A t 10:30pm on 15 July, armed soldiers swarmed upon Istanbul’s Bosphorus bridge, blocking its access and declaring to drivers: “There is curfew, everybody go home.” Their motives appeared disconcertingly ambiguous. “Both bridges in Istanbul have been blocked by Turkish military. Reason unknown,” tweeted one bemused observer. “Military doing a show of force, low-flying jets […]
Turkey
Euro 2016 Preview: Group D
Spain – Ollie Lund World Ranking: 6th Best Euro Finish: Champions (1964, 2008, 2012) The holders Spain go into the tournament as one of the favourites. A surprise defeat against Slovakia aside, they were superb in qualifying – picking up nine wins and eight clean sheets. The squad oozes quality with the likes of Sergio Ramos […]
Turkey and the culture of fear
My first memory of that Saturday morning was being woken up by a woman’s guttural screams. Against a backdrop hum of the urban city, its dissonance was chilling. Sitting among Istanbul’s tea drinkers, typing and sipping in mutual harmony at one of the city’s numerous cay houses, I am still unaware of the real cause […]