Human Rights Watch Warns of 'Authoritarian Drift' in Turkey

[CountDeMoney]

Maybe they have to teach to the test as well.

[11B4V]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/23/middleeast/turkey-to-stop-teaching-evolution/index.html

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Turkish high school students will no longer be taught the theory of evolution.

The subject has been cut from the curriculum under changes made to eliminate "controversial" topics, the head of the national board of education, Alpaslan Durmus, announced in a video address.
"If our students don't have the background, the scientific knowledge, or information to comprehend the debate around controversial issues, we have left them out," Durmus said.
The new curriculum will go into effect for the 2017- 2018 school year.
It was crafted to emphasize national values and highlight contributions made by Turkish and Muslim scholars, Durmus said.
History classes will look beyond "Eurocentrism" and music classes will focus on "all colors of Turkish music," he said.

[The Minsky Moment]

Next they'll stop teaching evolution.

[Eddie Teach]

Next they'll stop teaching evolution.

Where would you get a crazy idea like that?

[grumbler]

You guys hear about this?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/23/middleeast/turkey-to-stop-teaching-evolution/index.html

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Turkish high school students will no longer be taught the theory of evolution.

The subject has been cut from the curriculum under changes made to eliminate "controversial" topics, the head of the national board of education, Alpaslan Durmus, announced in a video address.
"If our students don't have the background, the scientific knowledge, or information to comprehend the debate around controversial issues, we have left them out," Durmus said.
The new curriculum will go into effect for the 2017- 2018 school year.
It was crafted to emphasize national values and highlight contributions made by Turkish and Muslim scholars, Durmus said.
History classes will look beyond "Eurocentrism" and music classes will focus on "all colors of Turkish music," he said.

[citizen k]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/istanbul-pride-march-despite-governors-ban-105425411.html

[CountDeMoney]

Someone wouldn't wear the ribbon.

Love the drag queen hauling ass in the background.

[Eddie Teach]

Someone wouldn't wear the ribbon

Note to garbon- Seinfeld reference

[The Larch]

Berlin to change policy towards Turkey as German citizen is held

Foreign ministry also issues travel warning after Turkish authorities detain human rights activist for alleged terrorist activity


Germany's foreign minister has announced a significant "reorientation" of its policy towards Turkey after a human rights activist became the latest German citizen to be detained for alleged terrorist activity.

"We need our policies towards Turkey to go in a new direction ... we can't continue as we have done until now," Sigmar Gabriel told reporters at a press conference in Berlin on Thursday. "We need to be clearer than we have been until now so those responsible in Ankara understand that such policies are not without consequences."

Berlin has issued new travel warnings of risks in Turkey for German tourists, and Gabriel said his government could no longer guarantee German corporate investment in Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government accused several companies including Daimler and BASF of ties to the movement of his political enemy Fethullah Gülen.

Gabriel also said he could not envisage talks on expanding the customs union to Turkey and would talk to other EU leaders about reviewing pre-accession funds being offered to Turkey.

The announcement marks a further deterioration of increasingly strained relations between the two countries.

Six people, including German human rights consultant Peter Steudtner and Amnesty International's country director, Idil Eser, are awaiting trial in Turkey for allegedly aiding a terror group.

The Turkey correspondent of the German broadsheet Die Welt, Deniz Yücel, has been detained on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation since February. Pre-trial detention in Turkey can last for up to five years.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, views the series of measures announced by Gabriel as "necessary and unavoidable", her spokesman said in a tweet.

Reacting to the measures, Erdoğan's spokesman said the two countries had "good relations".

"It is not possible for us to accept statements aiming to blur the economic environment based on political motivation, we hope they turn back from this," Ibrahim Kalin told a news conference in Ankara.

Some leading political figures in Germany accuse Erdoğan of gathering "political hostages" in an attempt to force Germany to hand over two high-ranking Turkish generals involved in last year's failed coup who have applied for asylum in Frankfurt.

"Deniz Yücel and Peter Steudtner are being traded as political hostages," said German Green party co-chair Cem Özdemir. "The government must no longer be ordered around." A spokesperson at the German foreign office on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a swap deal.

The foreign office's travel warning states that Turkey had breached its international commitments by denying consular access to German citizens on pre-trial arrest. Even people travelling to Turkey for short trips are therefore advised to register themselves with the consulate or embassy ahead of their trip.

Turkey has described Germany's demand for the release of human rights activist Steudtner as unacceptable and an attempt to interfere with the Turkish judiciary.

In a statement published on Thursday, Turkey's foreign ministry said it has kept Germany's chargé d'affaires in Ankara informed of Steudtner's case, adding, "the independent Turkish judiciary must be trusted".

The ministry said statements by the spokesmen for the German chancellor and foreign ministry constituted "diplomatic rudeness" and said the judiciary cannot be instructed or counselled by anyone.

The foreign ministry accused Germany of a "double standard", saying it harbours members of terror groups and prevents their trial.

[Duque de Bragança]

With allies like these...

http://www.france24.com/en/20170720-turkey-usa-military-leaks-french-troops-syria

Turkey leaks secret locations of US, French troops in Syria



© Delil Souleiman, AFP | US troops on patrol near the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa on June 3, 2017.
Text by Leela JACINTO 
Latest update : 2017-07-20
Turkey's state news agency on Tuesday published the locations of secret US military bases in Syria as well as details on the numbers of US and French troops stationed there, sparking the ire of fellow NATO member states.

In the latest display of tensions between Turkey and other NATO member nations, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency earlier this week published a detailed report of the secret locations of US military bases, operational posts and military posts inside Syria. The 620-word news report also included the numbers of US soldiers and French special forces stationed at these locations.

The unprecedented leaking of sensitive battlefield information by the state-run news agency obviously had official Turkish backing, according to Jasper Mortimer, FRANCE 24's Turkey correspondent.

"It certainly was intentional. Anadolu agency is the hand-servant of the [Turkish] government. It would not have published this report without the green light from the top of government," explained Mortimer, reporting from Ankara, adding that the revelation of troop numbers was particularly serious. "War correspondents do not give the number of troops in the unit to which they are attached. That is seen as giving information to the enemy. But here, Anadolu agency appears to have done exactly that."

'Advertising' battlefield secrets

The report, "US increases military posts supporting PKK/PYD in Syria," lists US positions in Kurdish administered area of northern Syria and is the latest display of Ankara's ire over Washington's support for the PYD (Democratic Union Party), which Turkey views as the Syrian affiliate of the proscribed Turkish PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

The PYD is the political umbrella of the YPG (People's Protection Units) which part of the US-led military operations against the Islamic State (IS) group in the region.

"Turkey sees the YPG as an affiliate of the PKK and Turkey has long called on Washington to withdraw support for them. But there's a difference between calling on America to withdraw support and actually advertising the details of that support," said Mortimer.

The US denies working with Kurdish separatists and maintains the YPG is part of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), which includes a large component of Arab troops.

French special forces on the ground

The leaked details of US positions inside Syria include three US military posts in the northern Syrian province of Raqqa, home to the IS group's de facto capital.

The report mentions the presence of US and French special forces stationed in a military post located on a hill south of Kurdish-administered town of Kobani. At a military base in Ayn Issah, a town in northern Raqqa, troops included "200 US soldiers and 75 French special forces units," the report added.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFGtGqwXsAAwZjK.jpg:large


Operational capacities of the locations, including bases that are large enough for military helicopters and cargo planes are also detailed, as well as weapons arsenal that include artillery batteries, rocket launchers and armored vehicles.

Lives at risk, says Pentagon

The report sparked strong condemnations from the US Defense and State Departments on Wednesday, with the Pentagon warning that the leaks could put lives at risk.

"The release of sensitive military information exposes coalition forces to unnecessary risk and has the potential to disrupt ongoing operations to defeat ISIS," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told reporters on Wednesday, using another acronym for the IS group.

French officials have not yet responded to the Turkish news report. When contacted by FRANCE 24, a French foreign ministry press officer said an official statement was not expected on Thursday.

The latest Anadolu report marks another step in the deterioration of US-Turkey relations, with Ankara accusing Washington of failing to expedite the extradition of Pennsylvania-based Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Ankara blames Gulen for masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, a charge Gulen denies.

Tensions have also been simmering between Turkish military and NATO officials based in Brussels. Turkey is NATO's only Muslim-majority member with the alliance's second-largest standing army. In December 2016, NATO's top commander, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti warned of a "degradation" of the alliance's command operations following Turkey's dismissal of "talented, capable" senior Turkish military officials in massive purges after the July 2016 coup attempt.

[Tamas]

What's the process for kicking somebody out of NATO?

[The Minsky Moment]

You never want to go full Pakistan . . .

[frunk]

Yep, Middle East is still the front runner for starting WW 3.

[Zanza]

In addition to what The Larch posted above, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence agency announced publicly that Turkey is no longer seen as just a NATO partner with whom we cooperate, but due to Turkish intelligence operations in Germany is also seen as an enemy.

[Monoriu]

In addition to what The Larch posted above, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence agency announced publicly that Turkey is no longer seen as just a NATO partner with whom we cooperate, but due to Turkish intelligence operations in Germany is also seen as an enemy.

I remember Merkel complaining that the US tapped her phone.  Is the US the enemy now?