...a very important basketball event is taking place in Turkey: the 2010 World Championship held by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)...This event could be the opportunity Greece and Turkey need to get closer to each other, not in terms of high-level politics, but in terms of initiatives coming from below, from the grassroots.

In the western Balkans and the Middle East, Turkey is already an important force and an influential actor with considerable “soft power”. It is important both politically and economically in Iraq, and in working with the EU to persuade Iran to meet international concerns on its nuclear programme.

Only in 15 months after his historical Cairo speech, there are alarming signs that President Obama’s new engagement policy with the Middle East may soon find its place in history’s dustbin. The Obama administration’s withdrawal announcement of U.S. “combat” troops from Iraq by the end of August is nothing more than a PR campaign to rename the occupation.

Cheerleaders donned black leggings and white T-shirts for a world championship basketball match between Iran and the United States in Istanbul on Wednesday to respect cultural sensitivities...Patrick Baumann, secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), said "special arrangements" had been made with the dancers' dress on Wednesday.

After its inaugural convention in Bucharest last year, the Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum, or BSEEF, is taking a big step to build dialogue within the Eurasian region. According to Ambassador Ross Wilson, the Atlantic Council is organizing the forum in Istanbul this year in order to highlight the economic and cultural commonalities in the region and stimulate discussions on common problems.

Turks have witnessed the ruling AK Party bring a powerful army to heel and humble political rivals. The spectacle now of one prosecutor arresting another, emblazoned across the internet, illustrates dramatically where the EU-candidate's Muslim democracy is facing its ultimate test.

The Turkish edition of China Today magazine will go on sale in major cities of Turkey starting from Sept. 1, which is expected to promote mutual understanding between Turkish and Chinese people and facilitate the two countries' business relations.

China will showcase its culture to the Turkish in October, China's State Council Information Office said Tuesday. The "Experience China in Turkey" program will include trade forums, ethnic songs and dances, film weeks and food festivals, said a statement from the office.