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x0x Turkish News for the week ending 19 April 2025
[This is a transcript of the news broadcast on 19 April 2025]
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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Ahmet Toprak is the editor-in-chief. Your broadcast host is Fuad.
[Uzun İnternet adreslerini radyoda okumayın, şu duyuruyu yapın:
"Look at the news section of our website for more details. www.Turkradio.us".]
NEWS
★ Murat Yetkin, a Turkish journalist and commentator, writes that the arrest and jailing of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the popular Metropolitan mayor of Istanbul, is affecting many aspects of life in Turkey:
Here are some:
Interest rates are up: While expecting a reduction in policy rates, the Turkish central bank went the other way and raised the policy rate by 350 basis points to 46% on April 17 due to the unrest in the financial markets following İmamoğlu's arrest, and inflation expectations, and pricing behavior remaining a risk factor.
Eurofighter jet purchase may not happen: a German paper says that politicians in Germany will object to selling the fighter jets to Turkey due to İmamoğlu's arrest.
Relationship with the European Union is getting worse: The Union's Turkey Representative says it will take time for relations to recover after İmamoğlu's arrest. It includes the promise of visa conveniences for Turks traveling to the European Union.
Here are some:
Interest rates are up: While expecting a reduction in policy rates, the Turkish central bank went the other way and raised the policy rate by 350 basis points to 46% on April 17 due to the unrest in the financial markets following İmamoğlu's arrest, and inflation expectations, and pricing behavior remaining a risk factor.
Eurofighter jet purchase may not happen: a German paper says that politicians in Germany will object to selling the fighter jets to Turkey due to İmamoğlu's arrest.
Relationship with the European Union is getting worse: The Union's Turkey Representative says it will take time for relations to recover after İmamoğlu's arrest. It includes the promise of visa conveniences for Turks traveling to the European Union.
★ A Turkish court rejected objection to Ekrem İmamoğlu's arrest this week.
However, the protests continued throughout the week but with less intensity than the previous weeks.
On April 19, a Republican People's Party protest saw around one hundred tractors blocking roads in Yozgat province in central Turkey.
Wearing a "kasket," the Turkish name for an Irish cap, Özgür Özel, the party leader, drove a tractor followed by several thousand people with flags in the conservative province.
Republican People's is the main opposition party in Turkey, and Mayor İmamoğlu is a member.
Read more >> here <<
However, the protests continued throughout the week but with less intensity than the previous weeks.
On April 19, a Republican People's Party protest saw around one hundred tractors blocking roads in Yozgat province in central Turkey.
Wearing a "kasket," the Turkish name for an Irish cap, Özgür Özel, the party leader, drove a tractor followed by several thousand people with flags in the conservative province.
Republican People's is the main opposition party in Turkey, and Mayor İmamoğlu is a member.
Read more >> here <<
★ Stephen Gislam of Deutsche Welle, the German government's broadcast service, reports that nearly 200 people have appeared in court arrested for attending banned demonstrations in support of jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The prosecutors accuse the defendants, mostly students and some journalists, of disobeying police orders to disperse.
Read more >> here <<
The prosecutors accuse the defendants, mostly students and some journalists, of disobeying police orders to disperse.
Read more >> here <<
★ Devlet Bahçeli, the far-right Nationalist Action Party leader and a coalition partner of President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party, wrote in a statement that the İmamoğlu trial should proceed quickly.
According to Bianet, he added that the investigation should include "witness statements, clear and genuine evidence, and all other relevant documents and findings." "If the suspect, Ekrem İmamoğlu, is innocent, he must be acquitted. If not, he must be penalized aligning with the public conscience, absolutely and as quickly as possible."
Murat Yetkin, a journalist and commentator, saw this as a split between the Nationalist Action and the Justice and Development parties.
Yetkin added that unlike the assertions by President Erdoğan and his party members that İmamoğlu is guilty, Bahçeli left the door open that he may be innocent.
According to Bianet, he added that the investigation should include "witness statements, clear and genuine evidence, and all other relevant documents and findings." "If the suspect, Ekrem İmamoğlu, is innocent, he must be acquitted. If not, he must be penalized aligning with the public conscience, absolutely and as quickly as possible."
Murat Yetkin, a journalist and commentator, saw this as a split between the Nationalist Action and the Justice and Development parties.
Yetkin added that unlike the assertions by President Erdoğan and his party members that İmamoğlu is guilty, Bahçeli left the door open that he may be innocent.
★ In a hearing, a Turkish court in Istanbul acquitted Dr. Bülent Şık, food engineer and researcher, annulling his 2019 conviction for disclosing data from the Ministry of Health without permission.
Here is what happened:
In the early 2010s, Dr. Bülent Şık, a food engineer from the Akdeniz University's Center for Food Safety and Agricultural Research, participated in a public health study by Turkey's Health Ministry.
The study looked into the relationship between cancer and environmental pollution. The results indicated a strong correlation.
In 2015, he reported his findings to the government.
When he did not see the government take action, he published his findings in the opposition paper Cumhuriyet.
Claiming that the paper violated the confidentiality clauses, the government sued Dr. Şık and sentenced him to fifteen months in prison.
Here is what happened:
In the early 2010s, Dr. Bülent Şık, a food engineer from the Akdeniz University's Center for Food Safety and Agricultural Research, participated in a public health study by Turkey's Health Ministry.
The study looked into the relationship between cancer and environmental pollution. The results indicated a strong correlation.
In 2015, he reported his findings to the government.
When he did not see the government take action, he published his findings in the opposition paper Cumhuriyet.
Claiming that the paper violated the confidentiality clauses, the government sued Dr. Şık and sentenced him to fifteen months in prison.
★ According to the news outlet Bianet, in two villages in the Samandağ district of Hatay province in southern Turkey, construction machinery entered agricultural lands to be expropriated for the 2023 earthquake housing projects.
The machinery uprooted olive and citrus trees.
The villagers' lawyer said there was still an ongoing lawsuit to stop the expropriation.
The 2023 earthquakes shook several provinces of Turkey, killing 50,000 people, according to official statistics. However, experts put the death toll at around 200,000, one expert even saying 500,000.
★According to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute, children make up nearly 26% of Turkey's population.
Children between 15 and 17 who work increased to nearly 24.9 percent from 22.1 percent in 2023.
The statistics also show that there is a decline in early childhood education, and infant mortality is on the rise.
The machinery uprooted olive and citrus trees.
The villagers' lawyer said there was still an ongoing lawsuit to stop the expropriation.
The 2023 earthquakes shook several provinces of Turkey, killing 50,000 people, according to official statistics. However, experts put the death toll at around 200,000, one expert even saying 500,000.
★According to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute, children make up nearly 26% of Turkey's population.
Children between 15 and 17 who work increased to nearly 24.9 percent from 22.1 percent in 2023.
The statistics also show that there is a decline in early childhood education, and infant mortality is on the rise.
★ According to the Turkish service of Deutsche Welle, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan approved the appointment of 25,000 new teachers to Turkish schools.
However, finding the numbers inadequate, Eğitim-İş, the teachers' union, said there were over five hundred thousand openings at schools and hundreds of thousands of recent graduates of teachers colleges waiting to be appointed.
However, finding the numbers inadequate, Eğitim-İş, the teachers' union, said there were over five hundred thousand openings at schools and hundreds of thousands of recent graduates of teachers colleges waiting to be appointed.
ARTS AND CULTURE
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation fired actress Aybüke Pusat.
Read more and see a larger photograph of Aybüke >> here <<
★ Deutsche Welle, Germany's official broadcast service for the world, reports that many Turkish actors are under pressure from the government, and some have already lost their jobs for supporting a call for a boycott that followed the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Metropolitan mayor of Istanbul and an Erdoğan challenger.
The campaign of boycotts by the opposition targets companies and media close to the government and even cafe chains with links to the president's circle.
Turkey's actors union supports the actors that the government-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation terminated.
The campaign of boycotts by the opposition targets companies and media close to the government and even cafe chains with links to the president's circle.
Turkey's actors union supports the actors that the government-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation terminated.
★ According to the official website of Berlin, the east wing of Hamburger Bahnhof in Germany has a major retrospective on the Turkish painter and opera singer Semiha Berksoy (1910 - 2004).
Semiha Berksoy was the first female Turkish singer to make a career in opera.
The website adds:
"Berksoy studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin in the 1930s and inspired the Berlin public.
"The exhibition spans more than six decades of her artistic work with a focus on her painting and traces Berksoy's ongoing connection to Berlin.
"It presents central themes in Berksoy's work: the bond with her mother, the painter Fatma Saime, the connections to Turkish artists such as the poet Nazim Hikmet, iconic opera roles, and places and events that shaped her career.
"With more than 80 paintings and works on paper as well as numerous archive documents, film clips, and sound recordings, the exhibition shows Berksoy's significant influence on the cultural landscape in Turkey and beyond."
The exhibition will be through May 11.
Semiha Berksoy was the first female Turkish singer to make a career in opera.
The website adds:
"Berksoy studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin in the 1930s and inspired the Berlin public.
"The exhibition spans more than six decades of her artistic work with a focus on her painting and traces Berksoy's ongoing connection to Berlin.
"It presents central themes in Berksoy's work: the bond with her mother, the painter Fatma Saime, the connections to Turkish artists such as the poet Nazim Hikmet, iconic opera roles, and places and events that shaped her career.
"With more than 80 paintings and works on paper as well as numerous archive documents, film clips, and sound recordings, the exhibition shows Berksoy's significant influence on the cultural landscape in Turkey and beyond."
The exhibition will be through May 11.
★ For the first time, chocolate lovers meet in Istanbul with the theme of "Creative flavors."
Salon Du Chocolat [salon dö şokola] Istanbul will bring together local and foreign chocolate masters, cocoa producers, bakery and confectionery companies, coffee and beverage brands, food bloggers, and industry leaders.
World-renowned chocolate and pastry chefs, including Antonio Bachour, Janice Wong, Joanna Artieda, and Gianluca Fusto, will be at the event.
The event will also be a bridge for international collaborations and networking opportunities.
Turkey's leading pastry brands and artisan bakery representatives will also exhibit their innovative products at their stands.
The event at the Istanbul Convention Center started Saturday and will end Sunday evening.
Salon Du Chocolat [salon dö şokola] Istanbul will bring together local and foreign chocolate masters, cocoa producers, bakery and confectionery companies, coffee and beverage brands, food bloggers, and industry leaders.
World-renowned chocolate and pastry chefs, including Antonio Bachour, Janice Wong, Joanna Artieda, and Gianluca Fusto, will be at the event.
The event will also be a bridge for international collaborations and networking opportunities.
Turkey's leading pastry brands and artisan bakery representatives will also exhibit their innovative products at their stands.
The event at the Istanbul Convention Center started Saturday and will end Sunday evening.
★ ENKA Art bids farewell to spring with two special concerts at Istanbul's Enka Auditorium.
Borusan Quartet's "Reflections" concert will take the stage on May 6.
The concert promises to be a night that makes you feel the timeless and innovative aspects of classical music.
The other program will feature Zuhal Olcay, one of the extraordinary voices of Turkish music who has given life to timeless songs with albums she has signed. She will perform a selection of her unforgettable songs.
The concert will mark the last concert of the spring on Thursday, May 8.
ENKA, a major international construction company based in Turkey, supports the ENKA Art.
Borusan Quartet's "Reflections" concert will take the stage on May 6.
The concert promises to be a night that makes you feel the timeless and innovative aspects of classical music.
The other program will feature Zuhal Olcay, one of the extraordinary voices of Turkish music who has given life to timeless songs with albums she has signed. She will perform a selection of her unforgettable songs.
The concert will mark the last concert of the spring on Thursday, May 8.
ENKA, a major international construction company based in Turkey, supports the ENKA Art.
★ Broadway's longest-running musical, "Chicago," met art lovers at Istanbul's Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage.
The production delivers a captivating musical experience, weaving a tale of crime, passion, and the relentless pursuit of fame set against the dazzling backdrop of the 1920s.
The musical won six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy and came to Istanbul as part of its European tour.
The musical started on April 15 and will continue until April 20 with eight performances.
The production delivers a captivating musical experience, weaving a tale of crime, passion, and the relentless pursuit of fame set against the dazzling backdrop of the 1920s.
The musical won six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy and came to Istanbul as part of its European tour.
The musical started on April 15 and will continue until April 20 with eight performances.
★ Istanbul's Sevil Dolmacı Gallery opened its doors to visitors on April 18 with an innovative exhibition within the scope of Art Dubai Digital.
The exhibition is "Media Arts Beyond Analog and Digital." It includes works on artificial intelligence and data visualization.
The preview was at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre on April 16-17.
Working on a timeline from the 1980s to the present, the curatorship brings together pioneers of media art and young artists to tell the story of the forms, symbols, and objects transforming over time through visual dialogue. The exhibition conveys the conceptual and aesthetic evolution of digital art.
The Media Arts Beyond Analog and Digital exhibition will end on April 20.
The exhibition is "Media Arts Beyond Analog and Digital." It includes works on artificial intelligence and data visualization.
The preview was at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre on April 16-17.
Working on a timeline from the 1980s to the present, the curatorship brings together pioneers of media art and young artists to tell the story of the forms, symbols, and objects transforming over time through visual dialogue. The exhibition conveys the conceptual and aesthetic evolution of digital art.
The Media Arts Beyond Analog and Digital exhibition will end on April 20.
★ The stories of Sait Faik Abasıyanık, an unforgettable name in Turkish literature, were on the theater stage.
Written and performed by actor and children's book writer Özgür Özgülgün and directed by Senan Kara, the theater play titled "Sait Faik, the Man with a Life of Stories" was on the stage at the Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center on April 15-16-17.
The play combined Sait Faik's stories on the island people, nature, and Istanbul with the magic of theater.
Written and performed by actor and children's book writer Özgür Özgülgün and directed by Senan Kara, the theater play titled "Sait Faik, the Man with a Life of Stories" was on the stage at the Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center on April 15-16-17.
The play combined Sait Faik's stories on the island people, nature, and Istanbul with the magic of theater.
★ According to ArtdogIstanbul, the 44th Istanbul Film Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts has started.
The festival celebrates filmmakers whose narratives and artistry are transforming today's cinema. It also includes talks, special screenings, and events with the participation of guest directors and actors.
The festival brings 139 feature films and 15 short films to the audience. The festival program includes the finest examples of world cinema, iconic works, films by master directors, and the latest films from emerging talents with world, Balkan, and Turkish premieres.
In addition to film screenings, the festival offers an events program for twelve days with the participation of filmmakers, actors, and professionals.
The Istanbul Film Festival will end on April 22.
The festival celebrates filmmakers whose narratives and artistry are transforming today's cinema. It also includes talks, special screenings, and events with the participation of guest directors and actors.
The festival brings 139 feature films and 15 short films to the audience. The festival program includes the finest examples of world cinema, iconic works, films by master directors, and the latest films from emerging talents with world, Balkan, and Turkish premieres.
In addition to film screenings, the festival offers an events program for twelve days with the participation of filmmakers, actors, and professionals.
The Istanbul Film Festival will end on April 22.
★ Here are some exhibitions in April:
- "Moon, Sun, and Moon" at Müze Gazhane: A solo exhibition by artist Cem Güventürk, which centered on the questions "What is art?" and "Who am I?", presented a stance against scientific and mechanical approaches aimed at understanding humans. It ended on April 13.
- Burhan Kum's Tribute to Mehmet Güleryüz. The exhibition features Kum's drawings, oil paintings, a video installation, and sculptural works in metal, wood, and glass. It will end on May 10.
- Bilecik Municipality Atatürk Park Art Gallery's New Exhibition. It brought together eight young artists who live and produce in Eskişehir. The artists in the exhibition revisited the concept of breakage through their own stories, observations, and materials. While interpreting societal fractures, individual dissolutions, and the cracks in nature's cycles, each work reflects an inner search that reveals the inevitability and transformative power of fragility. It was between March 14 and April 15.
- Rainbowland at Galeri Nev, Ankara. Galeri Nev presents Rainbowland, an exhibition by Turkish-born artist Betty Danon. Danon's works often combine typewriter writings with art and challenge and reestablish the relationship between writing and painting. This exhibition aims to revisit her rainbow series, which started in 1976 and celebrates its 50th year. It will be through April 26
- A Bed of One's Room by Eda Çekil at Istanbul's BüroSarıgedik. Eda Çekil's exhibition explores the personal and intimate through concepts of gender, resistance, and comfort within the confines of a bed. The artist challenges traditional definitions of the private space of a bed and its many symbolic meanings. It will be through April 29.
- Koray Ariş's The Skin We Live In at Istanbul's Arter. It showcases sculptures from different periods of his career. The exhibition invites the viewer to explore the transformation of forms and the relationship between sculpture, objects, and the body through over 300 works. It will be through August 3.
- Samih Rifat's Intellectual Legacy at Istanbul's Pera Museum. He was a key figure in Turkish art, literature, and thought. It is the first time the exhibition brings together Rifat's photographs, notebooks, handwritten notes, poetry, translations, drawings, writings, films, and music productions. It will be on until August 17.
★ Recent archaeological excavations at Girmeler Mound, near the ancient Lycian city of Tlos in southwestern Turkey, have not only unveiled significant evidence of human occupation dating back to the late 9th and 8th millennia BC but have also led to groundbreaking genetic studies that identify early Anatolian genetic markers.
These findings, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Akdeniz University, reveal that the first settlement at Girmeler dates back 14,000 years, providing crucial insights into the genetic lineage of early agricultural communities in southwestern Anatolia.
Recent findings indicate that people living in Girmeler during the 9th millennium BCE resided in round huts and experimented with agriculture for the first time. Despite being a hunter-gatherer society, they were also trying their hand at farming, marking a significant development as this is the first evidence of such practices in Western Anatolia. The findings challenge the long-held belief that migration waves from east to west led to the establishment of the first settlements around 7000 BCE.
These findings, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Akdeniz University, reveal that the first settlement at Girmeler dates back 14,000 years, providing crucial insights into the genetic lineage of early agricultural communities in southwestern Anatolia.
Recent findings indicate that people living in Girmeler during the 9th millennium BCE resided in round huts and experimented with agriculture for the first time. Despite being a hunter-gatherer society, they were also trying their hand at farming, marking a significant development as this is the first evidence of such practices in Western Anatolia. The findings challenge the long-held belief that migration waves from east to west led to the establishment of the first settlements around 7000 BCE.
EXCHANGE RATE
One U. S. dollar will get you 38.09 Turkish liras.
WEATHER
Ankara, in central Turkey : 70/45 Showers Antalya, on the Mediterranean : 72/57 Mostly Cloudy Erzurum, in Eastern Turkey : 63/37 Thunderstorms Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey : 63/48 Partly Cloudy Izmir, on the Aegean : 75/55 Mostly Cloudy Trabzon, on the Black Sea : 55/50 Thunderstorms
SPORTS
Premier League
* Results for week: 29
Samsun - G. Saray 0 - 2 Bodrum - Antalya 0 - 0 Beşiktaş - Başakşehir 0 - 2 Konya - Göztepe 1 - 0 Kayseri - Kasımpaşa 1 - 0 Sivas - Fenerbahçe 1 - 3 G. Antep - Hatay 2 - 1 Trabzon - Rize 2 - 0 Eyüp - Adana 6 - 0 #N/A* In games played so far this weekend:
Hatay - Konya 2 - 3 G. Saray - Bodrum 2 - 0 Adana - Trabzon 0 - 1 Kasımpaşa - Sivas 3 - 1 Göztepe - Beşiktaş 1 - 1 Fenerbahçe - Kayseri - Başakşehir - G. Antep - Rize - Eyüp - Alanya - Samsun - #N/A* Standing in the league as of week ending 29
1 - G. Saray 74 2 - Fenerbahçe 71 3 - Samsun 51 4 - Eyüp 50 5 - Beşiktaş 48 6 - Başakşehir 45 7 - G. Antep 42 8 - Antalya 40 9 - Trabzon 39 10 - Göztepe 39 11 - Kasımpaşa 39 12 - Konya 37 13 - Kayseri 36 14 - Bodrum 34 15 - Rize 34 16 - Sivas 31 17 - Alanya 31 18 - Hatay 19 19 - Adana -2
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:
secretary@acsnc.org
acsnc.org/
Location:
Azerbaijan Cultural Society of Northern California
16400 Lark Ave., Suite 260
Los Gatos, CA 95032
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
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
*** 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/
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/
Visit their pages at h2ha.org/
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