EFDbackup: “Turkish lira hits lowest level since at least 1981”

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Turkish PM downplays Europe’s ‘red line’ on press freedom after detentions

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has downplayed Europe’s “red line” on press freedom and rejected remarks by the head of the European Parliament over the detention of the top staff of daily Cumhuriyet on terror charges.

In other news:

Turkey drops 14 places in World Bank’s Doing Business study

Turkey has fallen 14 places to 69th in the World Bank’s latest Doing Business report, published on Oct. 25.

Turkish Gov’t Cracks Down On Free Press

The Istanbulian by Emre Kızılkaya

In the immediate aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt, I had told that it was too early to come to a conclusion about the direction of Turkey’s democracy has been taking.

After all, although the numbers were huge, mass arrests and dismissals could be seen as justified by many, due to the existential threat that our democracy confronted in the face of the Gulenist coup plotters, who went as far as bombing the parliament and massacring dozens of civilians in places such as the Bosphorus Bridge.

Turkey time: Europe’s Erdogan dilemma

Brussels Blog by Alex Barker

Not even the clocks in Turkey can ignore the whims of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This weekend Turkey’s imperious president decided to make it summertime all year. The decision to abandon daylight saving time moves Ankara an hour further from Europe, and into a timezone with Khartoum, Moscow and Riyadh. If only that were the end of it.

Mr Erdogan issued decrees to oust 10,158 public officials; expelled 1,267 academics from their posts; took charge of appointing university rectors; permitted prosecutors to record client-lawyer conversations; allowed judges to deny access to lawyers for up to three months; and shut down 15 (mainly Kurdish) media outlets. And that was just this weekend.

Turkey’s tourism revenue declines around 33 percent in third quarter as foreign arrivals plunge

Turkey’s tourism revenue decreased by 32.7 percent to $8.3 billion in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period of last year, amid a dramatic plunge in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) showed on Oct. 31.

Head of IPI Turkey Committee Kadri Gürsel Detained in Operation on Cumhuriyet Daily

Bianet :: English

IPI Executive Board Member and Cumhuriyet daily’s Editorial Consultant, journalist and columnist Kadri Gürsel has also been taken into custody in the operation on Cumhuriyet daily.

Foreign arrivals to Turkey fall 32 percent in first nine months of 2016

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey dropped 31.9 percent to 20.2 million in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2015, data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Oct. 27.

Syrian child refugees making British clothes in Turkey: Report

Syrian refugee children are reportedly working in factories in Turkey making clothes for British high street retailer Marks & Spencer and online store ASOS, an investigation by BBC Panorama found.

Child refugees in Turkey making clothes for UK shops

BBC News | Europe | World Edition

Clothes made by child refugees in Turkey are ending up among those sold by leading British brands, a Panorama investigation reveals.

Ayrault and Çavuşoğlu clash over state of emergencies in Turkey and France

During his official visit to the Turkish capital, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has criticized Ankara’s comparison of the state of emergency in Turkey with the state of emergency in France

Turkey’s ‘democracy crisis’ has grown with state of emergency: Former ECHR judge

Turkey’s existing “democracy crisis” has been exacerbated by the ongoing state of emergency in the aftermath of the failed July 15 military coup attempt, former European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judge Rıza Türmen has said.

Patent holder of Gülenist messaging app revealed in US

A Turkish-origin U.S. citizen has been revealed to be the patent holder of ByLock, a messaging application that is said to have been used by members of the Gülen Movement under U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who was accused of orchestrating the failed coup attempt of July 15

35 suspected Gülenist Turkish diplomats seek asylum in Germany

Dozens of Turkish diplomats, military officers and their families have sought asylum in Germany since the July 15 coup attempt, local officials have said

Special passports to be offered 15,000 Turkish exporters: Minister

Some 15,000 exporters will be offered a special kind of passport that will enable holders to acquire visas quicker and gain visa-free entrance to many countries as part of new incentives in the sector, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci has said

Turkey’s Push to Join Battle for Mosul Inflames Tension With Iraq

NYT > Turkey by By TIM ARANGO and MICHAEL R. GORDON

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s insistence on a direct role, citing a “historical responsibility” that Iraq rejects, is undermining American goals in the region.

Turkey not be spectator on issues concerning its security: Erdoğan

Turkey will not remain as a spectator on issues that threaten its security, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 22, emphasizing Ankara’s drive to sweep Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Syrian Kurdish militants from territory near its border

Mosul: Turkey insists its forces ‘cannot remain idle’

BBC News | Europe | World Edition