Author: Taner Selim

Pedestrians and business owners continue to direct outrage at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) for leaving paving stones throughout Ordu Street, a prominent location for domestic and international commerce near the city’s historic peninsula, causing disruptions to daily life. On Nov. 2 of last year, the IBB initiated landscaping and pavement work on Ordu Street in the Laleli district, which receives thousands of visitors daily. The street was closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. During construction, many stone-filled pallets were left scattered throughout the street, creating hazards for both pedestrians and business owners. The obstructions impede foot traffic in…

Looking to plan an unforgettable holiday? Look no further than Istanbul, Turkey. This majestic Turkish city has recently earned itself the title of one of Europe’s most walkable cities, according to research conducted by the team at Preply. Istanbul, nestled on the border between Europe and Asia, has long been a popular year-round destination for travelers seeking a blend of history, culture, and architectural wonders. Turkey as a whole is swiftly emerging as one of Europe’s top holiday hotspots, with experts predicting that it may soon surpass France as the region’s second most visited country. In fact, the country has…

Scientists have been aware for many years that the universe is expanding. When they use powerful telescopes to look at distant galaxies, they notice they are getting farther and father away from our own planet. For scientists, the light a galaxy emits has a longer wavelength when the galaxy is speeding away from us. The farther the galaxy, the more its light shifts towards the longer red side of the spectrum. This shift is called redshift; the higher it is, the farther away the galaxy moves. Because light doesn’t travel instantly but at a fixed speed, looking at something far…

Ilkay Gündogan has been in the news a lot in recent week for reasons not to do with football, and the Barcelona midfielder was once again the topic of a big story in the last few days as a big name in Turkish media reported that the German’s agent had a meeting with Galatasary officials to discuss a possible future transfer before the team’s recent Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Ever since his post-game rant aftet the loss in El Clásico followed by a report of his supposed unhappiness with the club, which was vehemently denied by Gündogan and…

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde on Wednesday praised the return of Greece’s economy to health and the resilience of the Greeks following its debt crisis more than ten years ago. “The people of Greece have been on a long journey. It has been a hard journey. But they never lost sight of the destination. And much has been gained along the way. As we all know, the crisis that erupted in 2009 – and the program of fiscal adjustment and structural reforms it entailed – took an exceptionally heavy toll,” she said in her speech during a formal…

Thousands of Turks in Istanbul are participating in a march called “March for Fatah” to support the Palestinians. A pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, though officially Turkey’s remaining neutral, stops short of condemning Hamas. “The Palestinian people are only defending their homeland, this has nothing to do with terrorism,” Sahin Ocal, 54, an activist with one of the associations organizing the march, tells AFP. “Inshallah, we believe that this will also be a victory day for Muslims,” 39-year-old housewife Fatma Ipek adds to him as she holds an “anti-Zionist” banner. It was a response echoed in Sanaa in Yemen, where Houthi…

Three of the players have a good chance to be drafted, Next week, Aussie rule footballers across the country hoping to live their dream will be watching on in anticipation of the 2023 AFL Draft commencing over three days. Monday, November 20, will see Round 1 of the National Draft take place, followed by Round 2 on Tuesday and, on Wednesday, the AFL Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts. Of the hundreds of players who have been nominated, of many ages, from 17 to even a reported 50-year-old, at least seven of them are of Greek background. Three of the names have…

“We have met with Governor of Ankara Vasip Şahin on the sidelines of the “Shusha Culture Days in Ankara,” Special Representative of Azerbaijani President in Shusha district Aydin Karimov said on X, News.Az reports. According to him, the discussions revolved around the restoration of the grandeur of the city of Shusha – the cultural capital of the Turkic World, as a result of the restoration works, as well as the city’s development and tourism potential. Aydin Karimov also highlighted the projects implemented and steps taken towards promotion of Shusha in the international arena. The Ankara governor expressed his love to…

The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee is scheduled to debate Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Thursday. That brings Sweden’s application a step closer toward ratification by the full assembly — needed before President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan can sign it into law. The agenda of the parliamentary committee was first reported by Reuters. Sweden’s application to join the alliance has stalled thanks to accusations by Turkey that it is not doing enough to curb what it calls Kurdish terrorists in Sweden. Turkey’s latest move leaves Hungary as the only NATO country where parliamentary ratification hasn’t begun. Last week, Hungary’s President…

Bar associations across Turkey reacted with demonstrations, marches and legal actions Friday to a constitutional crisis in which a lower-ranking appeals court filed an unprecedented criminal complaint against Supreme Court judges over their decision to release a jailed parliamentarian. Parliamentarians from opposition parties have started a “justice watch” campaign, refusing to leave the parliament until the issue is brought to the floor for discussion, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan caused further consternation Friday by weighing in on the side of the lower court. Can Atalay, a Turkey’s Workers Party (TIP) parliamentarian representing the southern province of Hatay, has been held…