Local elections in Turkey suggest a dramatic shift in politics. The ruling AK Party did not win the local elections in the two largest cities, Istanbul and Ankara. The results represent a setback for the President, Tayyip Erdogan, as the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP) seems to have won in both contests. The AK party and its predecessor have ruled in Turkey for the last 25 years, so the elections signal a rather dramatic change in direction. The shift is likely due to the dire economic conditions in Turkey–the Turkish Lira lost 40% of its value against the US dollar. It is not likely, however, that Erdogan will change direction quickly. The AK Party is likely to challenge the election results.
Arctic sea ice has retreated off the coast of Alaska. Typically, sea ice continues to grow until May, but in the Bering and Chukchi seas, there are wide areas of ice-free waters. Vast areas of Alaska have experienced the highest spring temperatures ever recorded. Climate change is definitely affecting the polar region. Canada is warming at twice the rate as the rest of the world:
“Canada’s Changing Climate Report concludes that, on average, Canada’s climate has been warming at double the rate of the world as a whole — a trend that scientists expect to continue. Since 1948, Canada’s average land temperature has increased by 1.7 degrees Celsius, or about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in northern Canada have increased even more. For comparison, scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies estimate that the average global temperature has increased 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) since 1880.
“Many of the effects of Canada’s warming are ‘effectively irreversible,’ the report states. And it affirms that “human influence” is more to blame for the observed temperature increases than natural causes.”
World Politics News 
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