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Daybreak: Protests Erupt in Turkey

Plus Alicia Keys confirms Israeli concert, Lou Reed recovering, and more

by
Stephanie Butnick
June 03, 2013
Protestors gather on Taksim square on June 2, 2013, a day after Turkish police pulled out of Istanbul's iconic square following a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. (BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
Protestors gather on Taksim square on June 2, 2013, a day after Turkish police pulled out of Istanbul's iconic square following a second day of violent clashes between protesters and police over a controversial development project. (BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

• This weekend’s massive anti-government protests in Turkey, which erupted in response to government plans to turn Istanbul’s Gezi Park into a shopping complex, were shut down by the government with water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray. [Reuters]

• Syria, meanwhile, has issued a travel warning advising citizens not to enter Turkey. Insert pot/kettle line here. [CNN]

• Alicia Keys confirmed she will still perform in Tel Aviv on July 4, despite calls for her to boycott. [Arts Beat]

• Competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut can add pastrami king to his resume after winning the World Pastrami Eating Championship, part of the festivities celebrating the 125th anniversary of Katz’s Deli. [The Lo-Down]

• 71-year-old Jewish rock star Lou Reed is recovering after a liver transplant at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic. [AP]

• “I call it Jewish rock and roll:” The Times profiled 56-year-old Dani Lubnitzki, Israel-born emcee at Lower East Side staple Sammy’s Roumanian Steak House. [NYT]

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.