Headlines from the centennial! – Third sequel
Two years after the second sequel to this columnâs âheadlinesâ series and having just commemorated the Republicâs 91th anniversary, here we go again with more headlines from the Istanbul press in the year 2023:
- Two Turkish professors who invented a device that measures a personâs piety have won the Islamic Nobel prize in physics. President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan has said the device would be used during job interviews for public workers.
- The EUâs annual progress report on Turkeyâs accession has warned of systematic violations of basic civil liberties, curbs on the media and widespread corruption, but encouraged Ankara to tackle further reforms if it wants to become a member. Egemen BaÄıÅ, who took the seat of EU minister last month after a nearly 10-year break in his political career, brushed off the EU report as âunfair and subjective.â
In a separate report, the Reporters Without Borders announced that Turkey ranked 169th on its international press freedom index, a promising improvement from 172nd in 2022.
- National Ethics Minister Zafer Ãaglayan, who along with Mr. BaÄıŠresigned in 2013 after a graft scandal, also denounced the EU report. âI would bet my $700,000 watch that there is not a penny worth corruption in Turkey,â he said. âMuslims never steal public money.â
- The Labor Ministry has announced that fatal mining accidents in the first nine months of 2023 fell sharply to 18,723 from 26,739 in the same period of 2022.
- U.N. special envoy to Cyprus, Barack Obama, has said a fresh round of negotiations will open next month to end the islandâs nearly half-century long division. Previous round of talks failed after Turkey insisted that Qatar should act as a fair broker...
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