Erdogan wants Turkey’s trade with Iran, Russia, China in local currencies

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country is moving towards allowing trade with Iran, Russia and China to be conducted in local rather than foreign currencies, as he continues his efforts to strengthen the falling lira. “If we buy something from them, we will use their money, if they buy something from us, they will use our currency,” he …

CONN HALLINAN – Turkey’s Coup: Winners & Losers

As the dust begins to settle from the failed Turkish coup, there appear to be some winners and losers, although predicting things in the Middle East these days is a tricky business. What is clear is that several alignments have shifted, shifts that may have an impact on the two regional running sores: the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. …

The Gary Null Show – 07.28.16

On “The Gary Null Show” Gary does a quick but excellent health and healing segment, Gary enlightens you on The Children And The CIA and Why the US can’t stay away from Iraq, he also opens up the phone lines for a Talk Back segment with the listeners.    Gary’s Break Song –I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor and Soul Man – Sam & Dave …

Vijay Prashad – We Owe It to the Victims of the Latest Bombing Tragedy in Turkey to Ask Why These Attacks Happened

Tragedies are tragedies. Ordinary people stand at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Guns and bombs shatter their lives in an instant. There can be no justification for such violence. It is dangerously random and wicked. Whatever frustrations produce the assailants, nothing could possibly draw a straight line from those grievances and the misfortunes they produce. Each of these attacks …

‘Climate of Xenophobia’ Gripping Europe, UN Official Warns

As more details indicate the killing of British lawmaker Jo Cox was politically motivated, the United Nations Refugee Agency head is warning of a “climate of xenophobia” gripping Europe. Speaking to Agence France-Presse in Tehran on Saturday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, “Refugees… don’t bring danger” but “flee from dangerous places.” He put responsibility on the shoulders of national leaders, saying that …

Stephen Zunes – Turkey’s Creeping Authoritarianism: Is the Resistance Enough?

Turkey’s march towards authoritarianism took another dangerous turn this past week with the forced resignation of moderate Islamist Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, apparently at the insistence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Though constitutionally the Turkish prime minister wields executive authority and the president is largely a figurehead, Erdoğan—who served as prime minister for eleven years before term limits forced him …

U.S. Ranks 41st In Press Freedom Index Thanks To ‘War On Whistleblowers’

The U.S. is ranked 41 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, which measures the “level of freedom of information in 180 countries.” According to the organization, the U.S. moved from 49 in 2015 to 41 this year, though it warned that the “relative improvement by comparison hides overall negative trends.” Citing the U.S. government’s “war …

Turkey’s President gives Hitler example in call for powers boost

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who wants to expand the powers of his office, has cited Hitler’s Germany as an example of a presidential political system. Asked whether the system he wants could exist within a “unitary state”, Mr Erdogan told reporters that Adolf Hitler’s Germany was one example in history, among others, where the presidential system had functioned. Mr …

Turkey Arrests Generals for Stopping Syria-Bound Trucks ‘Filled With Arms’

Two Turkish generals and a colonel were detained on Saturday for intercepting Syria-bound trucks that belonged to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the newspaper Today’s Zaman reported. In January 2014, Ankara Gendarmerie Major-General Ibrahim Aydin, former Adana Gendarmerie Brigadier-General Hamza Celepoglu and former Gendarmerie Criminal Laboratory Head Colonel Burhanettin Cihangiroglu stopped Syrian-bound trucks in southern Turkey after they received information from an anonymous …