Bosporus

The U.K.-based global publisher Time Out has revealed its much-anticipated list of the "World's Coolest Neighborhoods" for 2023, with prominent Istanbul's Bebek district earning 32nd rank out of the 40 localities it featured.

Defense Ministry officials have refuted recent allegations suggesting that Türkiye permitted minehunter ships from the United Kingdom to enter Ukrainian waters via the Bosphorus.

According to officials, Türkiye has adhered to the Montreux Convention, a treaty in force since 1936, which restricts the passage of conflicting parties' warships through the straits during times of war.

Turkey said on Tuesday it would not allow two minehunter ships donated to Ukraine by Britain to transit its waters en route to the Black Sea since it would violate an international pact concerning wartime passage of the straits.

"Due to bad weather conditions, the Bosphorus strait near Istanbul is temporarily closed to the passage of ships in both directions," according to a statement carried by RIA.
The Dardanelles Strait was also closed to traffic earlier.
A yellow weather alert is in effect in the Istanbul area due to hurricane-force winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

Some 100 warships have sailed and carried out an unprecedented procession on Istanbul's Bosphorus in the Turkish Navy's largest parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of modern Türkiye on Oct. 29.

Scores of Istanbulities flocked to the coastlines or the hills of the city, where they were able to witness the historic navy procession.

Ship traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was suspended on Wednesday morning after a ship suffered an engine failure, the Tribeca shipping agency said.

According to a report shared by the agency, Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker Guanyin had an engine failure at the strait's northern entrance and two tugs were dispatched for assistance. [Reuters]

Istanbul has served as the venue for the 35th time for the Bosphorus cross-continental swimming event, which witnessed more than 2,600 competitors from more than 70 nations.

Organized by the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) and sponsored by Samsung, the Bosphorus Intercontinental Swimming Race started from Kanlıca and ended at Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park.

For the first time, the dangers associated with marine mucilage have been investigated by the unmanned underwater glider "Sea Explorer" in the Marmara Sea, and a comprehensive mucilage mapping that offers insightful information will be produced with the help of the findings.

Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Ankara has derailed NATO regional procedures, and look at why this matters, putting a freeze on NATO's new operational maps by raising questions about the naming of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus straits in the new operational maps, and taking issue with the reference of the Republic of Cyprus

Greek diplomacy is preparing for the conclusion of the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius (July 11-12), which will indicate whether the initiatives taken in the coming period are likely to lead to a resumption of the existing channels (confidence building measures and exploratory contacts).