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☆ 'Turkey has long been hell for journalists': Reporters slam country's new 'fake news' law
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey currently ranks 149 out of 180 countries in the world press freedom index, with 90% of national media under government control, according to international non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders. Seven years ago, Sevgi Akarcesme reported on a series of police raids on Turkey's media industry, which left a trail of newsrooms being shut down one by one — until the time for her own outlet came. Turkey's Parliament last week ratified a law introducing jail terms for journalists and social media users who spread "fake news," or disinformation. The law, proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, comes eight months before the country's general election. "With this new law … the goal is to control social media because conventional media is already under Erdogan's control," said Akarcesme.

Under the law, which took effect this week, companies must share with authorities users' information if they post content constituting crimes, including misleading information. Social media companies are required to appoint Turkish representatives. The law has mainly been criticised for imposing jailtime on social media users and journalists spreading "disinformation", but it also builds on legislation imposed on social media companies in 2020, with much tougher measures. "I think (the law) is like a wish list - they put whatever they can think of in there," Akdeniz said. "There is an attempt to regulate social media platforms that could be a model law for authoritarian regimes."

☆ Turkish President Erdoğan says he'll work with Putin to turn Turkey into a natural gas hub, and it marks the next step in Putin's attempts to keep selling Russian fuel to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ankara will work with Moscow to create a natural-gas hub in Turkey, Turkish President Erdoğan said. The development comes a week after Putin offered to redirect natural-gas supplies to Europe via Turkey — a proposal that caught Turkish officials by surprise. Thus it is early to make an assessment," Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said at the time, per Reuters. "We will create a hub here with Turkish gas coming from Russia," Erdoğan said, per Anadolu, referring to gas coming from Russia as "Turkish gas." This would create a new route for the transport of natural-gas to to Europe via Turkey, thus "creating the largest gas hub for Europe in Turkey," Putin said.

☆ Erdogan says he agreed with Putin to form natural gas hub in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talks to media as he visits the coal mine after an explosion in Amasra, in the northern Bartin province, Turkey, October 15, 2022. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganANKARA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to form a natural gas hub in Turkey. Speaking to members of his AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said Putin had said Europe can obtain its gas supply from the hub in Turkey. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nevzat Devranoglu; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Daren ButlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey's main opposition party says to ask top court to halt media law
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition CHP party is applying to the Constitutional Court on Tuesday to suspend implementation of a key article of a media law approved in parliament last week, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said. Article 29 of the media law foresees jail time for people spreading "disinformation." In a speech to CHP deputies, Kilicdaroglu said the CHP would then seek annulment of the entire media law, which was proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and its nationalist allies and approved on Thursday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Ali KucukgocmenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Mikaeil Alizadeh, also known by her stage name Leo, an Iranian belly dancer living in Turkey, performs at a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey October 14, 2022. Now she believes the anti-government protests will lead to the end of Tehran's "cruelty." The protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for violating strict codes requiring women to dress modestly in public, spread rapidly. She finally moved to Turkey in 2015 after a neighbour called the police and made prostitution accusations over the dance classes. Alizadeh said she got married in Turkey and now gives private lessons and performs at cultural and private events.

☆ Turkish parliament passes media law setting jail terms for 'disinformation'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament on Thursday adopted a law proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan that would jail journalists and social media users for up to three years for spreading "disinformation", despite deep concerns over free speech. Lawmakers from Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) and its nationalist ally MHP, which together have a majority, approved the bill even as opposition lawmakers, European countries and media rights activists called for it to be scrapped. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey would write off nearly 30 bln lira of debt under draft law
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - A Turkish parliamentary commission began discussing on Thursday a draft bill that would write off nearly 30 billion lira ($1.61 billion) of debt, according to an impact report. Under the draft prepared by President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party (AKP), the government will waive nearly 27 billion lira of debt used for student housing, as well as 2.7 billion lira in fines issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report showed. Ankara will also forego some 2.2 billion lira of revenue as a result of tax reductions for some employers on aid for electricity and natural gas, according to the report prepared by the AKP for the commission. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe report also showed a government scheme that protects lira deposits against forex depreciation had led to 18.8 billion lira of tax-related costs since it was launched in December. ($1 = 18.5882 liras)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nevzat Devranoglu; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Erdogan says Turkey will keep cutting interest rates, mocks British pound
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey May 18, 2022. MANDATORY CREDITTurkey will keep cutting interest rates, its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, despite soaring inflation at over 80%. Faced with deepening economic problems, Erdogan also took the time to throw some barbs at the U.K., saying that the British pound has "blown up." The currency has lost roughly 28% of its value against the dollar this year and 80% in the last 5 years as markets shunned Erdogan's unorthodox monetary policy of cutting interest rates despite high inflation. "Turkey has 80% inflation and I guess the worst performing currency over the past decade.

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