cafebabel.com

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, three-time Turkish prime minister in 2011

('Jeroen Jochems',) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:00:00 -0000

A faltering EU bid, separatist threats from the Kurdish minority and rumours of a presidential strategy. Ahmet Insel, a political scientist, liberal economist, editor of Orhan Pamuk and professor at Paris and Istanbul, spoke to cafebabel.com before the 12 June elections in Turkey

Being a Beşiktaş football supporter in Istanbul

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:00:00 -0000

There are three big football teams in Istanbul: the aristocratic Galatasaray, the Asian Fenerbahçe and the self-proclaimed ‘people’s team (‘halk takim’), Beşiktaş. The fans of the latter are known to be politically active. The Beşiktaşli, as they are called, stand up for social progress and football integrity

Meeting 4 of 500, 000 'Almanci' German Turks who returned 'home' over last 30 years

('hkeet',) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0000

After growing up in Germany these men have chosen to turn their backs on their native country to return to their homeland, Turkey. In Istanbul the 'Almanci' as they are called - with slightly negative connotations - are Hasan, Cengiz, Hazar and Cigdem. They tell us the story of their return to the banks of the Istanbul Strait

An Albanian in Istanbul on children’s day

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:00:00 -0000

Whilst hundreds of Turkish students protest against internet censorship, fight for more resources for public universities and sign petitions for history books telling the truth about the Ottoman empire that the country was once part of, an annual children’s festival takes place. Created by the modern secular nation’s founder Ataturk in 1920 to celebrate the first national assembly of Ankara, games and dance celebarte the ‘father of the country’

Istanbul 'sex bus': student beaten for defending couple speaks

('Aleksandra Sygiel',) — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:49:00 -0000

On 17 April a young Turkish couple were asked to leave a city bus because the driver considered their kissing and hand-holding as too obscene. Events worsened: whilst arguing with the driver at the stop in Taksim Square stop in the couple's defence, fellow passenger and politics student Gökçe Koç, 28, was assaulted by a stranger getting on the bus. We meet via facebook where Koç started a protest group, Seks Otobüsü (‘Sex Bus Number…’): 34 TN 1992 25T

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I: ‘Young people in Europe feel unsafe’

('Ozcan Tikit',) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:57:11 -0000

He speaks seven languages, he’s down with the green cause and he’s the leader of the global orthodox movement which in Europe exists in the east, north and the Mediterranean, but he resides in Istanbul. Interview with the spiritual leader of 300 million worldwide. cafebabel.com in Athens and Istanbul meet the man

Getting to grips with Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul and Europe

('victor escandell',) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:30:09 -0000

The history of Anatolia is as old as the earth itself. The last ones to arrive (from Central Asia) were the Turks, who are heading slowly towards membership of the EU. However, didn’t its territory belong to the other ancient and almost forgotten European Union? We revise a strong heritage from books and the streets of Istanbul

Modern myths: politically divided university canteens in Istanbul

('Daiva Repe\xc4\x8dkait\xc4\x97',) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:00:00 -0000

September 2010. Students are purported to be so politicised that even their school canteen is split into liberal and conservative factions. Two journalists from Lithuania and France investigate an erasmus myth which seems to have disappeared thanks to a new 'apolitical' generation

German erasmus student on life in Istanbul

('Anneka',) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Who speaks English? Why don't men look me in the eye? Why do people still wear headscarves? A score of questions hit the European newcomer studying in the Turkish city

Lech Garlicki on judging Europe’s religious fabric

('James Friscia',) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:15:37 -0000

The Polish jurist, who has been a judge at the European court of human rights since 2002, on religious symbols in schools, the burka, security and the status of women

European bloggers describe their Berlin walls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:11 -0000

Monday is 9 November, the day when the Berlin wall was brought down. To reflect on this iconic modern historical event for the eurogeneration, citizen journalists from five cafebabel.com local teams - Sofia, Budapest, Turin, Strasbourg and Istanbul - simultaneously blogged one day about the walls they see in their cities

Music duo Kim Ki O: ‘the danger of being Turkish’ for Europe

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:45:00 -0000

The Swedish pop elite love them, but EU bureaucracy is preventing Ekin Sanac and Berna Göl from breaking Europe. In Istanbul, music is an unstable bridge between east and west. Part two of a special feature

Selçuk Altun: 'Being in a crisis or recovering from one is part of normal life in Turkey'

('Nicholas Newman',) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Planning to visit Istanbul when the city will be Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2010? The Turkish writer, columnist and Chelsea supporter’s latest book ‘Many and Many a Year Ago’ is published in English this month, and is an enjoyable way to prepare for a visit

Istanbul's Yeditepe, Halic universities: erasmus stick together on campus

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Students on an erasmus university exchange in Istanbul can either get involved in the city's pulsing and extremely political life or abandon themselves to binge drinking with other erasmus students on the isolated campus. Part two of an erasmus experience retold

Mika Waltari: from Helsinki to Istanbul

('Media Consulta',) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:13:44 -0000

2008: the EU’s year for intercultural dialogue and the centenary of Finnish writer Mika Waltari’s birth, who travelled Helsinki to Istanbul by train in 1929. For the integration train, Turkey may be only a stop along the way, but a necessary one. Imaginary journey via Berlin

Babelblogs: Macedonia, cloning and praying in Berlin

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Europe is often seen as boring and bureaucratic - not the case with cafebabel.com’s community blogs. European debate is in full swing, bloggers are up in arms and words are flying

Turkish love story on Danish shores

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

With 3.8 million Turkish immigrants in the EU, we head to Denmark with the seventh largest Turkish population in Europe. Aydin Ozturk, 50, settled in Odense with a Danish partner and found his place in society

Turkey-Germany: springboard into jobs abroad

('Sarah Turpin',) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

More and more young jobseekers are attracted to careers abroad due of either a lack of jobs in their own country or a desire to widen their personal horizons

Turkey through German eyes

('Katja Heise',) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The first world forum for the Alliance of Civilizations, launched also by the moderate islamist Turkish PN Erdogan, promotes mutual understanding between different cultures

God bless our babelblogs

('Natalia Sosin',) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

From Prishtina to Kiev with our new reporters project, via Istanbul and the US along the comic soundtrack of Europe - by Groucho Marx and Tim Burton

Hrant Dink: Turkey remembers

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The murder of Hrant Dink, Turkish journalist of Armenian descent and advocate of EU membership, has stirred emotions in Turkey

‘Santral Istanbul’, factory art

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 05:21:00 -0000

In the run-up to becoming European cultural capital in 2010, Istanbul reveals its artistic talents