Coutdown have been started for the great tennis challange. While tennis fans were waiting impatiently, authorities stated that preparitaons have been completed for the Women Circuit Tennis Tournament which will be held at Culture Park Tennis Training Center between 13th and 19th of July with the prize of 10.000 dollars. Qualify games will start on 11th of july. Pemra Özgen will be the leading representative of Turkey in the tournement. Beautiful tennis players from Ukraine, Russia, Portugal, Israel, Bulgaria, Greece, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and many other countries are going to compete with each other.

Lattre Magalli, Keren Shlomo, Sofia Kvatsaba, Avgusta Tsybsheva, Manana Shapakatze, Lara Rafful who are in world rankings are also going to compete in the championship. This is not going to be only tennis event in Izmir. 18 Year Old Europe Summer Cups Tennis Championship will be held in Ornekkoy Tennis Training Center between 29th – 31st july. Teams from Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina will compete in this championship. Tennis players who are succesful in this event will go to Spain between 25th and 27th of september for the final games. İdil Hacıraifoğlu, Cemre Anıl and Dilara Yurtkuran who are from Izmir are going to be representatives of Turkey.

British singer-songwriter Robin Gibb, who gained worldwide fame with the pop band the Bee Gees, is scheduled for a concert as part of the 21st edition of the İzmir International Festival next week.

The artist, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, will take the stage on July 9 at 9:30 p.m. at the Çeşme Open-air Theater. Tickets are available on www.biletix.com and at festival box offices.

Werner Stamplun, administrator of the German Rhein-Erft county, stated on Monday that they expected the businessmen of Aegean city of Izmir to invest in their region.

Stamplun paid a visit to Aegean Region Chamber of Industry (EBSO) to explore the further investment and cooperation opportunities between Izmir and German city of Cologne, especially in areas of energy and chemistry. Underscoring that there were intense investments in Rhein-Erft region concerning these two sectors, Stamplun said they wanted to improve the current economic cooperation with Turkey, focusing on areas such as bio-gas, bio-energy and chemistry mainly.

Meanwhile, EBSO chairman Tamer Taskin stressed that they might hold talks with entrepreneurs of the Rhein-Erft region prior to the Turkish-German Industry Congress in Cologne next November.

The old port town of Smyrna, with its cosmopolitan culture used to be known as the Paris of the Orient less than a century ago. Though it lacks that level of cosmopolitanism, it still is a relaxed, business minded town. Some call it: İzmir the infidel

As summer approaches, tourists as well as Turks make their way down to the coastal and seaside areas of Turkey. For those heading to places such as Çeşme, Bodrum, Ephesus or Kusadası, İzmir is one of the popular destinations on the western coast.

The old port town of Smyrna, with its cosmopolitan culture used to be known as the Paris of the Orient less than a century ago. Though it lacks that level of cosmopolitanism, it is still a relaxed, business-minded town where people greet each other in the morning saying “hayırlı işler” (have a good business). Some call it: İzmir the infidel.

Our culinary adventure begins in İzmir's historic flea market. Walking down a street filled with hardware and electronics stores, we find ourselves at Adil Müftüoğlu's Uğur restaurant, a half-century veteran of İzmir's restaurant scene. Müftüoğlu, who served as the chair of the local restaurant association in İzmir, is retired now. His son is the cashier and his grandson is in the kitchen. And many waiters have been working here for several years.

Uğur restaurant, known as Adil, among locals is a recently upgraded place: a clean and minimalist restaurant with high ceilings, linen tablecloths covered with a slab of glass. Black and white pictures of the old town decorate the walls. We are greeted by one of the friendly, knowledgeable waiters. Typical of many traditional Turkish restaurants, we have to go to the back to select from a menu of daily specials. Our waiter is apologetic today. They do not have the full thirty specials that are supposed to change daily. He blames the heat wave.

Adil is listed among Turkey's top 10 restaurants for kuru fasulye-pilav: the traditional Turkish staple (navy beans with rice). This is apparent when a plate of beans in tomato sauce, onions and olive oil arrives at the table. One of our favorites is deniz börülcesi, a slender cactus that grows on seashores or in salt marshes. Though it shares its name with green börülce (green black eyed beans), it belongs to a class of pulses very much loved in Turkey both as a fresh vegetable in pods and later dried. Cooked with tomatoes in olive oil, it is truly delicious.

Adil has remained successful even though it does not serve alcohol and is only open for lunch. The only reason for its survival is the quality of food and affordable prices. Let's hope that it stays open for another fifty-two years.

Adil Müftüoğlu Uğur restaurant

‘Iraq should maintain security'

Iraq is Turkey's neighbor and that is why it is important to maintain security and stability there, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson said yesterday. Otherwise the country will continue to pose a terror threat, he told reporters during a meeting with İzmir Governor Cahit Kıraç. Wilson also noted that Turkey and the U.S. were waging a joint fight to end terrorism. İZMİR-Anatolia news agency

June 27, 2007

The 66th Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) since 1939 will be held during October 22-26, 2007 in Izmir, Turkey at the Hilton Hotel. The Government of Turkey will host the meeting.

The theme of the 66th Plenary Meeting is Strategies for National Competitiveness. Representatives of the International Trade Centre in Geneva, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association , Sofitex, Dunavant Enterprises, and the private sector and government of Turkey will speak to issues regarding strategies for national competitiveness in textiles and garments and cotton production.

Persons from the private sectors of China (Mainland), India and the U.S. will speak about the outlook for cotton supply and use and the characteristics of their industries contributing to increased competitiveness.

There will be a robust discussion of the trade and development aspects of cotton in the Doha Round led by a member of the WTO Secretariat and a trade policy advisor from the government of Turkey.

The Social, Environmental and Economic Performance (SEEP) of Cotton Production, the Outlook for Cotton Supply and Use, a Technical Seminar: The Vision for Technology in 2025, Biotech Cotton Situation and Solutions, Instrument Testing, International Cotton Trade Rules, Demand Enhancement, Price Risk Management in Cotton and the Effects of Global Warming on Cotton Production are other topics scheduled for discussion.

International Cotton Advisory Committee

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Tourists are flocking to historical places and sightseeing spots in Turkey as summer begins. The ancient city of Ephesus in İzmir's Selçuk district is becoming a center of attraction for domestic and international tourists worldwide. There are many different activities and sightseeing spots to visit throughout Selçuk.

The ruins of Ephesus, the best-preserved ancient site in the world, are among the favorites. The well-preserved ruins include the theatre, the Hadrian Gate, the Celsus Library, the Street of Curetes, the Fountain of Trajan, and the Odeon. The House of the Virgin Mary is located on top of the Bulbul Mountain nearby. It is believed to be the last home of the Virgin Mary, and was proclaimed a place of pilgrimage by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul the II, and Pope Benedict XVI. The Ephesus Museum is another must-see for antiquity lovers. Located in the town center, this appealing museum preserves many archeological treasures such as the marble statue of Artemis, statuettes of the phallic god Priapus, and other treasures.

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The heart of the automobile world will beat for the “4th Automobile and Light Trade Vehicles Fair,” which will be held between 15-20 May 2007 in İzmir's International Fair Center.

In total 27 designs from 62 firms will be featured at the fair, which is organized by Association of the Automotive Distributors and İzmir Fair and Culture Activities (İZFAŞ). Last year approximately 70 firms and 32,654 people attended the fair. The fair, which is also called the Motor Show, will host the latest in design and technology, futuristic prototypes and concept vehicles, in addition to demonstrations and entertainment. Some of the entertainment includes professional models and dance performances.

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