The Dogs of Chernobyl.

Trump v. Fox News.

1. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was photographed in 2019 proudly grasping a jersey bearing his name in commemoration of 25 years as a member of Istanbul’s Fenerbahçe football club. Four years later, Fenerbahçe supporters are calling for the Turkish president’s ousting. Chants of “Erdoğan resign” thundered across Istanbul’s Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium last Saturday as Fenerbahçe fans accused him of “lies, lies, lies” during two decades in power. At Beşiktaş, another big Istanbul team, fans filled the pitch with colourful stuffed bears for children in the earthquake zone before belting out anti-government chants. “Something is boiling,” said Yağmur Nuhrat, a professor at Istanbul Bilgi University who studies the intersection of football and society, adding that the “devastating” earthquake came as Turkey was already grappling with a “major economic crisis.” (Source: ft.com)

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2. Tensions in Turkey’s opposition coalition boiled over on Friday, just as the six parties were attempting to agree on a candidate to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the most hotly contested elections in his 20-year rule. Unless the parties can overcome their grievances in the coming days, the fissure in their camp is likely to play in favor of Erdoğan, who is seen as unusually vulnerable over double-digit inflation, and criticism over his response to devastating earthquakes last month that killed tens of thousands. A key member of the coalition, the leader of Turkey’s rightwing Good Party (IYI), Meral Akşener, announced she would leave the alliance, saying it “ha[d] lost the ability to represent the will of the nation.” (Source: politico.eu)

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