Municipal and police officers again patrolled the area together Wednesday. DHA photo

Tension still high over Istanbul table raids

by ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires

Tension remains high between municipality officers and business owners in Istanbul?s Beyoğlu district over the recent removal of outdoor tables and chairs at restaurants and cafes in the area.

A documentary on Asmalımescit

Beyoglu Authorities Turn the Tables on Outdoor Seating

from Istanbul Eats by admin

Late afternoon on Sofyali Sokak, the restaurant-crowded street in Beyoglu?s Asmalimescit district, is usually happy hour ? two for one tequila shots, raki glasses clinking, half-liters of Efes hoisted. But today, in the aftermath of a Beyoglu-wide crackdown on outside seating that left the street bare of a single place to sit outside outside, the scene was palpably unhappy. (The ?before and after? photo above is of Sofyali Sok.)

Stripping The Streets Bare of Culture

from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White

I know there are more important things going on in Turkey ? PKK attacks, for one ? but these stories are well covered in the news, both in Turkish and English. The news below might sound trivial in comparison, but Sofyalı Sokak, a narrow alley beginning at the Tünel end of Beyoglu,  is one of my favorite places to eat and relax in Istanbul.

Beyoğlu bar owners protest removal of outdoor tables

by ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Angry bar and restaurant owners in Istanbul?s Beyoğlu district staged a protest Wednesday to demand that municipal officials explain a number of raids to remove the proprietors? outdoor tables and chairs.

Municipality says raids were ‘right’

by ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The Beyoğlu Municipality has defended the raids it organized to remove outdoor tables and chairs from some bars and restaurants in the central Istanbul district.

Istanbul Cracks Down on Outdoor Eating, Drinking

Voice of America

July 29, 2011 Istanbul Cracks Down on Outdoor Eating, Drinking Dorian Jones | Istanbul, Turkey Local authorities in Istanbul have been seizing outdoor tables at local bars and cafes while customers are still eating and drinking in one city’s mos

 In other news:

Arab spring fuels tourism boom for Turkey

from World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk

Tourists from Gulf countries prefer Istanbul and Black Sea coast over usual summer destinations of Egypt and Syria

The Arab spring is fuelling a Turkish summer as Saudis, Kuwaitis and other tourists from the Gulf states who would have previously spent summers in Syria or Egypt look further north.

Figures from the Turkish ministry of culture and tourism show bookings from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are up by 75% and, with the beginning of Ramadan days away, hotels in Istanbul and the northwestern city of Bursa are fully booked.

Marchers demand better protection for women in Turkey
CNN International
Istanbul (CNN) — Hundreds of people in Istanbul called on Sunday for the Turkish government to be more proactive about protecting women from domestic abuse. People in the crowd carried mock coffins and wedding dresses as they marched down one of the

Prison Instead of School – Work Instead of Play

from Bianet :: English
A group of non-governmental organizations prepared a report on “The Socio-Economic Situation of Children Released from Prison” about children who were taken into police custody or imprisoned under the Anti-Terror Law between 2006 and 2010.

State of the Nation: Happiness, Intolerance, Fear

from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
This post was extensively updated.
The results of a new study, The Turkey Values Survey, has caused a stir in Turkey. It shows a rise in conservative attitudes (though not a rise in religiosity), especially towards women (and by women), and high intolerance toward people with other beliefs and lifestyles (although ideological differences play little role these days).  There has been a significant decline in trust in the military and police and a rise in trust in elected government. It also shows that people are less willing to stick their necks out by signing petitions or attending legal rallies. People are worried about economic issues, losing their jobs, and their phones and emails being secretly scanned by the state. Interestingly as many people are worried about civil war as are worried about losing their jobs. Yet they?re relatively happy.

Turkey: Trying to Balance Urban Renewal and Residents’ Rights

from EurasiaNet.org – Turkey by dcox

The central Istanbul neighborhood of Tarlabaşı has long been labeled a no-go area, a safe haven for shady business, even a ?terrorist?s nest? for the banned Kurdistan Workers? Party. An ambitious urban renewal project hopes to scrap that image and introduce five-star hotels, upscale shopping facilities and office lofts.

Being Jewish in Turkey, before and after the Mavi Marmara (part 2 of 2)

New Family Ministry Tackles Violence Against Women

from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
Good news. The new Family and Social Policies Ministry, which had replaced the ministry on women and which I had feared would put women?s individual rights back into the realm of ?family problems?, has taken up the burning issue of violence against women with some concrete proposals and investigation of why the state has so often failed to protect them. (See the numerous examples on this blog under ?Women?.) Click here for full article.

Turkey Tourism Report Q3 2011

by Acturca
Business Monitor International (UK)
12 Jul 2011, 64 pages
Foreign tourism has got off to an impressive start in 2011, with the most recent data for the first four months of the year showing a buoyant increase of 21% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the number of tourist arrivals. Most of Turkey?s top tourism markets recorded strong growth with arrivals, in particular from Germany, Russia, France, the UK and the Netherlands, all up sharply y-o-y.

World Bank President Media Q&A with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Ali Babacan

from Turkey | World Bank

Transcript

Media Q&A

Ankara, Turkey

Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group President

Ali Babacan, Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for the Economy

July 20, 2011

MR. BARACAN:  [Interpreted] Distinguished members of the press, we are pleased to host the President of the World Bank Group, Mr. Zoellick.