Showing posts with label 2015 at 05:20PM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2015 at 05:20PM. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Eurosphere agenda: Ponta’s fall…”Brexit: London sets conditions …”Mapping five years of environmental policy research in European studies…

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VIDEO: Romanian PM quits: Why did he go?

Romanian PM Victor Ponta says he is resigning, a day after 20,000 protesters marched over a nightclub fire that left 32 people dead.

Bucharest protesters prompt Ponta’s fall

Bucharest protesters prompt prime minister’s fall

The literature on European environmental policy has rapidly expanded over the last ten years. Between 2010 and 2015, there were over seven hundred articles about the European Union and environmental policy, compared to only two hundred and fifty articles between 2000 and 2005.[1] Ironically, given its focus, much of this literature is written outside of the major European studies journals.[2]  However, it is important to study the topics and approaches that environmental policy scholars use when publishing in European studies journals because of the key role these journals play in the field.[3] Therefore, in this post I explore environmental policy articles in two of these journals: the Journal of European Public Policy (JEPP) and the Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS).[4] JEPP and JCMS were chosen because they “play an integrating function by holding the various subfields of EU studies together”.[5]

During his visit to Berlin Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has called for EU reforms to stave off a Brexit. Some commentators advise the Union to make gradual concessions to London. Others doubt such a policy would convince the British to vote yes in the referendum on staying in the EU.

Finland launches ‘national emojis’

Foreign ministry says new emojis designed with a “tongue-in-cheek approach”.

The EU decision to adopt new labeling on Israel’s settlement products is perceived as an act of discrimination which will not help the diplomatic process, writes YossiLempkowicz,.

Confronting populism anew in Europe

The re-emergence of right-wing populism constitutes a threat and dilemma not only to the more traditional conservative right, but also to parties of the left.

Viktor Orban – one of Europe’s most successful contemporary populists?

 

Crisis? It’s not a word that Emily Haber would use. Crisis denotes catastrophe, and that is not how they want to categorise the influx of refugees into Germany.

Austerity and the rise of poverty in Britain

Austerity is a political choice, not an economic necessity, and it is having devastating consequences.

Flickr/Dr John2005, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Member states are affected in very different ways by the refugee crisis. But all of them worry about what will happen when Germany’s capacity to absorb asylum seekers reaches saturation point. The EurActiv network reports.

An EU decision on whether to require labelling on all products imported from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights is expected next week, media reported.

How to change a city from the bottom up: an Italian example

Cambiamo Messina dal Basso – a social movement consisting of ordinary citizens – managed to win power in one of southern Italy’s largest cities. So how do you run a large city while staying true to your social movement ethos?

Stepping up the fight for consumer rights: The view from Spain

What lessons can Europe learn from Spanish consumer politics if it wants to ensure corporate scandals on the scale of Volkswagen don’t keep recurring?

FACUA logo ‘consumers in action’. Wikicommons/public domain.As both the number of consumers and the costs involved continue to be totted up, the scale and significance of the Volkswagen emissions scandal is still sinking in. As a failure of corporate regulation, a US Congress committee recently judged it to beon the scale of Enron.

Europe sees record migrant arrivals

Almost as many migrants reached Europe by sea last month – more than 218,000 – as in the whole of 2014, the UN refugee agency says.

Winter is coming: the new crisis for refugees in Europe

From Lesbos to Lapland, refugees are bracing for a winter chill that many will never have experienced before. Some will have to endure it outside

Record numbers of migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in October – just in time for the advent of winter, which is already threatening to expose thousands to harsh conditions.

If the UK were to vote to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum the implications would be many and varied. Some of these implications have received coverage, others have not, warns Paul Brannen.

Roma are being evicted from their homes across the European Union in systematic forced evictions. What is needed is the political will to use EU anti-discrimination laws to sanction member states guilty of leaving Roma homeless.

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Thursday, August 13, 2015

Architectural authorities claim “İstanbul isn’t More Ready for an Earthquake than 1999” İstanbul news roundup…

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Chamber of Architects İstanbul Branch Chairperson Cemal Gökçe, said İstanbul is still unprepared for an earthquake since August 17, 1999. Qualified supervision and sustained urbanization were stressed.
Airline companies’ operational costs have increased by 20 percent due to repeated delays at Istanbul’s Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports amid ongoing construction work during the summer, according to sector representatives
 Istanbul Modern renews permanent collection display
The İstanbul Modern has recently renewed its permanent exhibition, putting on view a selection of recently acquired works by 18 artists from Turkey

LETTER FROM ISTANBUL: Among the Syrians

When I lived in Kadıköy, I would often see the Syrians. Groups of them would camp out near the newly constructed metro station by the nearby
Turkey: thousands gather for peace rally in Istanbul
Thousands of people have attended a peace rally in the centre of Istanbul. The event was organised by the Peace Bloc, a group of around 80 Turkish
Subway line project to Istanbul’s third airport launched
A project to construct a subway line connecting Istanbul’s third airport to the city center has been launched, said Transportation Minister Feridun Bilgin
An Algerian passenger at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport broke the glass door of a passenger boarding bridge and began to run after a taxiing plane after he fell asleep in a waiting room
Idea of ‘perfect summer’ explored in İstanbul art gallery
“Pool Party,” by artist Ed Fornieles, is among the selection of contemporary works of art displayed at the exhibition “Summertime*” at the Galerist art .




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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Cengiz Aktar: Tabii ki devr-i sabık

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 Tabii ki devr-i sabık

 

19 Mayıs’ta “Kaosa uyanmak” başlıklı yazıdan: “Bu formüller (koalisyon, vs) gerçekleşebilir ama bir şartla: Erdoğan gölgesinde varılacak her mutabakatın AKP’ye bir biçimde ortak olacak diğer partiyi seçmeni ve kamuoyu gözünde ne duruma düşüreceğini hesaba katarak. Türkiye’de siyasetin Erdoğan’ın dolaylı veya doğrudan içinde olacağı bir denklemi sindirmesi ne kadar mümkün artık? Sadece siyasetin mi? Futboldan dış ilişkilere, dinî itikattan inşaata, çocuk sayısından anayasal hükümlere, hukukun işleyişinden medya özgürlüğüne, Gayrimüslim politikasından faiz politikasına, müdahil olduğu her konu bir reel veya potansiyel fiyasko demek değil mi?”

 

7 Haziran seçim sonucunun AKP’nin düşüşü, muhalefetin skoru ve esas HDP’nin başarısıyla yarattığı umut ve iyimserlik, kolayca öngörülebileceği gibi, yerini soru işaretlerine bıraktı. Kaos, türbülans, belirsizlik, adını ne koyarsak koyalım memleketin daha epey bir zaman bu ortamdan çıkamayacağını bilmek gerekiyor. İş dünyasının “sandıktan uzlaşın mesajı çıktı erken seçim vakit kaybettirir” çağrılarının ya da “eskiyi unutalım, olan oldu, önümüze bakalım” yollu akılların beyhude olduğunu da… Zira bu pazarlığın özü baş aktör ve onun istikbali. Türkiye’nin istikbali değil!

 

HDP ve HDP seçmeni dışında kalanların seçim sonuçlarının ne kadar okuyabildikleri meçhul.  CHP ve MHP’nin siyasetçilerinin beyanları 13 yıl sonra“iktidarları geldiği” hissi uyandırıyor. Asgarî ilkelerden ziyade hükümet olma konuşuyorlar. Koalisyon senaryolarından başımız dönmüş durumda, kulis haberleri kulakları sağır ediyor. Ama yakından bakınca bu beyanların içinin siyaseten bomboş olduğu görülüyor. Misalen MHP koalisyon hükümeti protokolüne 17/25 Aralık’ı dâhil etmek istiyor. AKP’de bazıları “4 bakanı verelim daha yukarıya dokunmak yok” diyor. Oysa böyle bir hükümet programı üzerinde anlaşma öz itibariyle çok zor olduğu gibi muhteremin bekasını gözetecek herhangi bir hükümetin bekası olmaz

 

İktidara heveskâr partiler arasında en fantastiği kuşkusuz AKP. 2011 seçiminden bu yana “Erdoğan’ın teşkilâtı” olmuş AKP sanki seçim olmamışçasına hükümet etmeye, içerisi ve dışarısıyla ilgili bağlayıcı kararlar almaya, üstten konuşmaya, tamamen kontrolü altındaki bürokrasiyi yönlendirmeye devam ediyor. Tıpkı devr-i sabıktaki gibi müflis Suriye politikası, küstah AB politikası, insan ve çevre düşmanı yapılaşma, izansız yargı kararları, Urfa Valisi’nin gazeteci gözaltıları gibi idarî tasarruflar berdevam. Kendilerinden o kadar eminler ki…

7 Haziran’ın mesajının görmezden gelindiği bu tıkanma hali siyasetin sıfır noktasıdır! Ramazan ve yaz rehavetiyle daha çok koalisyon lakırdısı dinleriz. Çünkü yapısal tıkaç Erdoğan’ın bekası olduğu ve vermediği hesapların üzerine gitmekten kaçınıldığı sürece hükümet kurmak mümkün olmaz. Kurulsa sürmez. Erken seçim olsa da olmaz.

Nitekim “devr-i sabık lafını sakın ağzınıza olmayın” diyen ya da demeye getiren iktidar kalemlerinin temennilerinin aksine, yapılması gereken tam da budur.Erdoğan’ın sınırsız hırsının, tek adamlığının, keyfîliğinin, otoriterliğinin reddi anlamına gelen seçimi doğru okuyarak geçici bir hükümet kurulmalıdır.    

Bu, yürütmenin günlük icraatının yanında enkazın envanterini çıkaracak, içeride 17/25 Aralık 2013 iddialarını şeffaflıkla inceleyecek, dışarıda isetehlikeli ve yanlış Suriye politikasını bütün veçheleriyle gözden geçirecek bir “sağaltma” hükümetidir. Ancak bu çürümenin önü alındıktan sonra yeni bir hükümet kurulabilir ya da erken seçime gidilebilir. Eğer AKP kongrede Gül’ün öncülüğünde Erdoğan vesayetinden kurtulamazsa bu parti sağaltma hükümetinde olmaz. Zaten Davutoğlu AKP’nin böyle bir hükümette olamayacağını Erdoğan’a kol kanat gererek dolaylı olarak açıkladı. İlâveten, meclisteki yeni AKP grubunu Erdoğan’ın yarattığını hiçbir zaman unutmamak gerekir. Dolayısıyla iş diğer üç partiye düşüyor. Becerebilecekler mi?

Bu yazı ilk olarak Taraf’ta yayınlandı. Yazarın izniyle burada da yayınlanıyor. 

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Bilgi Çocuk Çalışmaları Birimi Demokratik Okullara Doğru projesini tamamladı

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Cocuk-Calismalari_Logo_2012

İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Çocuk Çalışmaları Birimi (ÇOÇA) ve Eğitim Reformu Girişimi (ERG) olarak; Demokratik Vatandaşlık ve İnsan Hakları Eğitimi Hibe Programı kapsamında, okullarda demokrasi kültürünün güçlenmesine katkıda bulunmak amacıyla yürüttüğümüz Demokratik Okullara Doğru: Öğrencileri ve Okulları Güçlendiren Katılım Uygulamaları başlıklı projemizi tamamladık.
Okulların doğal paydaşları olan çocukların eğitim süreçlerine ve karar mekanizmalarına etkin katılımlarını kolaylaştırmayı hedefleyen proje kapsamında pilot okul olan Eyüp Merkez Ortaokulu’ndaki öğrenciler, öğretmenler, veliler, okul yöneticileri ve okul çalışanları ile çalışmalar gerçekleştirildi. Projenin ana çıktıları şunlardır:

Çocuk hakları ve eğitim alanındaki çalışmalara ve tartışmalara yararlı olmasını ümit ettiğimiz çalışmalarımızın tümüne http://ift.tt/1cNxyeMadresinden ulaşabilirsiniz.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Davutoğlu says Intel trucks’ contents no one’s business, But one day he might have to explain it to ICC in The Hague…

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Questioning the content of trucks that were stopped by the gendarmerie while carrying “logistical assistance to Turkmens” in Syria last year was nobody’s business, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoğlu has said, drawing attention to the timing of publications accusing Turkey of delivering weapons to rebel groups in the neighboring country.
Turkey has expressed serious concern that Mahinur Özdemir, a Belgian deputy of Turkish origin, has been expelled from her party for refusing to call the 1915 killings of Ottoman Armenians a “genocide,” calling on all Belgian political parties and institutions to act in common sense.
Divided Cyprus begins to build bridges

The new Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, says his community must regard their Greek neighbours on the island not as enemies but partners

All his life, Mustafa Akinci has worked towards peace. There has been hislanguage: a lexicon of feel-good words infused with the precision of a conflict-resolution professor. And there has been his belief that small things can lead to big things in his splintered country

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut Turkey’s growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 percent from 3.2 percent, the organization said in a report released on June 3
Turkish annual inflation edged above 8 percent for the first time this May, data from the Turkish Statistics Agency (TÜİK) showed on June 3.

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Saturday, May 23, 2015

Eurosphere agenda: biggest-ever Eurovision…”Juncker greets Orbán with ‘Hello dictator!”…

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Sweden, Russia and Italy are among the favourites to win the 60th annual Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place in Vienna later.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker teased Hungarian Premier Viktor Orbán over his strongman reputation Friday, jokingly greeting him as “dictator” as he arrived at an EU summit in Riga.

In Greece for the first time the EU authorities demand a government complete a programme that it has neither designed nor has a democratic mandate to implement.

The number Europeans living with hepatitis B and C is growing, particularly in Eastern Europe. But access to treatments remains scarce, due to funding problems and a lack of awareness of the problem, say patient groups.

Scandal and silence in Lisboa

I am not an “austerity refugee”, the author tells our partners, Precarious Europe. In fact, my family has had a role to play in the suffering of millions of Portuguese workers.

The Spitzenkandidaten process was never going to be the magic wand, creating a new sense of engagement. But it will in 2019, if we are able to learn the lesson of 2014, said Julian Priestley and Nereo Peñalver Garcia, in an interview with EurActiv.

A Syrian’s view of Europe

Humam, fleeing his war-torn country, made the perilous crossing from North Africa to Europe. He now reminds Precarious Europe how big and wonderful Europe can be.

Credit: Yana Zalesskaya. All rights reserved.Credit: Yana Zalesskaya. All rights reserved.I live in Germany now. I have a bicycle, an address and everything, and some wonderful neighbours. We talk in English and they teach me German words. On my first day here, my uncle, a German citizen, said to me, “look after this society, it will look after you in return”. He also said, “there is justice, you will take what it is rightfully yours, despite all the bureaucratic crap”.

The Tories and the police – who is playing who?

Sometimes it would be extremely helpful to the police for protesters to break windows at key sites…

Are The IMF and the EU at Loggerheads Over Greece?

Everything has a cost, or so the story goes, especially time. In the Greek case we now know an additional item on the mounting bill: the country is back in recession. The issue is who – apart of course from the long-suffering Greeks themselves – will pay the extra costs of  the latest imbroglio.

Finland instructs 900,000 reservists
Finland sends letters to nearly a million reservists to remind them of their duties in case of combat, officials tell the BBC.
Thousands of people in the North of England take to Twitter to ask Scotland to “take us with you”
Facebook’s Extremes

The European Union wants to ensure fairer distribution of refugees among EU member states in future. A provisional quota system is to be introduced by the end of May, the EU Commission announced on Wednesday. At last Europe will have an asylum system that doesn’t place the brunt of the burden on just a few states, some commentators write. Others predict that the quotas won’t work for several reasons.

Many companies have jumped on the bandwagon of supporting marriage equality, but only a select few of them are consistent, plausible, and authentic in their efforts, write Florian Wettstein and Dorothea Baur.

 

At the Riga summit yesterday (21 May) Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania signed a Joint Declaration backing the idea of building the Eastring gas pipeline, designed to link Central with Southeastern Europe. However the name Eastring doesn’t appear in the document.

EU asks UN for help with migrant crisis
Foreign policy chief tells Security Council that people intercepted at sea will not “be sent back against their will”.
Cyprus: dusting off the peace process

The rest of the world expects of Mustafa Akinci and Nikos Anastasiades to resolve a problem now fully 60 years old. How realistic are their chances of success?

U.N.-sponsored talks resumed on May 15 after an eight-month stalemate with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agreeing to adopt confidence-building measures, in a new drive to settle the island’s decades-old conflict
Greece says it faces bankruptcy in weeks
No firm agreement yet on critical rescue loans, but euro zone ministers keep tough line on final tranche.

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