★ On July 21, BTK, Information, and Communication Technologies Authority of Turkey, published a ruling in the Official Gazette and banned new advertisements on Twitter by taxpayers residing in Turkey. BTK wrote that they decided to ban advertising due to the failure of Twitter to fulfill its obligation to designate representatives in the country.

  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video are among the companies that decided to open representative offices in Turkey within the scope of a new law that went into effect in October 2020.

  Critics say the law is for muzzling criticism of the Turkish government and its policies.

★ On July 19, A group of shopkeepers in Adana province in southern Turkey commemorated the inventor of modern air conditioning, Willis Haviland Carrier, on the occasion of the 121st anniversary of the invention.

  The group also distributed sweets to the public in the Çukurova district in front of a banner saying, "We pay homage to Willis Haviland Carrier, who invented the air conditioning, on this hot, difficult day."

 

★ Student Selection and Placement Center of Turkey on July 20 announced the university entrance exam results, which almost 3 million students took, reported the daily Duvar. The average correct answer in the 40-question Turkish test was 20, while it was only 8 in basic math.

  The Union of Educators said that results reveal alarming scores in all fields.

  The government has been trying to make university education non-selective and easily accessible to conceal dramatic rates of youth unemployment in the country by postponing the labor force participation of young people.

  >> here <<

★ Donkeys are helping municipality teams in the Artuklu district of Mardin, a southeastern province of Turkey, to carry the garbage as the steep and narrow streets of the city are not suitable for vehicles.

  The municipality has decreased the working time of donkeys from six to five hours for the summer season in the face of scorching heat.

  These days, the peak temperatures hover between 105 and 115. To save them from the scorching heat, the donkeys take a break between 11 A. M. and 3 P. M. and work five hours instead of the regular six.

  The Artuklu donkeys retire after six years.

★ Years after they were dismissed from universities by Turkish government decrees, administrative courts have finally started to rule for the reinstatement of members of the "Academics of Peace," reports the Turkish daily Duvar.

  However, academics now face another barrier. Although it is compulsory for universities to implement the judicial rulings within 30 days after their delivery, several of them have not yet reinstated the academics to their jobs.

  Academics for Peace refer to professors dismissed from universities through statutory decrees after signing a 2016 petition named "We will not be a party to this crime!" The petition called for an end to the conflicts between the military and Kurdistan Workers' Party that were going on in Kurdish majority southeast Turkey.

  Kurdistan Workers Party is a rebel organization, and Turkey, the U. S., and the European Union, among others, consider it a terrorist entity.

★ Economy:

★ In their final sentencing opinion, a Turkish prosecutor has demanded up to 40,462 years in prison for the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Özer, over the charges of aggravated fraud, forming a criminal organization, and money laundering.

  Özer fled Turkey with about $2 billion in 2021. Last year, Albanian authorities returned him to Turkey.

★ President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia on June 17 as he toured wealthy Gulf Arab nations for investment and funds, hoping to revive the economy in Turkey, which has struggled with a weakened lira, heavy deficits, and chronic inflation.

  He returned to Turkey on July 19.

  Cabinet members and other top Turkish officials accompanied him on his trip.

  Turkish press reported that Mr. Erdoğan secured $50.7 billion in investments from the Gulf countries. Analysts say this may help Turkey in the short term, but Turkey has to undertake structural reforms to save its economy.

  Mr. Erdoğan has worked to repair diplomatic ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the last two years after a decade of strained relations over Turkey's support of political Islam and pro-democracy movements in the Middle East. Turkey also sent troops to Doha when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates blockaded Qatar in 2017.

  Last month, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek traveled to the United Arab Emirates to discuss "economic cooperation opportunities" with counterparts, and they met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Ankara said.

  Gulf Arab states have launched ambitious plans to diversify their economy from oil, hoping Turkey would help to develop local industries and technology transfer.

★ On July 20, the Central Bank of Turkey announced it increased its policy rate from 15% to 17.5%. The announcement said that the Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank decided to continue the monetary tightening process to establish the disinflation course as soon as possible, to anchor inflation expectations, and to control the deterioration in pricing behavior.

  The announcement added: While global inflation is declining, it remains above long-term averages and targets of central banks. As a result, many central banks continue the monetary tightening process. In Turkey, recent indicators point to a continuation of the increase in the underlying inflation trend.

  The increase reversed the low-rates policy of President Erdoğan, which partially fueled inflation, reaching at one time over 180%. Independent economists calculated that annualized June inflation is 108.6 %, considerably higher than the 17.5% policy rate. Therefore, economists think that it will not make any difference in curbing it.

  Read the Tweet by the bank >> here <<

★ According to Bianet, with harvests falling due to drought almost by half in Spain and Italy, the two countries that provide more than half of the olive oil production and exports of the world, Turkey is expected to multiply its olive oil exports.

  However, with a last-minute decision, a fee of twenty cents will be deducted from olive oil export revenues for a fund to support the Turkish lira and price stability.

  Dr. Mustafa Tan, the National Olive and Olive Oil Council of Turkey Chairperson and member of the counseling committee of the International Olive Council, says that Turkey has enough products to break records in exports both this year and the next.

  He also says they also want to increase the export of packaged products. However, he says, the export of bulk olive oil should not be made difficult when there is a surplus. He added that last-minute decisions such as the 20-cent fee makes things difficult for Turkish exporters.

  He said that Turkey reached $750 million of revenue in olive oil exports and took second place in the world after Spain.

★ A few new concerts and performances we heard about that will occur in Turkey:

  DJ Adam Beyer will be at Maximum UNIQ Açıkhava in Istanbul on August 4. He is a Swedish techno producer and founder of Drumcode Records.

  Chris Avantgarde will take the stage at Klein Phönix Park in Istanbul on August 12. Chris plays electronic, dance, alternative, and indie music. He hosts a weekly radio show which has a weekly audience of 11 million, making it the most listened-to weekly techno broadcast in the world.

  He is a classically trained jazz pianist from Germany. Josh Gigante and Onurcan Kaya will accompany him on the stage.

  On August 13, New York-based singer-songwriter Two Feet will be at KüçükÇiftlik Park in Istanbul. Zachary William "Bill" Dess, known by his stage name Two Feet, is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from New York City. He performs electronic and alternative rock music.

  On August 18, Common Culture will present Park Rituel, featuring Acid Pauli and Parallelle at Klein Phoenix. The event will open with Menachem 26 and Mertkan AKD. Acid Pauli is a German DJ that explores new fields of music of the mainstream paths: psychedelic, adventurous, and full of musicality. Parallelle is two brothers who use music to connect people and show the world's beauty. They are from the Netherlands. (Hear their music on SoundCloud >> here <<

★ Swissotel The Bosphorus in Istanbul has organized the picnic and gathering featuring Kerala Dust, The Away Days, Can Molti, Menachem 26, Moojo, Cüneyt Öztürk, Djuma Soundsystem, Ezgi, Hedonutopia, and Janus Rasmussen.

  In addition to live music performances, the event will feature gastronomy, mixology, lounging, and workshops.

★ Dialogue in the Dark is one of the world's most exciting life-changing experiences where the blind guides the visitors in absolute darkness.

  You get a chance to experience daily environments from a completely new perspective when you enjoy a walk in the park, take a boat cruise, or visit a cafe in specially designed darkened rooms.

  Daily routines become exciting, and the roles reverse where sighted become blind and blind become sighted.

  They have many locations in the world, and one of them is in Istanbul at the exhibition place at Gayrettepe Metro station.

  Read more about the related events >> here <<

★ In the Turkish capital Ankara the following events will take place tomorrow (July 23):

• Alpalooza Festival on the Middle East Technical University campus will feature: 
  • the French electronic duo KAS:ST,
    
  • Sezer Uysal with melodic techno music, People Like Us with different music genres,
    
  • Second Groove with genres such as deep house, indie dance, nu disco, Afro house, indie dance, and organic house styles, and ISMEN
    
• Şanışer & Sokrat St will be at "6:45 KK Ankara" and will perform Turkish rock.

• On July 29, Gökhan Türkmen will be at Milyon Performance Hall. He sings pop and funk rock.
• Adamlar, a Turkish rock music band, will be at Congresium in Ankara on August 1.
•  Hedonutopia, a Turkish d indie electronic music band from Istanbul, will be in Ankara on August 4 at Cermodern.
• On the same day, QUE SAKAMOTO will perform at Vortex Art Club, featuring electronic music.
• Vortex Art Club will have an event on July 28 featuring electronic music artists UGR, UTKU MUMCU.
• The legendary Turkish rock music group Duman will perform on August 1 at Congresium.

★ When discussing events in Turkey, we cannot leave out Izmir, the third-largest metropolitan area. Here are a few events there.

•  The Izmir Tango Marathon took place today at the Atatürk Open Air Theater. We do not have the results yet.
• Izmir Arena will feature Redd and Tuğkan with their exhilarating songs on August 1.
• Sertab Erener, the Turkish diva who won the Eurovision song contest, will be in Izmir on August 10. She will perform at the Open Air Theater in Narlıdere, İzmir.

★ Archaeologists unearthed a settlement of seven dwellings in the Milas district in the southwestern province of Muğla in Turkey. The settlement dates back to 1600 years ago and is in the ancient city of Herakleia.

  Dr. Zeliha Gider Büyüközer, the head of the excavations, said that the occupants of the dwellings were fishermen.

  Herakleia was once a port city. However, when river Meander silted the estuary the ancient city is on and formed Lake Bafa, Herakleia lost its importance, and the population decreased. However, it continued to exist until the 13th century.

  One of the dwellings had a bathroom, Dr. Büyüközer pointed out, an unusual feature for this time. She says they also discovered that the dwellings had glass windows.

  Among other finds are:

• Fine cooking utensils and tableware,
• Metal nail assembly and hinges, showing that the roof and doors are wooden,
• Personal items, jewelry, and hair pins, xLead and terracotta fishing net weights.

  "From the bones and shells found, we detected that they consumed a lot of shellfish and seafood, and sheep and cattle," Dr. Büyüközer added.

★ In the archaeological excavations in the 3,000-year-old Lagina Hecate Sanctuary, work continues to unearth the largest sanctuary and temple built in the name of the goddess Hecate. Archaeologists are also investigating the destruction caused by the great earthquakes that occurred in the ancient period.

  The excavations in Lagina started 132 years ago by Osman Hamdi Bey in the Yatağan district of Muğla and is the first archaeological excavation led by a Turk.

  According to Greek mythology, Hecate was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria, from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. Hecate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the night with flaming torches. See more >> here <<

★ Archaeological excavations in the Komana Pontika Ancient City in the Turkish central Anatolian province of Tokat provide information about the gastronomic heritage as well as the history of the city.

  Dr. Burcu Erciyas, head of the excavation at Komana Pontika, said that they dug up charred wheat, barley, grapes, apricots, almonds, and walnuts, as well as chicken, sheep, and goat bones were found during the excavations..,

  She said they organized an event titled "Journey to the Gastronomy Heritage of Tokat" on the 20th anniversary of their archaeological research in the ancient city. The Osman Pasha Mansion Application Kitchen, the Central Black Sea Development Agency, and the Komana Ancient City Excavation team worked together on the project.

  Dr. Erciyas stated that Deniz Şahin, the chef of the "Simple Five Seas Cuisine Nişantaşı" with a "Michelin Bib Gourmand" award, cooked dishes inspired by the plant and animal remains unearthed in the Komana excavation and dated to the Danishmend-Seljuk period.

  "Under the leadership and support of Black Sea Development Agency Provincial Coordinator Mehlika Dicle, Tokat will take place in the international arena as a stronger national gastronomic city with agency cooperation," she added.

★ In an unexpected turn of events during a natural gas excavation in Denizli, western Turkey, an ancient sarcophagus has been unearthed, leaving archaeologists and historians intrigued by its potential historical significance, reports the Anatolia News Agency.

  The discovery occurred in the Kale district, where excavation work was underway. As the excavator bucket dug into the ground, it unexpectedly snagged the sarcophagus lid, putting the excavation on hold. Authorities quickly intervened to protect the relic, recognizing its possible value as a historical artifact.

  The mayor notes that the district is home to the Tabea Ancient City.

  Experts from the Denizli Museum directorate will examine the sarcophagus further.

Ankara, in central Turkey        : 95/66 Mostly Sunny
Antalya, on the Mediterranean    : 111/86 Mostly Sunny
Erzurum, in Eastern Turkey       : 86/57 Thunderstorms
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey : 95/79 Mostly Sunny
Izmir, on the Aegean             : 102/81 Mostly Sunny
Trabzon, on the Black Sea        : 82/73 Thunderstorms

Black Sea measured at Trabzon         : 76
Marmara Sea measured at Tekirdağ      : 77
Aegean Sea measured at İzmir          : 84
Mediterranean Sea measured at Antalya : 83

★ "The Sultans of the Net wrote an epic" was the headline in a Turkish sports paper. It was referring to the success of the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team in the championships of the Volleyball Nations League competitions held in Arlington, U.S.

  The Turkish players returned to Turkey and then did in Istanbul during the day. A band, media members, and fans greeted them with flowers.

  The Sultans of the Net beat the Chinese team 3 to 1 in the finals.

★ Two more volleyball news:

  Under 17 Men's Volleyball National Team of Turkey beat Estonia 3-0 in the U 17 European Championships in Montenegro.

  They will play the Belgian team on Sunday.

  Under 22 Turkish Women's National Team beat Austria 3-0 in its first game in the European championships qualifiers in Chekia.