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News Scan, 17th Jan: Council of Europe concerned over government’s judicial bill

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Council of Europe concerned over government’s ‘hasty’ judicial bill

The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights has expressed serious concerns over a “hasty” judicial bill under which the government plans to change the structure of the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

“I am seriously concerned by the speed which these proposals are making their way to the Parliament. Anything that is affecting the impartiality and self-governance of the judiciary should be done in a very careful and measured way, [with consultations] not only domestically but internationally,” Nils Muiznieks said in an interview.

“The Council of Europe (CoE), my office and the Venice Commission have been very engaged. So we feel we have strong stake for what happens there. The substance of some of these proposals seems to be a large step backward,” the Latvian diplomat said.

The government had suggested that the HSYK be restructured so that it more closely resemble the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), meaning the parties in Parliament would be given seats on the HSYK in proportion with their numbers in Parliament.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Worthington Industries acquires majority stakes of Turkish LNG company

US-based metals manufacturing company Worthington Industries has announced the acquisition of 75 percent of shares in the Turkish liquefied natural gas (LNG) and cryogenic technology company, ARITAS.

Specialized in LNG storage, transportation and re-gasification, Istanbul-based ARITAS’ product range includes bulk tanks, transport trailers and microbulk storage products.

“We are very excited to add ARITAS’ LNG and cryogenics capabilities and reputation for quality. We believe they will dramatically increase our ability to grow our LNG and cryogenics businesses quickly and globally,” said John McConnell, Chairman and CEO of Worthington Industries about the acquisition deal in the company’s press release. The financial details of the transaction have not been announced.

Employing 300 people, ARITAS has one manufacturing facility in Istanbul and plans to build a second much larger facility in nearby Bandirma in Balikesir province. The company’s sales volume in 2013 totaled USD 40 million.

With sales reaching USD 2.6 billion in 2013, Worthington Industries is active in 12 countries worldwide with 10,000 employees.

INVEST.GOV.TR

Seven Turkish NGOs release joint statement on corruption and ‘parallel state’ claims

The Confederation of Turkish Craftsmen and Tradesmen (TESK), the Union of Chamber and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB), the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (TÜRK-İŞ), the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Unions (TİSK), the Labor Confederation (HAK-İŞ) and the Civil Servants Trade Union (MEMUR-SEN) participated in a press conference, today after which they expressed their concern over recent developments in Turkey and stressing that corruption and “parallel state” claims were harming democracy, peace and stability.

The group issued a joint statement, saying that “the corruption and parallel state claims surrounding us are obviously becoming a threat to democracy, social peace and stability.” They urged the authorities to work toward enlightening all claims.

The developments, which will deepen segregation in society instead of strengthening unity and solidarity and threaten the trust in agencies and institutions, is making it harder for people to focus on peace, democracy and developments, TESK head Bendevi Palandöken said.

The NGOs also underlined that Turkey was still waiting for a new Constitution that complies with the principles of universal law and EU standards.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Outlook bright for Turkey’s wind power industry 

Massive wind and solar potential to be utilized in the next 10 years will turn Turkey into a renewable energy powerhouse in the region as the country gradually increases the use of domestic resources for power generation.

Wind power is expected to account for 20,000 megawatts (MW) of the country’s planned 120,000 MW total installed capacity by 2023. In contrast with Europe, where most of the easily accessible forms of renewable energy are already tapped to the limit, Turkey and its vastly underused wind potential present lucrative opportunities for energy companies looking for long-term growth.

“Turkey’s wind energy potential is 25-30 percent higher than that of Europe”, according to the President of the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB), Mustafa Serdar Ataseven. Reviewing the last year from the wind power perspective, Ataseven said that 2013 was a good year in terms of capacity increases and new investments.

“With 700 MWs having joined the grid last year, installed capacity from wind power has reached 3,000 MWs while 1,000 MWs of capacity is under construction”, Ataseven noted.

“Wind farms with a combined capacity of 800-1000 MWs will join the grid in 2014, taking the total to a level between 3800-4000 MWs”, he said, with regard to the industry’s new year target.

The country’s installed capacity of 62,000 MWs as of the end of 2013 is expected to reach 120,000 MWs in 2023, a third of which will be generated from renewable sources.

INVEST.GOV.TR

İstanbul police again defy arrest order as top prosecutors reassigned

İstanbul police have reportedly refused to comply with a prosecutor’s order to carry out raids as part of a third corruption and bribery operation, several Turkish media outlets reported on Thursday. The new police-judiciary confrontation came as many İstanbul prosecutors were removed from their posts and reassigned to other cities on Thursday, while Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ granted the necessary permission to launch an inquiry into three prosecutors involved in the corruption and bribery investigation.

The investigation is reported to be supervised by prosecutor İbrahim Baytekin, at the order of Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Ali Cengiz Hacıosmanoğlu, but İstanbul police officials refused to comply with the prosecutor’s order.

The probe is mostly focused on public tender rigging in the İstanbul firefighting sector and İstanbul Firefighting Department Chief Ali Karahan is reportedly among the suspects.

The order to carry out the raid was issued early on Wednesday and police forces finalized most of their preparations for a pre-dawn raid. But at 3 a.m., the İstanbul Police Department ordered to halt the raid for unknown reasons. When the prosecutor realized that the operation was not being carried out, Baytekin reportedly sent a letter to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to complain about the judicial police who refused to comply with the order.

TODAYS ZAMAN

Lira hits 4th record low this year, risking stagflation, SME losses

Turkey’s lira weakened to a record low beyond 2.2 against the US dollar on Thursday, the fourth fresh low in a row since Jan. 1, a fact that revives fears of stagflation and damage to the country’s private sector at a time of economic slowdown.

Economists believe depreciation pressure on lira will persist, then hitting the private sector — small and medium sized (SMEs) — with outstanding total debts in the medium run. The Turkish lira is losing value against the US dollar and 57.7 percent of the external debt stock is in US dollars — a concern for Turkish businesses that borrow money in dollars while earning liras. In October, borrowing by companies — $191.56 billion in total — surged to 54 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in Turkey from 33 percent in 2008. These figures serve as a wake-up call, observers argue.

Another critical assessment came from the HSBC Bank on Thursday as it said Turkey risks stagflation as its worst political crisis in a decade hurts consumer sentiment. “It is obvious that the Turkish economy is heading for stagflation fast. The lira’s depreciation may gain pace if the central bank does not change interest rates,” Bloomberg quoted Fatih Keresteci, a strategist at HSBC in İstanbul, as saying on Thursday.

TODAYS ZAMAN

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