Asil Nadir denies Polly Peck Theft Charges

Image (Reuters) - Turkish-Cypriot businessman Asil Nadir, who returned to Britain last August after 17 years abroad, on Thursday denied theft from his failed Polly Peck business empire on charges dating back to the 1980s. The 70-year-old tycoon pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey to 13 charges, including theft of 33.1 million pounds and $2.5 million from the business between 1987 and 1990.

Kanat Kutluk-Turkish Businessman Shines in Dubai

Image Kanat Kutluk (KK) a really successful business man who is experiencing the life in Dubai, shares with us his story in this interview of Dubai Profile News (DPN) Blog. After managing 12 years a MN company for sure his words counts.
DPN: Kanat you are a successful professional working in ECOLAB in a high managerial position today, for more than 12 years. How is it to work in the same company for such a long time?
KK: It is something really pleasant. Nowadays, business environment networking is crucial both inside and outside of your company. The more time you spend in the same company and you work in different regions, the more you have the chance to get to know more colleagues and clients that enables your operation and strengthens your career. Of course, there are downsides of it as well.

Pera Expands to New York City's Soho

ImagePera Mediterranean Brasserie, the stylish midtown Manhattan boite, serving New York City's most exciting Eastern Mediterranean cuisine since November 2006, will open a downtown outpost at 54 Thompson this November. Located at the corner of Broome Street, Pera Soho will occupy a 3,000-square foot space bathed in natural light from two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, one of which will overlook the 2,000-square foot garden, slated to open for outdoor dining during spring 2012. While Pera Soho's menu and design will incorporate some of the stylish signature elements of the original restaurant, both will draw inspiration from the chic, energetic vibe of the neighborhood. The kitchen will be overseen by the Turkish / American team of Metin Calisir and Nathan Crouser, whose authentic Eastern Mediterranean preparations are complemented by dishes infused with New York City culinary flare.

Turkmen Leader Meets Turkish Businessmen, Approves New Projects

Image Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on Wednesday met with a number of leading Turkish businessmen who have undertaken massive projects in the key Central Asian nation, approving the construction of three state buildings by Turkey’s Renaissance Holding.
 
Executives from Polimeks İnşaat, Engin Grup, Cotam Enterprises, Erku International Contracting and Construction, Lotus Energy and Norsel International LTD were all present at Wednesday’s meeting, which was held at the president’s Serdar residence.

Pera Food Truck Obtains Liquor License

Image As food trucks continue their growth spurt, one such operator has just added a new twist to the trend. The Wall Street Journal  reports that The Turkish Truck, based in New York City, has just received its liquor license, the first in the city to do so.

The truck, typically located in Central Park, will begin selling beer, wine and spirits today. It is owned by Burak Karacam, who also owns Pera Mediterranean Brasserie restaurant.

Karacam called the license a “precedent-setting privilege.”

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Airport Chief Urges London Business School Students to 'Think Global, Act Global'

Image Students at London Business School's Dubai campus were last week treated to a one-off talk by Sani Sener, CEO of TAV Group, a Turkish airport holding company. The Turkish businessman has headed up TAV Group since its inception ten years ago. In this time, Sener has led the successful acquisition and growth of operating rights for its ten airports in international markets.

His lecture, which was received with great interest by London Business School's students, explored the main tenet of his success, to 'Think Global, Act Global' and how to use a motivated team to fulfil an ambitious business strategy.

Trouble Brews for Anglo Irish Bank Over Turkish Businessman's Mark Hotel Deal

Image The Anglo Irish Bank has pulled out of a loan deal with one of the most exclusive of New York’s hotels, accepting a discount of $100 million on the loan in order to extricate itself from the deal. The $300 million loan deal connected to Manhattan’s luxury Mark Hotel was sold for just $190 to Dune Real Estate Partners investment firm.

Despite the sale, the heavily indebted hotel remains tangled in a complex legal case with Anglo Irish. Legal proceedings against the bank were brought by developers Izak Senbahar and Simon Elias in early 2011. The developers claim that Anglo Irish breached a $500 million loan deal between them that was supposed to fund the redevelopment of three hotels in Manhattan; the Mark, Flatolel and Alex. They argue that Anglo should not be allowed to sell the loans to a third party, and are demanding $1 billion in damages.

Terzioglu Awarded for Release of Journalists in Iran

Image Uğur Terzioğlu, chairman of the Turkish-American Business Association (TABA/AmCham), was officially recognized Saturday with the title of honorary member of the Diplomaten International (DMW e.V.) for his role in facilitating the release of two German journalists who had been detained in Iran for over four months.
 

The two journalists, Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch were detained by the Iranian government on a slew of serious charges including espionage and attempting to undermine Iranian national security. “I was contacted by DMW managers who were given my name by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany,” said Terzioğlu at an organization in İstanbul Saturday arranged by the Aspen Institute Italia. “They were told that I was someone who might be able to assist in negotiating the release of the journalists.” “The two journalists did nothing wrong,” said Mr. Terzioğlu, who was able to learn through connections that the journalists had been charged with entering the country with tourist visas and not journalistic visas. “They probably would have spent nine months or more in prison pending trial had their release not been negotiated.”

Forbes Turkey Selects the 100 Wealthiest Turks, Karamehmet Tops The List

Image Forbes Turkey magazine has released its "Top 100 Wealthiest Turks" list for 2011. The magazine said that the total fortunes of Turkey’s 100 richest people had increased from last year’s 87 billion USD to 104 billion USD this year. Mehmet Emin Karamehmet, with his fortune reaching 4 billion USD, topped this year’s list. The businessman’s total wealth amounted to 2.9 billion USD in 2010.

Semahat Arsel from Turkey’s leading Koc family, whose fortune has grown to 3 billion USD, and last year’s wealthiest Husnu Ozyegin, chairman of Turkish conglomerate Fiba Holding, shared the second position in the ranking.

Rahmi Koc, with his wealth expanding to 2.9 billion USD, followed them in the Forbes list. Forbes is a privately held publishing and new media company. Its flagship publication is Forbes, a bi-weekly magazine, with a circulation of over 900,000.
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