca Evcimik.
  "Killing cats and dogs should not be left unpunished," Mr. Eroglu said, stressing instructions for amendments came directly from Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
  Ms. Evcimik called on Turkish Parliament to remove breaches of animal rights from the "misdemeanor" category and classify them as criminal offenses. 

* In related news, on Friday, CNNTurk, reported about a dog injured by elementary school students. Seven students that injured the dog were suspended from school in the Turkish capital Ankara.
  The injured dog was taken to a veterinarian by the school administration.
  The school principal said the children apologized for their behavior and acknowledged that what they had done was wrong. She said the school wanted to raise individuals who respect animal rights.
  The parents of the suspended children said they thought the school administration's decision was correct and warned their children to be more sensitive on such matters.

* Extreme weather Turkey and the rest of Europe is experiencing is costing money: Anatolia News Agency of Turkey reported on Thursday that keeping roads open in snow cost $11 million to Turkey's Highway Authority.

* According to the press reports, Saudi Arabia's Prince Mr. Abdullah Bin Saud Al Saud's "Zad National" company has made an investgment in a Turkish company. Turkish ice-cream company MADO signed an agreement with Zad National.
  Under the agreement, 20 MADO cafes will be opened in Saudi Arabia in three years. The Saudi prince visited MADO facilities in the Turkish southern province of Kahramanmaras.
  See more at Saudi invests in MADO

* A story in the New York Times Magazine by Suzy Hansen writes about the new art venue in Istanbul.
  "Earlier this winter, the giant 120-year-old Ottoman bank building in Istanbul reopened as a multimillion-dollar contemporary art space called SALT" reports Ms. Hansen.
  Ms. Hansen adds: "This was surprising. Turks were never big on contemporary art, and for years rich people didn't visit that part of town. When I moved to the neighborhood five years ago, it was all electrical-supply stores and abandoned buildings and men smoking. My building didn't have heat; girlfriends wouldn't visit after dark; a neighbor once attacked another neighbor with a small sword. I don't see swords in Istanbul anymore. I do see a lot more art.
  "One evening in November, Turks and foreigners traipsed up the cobbled sidewalks to SALT's huge, heavy doors for the opening-night party. The headline exhibit featured thousands of old black-and-white photographs taken by a dead Armenian studio photographer and carefully assembled by the young artist Tayfun Serttas. Another exhibit was an installation by Gulsun Karamustafa, Turkey's doyenne of contemporary art. Another was about archaeology and Europeans looting the Ottoman Empire."
  The complete story with a slide show is available at NY Times

* The Hurriyet Daily News reports that Turkish movie "Conquest 1453" premiered on Feb 16 in movie theaters across the Turkey at 14:53 hours, 2:53 P.M., local time.
  The premiere hour was set to mimic the year of the date Istanbul was captured by Ottoman forces in 1453. Premieres usually take place during the night in Turkey.
  The movie, directed by Faruk Aksoy, tells the story of Istanbul's capture by the Ottomans during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II.
  The movie had angered Greek viewers after its preview was released there in January. Greek weekly To Proto Thema described the film as "conquest propaganda by the Turks.
  Christian association Via Dolorosa in the German city of Cologne called for a boycott on the film. "We advise every Christian not to watch this movie," they said.
  Read more at HDN

* Writing in the Hurriyet Daily News, Tuba Parlak reports that in its second year IF Istanbul Independent Film Festival's collaboration with the Sundance Institute for screenwriting workshops comes with a more elaborate program under the title of Sundance Labs.
  The first event of the Sundance Labs will be a screenwriting panel with the participation of renowned independent filmmakers Audrey Wells, Athina Rachel Tsangiri and other Sundance experts.
  On the third day of the program Sally El Hosaini will attend the Sundance Case Study Lab with her film "My Brother the Devil," which has also undergone the Sundance Lab process.
  Speaking to the Daily News, El Hosaini said what impressed her most about the Sundance Institute Labs was the way they were structured around individual needs.
  "The labs are basically a series of one-on-one meetings with creative advisors. But these advisors don't force their views upon you or hold the answers to making your script better.
  "Screenwriting is too subjective for black and white answers anyway. Instead the sessions were more of an informal discussion. An opportunity for you to go deeper into yourself and to examine the reasons you wrote what you did and a chance for you to hold a mirror up to your script, yourself and your own process.
  "This journey of self examination was incredibly illuminating, " El Hosaini concluded.
  The complete story is at HDN

* A new project that is being undertaken thanks to an European Union - Turkey grant program is helping to protect the phonograph records of Turkey's southeastern province of Gaziantep, according to the Dogan News Agency.
  The phonograph World Project will develop and protect cultural heritage, said Özgür Demirezer, the president of the TAŞEV Education Culture and Youth Foundation and the person responsible for the project.
  Events to be held as part of the project will open the doors to the music industry as it was between 1870 and 1970.
   "The project will reveal the musical careers of musicians such as Safiye Ayla, Hafız Burhan, Tamburi Cemil Bey, Edith Piaf and Louis Armstrong," said Demirezer. "Approximately 6,000 phonograph records will be displayed."
  A center at the Millet Hanı in Gaziantep will host the exhibition of phonograph records. "The exhibition hall will become a museum in the long term," said Demirezer.
  The project will also include a display of old phonograph records from the Ottoman Empire, he said. There will be also participants from Austria and Spain, he added.
  The collection covers 400 phonograph records and was aided by record collector İbrahim Halil Birecikligil, who donated his entire collection to the museums.
  Read the rest at HDN

* Hurriyet Daily News reports that Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay signed a financial protocol with Sabancı Holding Chairwoman Güler Sabancı yesterday, regarding the restoration of the historic Atatürk located in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Mr. Günay said the culture center would be renovated faithfully to its original form, adding that only infrastructural changes are being considered. The restoration project will be put out to tender at the end of March, and the Center is planned to come into art lovers' service in October 2013. "Our aim is to restart cultural activities there on the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic," Günay said.
  "This center is a landmark for the history of the Turkish Republic; when Ertuğrul Günay came to us with an offer to renovate it with our support we could not be indifferent, we will be proud to bring stanbul's art lovers together with the new Atatürk Culture Center," Ms. Sabancı said.
  "Seismic reinforcement is the most important reason for development here. The heating and cooling, lighting and sound systems will also be renovated. We will finally attain an art culture befitting Istanbul," Mr. Günay said.
  Read more at  HDN

* One of the oldest bibliopoles in Istanbul's historical old book bazaar, the Sahaflar Çarşısı, has a collection of around 15,000 rare books that he is hoping to preserve for posterity, reports the Anatolia News Agency. br/>  "I have books from well-known politicians like İsmet İnönü, writers like Mehmet Akif, Peyami Safa and more. I also have books signed by foreign writers, as well as manuscripts and more. They are very valuable today. I have books from almost all writers. This is what being a bibliopole means, not buying and selling old books," said 73-year-old Adil Sarmusak.
  The book collector said he had been interested in reading books since his childhood and added that he had lived in Germany for many years before buying a shop in the Sahaflar Çarşısı when he returned to Turkey.
  "I have been here since the 1980s, I feel comfortable here and am interested in books and science. Here, I have spent all the money that I earned in Germany," he said, adding that he had bought rare books and acquired a rich collection over the years.
  Noting that books should be carefully preserved, Sarmusak said he had digitally copied the 15,000 works and kept their originals. He also said roughly 1,000 books in his collection featured the signatures of either the writers or the famous people who once owned the books.
  Sarmusak said he wanted the rare books to be kept in the state's archive. "Unfortunately, we can't protect our old works. Actually, everything here should be in the state library, everyone should be able to benefit from them."
  Store contains many rare books. The owner complains that many books from the Ottoman era had disappeared.
  Read more at  HDN

* Turkish daily newspapers covered on Tuesday an instruction sent to Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office with Special Authority to withdraw a demand made earlier to testify the undersecretary of National Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan.
  As we reported to you last week, the Turkish parliament quiclkly passed an new amendment to State Intelligence Services and National Intelligence Organization Law, and prevented the courts from asking the intelligence staff to appear at court.

* Turkish dailies drew attention to Turkey's Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew's meeting with lawmakers in the Turkish capital Ankara on the new Turkish Constitution. Bartholomew gathered with members of a Parliamentary constitutional sub-committee to convey his proposals for a new constitution.
  "For the first time in the Republican history minorities in Turkey receive such a formal invitation to express their mind for the drafting a new constitution. Unfortunately, injustices have been made to minorities in Turkey but they are being fixed now and a new Turkey is being born," Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew told reporters after his meeting with Turkish lawmakers in capital Ankara.

* Covering the race for the presidency of the Turkish Football Federation, dailies wrote that 21 individuals had nominated themselves for the presidency of the Federation by February 20.
  Among the candidates are Besiktas's President Yildirim Demiroren and former Turkish state minister Kursad Tuzmen.
  The Turkish Football Federationwill elect its new president on February 27.

* Turkish dailies mostly covered in their Wednesday editions Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Turkey on occasion of 40th anniversary of Turkish-Chinese relations.
  Sabah daily newspaper wrote that Xi Jinping was welcomed as a 40-year friend and quoted the Chinese vice president as saying that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Turkey would increase after his visit.
  Yeni Safak had a different perspective on the same topic, and headlined the story as "Syria reproach to China". The paper wrote that Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Erdogan expressed his reproach to China due to Chinese veto in a vote on Syria at the UN Security Council meeting.
  Turkiye daily handled the same topic in a different way and used the headline "Uyghur rage in Ankara". It wrote that a group of Uyghur Turks protested Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit due to massacre of Turks in East Turkistan and set a Chinese flag ablaze.

* On Thursday, all dailies wrote about Antalya's Konyaalti district Chief of Police Ugur Gokcan's death by a man at a gas station.
  Dailies said Police Chief Gokcan and his team answered a call reporting an unidentified man indiscriminately shooting near a gas station close to Konyaalti Municipality, stating that after arriving at the scene, Gokcan came closer to the man and tried to convince him to turn himself in, but the man refused and tried to take the police chief hostage.
  The man then fired at the police officer. Gokcan, who was seriously injured, was taken to hospital by air ambulance, but died later.
  The assailant was arrested by the police.

* Turkish dailies mostly covered in their Friday's edition President Abdullah Gul's participation in a military exercise of Turkish Armed Forces for the first time since he became president. The military exercise took place in the northeastern province of Kars.
  Mr. Gul, deputy prime ministers Bulent Arinc and Besir Atalay, and National Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz wore camouflage smocks during the "Winter 2012 Military Exercise".
  Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel as well as commanders of forces were also present at the exercise which aimed to test combat capabilities and increase fire and maneuver synchronization. Gul watched the exercise as the "commander in chief".

* Another topic in the newspapers is German Chancellor Angela Merkel's apology to Turks for Neo-Nazi murders. A memorial took place in German capital of Berlin to remember the 10 people including eight Turks who were killed by right-wing extremist group in Germany.
  Delivering a speech at the memorial, German Chancellor Merkel said that they considered those murders a disgrace for Germany and appealed to victims' families for forgiveness.
  The chancellor apologized to the families for the fact that suspicion for the murders had fallen, in some cases, on the victims' relatives themselves. Merkel promised to do everything possible to prevent a repeat of the "cold-blooded" murders.

* All newspapers wrote the game of Turkey's Besiktas team in Union of European Football Associations' UEFA Europa League. Braga soccer team of Portugal defeated Besiktas 0-1 in the second game of the second round at UEFA Europa League in Istanbul.
  Despite Braga's victory, Besiktas advanced to the next round as they had won the first game in Portugal 2-0.

* "Modern art boom exposes Turkey's tensions" said Mrs Rosie Goldsmith of BBC news in İstanbul.
  The arts scene in Istanbul has seen a boom in the past decade, going from a handful of galleries to more than 200, but there may be a price to pay for this rapid change she added.
  The district of Tophane in Istanbul is famously diverse - Bohemian but also ultra-modern.
  Tophane nobly bears the burden of all those cliches about Istanbul - one foot in the liberal, secular West, another in traditional, conservative Islam.
  In the 1980s, these narrow streets and crumbling 19th Century buildings were occupied by immigrants from Asian Turkey - just across the Bosphorus. It also became a magnet for artists because of the cheap rents.
  About a decade ago, Istanbul - and Tophane - started to change dramatically. Business boomed, the arts scene exploded and the old buildings were bought up and gentrified.
  Several were converted into art galleries, and today there are 10 major galleries in Tophane.
  Read the full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9138192.stm

* Speaking of art, an exhibition dubbed ''After Yesterday'' at Istanbul Modern arts museum in Tophane is bringing together modern and contemporary examples of photography in Turkey, reports the Hurriyet Daily News.
  Featuring 179 works by 53 artists, the show is being held between Feb. 16 and June 3. A further 66 works by 213 artists will also be on display in digital format.
  The exhibition displays the technical and conceptual development of photography from the Ottoman Era to the present day. It aims to show the adventure of photography in reverse chronology, starting at the point reached by present day photography and moving back to the Pera of the 1800s.
  After Yesterday is curated by Engin Özendes, who has been the director of the Photography Gallery at the museum since the day it opened and has thus shaped the collection's identity. While presenting viewers with the photographic story of the past and the present, the show also sheds light on how the collection developed over the years.

* Discovery Networks is set to increase its distribution in Turkey and embark upon a partnership with a big media sales company, Sales House, according to the channel.
  Sales House will be responsible for the promotion and sponsorship of Discovery Channel.
  Thanks to this collaboration, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Science will be broadcast via the Digiturk, Teledünya and DSmart platforms, allowing them to reach their widest Turkish audiences ever, according to company officials

* The Toronto-based Turkey-inspired group Minor Empire, which is the brainchild of Turkish guitarist, composer and producer Ozan Boz and vocalist Özgü Özman, has been nominated for Independent Music Awards in the World Group category.
  We have been playing the group's music for you for the past several months.
  The group is known for its unique blend of traditional Turkish music with psychedelic rock, electronic and jazz.
  Minor Empire was launched in 2010 and released its debut recording "Second Nature" in early 2011. The album has been called "deeply exotic, bold, expertly worked and voluptuous."
  The bulk of the compositions on "Second Nature" are based on traditional Turkish folk tunes.
  The album has received impressive airplay on CBC and college radio and reached the No. 1 spot on world music radio charts earlier this year. Performances at such notable festivals as Luminato in Toronto, Sunfest in London and the Markham Jazz Festival have shown the group to be a simply dazzling ensemble onstage.
  The band's first album garnered glowing reviews from international publications such as Songlines Magazine (United Kingdom) and World Music Central (United States). Last December the band received the World Group Award from Canadian Folk Music Awards. Minor Empire will tour Canada this summer.

* We told you last week about a new movie on the conquest of Istanbul by the Turks in 1453. The Turkish daily Milliyet reports that Germany has prohibited the presentation the film "Conquest 1453" to viewers under the age of 16.
  Turkish immigrants in Germany, more than 104,000 of whom went to see the film during the first three days of its release, have complained that they were unable to bring their children along.
  The movie which premiered Feb. 16 in Turkey, garnered an estimated record-breaking six million dollars at the box office in just four days, according to daily Milliyet. The film was shown in 850 theaters around the country, reportedly drawing over 1 million people.

* Some short film news:
  The Lebanese capital of Beirut will host a Turkish film festival organized by the İzmir Cinema Association next month. This is the second year a Turkish film festival is taking place in Beirut, organizer Kayhan Kırmızıgül says. Last year's festival drew in 7000 Lebanese to the Turkish movies.
  Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper's "Tepenin Ardı" has won the Caligari Prize at the 62nd Berlin Film Festival, considered one of the world's leading film festivals.
  World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say has expressed anger at being incorrectly named as the musical producer for "Conquest 1453". Mr. Say says he backed out of producing the music for the film because he thinks that the film lacked artistic value and, most importantly, varied philosophical perspectives. He adds that the film's nationalistic idolization would cause problems with viewers of different cultural backgrounds.
  If Istanbul Independent Film Festival opened last Friday with the gala screening of "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front." Directed by Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman, the film is a rare behind-the-scenes look at the radical environmental group the FBI called America's "No. 1 domestic terrorist threat."
  According to the Anatolia News Agency, Popular Turkish TV series are now available on the Internet in the Bulgarian language, with "Magnificent Century" taking the lead. The series is translated into Bulgarian by volunteer translators a few hours after the episodes premier in Turkey.

* The first Antalya International Guitar Festival, organized under the art directorship of Associate Professor Ahmet Kanneci, one of the most important names of Turkish guitar, kicked off on February 21, reports the Dogan News Agency of Turkey.
  The festival will host guitarists from Spain, Germany and Japan until Feb. 25. Nora Buschmann, Takeshi Tezuka, Jose Manuel and Francisco Cuenca Morales duo and Eren Sualp will be among the artists in the festival.

* According to the Dogan News Agency, the municipality of İzmit has removed all promotional posters of the Turkish rock band Grup Yorum ahead of the group's Feb. 26 concert, saying the posters cause "environmental pollution" in the city.
  In related news, Turkey's biggest online ticket company Biletix, has said it will continue to offer tickets for musicians Grup Yorum, denying recent reports that it was dropping the legendary left-wing band after students were detained for selling the group's tickets, reports the Hurriyet Daily News.

* Turkey's entry at the 57th Eurovision Song Contest will be an English-language song titled "Love Me Back," Can Bonomo, the artist who was previously named as Turkey's representative at the event, announced Feb. 22, reports the Hurriyet Daily News.
  "The song tells the story of a sailor," Bonomo told reporters after he introduced his song at state-run TRT's studio in Istanbul. "We are very excited. We are very happy, and we believe it is a beautiful song."
  Bonomo said their song did not have a certain type of melody and that they defined their music as "Istanbul music" since the song would feature all ethnic instruments, as well as an East-West synthesis.
   See more at http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-launches-eurovision-song-love-me-back.aspx?pageID=238&nID=14508&NewsCatID=383

* A Greek festival is making a comeback in Istanbul, reports the Hurriyet Daily News reporter Vercihan Ziflioğlu.
  This year, like last year, Greeks originally from Şişli's neighborhood of Kurtuluş (which is known as Tatavla in Greek) will descend upon Istanbul from Greece for the carnival, which is held just before Christians enter the 40-day Lenten period before Easter, despite the major economic crisis there.
  This year a dance group from Greece will participate in the carnival.
  Another historic carnival, the Pera Baklahorani Carnival, will also take place Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.

* According to the Anatolia News Agency, Istanbul Toy Museum's application for the 2012 Best European Children's Museum Award has been accepted.
  The museum's founder, poet and writer Sunay Akın, said they believed the toy museum was one of the best examples in the world.
  Read more at http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/istanbul-toy-museum-chosen--as-a-nominee-for-ema-awards.aspx?pageID=238&nID=14427&NewsCatID=385

* The work of world famous Turkish artist Burhan Doğançay, titled "Ribbon Mania," has been included in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, reports the Anatolia News Agency.
  Doğançay's works are displayed in 70 museums around the world, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum in London, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
  Read more about the artist at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burhan_Do%C4%9Fan%C3%A7ay .
  His personal web pages are at http://www.burhandogancay.com/ .

* According to the Anatolia News agency, the China edition of National Geographic Traveler, one of the biggest culture and travel magazines in the world, published a supplement that promoted Istanbul.
  The 21-page supplement included observations of a Chinese citizen living in the Turkish metropolis and spoke about traditional Ottoman and Turkish cultures. Chinese teacher Ging Yang has been living in Istanbul since 2007.
  The supplement wrote about Turks' affection for tea and promoted Istanbul's history, mosques, culture and Turkish food, particularly döner kebab.