pro-Justice and Development Party

Saying no can have a high price tag for ordinary Turks as pressure builds in the days leading up to an April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments designed to widely expand the president’s powers.

It was a quiet night in Istanbul until the blast reverberated across the Bosphorus and we all realized it was not a thunderstorm approaching. The Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) offshoot and deeply dark arm, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), had literally hit the heart of Istanbul.

Last weekend, the headline of daily Hürriyet should have sent shockwaves to all politicos and business figures. In the most historic shopping malls of all, namely the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, 600 shops have been closed because of an "unspoken" economic crisis. Four decades ago such news toppled a shah in Iran.

There is a growing trend in the pro-Justice and Development Party (AK Party) media in Turkey against Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy. Tune into one of the news channels that support the president and you will see them overjoyed about the U.S. Clinton's illness during the 9/11 memorial ceremonies.

Daily Hürriyet Editor-in-Chief Sedat Ergin has been awarded German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle's (DW) Freedom of Speech Award, which honors individuals who "exemplify human rights and free speech."

In his initial response, Ergin said he was "honored to receive the prize that stands for preservation of press freedom worldwide."

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's latest trip to Washington D.C. to attend a nuclear summit and conduct bilateral talks with U.S.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu has described the March 26 attack on the party's provincial leader in the northern province of Düzce as "a blow" to Turkish democracy.

"Markets huge slap in the face to lobby of fear" wrote the headline of pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) daily Sabah last March 18. Dollar sinks, stock market [at] all-time high; we shall not give in to terror and chaos callers." It was less than a week after the deadly Ankara bombings, a day after the German embassy's warning about a possible terror attack in Istanbul.

An Istanbul court ruled on Jan. 27 for the release of the arrested defendant in the case of the attack against daily Hürriyet columnist Ahmet Hakan in October last year.

The court ruled for the release of the only arrested defendant, Ahmet ?engüler, in the first hearing while the judicial control decision on the three other defendants was lifted.

When I come to work, I am first greeted by a member of private security standing at the entrance of the open air car park; which is behind the Hürriyet building and its neighbor, the CNNTürk building.

Then I take the stairs to get to the level where the two buildings are situated. At the top of the stairs, there is another member of the private security.