★ "Israel is the 'greatest threat' to the region's stability and security," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

  Erdoğan and the Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS, discussed the Israel-Iran conflict and other regional and global issues during the conversation.

  The Turkish president said, "the international community's silence in the face of the occupation and genocide in Palestine has emboldened Israel in its lawless and aggressive actions."

  The same day, Erdoğan chaired a security meeting and evaluated the impact of Israeli attacks on regional and global security, along with possible contingency measures by Turkey.

  Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, head of the intelligence organization İbrahim Kalın, and other officials attended the meeting.

★ Pro-Palestinian activists from Turkey and several other countries were blocked in Egypt and Libya on Friday while attempting to march to Gaza as part of a campaign to protest Israel's blockade on the territory, organizers said.

  "Forty participants of the Global March to Gaza have had their passports taken at a checkpoint on the way out of Cairo," the organizers said in a statement. "They are being held in the heat and not allowed to move," the statement added, noting that 15 more were being confined in hotels.

★ Following the arrest of Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe from the opposition Republican People's Party, the Municipal Council voted for Eray Karadeniz, the candidate from the ruling Justice and Development Party.

  After the vote, Republican People's Party members described the outcome as an "intervention in the will of the people" and walked out of the chamber. Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe was elected in the local elections by the people's votes.

★ Ferdi Zeyrek, the recently elected mayor of Manisa city in Turkey's Aegean region and a rising figure in the opposition Republican People's Party, has died following an electrical accident at his home.

  There were claims that it was not an accident but a deliberate plot to kill him. However, an investigation by electrical and mechanical engineers refuted the claims.

  The investigation report said:

  The residual-current device, required at the main entrance of the building, was missing; there was water and moisture on the cables and connection points; the residual-current device located in the pool's electrical room was corroded and malfunctioning; and the distance between the pool's electrical room and the pool did not meet the standards.

  The 48-year-old architect-turned-politician passed away on June 9, 2025, just over two months after assuming office in a historic election victory for the Republican People's Party.

  During his short time in office, Zeyrek quickly gained a reputation for pushing forward transparency reforms in municipal procurement and launching urban renewal projects in earthquake-prone neighborhoods. He also served as President of the Union of Municipalities of the Aegean, a role he assumed in June 2024.

★ According to Bianet, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a press freedom advocacy group, announced that on June 13th, as part of an Artvin-based investigation in Turkey's Black Sea region, police took several people into custody.

  Among the detained are:

• Journalists Semra Pelek, Ozan Cırık, and Dicle Baştürk in Istanbul.
• Melisa Efe, a translator for the German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
• Ozan Cırık, who contributed to the website Sendika.org - "sendika" here means labor union.

  Didare Hazal Sümeli, one of the lawyers for the detained, stated that they do not know what the investigation is for since there is a confidentiality order.

★ Council of Europe: Hate speech and hate crimes are rising in Turkey.

  The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its sixth monitoring report on Turkey on June 12.

  The report stated that hate speech and hate crimes are rising in Turkey and urged Turkey to adopt a comprehensive strategy against hate crimes.

★ According to Euronews, Istanbul's jailed opposition Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his legal team boycotted a court hearing on Thursday after they claimed that a late change in venue for the proceedings was "unlawful."

  The case, one of many criminal allegations İmamoğlu is facing, was over comments the Istanbul mayor made on an expert witness regarding the prosecution of other officials from his Republican People's Party.

  İmamoğlu, in a post from jail, described the hearing as "irregular" and said it "does not comply with the principles of the trial. I refuse to be a part of such a process and therefore I will not attend this hearing."

  Prosecutors have requested a prison sentence of two to four years and a political ban on charges of "attempting to influence" an expert witness in the case. The hearing was adjourned to September 26.

★ According to Elmas Topcu of Deutsche Welle, Germany's official global broadcaster, concerns about religious freedom in Turkey have been growing since early June, when a new law gave the Religious Affairs Office the right to ban translations of the Quran that do not comply with its interpretation of Islam.

  Previously, President Erdoğan had granted this authority by decree, which allowed the Religious Affairs Office to classify some translations as "untruthful." But the decree was struck down by the Constitutional Court. The new law, however, has ensured that the office's power would be constitutional.

  Read the details Read more at >> here <<

★ According to Reuters, Turkey's high real rates contribute to the fight against inflation even as they harm economic growth, Omer Aras, an executive at the business group TÜSİAD, which this year clashed with President Tayyip Erdoğan, said on Thursday.

  In February, the Erdoğan administration had Aras and TÜSİAD chair Turhan arrested for meddling in politics.

  Read more at >> here <<

 

★ A wooden bust of Vladimir Lenin that mysteriously washed ashore in Akçakoca, Düzce, in 1993 and later vanished has finally been found. According to T24, the sculpture, which became the subject of public intrigue and even inspired a feature film, will go on display on June 21, according to an announcement by the Akçakoca Municipality.

  To mark the occasion, the acclaimed film "You, Me, Lenin"—which draws directly from the statue's strange backstory—will be screened in the town's open-air theater on the same day.

★ The 18th DOCUMENTARIST Istanbul Documentary Days started on June 14, marking another significant chapter in Turkey's most enduring documentary film festival.

  From its grassroots origins in 2008, DOCUMENTARIST has grown into a vital platform showcasing over 70 documentary works annually. It champions emerging voices through the coveted Johan van der Keuken New Talent Award and expands the cinematic conversation with masterclasses, panel discussions, and experimental showcases.

  This year's highlights include:

 

• A competitive "Turkey Panorama" section featuring first and second films by local directors vying for the New Talent Award.
• A rich lineup of "International Panorama" documentaries, representing diverse global perspectives.
• Special screenings and "retrospectives", showcasing both groundbreaking new films and visionary work from seasoned auteurs.
• A dedicated slate of "panels and masterclasses", designed to foster discussion around creative documentary practices, archival storytelling, and funding strategies.
• Cinematic spotlights on "human rights", "environmental concerns", "cultural identity", and "social activism", continuing Documentarist's long-held tradition of engaging with urgent societal themes.

  According to Ahmet Gürata, writing on the website of Fipresci, International Federation of Film Critics, as always, the festival remains proudly "independent", operating without state backing or corporate sponsorship. It continues to serve as a beacon for intellectual freedom—curating bold, socially engaged documentaries even amid growing pressures on Turkey's cultural landscape.

  Venues will be "Beyoğlu Sineması", "Institut français", "Metrohan", and the "French Cultural Center". Documentarist also maintains its dynamic spirit through outreach initiatives such as the touring "There Is No Other World" ecology screenings and the non-competitive "SaturDox" series.

  This year's edition promises to be a vibrant intersection of cinematic innovation, cultural dialogue, and political consciousness—a continuation of Documentarist's mission to showcase documentary as both art and catalyst.

★ Composer İlhan Usmanbaş passed away. He was 104 years old when he died. Fazıl Say shared the sad news on his X account.

  Pianist Fazıl Say, in his post on his X account, expressed his sadness at the death of İlhan Usmanbaş and wrote the following: "We lost our very valuable contemporary composer, İlhan Usmanbaş, today. I am deeply saddened. Usmanbaş (1921-2025) was 104 years old. We met with our teacher at the Darüşşafaka nursing home where he was staying during the pandemic. I had made an album of his piano and vocal works at that time, in February 2021."

  Fazıl Say reminded in his post that the artist's wife, Atıfet Usmanbaş, also passed away in 2022: "İlhan Usmanbaş was the pioneer of contemporary art and avant-gardism in Turkey. He had the title of state artist. Let us always protect his very valuable works. He will always live on with his works as a very important voice for Turkey. Our condolences to all. May he rest in peace, my dear teacher, İlhan Usmanbaş."

  Prof. Usmanbaş had won many awards for his works. He continued to educate young people as a faculty member until 2011.

  İlhan Usmanbaş also served as director at Ankara and Istanbul State Conservatories and translated the work "Genres and Forms in Music" into Turkish.

  He received the Fromm Music Prize (USA) in 1954, the Koussevitzky Prize (USA) in 1958, the Wieniawski Prize (Poland) in 1967, and the Ballet Music Prize (Switzerland) in 1969. He was also given the title of "state artist" in 1971.

★ Adviye Bal Art Studio brought art and tourism together. Adviye Bal, a famous painter in our country and internationally with her paintings using simple human figures, opened a showroom under the name of "Adviye Bal Art Studio."

  Many artists, collectors, and art lovers visited the venue in Taksim Gümüşsuyu. Bal stated that they opened this venue together with tourism professional Serhad Uslan. "We brought art and tourism together," he said. The artist will also use the venue as a workshop.

  Adviye Bal, one of the original artists of contemporary painting, spoke at the opening of the art studio as follows:

  "I decided to be an artist at a very young age. I received my higher education in geography but continued painting and sculpting. I received my second university education at Marmara University, Department of Painting and Sculpture. I participated in 28 solo and many group exhibitions, the first of which was when I was 16. I represented our country in Russia, Germany, and Japan."

  He added to his speech, "In addition to my workshops in Bolu and Istanbul, I will continue my work with Adviye Bal Art Studio. I am transferring a moment of the long story of human history, including the beginning, present, and future, 'that moment' to the canvas. I am making these paintings without a chronological order or without concern for directly narrating historical events. I am also using simple human figures."

  The person who encouraged Adviye Bal to open her third studio is famous tourism professional Serhad Uslan. There is a tourism office on the third floor of the same building.

  Stating that they converted the apartment on the ground floor of the building into a studio, he said, "I have been following Adviye Hanım's paintings for a long time. I have Adviye Hanım's paintings in my personal collection and on the walls of my hotels in Bodrum and Uludağ. I wanted her to open her third studio in Taksim. Because Taksim is the center of art in Istanbul. It is in the middle of the city and a very easy-to-reach destination. For this reason, we expect there will be a lot of interest."

★ "Let the World End Here" welcomes art lovers at Hasan Sarıtaş Gallery. The exhibition titled "Let the World End Here" brings an eco-poetic interrogation of contemporary art in Cyprus to life.

  The exhibition, which was held at the Hasan Sarıtaş Gallery in Caferağa, Kadıköy, between January 10-25, 2025, invited the audience to look at the world not only through a critical human eye but also from the perspective of the non-human.

  The exhibition "Let the World End Here" establishes an eco-poetic dialogue between the works of important names in Cypriot contemporary art and Emel Kaya's book of poetry "Let the World End Here." Everest Publications published the work.

  The exhibition aims to deeply question humanity's separation from nature and the Anthropocene era. An ant carries an insect on its back in a fire, and a lizard's tail turns to its angry and sorrowful people. This ant, "speaking from within the apocalypse," announces the lizard's call. Butterflies hit the glass and explode on the roads, and with the knowledge of these butterflies, the city's concrete, sirens, and buzzing, the human indifference to extinction is bravely discussed. If this indifference continues, the exhibition dares to say, "Let the world end here."

  Salamis Ayşegül Şentuğ-Tuğyan and Nihat Özdal are the curators of the exhibition. Rahme Veziroğlu, Uygar Erdim, Nurtane Karagil, İsmail Gökçe, Erdoğan Kavaz, and Sümer Erek's video, photography, and mixed media works, and Nihat Özdal's special scent for the exhibition are featured.

  The exhibition invites the viewer to look at the world not only with a critical human eye but also from the perspective of the non-human.

  Nilay Özer and Emel Kaya gave a talk, and then Erdoğan Kavaz gave a live performance. It was open to visitors between January 10-25.