Friday, 23 January 2009These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on January 23, 2009. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
HURRIYET
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METAL WAVE
Turkish police have detained 35 people including a union leader, military and police officers in 15 provinces under the Ergenekon probe. Police searched the Turkish Metal Union and the Eurasia TV (ART) buildings. Turkish Metal Union chairman and ART Executive Board president Mustafa Ozbek is among the detainees. He said that it was illegal.
KUCUK RELEASED
The High Criminal Court in Istanbul has decided to release writer Professor Yalcin Kucuk and Independent Republican Party (BCP) Deputy Chairman Engin Aydin as it ruled that documents collected from his house did not include any evidence. Kucuk and Aydin were detained during the 10th wave of the Ergenekon probe on January 7.
OH GOD, WE ARE LUCKILY ALIVE
People have narrowly escaped disasters in Ankara and Istanbul. A six-story construction site collapsed in Ankara because of negligence. Luckily, no one was killed. But six people were injured. In Istanbul, a giant window fell from the fifth floor on people. Six people were injured in the accident. A 19-year-old university student is in life-threatening condition.
MILLIYET
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POLICE DETAIN 37 IN ERGENEKON'S LATEST WAVE
It was alleged that 37 people, who were detained within the scope of the 11th wave of Ergenekon investigation, were the names mentioned in Special Forces Department's former chief Ibrahim Sahin's assassination plans with "S-1 code". Officials said that 12 of the detainees were police officers and 6 of them were army members.
YALCINDAG'S AND KOC'S SECOND TERM IN TUSIAD
Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag was re-elected the chairperson of Turkish
Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association (TUSIAD) at the 39th General
Assembly of the association. Mustafa Koc, head of TUSIAD's Supreme Consultative Council, will also continue his duty for one more term.
Speaking at the general assembly, Yalcindag said that "improving the
liquidity and awakening the demand" were essential steps in order to get over the current crisis as soon as possible.
SABAH
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CHP'S MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN ISTANBUL KILICDAROGLU
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced that its mayoral candidate for Istanbul will be Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Kilicdaroglu's name will be announced on Friday at a formal ceremony. Kilicdaroglu's strong opposition has caused difficulty for the Justice and Development (AK) Party government recently. Several AK Party officials had to resign after Kilicdaroglu's opposition.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT TURKEY'S EU BID, EP OFFICIAL
Martin Schulz, the president of the Socialist Group at the European
Parliament, said that they would continue to support Turkey's EU bid. Schulz met with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Deniz Baykal in Ankara on Thursday. "The goal for Turkey, with no doubt, is full membership in the EU," Schulz said.
VATAN
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KILICDAROGLU, CHP'S ISTANBUL CANDIDATE
Republican People's Party (CHP) chairperson Deniz Baykal chose Kemal
Kilicdaroglu as his party's candidate for Istanbul Mayor. Kilicdaroglu has been drawing attention with his studies on corruption issue recently. Kilicdaroglu's name was also mentioned in latest polls conducted by CHP in Istanbul.
SAHIN WAVE IN ERGENEKON
A total of 20 police officers from the Special Forces unit and army officers, who have connections with former police chief Ibrahim Sahin, were detained in operations waged in 15 provinces within the scope of the 11th wave of operation Ergenekon.
The operation, which was conducted 15 days after the 10th wave, covered major cities such as Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, as well as Turkey's southeastern provinces.
CUMHURIYET
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OPERATIONS IN 16 PROVINCES
In the 11th wave of the Ergenekon probe, police have raided a trade union, a TV channel and houses. More than 30 people including Turkish Metal Union leader Mustafa Ozbek, nearly 20 army and police officers were detained in the simultaneous operations in Ankara, Istanbul,Bursa, Tokat, Igdir, Kahramanmaras, Sivas, Isparta, Van, Elazig, Antalya, Siirt, Hakkari, Sirnak, Izmir and Hatay.
The prosecutor said that it was possible that there might be more detentions.
CRISIS CRITICISM
Turkey's leading business association has criticised the government for underestimating economic crisis. Speaking at the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSBIAD) general assembly meeting, Mustafa Koc said, "Turkish society has still been dealing with the issues of headscarf, the closure case and the Ergenekon probe. We could not concentrate on the crisis yet. Now, local elections are coming up. The government has assumed an attitude about the crisis by denying it."
Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag, who was elected chairperson of the association for the second time, also warned the government that Turkish economy was at the point of standstill.
RADIKAL
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ARZUHAN DOGAN YALCINDAG ELECTED TUSIAD PRESIDENT OF EXECUTIVE BOARD AGAIN
Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag got elected the President of the Executive Board of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) again. "As the Turkish business world, we are obliged to understand the present term and dynamics. We are still unsure about at what stage the global economic crisis is," Yalcindag said. We believe that certain steps must be taken in Turkey to help the economy that virtually came to a standstill, Yalcindag also said.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS SELL AS MUCH AS ORDINARY DESKTOP COMPUTERS IN TURKEY
Laptop computers are selling as much as ordinary desktop computers in
Turkey. Computer experts believe that the number of laptop computers sold would exceed the number of ordinary desktop computers in 2010 in Turkey. Declining prices and the convenience in carrying light computers have boosted laptop computer sales.
TURKIYE
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40 DETENTIONS IN 16 PROVINCES
Police have arrested army and police officers, unionists, journalists and researchers in the 11th wave of Ergenekon probe only 15 days after the 10th wave. Detentions followed police raids in 30 different places. Five army and 17 police officers were detained after their telephone conversations with Ibrahim Sahin, former chief of Special Forces unit, were tapped. Mustafa Ozbek, who has been serving as leader of the Turkish Metal Union for 33 years, and two police chiefs are among the detainees.
LET'S LEAVE DOMESTIC DISPUTES ASIDE AND CONCENTRATE ON CRISIS
Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag has been elected chairperson of the Turkish
Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) for the second time. She said that Turkey must leave domestic disputes aside and concentrate on crisis since impacts of the global crisis seemed to continue longer than expected. She called on the government to sign a deal with the international Monetary Fund (IMF) as soon as possible and make a cut in tax rates.
ZAMAN
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VIOLENCE IN TURKISH SCHOOLS DECLINE
Violent incidents in Turkish schools have declined by 57 percent. While the number of violent incidents in Turkish schools was 3,014 between 2006 and 2007, this number dropped to 1,483 between 2007 and 2008.
TURKISH SCHOOLS TO GO ON WINTER BREAK ON FRIDAY
All elementary and high schools in Turkey will go on winter break as of today. 15 million students will receive grade cards. Around 600,000 teachers will also go on winter break. Spring term will begin on February 9.
YENI SAFAK
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NO CHANGE IN "SCENE ON JULY 22"
A recent survey conducted by Genar revealed that there had been no change in the rates of the votes collected by political parties in July 22 elections.
According to the survey aiming to bring to light the tendencies of voters for the upcoming March 29 local elections, Justice and Development (AK) Party's votes would be around 47.5 percent while Republican People's Party's (CHP) votes would be nearly 23 percent and Nationalist Movement Party's votes (MHP) would reach 13.7 percent.
S1 WAVE IN ERGENEKON
Police wiped off "two special teams" set up by former head of the Special Forces unit Ibrahim Sahin, who was detained while he was getting prepared to wage 12 assassinations. Simultaneous operations were waged in 13 provinces early on Thursday upon the demand of prosecutor Zekeriya Oz. 8 army members and 8 police officers, whose names were listed in the intelligence document, "S1" that was found at Sahin's house, were detained in the operations.
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Friday, 23 January 2009
Anadolu Agency
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