A metrobüs burns out in rush hour, hopefully no casualties… Istanbul news roundup…

Highway near Şirinevler… News in Turkish Good thing, no casualties reported. Metrobus (Turkish: Metrobüs) is a 50 km (31.1 mi) bus rapid transit route in İstanbul, Turkey with 45 stations which follows the city’s ring-road via Avcılar, Zincirlikuyu and the Bosphorus Bridge to Söğütlüçeşme using dedicated bus lanes for much of the route.[3] Fatih Sarmacısı: A Jelly Roll with … Read more

New democratic networks emerge [in French, Erkan quoted too] as “Turkish novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak accused of being Western stooges by pro-government press…

Turquie : les nouveaux réseaux démocratiques1   Un an et demi après la contestation de Gezi, où en est la démocratie en Turquie ? Et pour quelles nouvelles formes de mobilisations ? Journalisme citoyen, tweets et sites, mais aussi squatt-maison de quartier, face à un État de plus en plus autoritaire. Enquête multimédia interactive d’Eric … Read more

Pope Francis visits Blue Mosque…. İstanbul news roundup…

Pope in Istanbul ‘silent adoration’  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Pope Francis stands in “silent adoration” in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque alongside the city’s top Muslim cleric, on the second day of his Turkey visit. VIDEO: Pope Francis visits Blue Mosque  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Mark Lowen reports from Istanbul in Turkey on … Read more