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Reflections from our correspondents on the ground in the Turkish capital.
ISTANBUL BLOG: The Erdogan administration and Turkish “businessmen” – plot thickens as US seeks extradition of ‘SBK’
June 22, 2021
Latest ‘can of worms’ development lifts lid on big money laundering case.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey’s “sea snot” crisis forces closure of coastal fertiliser plant
June 17, 2021
As government claims it has sprung into action with a disaster management plan, scientist says: “The Sea of Marmara died in 1989. What we see is the decay of a corpse.”
ISTANBUL BLOG: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kabul airport subcontractor
June 16, 2021
Turkey’s despot, mired in chronic economic and political difficulties at home, turned up at the Nato summit to settle for a transactional relationship with America. Joe Biden gave him a job.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey entering an era of violence
May 28, 2021
Rocked by the Sedat Peker corruption broadcasts, the Erdogan administration is attempting to fight back. The chilling response has included the president endorsing a mob attack on an opposition leader as a “good lesson”.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Deathly silence from Erdogan as Turkey’s YouTuber gangster scandal snowballs
May 22, 2021
Sedat “The Botox” Peker gets into a tasty scrap with Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Warns the targets of his video revelations to “to take it on the nose as real men”.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Meet “The Botox”, the mafia boss who’s singing like a canary about the Erdogan regime on YouTube
May 14, 2021
As viewer stats cross 3mn per video, ministers unpopular for economic and pandemic failures have another problem on their hands.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Criminal probe launched into inflation eggheads
May 9, 2021
Professors’ numbers show data from official statistical institute may be rather unreliable. AKP official, meanwhile, says polls putting party at under 30% popularity do not reflect the truth.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Now you see it, now you don’t
May 6, 2021
Finance ministry again drops 10-year domestic bond auction from borrowing programme. Once more, ‘Erdoganomics’ is causing trouble for the Turkish economy.
ISTANBUL BLOG: No end to the jitters for Turkish markets
May 3, 2021
The air is thick with trepidation as to what could be around the corner. And rightly so.
ISTANBUL BLOG: As cryptocurrency skeletons fall from closets, it's scandal upon scandal in Turkey
April 25, 2021
Interpol red notice put out for 27-year-old founder of Thodex who may be in Albania after putting a lock on $2bn of investors’ money.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Confucius he say, Foolish man believe everything he read from Chinese embassy
April 22, 2021
With Turkish opposition politicians embroiled in dust-up with Beijing’s finest, it’s worth reflecting on the comedy of errors that is Western analysis of Turks growing closer to China.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Portfolio flows stabilise but don’t fall into a recovery trance
April 19, 2021
Derisory attempts at defending the lira in evidence. The fact that the country’s coronavirus crisis is about to go hardcore will not help.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Portfolio outflows decline but Turkey not out of the woods yet
April 8, 2021
Anxious times for a central bank with a net FX position of around minus $60bn.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Official inflation bumps up to 16.2%
April 5, 2021
Thigh deep in the economic quagmire, Erdogan regime at least hears that as things stand Europe can live with it, while Biden seems unlikely to opt for a ruckus.
ISTANBUL BLOG: A lull in Turkey’s slow motion car crash
March 25, 2021
Turks starting to pay the bill for 18 years of horrendous economic mismanagement.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Bourse keeps foot on throat of short sellers on third day of Turkey tumult
March 24, 2021
Lira briefly moves past 8.00 after currency is provided to London offshore. Erdogan appeals to Turks to sell their gold.
