Istanbul

One year later, it is as almost as a déjà vu experience. Turkey is heading for elections, again. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said Turkey has been spinning its wheels in the economy for the past three years and the way out of this loop and to keep the system flowing with speed was to adopt the presidential system of government. 

Recently named as the world's second worst city in terms of stop-start traffic, congestion-rich Istanbul can become extremely hard to move around not only for vehicles, but for pedestrians, too.

Hundreds of people, who took the streets to enjoy the sunshine on April 18, jammed an overpass of a metrobus stop in the ?ncirli neirhborhood.

How many of you have ever stopped to reflect deeply about the true value of living in a glorious city like Istanbul in your lifetime?

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has allowed for the construction of a mosque on the seafront of the biggest and most touristic island of Istanbul?s Princes? Islands, after rejecting an objection of its members from the main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP). 

While launching on April 15 the ruling Justice and Development Party?s (AK Parti) campaign for the June 7 general election, Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu did not vow any ambitious projects, such as a third bridge over the Bosphorus, a gigantic third airport for Istanbul, or a ?crazy?

?Stamboul Sketches: Encounters in Old Istanbul? by John Freely (Eland, 208 pages, £12.99)

The son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has lost a defamation case against a journalist who had reported an alleged corruption case.

Bilal Erdo?an sued daily Cumhuriyet reporter Canan Co?kun over a story published by the newspaper on Sept. 13, 2014. He claimed that the article ?insulted? him and demanded compensation.

The saddest story of urban transformation in Istanbul is Sulukule. This neighborhood is known as the one of the oldest Roma settlements in the world. Romani coming from India during the Byzantium era are believed to have settled right next to the city walls of Istanbul. 

Urbanization, combined with the demand for higher quality buildings, is driving growth in Turkey's construction industry, analysts have told state-run Anadolu Agency, amid speculation that the sector is a bubble set to burst.