Presseurop |

Tuekey | A 'mad project' for Istanbul

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:42:55 +0100

“A European island.” That’s how Hürriyet describes the project to dig a canal 150 metres wide between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara in order to unclog the Bosphorus, which has become saturated with shipping. This “crazy project”, presented on April 27 and to be completed by 2023, the centennial of the Turkish Republic, would transform one of the European parts of Istanbul into an island. The newspaper questions the feasibility of the project, which is best viewed, it believes, in the context of the legislative elections coming up on 12 June. For its part, Taraf welcomes an initiative that indicates the dynamism of Turkey but stresses the gap between the power suggested by such an ambitious project and the weakness shown by Turkey on other issues, such as the Kurdish question.

(News in brief)

Europe / Turkey | Lure of the Bosphorus (Le Monde, Paris)

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:33:43 +0100

They were born and raised in Germany, France and Belgium. But now, faced with the difficulty of finding work and a career in those countries, more and more European Turks are choosing to move to Istanbul. (Article)

Heritage | Istanbul, all a facade (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:58:15 +0100

For years the Turkish government has been deliberately gutting Istanbul’s old town rather than restoring it, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung. UNESCO now intends to strike Istanbul off the World Cultural Heritage list, seeing as politicians have done nothing but stymie efforts to preserve its historic monuments. (Article)

Hungary | A kvetch about Pécs (Hírszerzö, Budapest)

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:46:30 +0100

The Hungarian city of Pécs, this year’s European Capital of Culture along with Istanbul and Essen, is having a hard time getting out from under Budapest’s long shadow. Is the country incapable of staging an event worthy of Europe’s interest? wonders the Hungarian news portal Hírszerzö. (Article)

Culture | Cities on the edge stand tall (Le Monde, Paris)

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:41:47 +0100

Unloved and unrepentant: Europe's rebellious port cities have always been marked by a strong sense of their own identity. In 2006 six of them grouped together to form "Cities on the edge," a cultural network that celebrates pride in local differences. (Article)