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Turkish Tabloid Enrages Germany with Nazi Comparisons

A Turkish tabloid is printing outrageous headlines equating a German minister -- responsible for banning the Holocaust-denying rag -- to Hitler. It is threatening to become a diplomatic fracas. US government copy editors almost caused another diplomatic crisis by not paying enough attention to their ABCs. And Europe has a Pete Seeger moment.

Turkish Nazi Stew

Turkey is suffering something of an image problem in Europe these days. First came those unfortunate and truly appalling images of riot police using truncheons, tear gas and brute force against a group of women demonstrating for equal rights to mark World Women's Day last week. Then came the women's claims that they are so used to being kicked around that they consider it normal; they professed awe that the rest of the world found the TV images outrageous. Now, yet another scuffle -- this one involving German Interior Minister Otto Schily -- has Europe wondering if maybe Turkey, which badly wants membership in the European club, isn't, as many detractors claim, too much of a jellyfish on human rights and otherwise unprepared to be welcomed into Europe.

The latest brouhaha circles around Schily -- known in Germany as Iron Otto for his stern, no nonsense efficiency -- and his successful push to ban a radical Turkish tabloid called Vakit from German newsstands. The paper regularly publishes inflammatory and often anti-Semitic statements, Schily charged. Indeed, in a Dec. 2004 article, the tabloid stated, "There was no Holocaust. The so-called gas chambers are also a lie. It's nothing more than Zionist music."

The ban -- which is completely legal according to a German law forbidding the denial of the Holocaust -- took effect in February. Now, Vakit has launched an over-the-top smear campaign that equates Schily with Hitler, an infamous media hater who closed all outlets that disagreed with his fanatical views. For seven days in a row, the tabloid has featured scathing stories depicting Schily as an anti-free-speech tyrant. One shows him with a black swastika on his arm, another poses him in front of a Nazi flag and in a third, a cartoonist has drawn a Hitler mustache on him. In a March 4 cover story, he appears under the blaring headline "Heil Otto! The Oven is Ready." Germany may be well on its way to digesting its Nazi past, but one truism remains: If you want to rile up a German -- particularly a male political leader -- connect him to Hitler. As such, Schily has fired off an angry letter to the Turkish Interior Minister insisting that the headlines are "unacceptable." The two are scheduled to meet April 11 and already Schily has placed the magazine fiasco at the top of the agenda. Meanwhile the Turks, who after 42 years of waiting have finally made it to the gates of the EU, have to be hoping for some positive press between now and then -- and for many months thereafter. Official Turkish-EU membership talks begin Oct. 3. (2:20 p.m. CET)

The A-E-I-O-U of Nuclear Bombs

We in the media business know about the importance of copy editing. But how about the US government? Lucky for us, our occasional slips in punctuation or spelling have little lasting repercussions (other than our own embarrassment and a bit of finger wagging from our most punctilious readers). But, when a government typist screws up, global diplomacy goes into high gear. That's what happened this week when the Sudanese government read a House of Representatives committee report that mentioned nuclear tests conducted in Sudan from 1962 to 1970. Alarmed about the repercussions of unknown and potentially secret nuclear testing on its territory, the Sudanese government confronted the US with the documents. An investigation followed and ultimately some astute US agent figured out the source of the mess. Indeed, the US had conducted nuclear tests between 1962 and 1970 -- not in Sudan, Africa, but in Sedan, Nevada. Ooops. (11:50 a.m. CET)

Build-It-Yourself Sexism

Are Ikea brochures sexist? Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik thinks so and is not afraid to voice his opinion. Loudly. This week, he criticized the Swedish home furnishings mega-store of sexism, insisting its how-to brochures show only cartoon men assembling the store's trademark build-it-yourself furniture. Stunned, the company -- which works so hard at being politically correct that it even boasts that its catalogues are "printed on totally chlorine-free paper and contain at least 10-15 percent post-consumer waste -- immediately defended itself, saying cartoon women do appear and quickly produced an example. It must have been tough to find. The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang did its own research on more than 2,000 "follow me" building instructions and failed to find a single female figure.

Ikea quickly responded with a politically-correct, albeit dubious, answer, insisting that some nations view women building cupboards and beds as offensive. "We have branches all over the world and have to be sensitive to cultural differences," Ikea told the paper. "In Muslim countries, displaying women on building instruction manuals is problematic."

The excuses far from satisfied Prime Minister Bondevik, who fired off his own quick response, saying "It is important -- not least in Islamic countries -- to push for sexual equality. I see no justification for this." While, personally, Bondevik admits he has "great problems screwing such furniture together," he recognizes the company's wide appeal (300 million people a year shop at Ikea) and insists that the company take more responsibility for the implicit political messages its brochures communicate. Always quick to quell a controversy, Ikea has promised to review its instructions leaflets and "get more of a balance between men and women." Such a revamp of millions of brochures will certainly not come cheap. But not to worry, the overhaul won't dent the Ikea fortune. According to the just-released Forbes magazine billionaire's list, Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad is the sixth richest man in the world. (11 a.m. CET)

No flowers for Easter?

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago...

Europe is having a Pete Seeger moment. Or make that season. Or is it seasons? Truth is, it seems like no one can remember the last time the sun actually provided any warmth to the continent. And while everyone is suffering from a lack of vitamin D and are getting more pasty white by the day, no one is hurting more than Europe's flower growers. For them, every snow day is another day without profit. Who, after all, can plant flowers in frozen soil? Normally, by early March, their business is booming, as spring gardeners sow the seeds for summer bounty and bulb plants like tulips, crocuses, narcissuses and hyacinths spring up. If the weather doesn't change by Easter, experts fear the narcissus season could end before it begins. Many small flower producers could also go under. However, there is one good piece of news amid all the gray. Those who do buy potted flowers right now will get away with a steal: Prices are approaching all-time lows. (10 a.m. CET)