William Armstrong
@williamarmstrong.bsky.social
Istanbul-based with BBC Monitoring. Founder, presenter, hype-man with Turkey Book Talk (@turkeybooktalk.bsky.social). I have no views.
https://turkeybooktalk.com
https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/
https://turkeybooktalk.com
https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/
"Dirty Work—The Hidden Machinery and Human Toll of Europe’s Broken Recycling Trade"
www.merip.org/2025/12/dirt...
www.merip.org/2025/12/dirt...
Dirty Work—The Hidden Machinery and Human Toll of Europe’s Broken Recycling Trade
As Europe sends increasing amounts of illegal waste to Turkey, activists and investigators are revealing how the country’s state-backed recycling boom depends on fraud, off-the-books subcontracting an...
www.merip.org
January 21, 2026 at 2:17 PM
"Dirty Work—The Hidden Machinery and Human Toll of Europe’s Broken Recycling Trade"
www.merip.org/2025/12/dirt...
www.merip.org/2025/12/dirt...
Also recommend reading Adnan Khan's detailed reports on this issue for @merip.bsky.social
"A Deadly Trade - Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe's Plastic Waste"
www.merip.org/2024/06/a-de...
"A Deadly Trade - Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe's Plastic Waste"
www.merip.org/2024/06/a-de...
A Deadly Trade—Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe's Plastic Waste - MERIP
In May 2021, at just 13-years old, Hayat found himself wandering aimlessly on the streets of Istanbul, dazed and a little terrified. A slight, fine-boned child, he cut a fragile figure amid the hard-e...
www.merip.org
January 21, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Also recommend reading Adnan Khan's detailed reports on this issue for @merip.bsky.social
"A Deadly Trade - Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe's Plastic Waste"
www.merip.org/2024/06/a-de...
"A Deadly Trade - Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe's Plastic Waste"
www.merip.org/2024/06/a-de...
Recent months have seen a notable uptick in coverage of his various appearances/remarks at public events.
The rise in his profile has stirred speculation that he is being groomed as potential successor to President Erdogan.
www.nefes.com.tr/yazarlar/nur...
The rise in his profile has stirred speculation that he is being groomed as potential successor to President Erdogan.
www.nefes.com.tr/yazarlar/nur...
Bilal Erdoğan ve diğerleri…
Cumhurbaşkanı Tayyip Erdoğan’ın oğlu Bilal Erdoğan’ın son günlerde fazlaca görünür olması, siyasi ve ekonomik konularda...
www.nefes.com.tr
January 1, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Recent months have seen a notable uptick in coverage of his various appearances/remarks at public events.
The rise in his profile has stirred speculation that he is being groomed as potential successor to President Erdogan.
www.nefes.com.tr/yazarlar/nur...
The rise in his profile has stirred speculation that he is being groomed as potential successor to President Erdogan.
www.nefes.com.tr/yazarlar/nur...
That is interesting. Turkey raised tariffs just before the BYD deal, which was basically seen as a way to incentivise it. Now sceptics are saying BYD made the deal just to avoid taxes and never intended to follow it through.
December 19, 2025 at 1:06 PM
That is interesting. Turkey raised tariffs just before the BYD deal, which was basically seen as a way to incentivise it. Now sceptics are saying BYD made the deal just to avoid taxes and never intended to follow it through.
Meanwhile, recent reports suggest growing numbers of BYD cars are stuck at Turkish customs, triggering complaints from people who bought them.
Some claim this hurdle is part of Turkish attempts to pressure BYD into making progress with its Manisa plant.
www.dunya.com/sektorler/ot...
Some claim this hurdle is part of Turkish attempts to pressure BYD into making progress with its Manisa plant.
www.dunya.com/sektorler/ot...
BYD’nin Türkiye operasyonlarında kriz İddiası: Araçlar gümrükte mi bekletiliyor? - Dünya Gazetesi
Manisa’da fabrika kurma taahhüdüyle Türkiye’ye gümrük vergisiz araç getiren Çinli otomotiv devi BYD’nin gümrükte sorun yaşamaya başladığı iddia edildi. Sosyal medyada teslimat şikayetleri artarken, ko...
www.dunya.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Meanwhile, recent reports suggest growing numbers of BYD cars are stuck at Turkish customs, triggering complaints from people who bought them.
Some claim this hurdle is part of Turkish attempts to pressure BYD into making progress with its Manisa plant.
www.dunya.com/sektorler/ot...
Some claim this hurdle is part of Turkish attempts to pressure BYD into making progress with its Manisa plant.
www.dunya.com/sektorler/ot...
An expected $1.5bn deal between Turkey and China’s Chery also appears to have fallen off the agenda in recent months.
storyboxweb.com/byd-ve-cherr...
storyboxweb.com/byd-ve-cherr...
BYD ve Cherry'nin Türkiye yatırımları ne zaman başlayacak, ne zaman bitecek? - StoryBoxWeb
Nasıl Bir Ekonomi Gazetesi yazarı Vahap Munyar, son dönemde en çok merak edilen konulardan biri olan Çinli otomotiv devleri BYD ve Chery'nin
storyboxweb.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:35 PM
An expected $1.5bn deal between Turkey and China’s Chery also appears to have fallen off the agenda in recent months.
storyboxweb.com/byd-ve-cherr...
storyboxweb.com/byd-ve-cherr...
Footage suggests no significant construction at the planned site in the western province of Manisa.
Pro-government outlets and Turkish officials had hailed the BYD deal as a sign of warming Turkey-China trade/diplomatic ties.
x.com/RusenPress/s...
Pro-government outlets and Turkish officials had hailed the BYD deal as a sign of warming Turkey-China trade/diplomatic ties.
x.com/RusenPress/s...
RUSEN || Press on X: "Çin'e güvenen yarı yolda kalır mı? Çin, Türkiye'yi oyalayıp araba satmaya mı kalktı? Türkiye'de Manisa'da fabrika kuracağım diyerek gümrük vergisiz araç satan Çin markası BYD, Macaristan'a fabrika kurmaya başladı. 2026'nın bahar aylarında seri üretime başlayacağını garanti https://t.co/3CVkvel0Zs" / X
Çin'e güvenen yarı yolda kalır mı? Çin, Türkiye'yi oyalayıp araba satmaya mı kalktı? Türkiye'de Manisa'da fabrika kuracağım diyerek gümrük vergisiz araç satan Çin markası BYD, Macaristan'a fabrika kurmaya başladı. 2026'nın bahar aylarında seri üretime başlayacağını garanti https://t.co/3CVkvel0Zs
x.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Footage suggests no significant construction at the planned site in the western province of Manisa.
Pro-government outlets and Turkish officials had hailed the BYD deal as a sign of warming Turkey-China trade/diplomatic ties.
x.com/RusenPress/s...
Pro-government outlets and Turkish officials had hailed the BYD deal as a sign of warming Turkey-China trade/diplomatic ties.
x.com/RusenPress/s...