Omer Asik’s season appears to be over, which doesn’t constitute major news on its own, because the Turkish 7-footer’s minutes have steadily declined since he joined the New Orleans Pelicans three years ago, but it’s how his 2016-17 campaign is coming to a close that is both noteworthy and concerning. Asik reportedly contracted a bacterial infection in Mexico during the All-Star break, and while Alvin Gentry initially said the center’s health was not considered a serious concern, the Pelicans coach told ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier this weekend Asik “will be gearing toward the summer and next year, really.”

By Tove K. Danovich -  Liberty Orchards in Cashmere, Wash., which was founded by two Armenian immigrants, still makes Aplets & Cotlets, a variation of Turkish delight that includes apples, apricots and walnuts. In 1921, an ad in The Seattle Times touted a brand new candy called "Aplets," a new confection made "from the finest Washington apples and honey and walnuts." A few years later, Aplets were joined by "Cotlets," a similar candy made from an apricot base. In most of the world, "Aplets & Cotlets" were based on a treat called lokum, a word derived from Arabic, but the British and Americans know it as "Turkish delight."

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Osman Bayezid, the last Ottoman heir, liked to eat and throw dinner parties where circassian chicken, borek‌ and stuffed grape leaves were served liberally. His fondness for lavish Ottoman-style food was so much that when a doctor asked him to cut his meals, he went for the medical check-up with his coat's pockets full of coins. He knew he was going to be asked to step onto a weighing scale and then given a strict diet to follow. Bayezid thought it best to add a few artificial pounds so that he wouldn't be nagged about his weight in follow-up trips. "Oh, he had so many tricks up his sleeve," recalls Bosiljka Stevanovic, a longtime friend, in an interview with TRT World. "He would make you laugh and laugh and laugh."

British phone maker Vertu has long been considered unique because it designs and makes all of its devices on site at a small plant in the Hampshire countryside. Now the luxury tech company has been snapped up by exiled Turkish businessman Hakan Uzan for £50 million ($60 million), the Telegraph reported Monday. Vertu is known for making phones with sapphire screens, titanium frames and leather cladding that can cost up to £40,000 apiece. Included in the deal is a concierge on speed dial.