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UberBOAT, Rescued baby, and seagulls in Istanbul

Uber launches on the Bosporus

Ride service Uber is hitting the Bosporus Strait, ferrying passengers between continents.

The service, utilised by a mobile app which allows users with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then shared with drivers, will be known as UberBOAT, and can be activated when a user stands on the Bosphorus shore.

A local boat company, Navette-Tezman Holding will compete with the tankers and cruisers that dot the strait to take customers to their chosen destination.

Millions make the intercontinental trip each day, with public ferries serving around 20 routes. An underground metro tunnel and two suspension bridges help convey the heavy traffic - with another tunnel and third bridge under construction.

Uber’s water taxi service will start at 50 liras ($19), with each boat having the capacity for 7 to 10 passengers.

A spokesperson from the company said Uber was a good addition in the fight against Istanbul’s traffic problems.

UberBOAT


Baby rescued after floating out to sea 

Baby Melda’s parents will be thanking their lucky stars after their daughter’s dramatic sea rescue.

Ten-month-old Melda Ilgin was floating in an inflatable near her parents in the Aegean Sea when winds pushed her away from the shore.

The baby drifted more than half a mile out to sea. Beachgoers tried and failed to reach the girl, before a rescue boat arrived and scooped her out of the water.

A video posted to YouTube shows the rescue.


The case of the disappearing Russians

Two Russians have recently disappeared in the Antalya region - with one happy ending so far.

A teen vanished while visiting the ruins of Guney Castle in the Gazipasa district. Seventeen-year-old Arthur Dalshiy and his family were on a guided tour of the ruins, which date back to the Middle Ages, when his family noticed he was missing and called the 112 emergency hotline.

Search and rescue teams are currently scouring the area to turn up any clues as to the youth’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, another Russian visitor terrified her sister and au pair after going for a swim in the evening and proceeding to vanish. Nursing student Anastasia Mamutova went for a dip at 7pm last Saturday. A few hours later, her sister and their au pair, realising they hadn’t seen her in some time, began to panic, and contacted the authorities.

Turkish maritime police began a search of the area, but it was motorcycle police scouring the coastline who spotted the Russian woman sitting on a bench and identified Anastasia, who was quickly reunited with her sister.


Seagull causes chaos on Istanbul motorway

A seagull taking a stroll on a motorway unwittingly caused a nine-vehicle-pile up in Istanbul early on Wednesday morning.

The dramatic crash was captured on CCTV and clearly shows the seagull ambling onto the D100 motorway in the Mecidiyekoy district and taking its sweet time to make its way to the other side.

When a driver slammed on his brakes to avoid the bird, they were rear ended by another car. More cars collide until a string of rear-ended cars are blocking two lanes of the motorway. The road was closed to traffic until the mess was cleared up, causing major traffic disruption.

One driver was taken to hospital. The seagull escaped unharmed - but presumably shaken by his dramatic experience.

Seagulls in Istanbul


Man mistakenly listed as dead fights for his life

A 46-year-old Turkish man wrongly listed as dead by authorities has spent the last decade trying to prove he’s actually alive.

Sinan Avci, who lives in the east of Turkey, retired early in 2003 after an epilepsy diagnosis. When he failed to withdraw his disability pension a year later, he discovered that Turkey’s Social Security Fund (SSK) had him listed as deceased.

However, Avci was very much alive, and has spent the last 10 years in a legal battle to prove the fact - harder than you might think when you can’t get a job due to your deceased status.

Known by locals as “Sinan, the dead”, the man has been relying on neighbours and family for financial help.

This week, Avci has finally managed to convince the authorities of his live status, and now faces the uphill battle of trying to get his disability benefits back.

"What else should I do? I proved that I'm alive but should I now cut my arms or legs to prove I'm disabled?" he said.

He also called on authorities to investigate why he was declared dead to begin with.


Two rounds of coalition talks to take place

Prime Minister Davutoglu has acknowledged that coalition negotiations would take place in two rounds.

“Nothing would be completed in one round. One who says ‘a result will be yielded in the first round,’ would take the easy way out. It means that one who says ‘This matter will be completed in the first round,’ is already ready to refuse,” Davutoglu told reporters on Friday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is tipped to invite the Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Davutoglu to form a government in the coming days. This will be the beginning of a 45-day period to form the government.

There has been speculation that Turkey could make an unprecedented return to polls if the PM is unable to form a government. If an early election is called, it would most likely be held in November.

Davutoglu

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