Category: World

  • Best 10 Must See Attractions In Istanbul

    Best 10 Must See Attractions In Istanbul

    Here is a list of 10 tourist attractions that you do not should miss visiting when goiong to Istanbul.

    istanbul1

    There are a lot of hotels in Istanbul, which offer excelent service.

    1.St. Sophia- It is among the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture, well-known tourist attraction in Istanbul. Once a church, than became a Mosque and now it is a Museum. The interior of the museum is decorated with splendid Byzantine mosaics. While visiting the museum, you’ll want to spare some time to find out the upper gallery, where you need to climb up a path interior the building. The upper galleries give the very best perspectives inside the St Sophia. This is also where you can see the great mosaics and ambience of the church. It is much more interesting from the second floor and also a pictured summary of the historical past of the Church might be observed on this floor.

    2.The Blue Mosque it really is one of probably the most prominent landmarks of Istanbul. It is fairly impressive with its attractive domes and semi domes, nice courtyards and six slender minarets. Sultan Ahmet 1 founded the Blue Mosque. It was built between 1609- 1616 and also it had been named following him. The entire complex was completed in 1616.

    3.Topkapi Palace it is absolutely the perfect looking palace in Turkey. House for the Ottoman Sultans, is now a perfect location to be a Museum to reflect the glory of Ottoman Empire, Sultans and their way of lifestyle.

    4.The Basilica Cistern- Underground waterway was used as a reservoir for water storage for that Great Palace and other buildings. It is 132 m length, by 65m wide. There are 336 columns in the cistern. Most from the column capitals are both in Corinthian or Doric Model.

    5.The Grand Bazaar (Kapalicarsi in Turkish)- it is one of the most the largest covered markets in the globe with its 4400 stores in 64 roads and with 22 gates . It’s a real heaven for shoppers. It would seem like a labyrinth at very first sight but it’s actually not that complicated.

    6.Dolmabahce Palace-The phrase “Dolmabahce” in English indicates “The filled garden”, due to the fact the Dolmabahce Palace is founded upon a reclaimed area by filling up the sea. It’s a beautiful 19th Century palace right by the Bosphorus, on the waterfront. It is in baroque and rococo model and very French. Some people consider that it is actually a small version of the palace of Versailles in Paris, France.

    7.Miniaturk -Istanbul incorporates a Maquette park which has began to function as of April 23rd,2003. The mini Turkey park is often known as Miniaturk and have mini models of ancient ottoman architectural operates in Turkey. On miniaturk Turkey’s prosperous historical and cultural heritage is being displayed with their maquettes.

    8.Chora Church (Kariye Camii in Turkish)- it may be the most exciting Byzantine church afterwards St. Sophia in Istanbul. The importance of the church does not come by the design itself , the frescoes as well as the mosaics are amazing and reflect the magnificent heritage of Byzantine Artwork.

    9.Hippodrome-this is the square in entrance of a Blue Mosque. It truly is one from the most well-known parts in Byzantine Constantinople. You can find a variety of monuments in Hippodrome Area. Probably the most attractive one is the “Egyptian Obelisk”.

    10.The Galata Tower – Until the 1960s Galata tower was a fire lookout tower. Now the upper floors hold an uninteresting restaurant-nightclub, and a panorama balcony. It provides the most effective panoramic views of the city

    Articlesnatch

  • World News: Rival site to WikiLeaks planned

    World News: Rival site to WikiLeaks planned

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    Openleaks, The Rival of Wikileaks

    * * * www.openleaks.org 13 Aralik 2010 Pazartesi gunu yayina basliyor.

    STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec. 10 (UPI) — Former insiders at WikiLeaks in Europe say they plan to set up a rival site, Openleaks, to allow whistle-blowers to leak information to the public anonymously.

    Unlike WikiLeaks, the new site will not host leaked documents itself but will act as a middleman between whistle-blowers and other organizations, including media outlets, RIA Novosti reported Friday.

    GALLERY: Top 10 new revelations from Wikileaks

    “Our long-term goal is to build a strong, transparent platform to support whistle-blowers, both in terms of technology and politics, while at the same time encouraging others to start similar projects,” an Openleaks organizer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

    “As a result of our intention not to publish any document directly and in our own name, we do not expect to experience the kind of political pressure which WikiLeaks is under at this time,” the source told the newspaper.

    WikiLeaks workers sabotaged the site earlier this year to convince its founder, Julian Assange, to step down, the newspaper said.

    “We broke from WikiLeaks because a few ex-WikiLeaks members have been very unhappy with the way Assange was conducting things,” Herbert Snorrason, a former WikiLeaks member and key player in the new site, was quoted as saying by Dagens Nyheter.

    Assange was arrested in London Tuesday and his extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on sex assault charges, is pending.

    © 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

  • GORDON BROWN: “TURKEY IS SET TO JOIN THE RANKS OF THE WORLD’S EMERGING ECONOMIC POWERHOUSES”

    GORDON BROWN: “TURKEY IS SET TO JOIN THE RANKS OF THE WORLD’S EMERGING ECONOMIC POWERHOUSES”

    Beyond The CrashDue to its fast growth, Turkey will soon join the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – as an emerging power of the global economy, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says in his book “Beyond the Crash,” published last week. The growth of Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, and Mexico will bring these countries to the same level as the BRIC countries, Brown says in his 315-page book, which gives his views on various domestic and global economic issues. /Hurriyet Daily News/

    TPR, 10.12.2010
  • Babacan Confident Turkey Will Be Europe’s Fastest Growing Economy In 2010

    Babacan Confident Turkey Will Be Europe’s Fastest Growing Economy In 2010

    Turkey

    ANKARA (A.A) – Turkish State Minister for economy Ali Babacan said the 9.8% rise in Turkey’s October industrial production showed it was time to make an upward revision in Turkish Government’s 2010 annual growth projections.

    In his address at the 5th Sectoral Economy Council meeting, Babacan said Turkey’s industrial production index saw a higher than expected surge in October, a major indicator in his words promising an annual growth surpassing the government’s projections.

    Babacan who pointed out that the Turkish economy grew 11% in H1, said OECD projected an annual growth of 8.2% for Turkey in 2010. He said IMF expected Turkey to grow 7.8% while EU projected an 7.5% annual growth.

    “Regardless of from which point you look at, Turkey will be the fastest growing economy in Europe this year and the next year,” said Babacan.

    Turkey’s statistical board, TurkStat, announced Wednesday that the country’s industrial production index rose 9.8% year-on-year in October.


    Wednesday, 8 December 2010

    A.A

    Turkish Weekly

  • Nonstop from Washington: Istanbul

    Nonstop from Washington: Istanbul

    New nonstop service isn’t the only reason to visit this ancient city.

    The Mosque

    WHY NOW
    Turkish Airlines started nonstop service to Istanbul from Dulles in November, making it easier to visit one of the world’s most fascinating cities.

    First-time visitors may be surprised at the size and beauty of Istanbul, a city of 13 million built on hills with sea vistas on all sides. The world’s only major city to span two continents—Europe and Asia—Istanbul is divided by the Bosphorus Strait.

    Once known as Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, it became the center of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Today’s Istanbul blends the minarets and mosques, churches and palaces of the past with the energy of a modern metropolis.

    WHAT TO DO
    On the European side are the classic sights, such as the Old Town’s Sultanahmet Square and theBlue Mosque, named for the extraordinary blue tile work inside. The domes and six minaret spires, built from 1609 to 1616, are city symbols.

    Hagia Sophia is nearby. An icon of Christianity, the church is a feat of design and engineering from the sixth century; its nave is topped by a 184-foot-high dome.

    From there it’s a short walk to Topkapi Palace, built by Sultan Mehmet II from 1460 to 1478 and the home of Ottoman sultans for 400 years. Courtyards and pavilions offered lavish space for the sultans and their harems. Highlights include the throne room and the treasury, with its 86-carat Spoonmaker’s Diamond.

    Other sights include Suleymaniye Mosque, built in the 1550s for Suleiman the Magnificent, and the colorful stalls of the Spice Bazaar, dating from the early 17th century.

    Plan Tours’ City Sightseeing Tour is a hop-on, hop-off bus that offers an overview of the rest of Istanbul with English narration. From Sultanahmet Square, the open-top bus crosses fisherman-lined Galata Bridge and travels uphill to Taksim Square in the Beyoglu district, the heart of the new and fashionable. Take a walk down one of Europe’s busiest shopping streets, pedestrian-onlyIstiklal, lined with cafes and shops—from designer boutiques to an NBA shop and a fish market. You’ll see women in head scarves and others in miniskirts mingling peacefully. Ride the old-fashioned tram back up the hill to rejoin the bus and continue through old Jewish and Muslim neighborhoods and past ancient city walls.

    Marble-domed Cemberlitas Baths in the Old Town is a popular place to experience the steaming and massaging of a Turkish bath. A boat ride on the Bosphorus offers a memorable view of the city skyline. TurYol boats offer 90-minute cruises from the Eminonu pier near the Old City side of the Galata Bridge.
    DON’T MISS
    The Grand Bazaar—one of the world’s oldest shopping malls, operating since the 1400s—is a labyrinth of thousands of shops and stalls in the Old City selling everything from tourist souvenirs to fine jewelry, ceramics, and carpets. Be alert for pickpockets, and be prepared to bargain.
    WHERE TO EAT
    Seafood is king in seaside Istanbul, and meals often begin with mezze, small Turkish dishes. In the Old Town, Balikci Sabahattin is an upscale place to sample both seafood and mezze.

    The setting and Turkish/French cuisine also are excellent at Sarnic, a converted vaulted Byzantine cistern.

    For a more modest tab, try the kebabs and other specialties at Buhara 93, and for a special lunch, visit pretty Pandeli upstairs over the Spice Bazaar.

    Want to splurge? Seasons at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet is the place for continental fare as well as local specialities.
    WHERE TO STAY
    Hotels near Sultanahmet Square are convenient for sightseeing. Nine restored 19th-century houses make up the atmospheric 64-room Turing Ayasofya Konaklari (rooms from $104). Ottoman Hotel Imperial offers comfortable rooms in a restored 1800s school (from $138 with breakfast).

    The modern Hotel Golden Horn Sultanahmet has many online specials (from $125 with breakfast). For celebrity followers, the city’s best-known hotel, Pera Palace in Beyoglu, is fresh off a renovation (from $368).

    This article first appeared in the December 2010 issue of The Washingtonian.

    Washingtonian

  • PayPal says US advised it to stop Wikileaks payments

    PayPal says US advised it to stop Wikileaks payments

    paypalPayPal has said that its decision to stop users from using its service to make donations to Wikileaks was made after advice from the US government.

    A senior official at the online payments firm said the State Department had told it that the activities of the website were illegal in the US.

    PayPal suspended payments to Wikileaks last week, and has been followed by Visa Europe and Mastercard.

    Amazon and Swiss bank PostFinance have also cut ties with Wikileaks.

    PayPal’s clarification came from the firm’s vice-president Osama Bedier.

    He said the company had carried out its actions after receiving a letter from the State Department, adding that it was a “straightforward” decision.

    PayPal is owned by US online auction giant eBay.

    Legal threat

    On Tuesday, Mastercard said that it was suspending payments to Wikileaks “until the situation is resolved”.

    Datacell says Visa and Mastercard’s decisions could harm its own business

    This was followed by Visa Europe on Wednesday, which said it would be carrying out an investigation into the whistle-blowing website.

    Visa Europe said it wanted to determine whether the nature of Wikileaks’ business “contravenes Visa operating rules”.

    Both companies are now facing the threat of legal action from the IT company that enables Wikileaks to accept credit and debit card donations.

    Swiss-based Datacell said it would move immediately to try to force Visa Europe and Mastercard to resume allowing payments to the whistle-blowing website.

    Datacell added that Visa Europe and Mastercard’s actions could harm its own business.

    A spokeswoman for Visa Europe said it would not be making any comment regarding Datacell at this time. Mastercard has also yet to make a statement.

    Mastercard has, however, commented on claims that pro-Wikileaks internet hackers had brought down its website.

    Mastercard said there was “no impact” on people’s ability to use their cards for transactions.

    Datacell’s chief executive Andreas Fink urged Visa to “just simply do their business where they are good at – transferring money”.

    Datacell added that the suspension would last for an initial seven days, but this has yet to be confirmed by Visa Europe.

    The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, was arrested in London on Tuesday, connected to sexual assault allegations in Sweden.

    He was refused bail, but has vowed to fight extradition.

    via BBC News – PayPal says US advised it to stop Wikileaks payments.