Corruption investigation: Questions that will hound PM Erdoğan

Everyone is wondering now what is behind the corruption investigation, and the first “suspect” to come to many minds is the Islamist Gülen movement. Tensions between this group and the AKP have been rising over the years, and boiled over recently due to the prep-school issue – a matter that has received wide media coverage.

The Gülen movement denies this but the vitriol flying between daily Zaman, which is close to Gülen, and Yeni Şafak, which is staunchly pro-AKP, is enough to give one a sense of the bitter struggle involved.

The Erdoğan-Gülen encounter and democracy

It is not normal that the non-political Gülen movement would occupy such a central space in election campaigning; this is why the situation calls for some special scrutiny.

Turkey’s business world weary of gov’t pressure, says Kalkavan

The businessman Kalkavan said that the government’s way of dealing with the corruption allegations has been “incomprehensible,” and that he had difficulty explaining to his foreign associates about recent purges of hundreds of police officers and dozens of investigators.

‘Mission impossible’ for Turkey’s ambassadors

Erdogan has placed an extremely heavy burden on Turkey’s ambassadors. The same ambassadors for many years have been under instructions to promote the schools and activities of the Gulen movement as Turkey’s “biggest and most effective lobbying operation” and to support them.

Eid joy fills Kimse Yok Mu’s Ikbaliye town

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation carries on with its efforts in Pakistan, which welcome the Eid al-Adha two days late. Love and joy prevail in the Ikbaliye town, built by KYM following the most devastating flood of the century in 2010.

Turkish court rejects appeal to arrest Dumanlı

A court has rejected an appeal made by a prosecutor requesting the arrest of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, stating that there was no new evidence that was sufficient to put Dumanlı behind bars.