Istanbul

If I had not read Hayko Ba?dat?s article last week in daily Taraf, I would not have realized that there are more similarities  than meet the eye between the Charlie Hebdo killings and the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Their common point is not limited to both incidents being attacks on freedom of expression.

Two university students, who had been facing up to four years in prison due to a pornographic movie shot as their thesis, have been acquitted of all charges of "indecency," daily Habertürk has reported.

A police chief accused of negligence in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in 2007 was arrested after turning himself into the authorities in Ankara on Jan. 19.

Police chief Ercan Demir was arrested on charges of "voluntary manslaughter with reckless behavior."

Mourners have marched in Istanbul to commemorate Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, on the 8th anniversary of his killing.

The march started 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 from Taksim Square and ended with a homage to Dink in front of the Armenian weekly Agos newspaper's office building in the Pangalt? neighborhood of the ?i?li district.

The same year Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief Hrant Dink was assassinated, a foundation was established in his name to carry out his dreams of peace and dialogue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has said he will soon rename his controversial new presidential palace, adopting the name of the complexes surrounding imperial mosques.
      

A new website, Istanbul?s first official digital promotional platform, has gone online, created as a result of the Istanbul Governor?s Office?s ?Digital Platform Project.?

According to the website?s management, the Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau, ?howtoistanbul.com? has been is designed to bring together all services available in the city under one roof.

There remains a lot of interest in Turkey among international investors, a London Stock Exchange official told Anadolu Agency on Jan. 16.

Borsa Istanbul, Turkey's main stock exchange, signed a deal on Jan. 13 allowing the London Stock Exchange to list futures and options based on the BIST 30 Index and on leading Turkish stocks. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

The woman from Russia's Daghestan Republic who allegedly executed a suicide bombing attack in central Istanbul on Jan. 6 was the wife of a Norwegian extremist of Chechen origin, with whom she spent three months in Istanbul and passed the Syrian border.

After completing the underground railway Marmaray connecting Istanbul?s European and Asian sides - a public transportation project dubbed the ?project of the century? by President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an - and with the third bridge and airport construction ongoing, the sky is now the limit for Istanbul.