General

William “Billy” Hayes, the “hero” of the movie Midnight Express, visited Turkey last week and in a widely publicized press conference stated that the movie was a gross exaggeration and one-sided misrepresentation of his experience in Turkey. He expressed his regret and accepted responsibility for the damage the film inflicted on Turkey’s image worldwide for decades. read more

Three local educators will go back to school this year with more than just textbook knowledge. Victoria Robins, a history and sociology teacher at Fox Chapel Area High School; Cynthia McNulty, a literature and history teacher at Oakland Catholic; and Gary Peiffer, principal of East Allegheny High School, recently returned from a two-week tour of Turkey sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and the Turkish Cultural Foundation. read more

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyib Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis officially inaugurated a pipeline on November 18 carrying the first natural gas from the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The 300 km pipeline project was hailed as the start of a new period of bilateral co-operation between Greece and Turkey. The pipeline links western Turkey with north-east Greece beneath the Marmara Sea and was built by a joint venture of the Turkish and Greek gas utility corporations. read more