ISTANBUL

The former head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), nominated by the two major opposition parties represented at the Turkish Parliament as their joint presidential candidate on June 16, has addressed secular voters in his first interview.

Amsterdam, though a small city compared to the giant of Istanbul, has much to offer and many examples to give about balancing a city’s atmosphere and ambiance Last week I went with Niko Guido to Amsterdam for a photo safari. He, together with 10 amateur photographers, went to Amsterdam to take pictures and exhibit those photographs next to pictures from Istanbul.

The Aydın Doğan Cartoon Competition announces its winners. Turkish cartoonist Kürşat Zaman, who was awarded with the third prize in the competition in 2010, won the first prize this year A Turkish cartoonist has come out on top at the 31st Aydın Doğan Cartoon Contest, which kicked off in Bodrum on June 17 with a day-long session where judges got together to select the winner.

German pianist and composer Davide Martello, who became known for his guerrilla concert in Istanbul’s Taksim Square at the height of last year’s Gezi protests, has taken his piano back to the streets of Turkey, this time in memory of the 301 workers who were killed in the mining disaster in Soma last month.

Turkey’s high-level graft probe suspect Reza Zarrab, who was charged with forming a ring that bribed officials to help disguise illegal gold sales to Iran via Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank, was seen entering the bank’s headquarters on June 16, where he stayed for one-and-a-half hours.

The delay in the government’s Kanal Istanbul project, which aims to reshape Istanbul’s European side with an artificial waterway, has led to changes in plans for the third airport, as land excavated in the canal project was planned to be used to raise the elevation of the airport.

An Islamic charity organization based in an Istanbul suburb is using an insignia adopted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), daily HaberTürk has reported.

The report comes amid claims that some Turkish associations were recruiting militants for the jihadist group who have recently launched a wide-scale offensive in Iraq.

A prosecutor has issued search and arrest warrants for 12 police officers in Turkish PM's wiretapping probe. Eleven officers, including Erdoğan's former chief bodyguard, have been detained.

The violence in Iraq is part of a broader Sunni Arab revolt that could lead to a holy war in the country, and is not just a rampage by Islamist militants from an al-Qaeda splinter group, fugitive vice president Tarek al-Hashemi told Reuters on June 16.

The first concrete step for Istanbul to become an international finance center was taken in 2012. A tender was held for the finance center that was decided to be built at Ataşehir, on the Asian side of the city.