More cruise industry heavyweights sign up to speak at niche event in Istanbul, as Turkey focuses on growing its share of the global cruise market.

Voyage Planning, Port & Land Programmes, SeaDream Yacht Club, Captain Vassilios Gazikas, Senior General Manager, Marine Operations, Louis Cruises and Giora Israel, Senior Vice President Port & Destination Development, Carnival Corporation have recently been added to the prestigious speaker line-up at the 2nd Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum, being held in less than seven weeks in Istanbul, Turkey. More >

Tarik Zafer Tunaya Cultural Center in Istanbul hosted the session “Iran’s Cinema of Today” on Thursday as part of Iran’s Film Week now underway in Istanbul.

Cosponsored by the Iranian cultural office in Turkey and Istanbul Municipality, the weeklong festival opened on October 10, the Persian service of MNA reported on Friday.

An explosion outside a gendarme station rocked Turkey’s popular Mediterranean resort region of Antalya Friday afternoon. A local government official told CNN one man who appeared to be a suicide bomber was killed in the blast.

The official from Antalya’s Goynuk municipality, where the explosion took place, asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The official said at least one person was slightly injured in the explosion.

The meeting will discuss building joint automobile, adopting special policies on energy and environment, standard of foodstuff and joint petrochemical projects.

The event will also seek to provide an opportunity for member states to exchange their experience, facilitate trade among them and promote trade of steel within the group.

The first round of the event was held in Iran two years ago.

Thousands of Turkish fans booed Maccabi Tel Aviv players as they went on the pitch to warm up ahead of their Europa League game against Besiktas on Thursday, prompting Turkish officials to start playing loud music to drown out the noise.

Security was tight at Besiktas’ Inonu stadium in Istanbul amid tensions with Israel over its refusal to apologize for a raid on a Gaza-bound ship last year that killed nine Turkish activists. More than 2,000 policemen were deployed in and around the stadium, NTV television said.

Turkish police in Istanbul clashed with scores of stone-throwing Kurdish protesters Thursday, after a peace rally organized by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party turned violent.

Police warned the mainly youthful protestors about carrying banners supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Some of the demonstrators, many wearing scarves to cover their faces, protested when ordered to go through security checkpoints.

The protestors threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, as police fired tear gas to break up the demonstration.

Leading Syrian opposition figures, encouraged by international support for their cause, met in Istanbul on Saturday to nominate a council that could aid in a transition of power if President Bashar al-Assad is toppled by an uprising against his rule. More >

Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Friday.

The lira stood at 1.7490 against the dollar by 0518 GMT, firming from a close of 1.7615 on Thursday.

The main Istanbul share index ended 0.16 percent lower at 52,967.67 points on Thursday.

The average compound yield on the benchmark May 15, 2013 bond <0#TRTSYSUM=IS>, closed at 7.93 percent on Thursday from 7.98 percent on Wednesday.

Syrian opposition plans to gather in Istanbul on Sunday in order to select a national council among all Syrian opposition committees. Ankara is not contributing to their gatherings but will be watching it closely, according to an official Members of the Syrian opposition are expected to form a national council Sunday as an alternative to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a gathering in Istanbul, according to likely participants.