Among the first concerts scheduled across 26 European cities is a show in Istanbul on June 7th at the Turk Telecom Arena.

The Madonna 2012 World Tour begins May 29th 2012 in Tel Aviv, Israel it was officially announced by Live Nation Entertainment, the tour’s international promoter. The shows will include arenas, stadiums and special outdoor sights including the Plains of Abraham in Quebec and a return visit to South America as well as Australia where she has not performed in 20 years. The tour will stop in 26 European cities including London, Paris, Milan and Berlin.

The first of 26 North American shows is scheduled for August 28th in Philadelphia and includes a September 6th show in NY’s Yankee Stadium and an October 10th performance at LA’s Staples Center. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale beginning February 10th in Tel Aviv and the United Kingdom, with North American tickets going on sale beginning February 13th. Tickets for North America are available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. A complete itinerary of Madonna 2012 follows this release.

Madonna’s previous tour, the phenomenally successful “Sticky & Sweet” Tour reaffirmed her status as one of the most successful touring artists of all time. The historic tour included such incredible touring feats as a 70,000 seat sell-out in Werchter, Belgium, an 85,000 sell-out in Helsinki (the largest show ever in the Nordic countries by a solo artist), a 40,000 ticket sell-out in Oslo, Norway, and 72,000 tickets sold out in one day in Tallinn Estonia. Other record breaking ticket sales around the globe include 650,000 tickets sold in her series of South American dates, 72,000 tickets at Zurich’s Dubendorf Airfield – the largest audience ever assembled for a show in Switzerland, 75,000 tickets in London and four sell outs in New York’s Madison Square Garden (60,364 tickets).

The announcement of Madonna’s 2012 World Tour follows an extraordinary week which included a monumental extravaganza of a performance at the Bridgestone Super Bowl Halftime which was seen in over 200 countries by over a billion people. Last week also saw the release of Madonna’s new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin” from her highly anticipated new album MDNA on Live Nation Entertainment/Interscope Records – scheduled to be released on March 26th. Pre orders have already catapulted MDNA to No. 1 on iTunes in 51 countries including the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. The single’s video directed by Megaforce which also stars Nicki Minaj and MIA previewed on American Idol. Additionally, the Madonna directed Golden Globe Award winning film “W.E.” opened in NY and LA with other markets to follow later in the month.

“Madonna’s track record as a world class entertainer and touring artist speaks for itself. Her artistry, talent and creative productions get bigger and better with each tour and Madonna 2012 will be no exception. We are thrilled to have her back on the road and know her fans feel the same,” commented Arthur Fogel, CEO Live Nation Entertainment Global Touring and Madonna tour promoter.

In the course of her phenomenal career, Madonna has a record breaking 37 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart along with a record breaking 40 Number 1′s on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Song Charts. No other act has more Top 10′s on the Hot 100 or Number 1′s on the Club Chart. Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. She is a seven time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last CD “Hard Candy,” debuted at Number 1 in 37 countries including US, UK, Canada, France and Australia. Madonna 2012 World Tour is the Material Girl’s 9th Tour. Her first tour was the 1985 Virgin Tour.

Madonna’s recent Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” from The Weinstein Company film “W.E.” as well as “W.E. Music From The Soundtrack “W.E.” film have both been released digitally on Interscope Records. A physical release will be in stores in the UK on February 6th and on February 14th in the US.

US residents ordering tickets online to a US performance will receive their choice of a digital or physical copy of Madonna’s new MDNA album with every ticket purchased.

Citi® is the official credit card of the US leg of Madonna’s upcoming world tour. Citi® cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, Feb. 8th at 10am through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

Icon is Madonna’s official fan club. Lifetime Legacy members of Icon will receive first access to tickets and VIP Packages starting February 7, 2012. Registered free Icon members will have the opportunity to purchase an “Icon Live Pass,” which gives them access not only to ticket & VIP Package pre-sales, but also to a tour devoted forum and an exclusive tour gift. Fans can sign up for a free Icon membership at Madonna.com today.

VIP Packages will are available through VIP Nation, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. For more information please visit: www.VIPNation.com

viagogo, Europe’s leading secondary ticketing company (www.viagogo.co.uk), has been named as the Official Premium and Secondary Ticketing Partner for Madonna’s 2012 summer tour dates across Europe. viagogo will handle premium tickets for select shows this summer, offering fans the chance to see one of the most anticipated concert tours of the year. Fans that can no longer use their tickets will be able to resell them to other fans through viagogo’s secure online platform, and, as always, all tickets are guaranteed.

Bulgari, like the Ritz-Carlton brand, is under the Marriott Hotels umbrella. At Bulgari hotels, premium individuality is the rule. No detail is too small, no experience too grand: each intimate location offers guests an exclusive celebration of contemporary design and superior service.

Bulgari has already found a local investor and is scouting locations on the Bosphorus, according to Massimiliano Zanardi, general manager of Ritz-Carlton hotels.

“This will be a small boutique hotel with less than 100 rooms. It will have all the luxuries of the Bulgari label but will also have a style unique to Istanbul,” Zanardi said. Apart from the price of the real estate, there will be a 500,000 to 1 million euro investment per room, he said.

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts is the leading luxury hospitality collection in the world. Comprised of a few, selected properties in major cosmopolitan cities and luxury resort destinations, its aim is to convey the excitement of the Bulgari brand, its timeless glamour and its heritage of magnificent Italian jeweller.

Each hotel makes a strong reference to the local culture, yet be designed with an Italian contemporary luxury feel, enriched by rare and lavish materials, featuring design furniture and custom-built details.

Ilker’s new collection for this season is inspired by “reflections of emotions,” with high quality garments made from silk, taffeta, organdy and French lace which create an elegant look.  Ilker’s line will also include her bridal extension, “Silhouette Bride,” with a focus on reflecting the emotions behind “innocence,” and “purity.”  The bridal line will be light weight including wedding dresses, evening dresses, and even a more casual take on a mini wedding dress. This season’s color palette will integrate a contrast between red, black and dark blue, to pink, salmon and cream with an emphasis on romance.

Named after the Turkish designer herself, Seckin Ilker Fashion House was first opened in Istanbul, Turkey seven years ago.  Ilker began her career producing haute couture lines for her showroom, which attracted both local and international clients.  She later grew in to designing eccentric ready to wear collections and in 2010, she created her second brand, Silhouette Bride, for wedding and evening dresses.  Silhouette Bride has become one of the ‘must visit’ stores on Badgat Avenue in Istanbul.

After her last runway presentation, which took place at Cevahir Hotel in Istanbul, Ilker realized the growing international interest for her line, and as such, she will be opening stores in New York, Paris, Riyadh, Jeddah and Jakarata in 2012/2013.

The Seckin Ilker Runway Presentation will take place during Nolcha Fashion Week on Thursday, February 9th at 9:00pm at The Ailey Studioes 405 West 55th Street (at Ninth Avenue).

To request a press pass or schedule interviews, please contact: Nolcha@AMP3pr.com.  For more information visit: www.nolchafashionweek.com.

Never has the global sports industry been so competitive, so it is essential for senior sports business leaders to stay informed about the latest opportunities for growth and to make the most of insight from their peers.

The impressive speaker lineup at the IHT Sports Business Summit will provide important analysis on commercial opportunities in sport, and look at vital topics from the impact of new media technologies to how globalization and the rise of the BRIC nations is reshaping the sports business landscape.

Istanbul’s commitment to investing in sports also fits perfectly with the agenda of the summit. The city’s planned infrastructure investment over the next few years, including plans for ten major sports stadia, and a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics makes clear its ambitions to host the world’s most significant sporting events.

Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, publisher of the IHT, said: “We are excited to be holding this conference in the European Capital of Sport 2012. Istanbul is a dynamic, fascinating city and the ideal setting for our international event, particularly accessible to our loyal audience in Europe and Asia.”

The IHT Sports Business Summit is unique in that, as well as traditional conferences sessions, IHT sports journalists will host conversations with formidable sports leaders such as the Chairman of Chelsea FC, Bruce Buck and Jin-Sun Kim who is heading up the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The speaker lineup includes:

• Anders-Sundt Jensen, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Cars
• Bruce Buck, Chairman, Chelsea F.C.
• Christopher Clarey, Chief Sports Correspondent, International Herald Tribune
• Jin-Sun Kim, President and CEO, The Pyeong Chang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
• Dmitry Chernyshenko, President, Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee
• Ronald Noble, Secretary General, INTERPOL
• Richard Worth, Chairman and CEO, America’s Cup Event Authority
• Ser Miang Ng, Vice President, International Olympic Committee
• Richard Ayers, Digital Playmaker, Manchester City F.C.
• Edwin Moses, Chairman, Laureus World Sports Academy
• Rob Hughes, Sports Writer, International Herald Tribune
• Haroon Lorgat, Chief Executive, International Cricket Council
• Jim Small, Vice President Asia, Major League Baseball
• Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour
• Brad Spurgeon, Sports Writer, International Herald Tribune
• Marcus John, Global Head of Sports, MediaCom
• Poul Hansen, Head, United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace
• Killick Datta, Chief Executive Officer and President, International Brand Partners
• Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC
• Victor Cui, CEO and Owner, ONE Fighting Championship
• Ram Reddy, Owner, Deccan Chargers

The summit is in collaboration with Sport Business and in association with Sport 360.

The IHT Sports Business Summit brings together some of the most senior figures in the sports industry in conversation with the IHT’s renowned sports journalists for high-level learning, debate and discussion, as well as exclusive networking opportunities with Government ministers, sports federation leaders, investors in infrastructure and global sponsors.

About the International Herald Tribune (global.nytimes.com)
The International Herald Tribune (IHT) is the premier international newspaper for opinion leaders and decision-makers around the globe. It combines the extensive resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times, is printed at 40 sites throughout the world and is for sale in more than 160 countries and territories. Based in Paris since 1887, the IHT is owned by The New York Times Company. For more information about the IHT, visit nytimesglobal.com.

About The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company NYT -.00% , a leading global, multimedia news and information company with 2010 revenues of $2.4 billion includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, About.com and related properties. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

Istanbul became the setting for filming many series, documentaries, commercials and movies during the past two years.

The city boasted a total of 1,600 shoots for television series, films, documentaries and commercials in 2010 and 2011. Istanbul is like an open air plateau, according to Culture and Tourism Provincial Manager Ahmet Emre Bilgili.

Istanbul also hosted many international films and documentaries. The Culture and Tourism provincial manager said there were many recent developments in terms of film, series and documentary works in Istanbul.

While international teams visited Istanbul for daily and monthly broadcastings, international commercials and films also took place in Istanbul.

The upcoming James Bond flick, ‘Skyfall,’ is scheduled to begin shooting in Istanbul this spring and BMW sub-brand MINI was Istanbul for its new thirty-second promo film as part of the “Another Day. Another Adventure” campaign that kicked off last fall.

Istanbul has a perfect potential to serve as a setting for series, documentaries, movies and commercials. With its historical sites, the Bosphorus and cultural heritage, the city is like an open air museum.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com

The survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), of more than 600 leading real estate professionals across Europe, found Istanbul number one for investment and development. The popularity of the city is mainly attributed to its young, growing population and strong economic growth prospects. The survey states, “Turkey’s appeal is based on a long-term view of the future,” and says that with consumer spending on the rise, retail development in the country has high potential.

Istanbul is the new hotspots for property investors and developers, as much of Europe remains mired in a vicious cycle of low or no growth, mounting debt and drastic austerity measures.

Its popularity is due largely to its strong economic growth prospects and demographics (a young, growing population). Istanbul real estate Retail development in Turkey has particularly high potential, with consumer spending on the rise and an influx of major international companies. “Turkey’s appeal is based on a long-term view of the future,” says Emerging Trends.

In addition to Istanbul, the survey also found hotspots in the European real estate market to be Munich, due to its having the lowest rates of unemployment in Germany, and Warsaw, an Eastern European financial center. Berlin and Stockholm ranked in the top five as well, while London fell from second in 2011 to 10th in 2012. Moscow made the top 10 for the first time.

Photo by guillenperez

The state offices in Istanbul were shut down at 3 p.m., while the Trans European Motorway (TEM) was partly closed down due to extreme snowfall on the highway and ensuing traffic accidents. Sea transportation was also disrupted as many ferry trips were canceled.

A total of 71 traffic accidents occurred in Istanbul yesterday reported Turkish Daily News, killing one person and injuring 22 others. Istanbul’s Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) announced it increased its alert status to “red,” the highest alert level.

Photo by: Ingsoc

The project will be built within two years and will connect the Aşiyan neighborhood, which is along the Bosphorus, to the main Istanbul metro line via a 730-meter funicular that will connect to the end of the mini-metro line at Hisarüstü, outside Boğaziçi University.

The new metro will be able to transport up to 10,000 passengers per hour, Topbaş told daily Hürriyet.

18.2 percent of Turkey’s entire population, or more than 13.5 million reside in Istanbul, according to a recent annual demographic survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

Istanbul also leads the list with respect to the rate of urbanization, as 99 percent of the province’s population lives in urban settings.

The study also revealed an increase of about 1 million people in Turkey’s overall population that has now grew to more than 74.7 million people. That jump corresponds to an annual population growth rate of 1.35 percent.

Males account for 50.2 percent of the overall population, while the remaining 49.8 percent consists of females, according to the survey.

The documentary will be screened at Istanbul Modern along with films by fans re-creating Star Wars using film, animation, claymation, puppets, or Lego.

While “The People vs. George Lucas” combines footage of Lucas from his pre-Star Wars years, archival interviews, and comments from celebrities, it is the fans who provide the true amusement and sincerity.

There are those who know every line, every scene, indeed every shot, of the first three films by heart; and those who spend the little bit of money in their pockets to re-create Star Wars. But perhaps most important of all is their attitude: When Lucas said he wasn’t completely satisfied with the original version and released a slightly altered cut, and then filmed a new trilogy starting in 1999, for Star Wars fans it was as if their childhoods had been stolen and they had been betrayed.

This cultural study about the relationship between George Lucas and his fans that has been ongoing for 30 years is a unique and entertaining documentary full of heated interviews, stop-motion and 3D animations, Super 8 action figure films, puppet rants and fan films from around the world.
The documentary will be shown in English with Turkish subtitles.

When:
February 2 & 5
14.00: THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS
16.00: STAR WARS FAN FILMS

More info at the website