Turkey
Erdogan boasts of abduction of Turkish-born Kyrgyz educator Orhon Inandi
Turkish president says 100 individuals with links to the Gulen movement have been abducted and brought to Turkey.
Turkish lira coins worth less than scrap value
Copper and zinc prices mean one kurus gives the holder a 1,539% arbitrage opportunity.
Foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey down 14% y/y in Jan to May
Global cost of COVID19 impact on tourism may reach $4trn in 2021, with Turkish economy hit worst, says Unctad report.
ISTANBUL BLOG: The political killing of Deniz Poyraz, a very Turkish tragedy
MP warns brutal murder should not be seen as a hate crime, but as part of a government crackdown.
PMI shows Turkish manufacturing back in growth territory after easing of COVID-19 restrictions
“There were some suggestions growth could have been even stronger were it not for the ongoing difficulties in sourcing raw materials,” says IHS Markit economics director.
bneGREEN: Hydro’s elderly turbines need fresh investment to contribute to net zero
Hydro needs new investment to replace elderly infrastructure and accelerate the road to net zero, the IEA says.
Dream Games completes hat trick of Turkish technology unicorns
Following successes of Peak Games and Getir, Istanbul startup crosses the $1bn threshold with Series B funding round.
HOMANS: Ukraine takes control of unleashed drones
Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has been largely limited in its capability to defend itself, partly through poor decisions made by Ukraine and partly due to limits placed on Ukraine by its Western partners. Turkish drones have changed that.
S&P: EMEA faster growth, but higher inflation
Emerging market economies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are recovering faster than previously expected from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but that has come with higher inflation.
ISTANBUL BLOG: Cocaine lords and the "Turkey Connection"
Fugitive mafioso Sedat Peker has lifted the lid on major drug trafficking. There are peculiar goings-on, with officials shifting uncomfortably in the spotlight.
Money laundering disquiet as Turkey's sixth wealth amnesty law expires
Erdogan administration even made it possible for assets to be carried into country in a suitcase, with no inquiries posed as to origins.
Under half of emerging Europe economies to achieve full recovery in 2021
EBRD says recovery from the coronacrisis is progressing faster than expected, but many emerging Europe economies won’t return to 2019 levels of GDP until 2022.
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Erdogan launches Kanal Istanbul construction despite chorus of environmental protest
Mega infrastructure has estimated cost of $65bn but critics say it's not needed. Observers see it as revenue spinner for backers of ruling party.
bneGREEN: the climbing cost of carbon
The cost of joining the global movement towards net zero is not yet fully known, and both governments and corporations with the highest levels of both greenhouse gas emissions and energy intensity face the highest costs for carbon.
Turkey’s Antalya Airport operator TAV-Fraport forecloses on Onur Air’s eight aircraft
Court of bailiffs orders low-cost carrier to cease flying. Though planes are worth €145mn, the foreclosure is for just €26,000, sources complain to newspaper.
Saudi murderers of Jamal Khashoggi ‘received paramilitary training in US’
Contract with Arkansas group was reportedly approved by State Department.
bneGREEN: Most green energy beats coal on price in 2020
162 GW, or 62%, of new renewable capacity was cheaper than new fossil fuel-fired generation in 2020
RIMMER: Sea snot as metaphor
Sea snot is the perfect metaphor for the Erdogan regime. That was my first thought when I saw the visually arresting images of the Sea of Marmara enveloped in a suffocating gunk.
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Columnist makes case that Turkey has become caricature state
“The spiral of mismanagement has been running at full speed, at times astonishing even Erdogan loyalists,” writes Burak Bekdil.
Romania in line with the Baltic states as fastest converging EU members
Romania’s GDP per capita increased to 72% of the European Union’s average last year, after rising by 20 percentage points over the past decade.
