Yesterday’s emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul ended with a declaration signed by all 57 member states recognising East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and inviting the rest of the world to do the same. The summit was called by Turkey’s President Erdoğan in response to US President […]
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu used today’s Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) in Istanbul to speak out about his frustration at Muslim states for their “insufficient” response to the plight of both Turkish Cypriots and the Palestinian people. The Summit, called by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the OIC’s […]
Kadir Topbaş caused waves when he suddenly announced his resignation last Friday, 22 Sep. At a hastily arranged press conference, the Mayor, who had held the post since first being elected back in March 2004, told journalists: “A man can forgive everything but being betrayed.” The mild-mannered veteran politician did not openly criticise the Justice […]
Halla Barakat was many things to many people. Many of you might recognise her as a pretty face that has been appearing in your social media news feeds in recent days, but maybe you haven’t stopped to read what all the fuss is about. For those of you who have, you would know that […]
A small private aircraft heading for North Cyprus has crashed and burst into flames on the runway of Istanbul’s biggest airport earlier this evening. Miraculously the jet’s two pilots, a cabin crew member and sole passenger survived. According to state-run news agency Anadolu, the jet, registered as TC-KON, had reported a malfunction soon after take […]
An annual opera festival with celebrated artists from across the Turkic work has started. The opening performance of TÜRKSOY took place at the Grand Pera Theatre in Istanbul on Monday night. In keeping with tradition, the series of concerts will also travel to the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus for its final event on […]
A Ukrainian pilot has been hailed a hero after successfully landing a plane severely damaged by giant hail stones. Last Thursday, Captain Alexander Akopov, who flies for Atlasglobal, was forced to carry out a heart-stopping emergency landing in Istanbul after flying through an unexpected hail storm. Not long after its early evening take-off from […]
Londoners, if you missed the recent screening of Kedi at the BFI, you have another chance! This must-see film for cat and Istanbul lovers offers an intimate and fascinating tour of the streets, alleys and enclaves of Turkey’s biggest metropolis from a cat’s-eye-view. Roaming the streets of Istanbul, director Ceyda Torun follows seven felines […]
To celebrate LGBT Pride Month, the Frontline Club is screening two short films about the Turkish and Latin trans communities. Directors Andy Hayward and Olivia Crellin will be present for a Q&A discussion about their mini documentaries, chaired by India Willoughby, Britain’s first transgender newsreader. The number of transphobic murders in Turkey has increased […]
Thousands of street cats have lived in the city of Istanbul for centuries, roaming freely and unencumbered virtually anywhere. Neither wild nor tame, locals take care of them – or maybe it’s the other way round, with the human characters highlighting the redemptive benefits of taking care of these homeless felines. Dubbed ‘the Citizen […]
