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x0x Turkish News for the week ending 15 April 2023

[This is a transcript of the news broadcast on 15 April 2023]


Courtesy of Turkish Radio Hour, producer of the

TURKISH CULTURAL PROGRAM, every Saturday from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.

on KXSF:  kxsf.fm/ or FM 102.5 in San Francisco

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ORIENT EXPRESS every Tuesday at 10 P.M.

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Ahmet Toprak is the editor-in-chief. Your broadcast host is Fuad Tokad.

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[Uzun İnternet adreslerini radyoda okumayın, şu duyuruyu yapın:
"Look at the news section of our website for more details. www.Turkradio.us".]


NEWS


★ This week, upcoming general and presidential elections dominated the headlines in the news. Here are some headlines and summaries from the Turkish and world press:


www.TurkRadio.us

  Click on the photograph to see the full article with more photographs.


★ On Monday, Turkish President Erdoğan presided over the commissioning of Turkey's first drone, tank, and helicopter carrier, the TCG Anadolu, near Istanbul.

  It is part of the latest display of home-grown defense equipment, including prototypes of new fighter jets and drones.

  Bloomberg wrote that Mr. Erdoğan will be using this as an accomplishment during the election campaign.

  Some critics pointed out that the carrier was not ready, but Erdoğan wanted it to be deployed early, again for election show-off.


★ Turkish daily Duvar conducted street interviews in Istanbul's Bağcılar district where the support for President Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party is very high.

  Regardless of their parties, a primary concern of the voters was the economy and the rising cost of living. Also, some Justice and Development Party voters said: "enough is enough."

  >> here <<


★ According to daily Duvar, the support level for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party has quadrupled in Kurdish-majority provinces since the 2018 general elections, breaking the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party and Justice and Development Party domination, said Roj Girasun, the general manager of the pollster Rawest Research.

  He said that Kurdish voters have started to break away from the ruling Justice and Development Party, and one can see this both in eastern Turkey and throughout Turkey.

  Kurds make up a significant portion of the electorate in Turkey. Their precise numbers are not available, but estimates indicate up to 20% of the population is Kurdish.

  >> here <<


>> here <<


★ On April 12, Mustafa Destici, the leader of the far-right Great Unity Party and an ally of the ruling coalition parties, called on Kerem Kınık, the head of Turkish Red Crescent, to resign. Destici blamed Kınık for "harming the institutional structure.

  Destici said on Twitter that "The president of Kızılay should fulfill his responsibilities and leave the post to those who are responsible by realizing that he acts as a barrier in front of all donations, especially blood donations, harms the institutional structure, and disgraces the efforts of tens of thousands of employees. "Our people in good health should definitely go to the centers of Kızılay to donate blood, and none of our patients should lose their lives because there is no blood available," he added.

Opposition figures argued that Kızılay's latest scandals contributed to the decrease in blood donations and called on people to donate more.


★ Islamist cult leader Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, also known as Cloaked Ahmet Hoca, has targeted two ruling Justice and Development Party female politicians for defending the law on Protect Family and Prevent Violence Against Women, reports the daily Duvar.

  Referring to Justice and Development Party group deputy chair Özlem Zengin and Family Minister Derya Yanık with the slur of "gavur" (infidel), Ünlü said: "Can there be such a thing as 'Woman's statement is what is essential'?"

  Islamists have been targeting the law and are asking for its repeal. Some of these Islamists who joined the ruling block in the elections, put the repeal as a condition for joining.

  >> here <<


★ The likelihood of Turkish academics moving abroad has been increasing since 2015, according to the Turkish Informatics Foundation's new "brain drain" report. The report indicated that higher education gets a significant amount of resources, these resources are not used efficiently and do not lead to scientific output.

  The report revealed that Turkey experiences a brain drain phenomenon, with the most productive researchers likely to leave for abroad.

  However, the country also experiences a reverse brain drain, less productive Turkish researchers are more likely to return to the country. These mean that Turkey loses its top talents while gaining back lower-performing researchers, according to the report.

  The data from the OECD showed that Turkey ranks poorly in terms of scientific publications per capita. However, the proportion of national income Turkish government spends on higher education is ahead of many other countries, allocating a significant amount of resources to higher education in Turkey. However, they do not translate into scientific output due to the ineffective use of these resources.

  The ruling Justice and Development Party has increased its pressure against the scientific community in Turkey, especially after the coup attempt in 2016. It dismissed dozens of academics from their post with overnight presidential decrees under emergency rule.

  Also, in 2016, approximately 1,000 academics signed the petition named "We will be not a party to this crime!" against the civil war in southeastern Turkey during 2015-2016 between rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party and Turkish Military. Afterward, Mr. Erdogan's administration dismissed many of them from their jobs, and prosecuted them.

  In another case, Istanbul's prestigious Boğaziçi University's academics and students have been protesting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rector appointments for more than two years. In this process, M. Erdogan's administration detained some students and even put them behind bars for months while dismissing several renowned academics.


★ In the biggest U.S. enforcement action in Turkey since the invasion of Ukraine last year, The United States on April 12 imposed sanctions on at least four Turkey-based entities it said violated U. S. export controls and helped Russia's war effort.

  The designations - which included an electronics company and a technology trader alleged to have helped transfer "dual-use" goods - were part of a global sanctions package on more than 120 entities announced by the U.S. Treasury.


★ According to the VOA, some 400,000 survivors of February's earthquake in southern Turkey have arrived in the coastal city of Mersin over the past two months, according to its Metropolitan mayor, who has pleaded for more government help to cope with the influx.

  Mayor Vahap Secer housing prices increased by 200 percent in the metropolitan area.

  >> here <<


★ Simple Flying interviwed the Turkish Airlines' chairman of the board and the executive committee, Dr. Ahmet Bolat.

  The airline closed 2022 with a whopping $2.7 billion in the black.

  Throughout the year, the flag carrier of Turkey carried over 71 million passengers. Amid this momentum, Simple Flying spoke with the operator's leadership about it achieved such results.

  Turkish Airlines hopes to double in size in the next decade and wants to fly 800 aircraft to 400 destinations, carrying 170 million people.


★ Turkish narcotics police have seized 1.5 tons of marijuana in a ship that brought cloth from Mexico and detained five suspects

  >> here <<


ARTS AND CULTURE

Edited by Saadet Ejder


★ Turks will celebrate the National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23. The day commemorates the opening of the first Turkish Parliament in 1920 after the First World War in Ankara while the Ottoman capital Istanbul was under occupation.

  The local Turkish American Association announced that they would celebrate the day on April 22 in Palo Alto from 10:30 AM to 4 PM.

  The event will be free for children.

  During the event, there will be folk dance performances, folk dance performances from Turkey, India, and Mexico folk dance performances, and a parrot show.

  For more information, look at http://TAACA.ORG

 


★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar, Time magazine named Turkish singer Haluk Levent and doctors Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin among the 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

  Haluk Levent is a singer. He is also the founder and leader of the Ahbap charity organization. Time magazine named him under the "icon" category. Renowned Turkish novelist Elif Şafak penned the description of him.

  Şafak detailed how the Turkish government was inadequate in responding to the February 6 earthquakes and how Ahbap conducted extraordinary rescue and search.

  Finding what Ms. Şafak wrote inappropriate since it threw him into politics, Haluk Levent declined the Time's title. He said he decided not to go to the U.S. for the commemorative gala usually held in Manhattan.

  The Time magazine listed Türeci and Şahin under the "innovators" category. Former Time editor Walter Isaacson wrote their entry, detailing how BioNTech, established by the two scientists, created a COVID-19 vaccine in 2020, then partnered with Pfizer to test and distribute the vaccine.

  >> here <<

 


★ Tulip time in Istanbul!

  Istanbul will host a riot of colors with the arrival of the tulip season this year. Almost 8 million hyacinths, daffodils, grape hyacinths, and tulips will adorn Emirgan Grove, Gülhane Park, Sultanahmet Square, Göztepe 60th Year Park, and Hidiv Grove.

  Children's shows, workshops, street art performances, and concerts met with the visitors in the events that started on April 15.


★ Meşher, an art exhibition space on Istanbul's Istiklal Street, is hosting the first exhibition of John Craxton in Turkey.

  Called a neo-romantic artist sometimes, Craxton was an English painter who lived between 1922 and 2009.

  Curated by the artist's biographer and friend Ian Collins, the "John Craxton: Drawn to Light" exhibition presents nearly 200 works of the artist.

  Among the works are:

  In the showcase of the exhibition, which describes a joyful and creative life that progresses from the darkness of wartime to light, and from monochrome to bright colors, visitors are welcomed with a sample of the classic motorcycles that the artist loved to drive.

  The exhibition features works borrowed from various collections, 44 from the Ömer Koç Collection, the largest after the John Craxton Estate.

  The Craxton exhibition will be on through July 23, 2023.


★ İş Sanat concerts feature unforgettable works of the master poets and storytellers of Turkish literature with music on stage.

  The concerts continued on April 10 with another one titled brings "This is how the world is, " featuring excerpts from the stories of Sabahattin Ali. Among them were "Killer Osman," "Buttermilk," "Head Paper," and "Two Women," telling about the helplessness of rural people and the tragicomic situation they have fallen into in ironic and plain language.

  Sabahattin Ali, who lived between 1907 and 1948, was a Turkish novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist.

  He was killed--possibly by the Turkish intelligence organization--at the Bulgarian border while trying to seek asylum there.


★ On April 13, Garanti BBVA started its Spring Concerts.

  The traditional concerts bring popular electronic, jazz, and pop music to music lovers.

  Among the bands and artists this year are:

 

  Nardis Jazz Club, IF Performance Hall, and Zorlu PSM %100 Studio will host the concerts.

  They will continue through May 12.

  Garanti BBVA is a Turkish financial services company based in Turkey. The Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) owns 86% of Garanti's stakes.


★ Salon İKSV will be hosting successful names of contemporary music from Turkey and the world in the coming days.

  +1 Presents: Boy Harsher concerts, where dark dance rhythms will rise from the hall stage, are one of the most anticipated events of this month.

  Producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham's quintet from Bristol, Ishmael Ensemble, will raise jazz sounds from the Salon İKSV stage as part of Garanti BBVA International Jazz Day Concerts.

  This month, the hall will bring Can Kazaz to music lovers and new album launch concerts of RSPC and Barış Demirel, beloved names of the local scene.


★ The Turkish capital Ankara's Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall hosted British band Wishbone Ash, one of the most influential guitar groups in rock history, as part of the Rock Series on April 15.

  Wishbone Ash, described as the main inspiration by bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, brought with its two guitar soloists a rock storm to Ankara.


www.TurkRadio.us


★ On Turkey's Gökçeada island in the Aegean, archaeologists identified on rock paintings a shaman figure.

  Experts think that the paintings are 6000 years old.

  10 years ago, Elias and Ioanna Andreou discovered the rock paintings near Eşelek Village. Researchers then reported anthropomorphic figures, geometric designs, and many other obscure motifs on the walls of a large boulder.

  In the summer of 2022, researchers revisited the site to document and examine the rock art in detail and observed new motifs that earlier researchers did not record. The Journal Rock Art Published the Research findings.

  Ancients used ocher paint and a brush-like instrument to make rock paintings of humans, geometric designs, and abstractions.

  The rock paintings are difficult to notice due to a thin layer of iron oxide that formed on the rock surface.

  There is also a panel with bold lines showing that it was finger-painted instead of a brush, suggesting that patients may have created the paintings at different periods.

  Some depictions resemble the Latmos rock art of western Anatolia, thought to date from the 6th and 5th millennium BCE. However, the others are unique to the location.

  The researchers say this rock art is quite a unique find for the Aegean islands.

  Archaeologists found no archaeological material around the rock block other than a few chipped stones.

  A woman figure with full hips and breasts is similar to one among the Latmos rock paintings.

  The depiction of a human wearing a deer cap and costume discovered in Gökçeada is also remarkable. Horned figures or deer-headed human depictions exist in Upper Paleolithic paintings in Europe.

  Researchers suggest that this figure could be a shaman wearing a costume and a headdress, possibly made of deer antlers.


★ An article in the publication Arkeonews says that 1,600-year-old sandals and a comb unearthed during the excavations of Theodosius Harbor (Portus Theodosiacus), the second-biggest harbor built on the coast of the Marmara Sea, fascinate those who see it.

  Excavations conducted concurrently with the construction of the Marmaray and Metro rail projects, initiated as a solution to Istanbul's transportation problems, have resulted in the most extensive archeological survey in the city's history.

  The excavations revealed detailed information about Istanbul's prehistoric periods, which hosted different cultures for thousands of years and united the cultures from the East and the West.

  The sandals had a Greek message that reads: "Use in health, lady, wear in beauty and happiness."

  Researchers came to differing conclusions about the sunken ships discovered in the harbor of Theodosius, which dated from different centuries. Some suggested that the ships might have sunk during a hurricane, tsunami, or other natural disasters.

  The rapid burial of the ships created an anoxic environment that preserved rigging tools like tackles, pulleys, ropes, and toggles as well as everyday items like combs, leather sandals, straw baskets, and wooden plates as well as a variety of organic and inorganic artifacts like stone and iron anchors. In the harbor, the archeologists also discovered fragments of sunken ships and items from earlier eras.


EXCHANGE RATE
 
EXCHANGE RATE for the U.S. dollar in Turkish Liras: 19.35
 

WEATHER
High and Low Temperatures in Degrees F, Weather
Ankara, in central Turkey        : 63/41 Showers
Antalya, on the Mediterranean    : 70/54 Showers
Erzurum, in Eastern Turkey       : 52/36 Showers
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey : 55/45 Showers
Izmir, on the Aegean             : 72/48 Showers
Trabzon, on the Black Sea        : 57/48 Mostly Sunny


Snow depths at skiing locations:
Kartalkaya in Bolu, Western Turkey      : 16 inches
Palandöken in Erzurum, Eastern Turkey   : 52 inches
Saklıkent in Antalya, Southern Turkey   : 1 inches
Uludağ in Bursa, Western Turkey         : 18 inches
Sarıkamış in Kars, Eastern Turkey       : 4 inches

SPORTS

Edited by Ertuğrul Korkmaz




★ In the 10th European artistic gymnastics championships held in Antalya, Turkey's Mediterranean city, Turkish gymnast Adem Asil received a gold medal.

The Turkish team received a silver medal.


★ Turkeys billiards player Burak Haşhaş became the European champion in three-band competitions held in Antalya province's Serik district.


★ In the volleyball champions league, Turkey's women's team Eczacıbaşı Dynavit and VakıfBank team rose to the finals.

 
SOCCER

Premier League

* Results for week: 28
Konya           -      Antalya           1 - 1
Ankaragücü      -      Istanbul          3 - 2
Kasımpaşa       -      Trabzon           2 - 0
Sivas           -      Başakşehir        1 - 1
Beşiktaş        -      Giresun           3 - 1
Alanya      -      Hatay             3 - 0
Adana           -      G. Antep          3 - 0
K.gümrük        -      Fenerbahçe        1 - 2
Kayseri         -      Ümrani̇ye         3 - 1


* In games played so far this weekend:
Antalya         -      Alanya     3 - 1
G. Saray        -      Kayseri        6 - 0
Adana           -      Kasımpaşa      5 - 0
Fenerbahçe      -      Ankaragücü     2 - 1
Istanbul        -      Başakşehir     1 - 0
Giresun         -      Sivas          -
Trabzon         -      Beşiktaş       -
Hatay           -      K.gümrük       -
G. Antep        -      Konya          -


* Standing in the league as of week ending 27
 1 - G. Saray        63
 2 - Fenerbahçe      57
 3 - Beşiktaş        55
 4 - Adana           48
 5 - Başakşehir      45
 6 - Trabzon         44
 7 - Kayseri         44
 8 - Konya           36
 9 - K.gümrük        34
10 - Alanya      32
11 - Kasımpaşa       32
12 - Sivas           31
13 - Antalya         29
14 - Ankaragücü      28
15 - G. Antep        25
16 - Giresun         24
17 - Istanbul        24
18 - Ümrani̇ye       23
19 - Hatay           23


ANNOUNCEMENTS

[Saat 14:30 and 15:30 'da iki kez okuyun]

 

*** Turkish American Association of California

is a non-profit
charitable organization established to promote better
understanding between Americans and Turks.

if you have any questions about Turks and Turkey,
e-mail them at taac@taaca.org
 

 

*** Azerbaijan Cultural Society of Northern California

Organizes many events throughout the year. Follow their activities through their web pages, or subscribe to their e-mail list by sending an email to:

secretary@acsnc.org

acsnc.org/

Location:
Azerbaijan Cultural Society of Northern California
16400 Lark Ave., Suite 260
Los Gatos, CA 95032


*** Turkish schools in the Bay Area are starting:
 

There are currently three schools:
Los Altos, San Ramon and Berkeley
For more information on these schools, drop an email to trh@turkradio.us.

HELLO THERE!

Our online school is starting in September. There are some innovations in our new term program, which we will start in September 2022.

We have prepared more enjoyable posts with your happy feedbacks from you.

 > By the principles of language learning; listening, speaking, reading, writing activities
 > Kitchen Workshop
 > Anatolian Civilizations
 > Interactive Games
 > Periodic Projects
 > Skill Workshops
 > Our Holidays
 > Bodily Activities
 > Traditional Music
 > About This Day

See you in September, love...


*** Turkish Folk Dancing with TUFOD in the South Bay

Join TUFOD as a family! For more information on the venue and hours drop us an email, we'll put you in touch with them: trh@turkradio.us

Or visit their web pages at https://www.tufod.org/


*** Heart to Heart Anatolia
 
Providing scholarships and bringing people together while promoting Anatolian cultural values

Visit their pages at h2ha.org/

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