TURKEY PRESS SCAN FOR MARCH 9

Third bridge could be used for rail transport

A third bridge that could be built within the framework of the Marmaray Project could be used for a new railway system, said the head of Istanbul’s public transportation directorate, the daily Bugün reported Tuesday. While debates are ongoing about a possible third bridge in Istanbul connecting the Asian and European sides of the city, Hayri Baraçlı, head of the transportation body, the İETT, said a possible third bridge could be used for a railway system because Istanbul’s current bridges might not be able to carry them. Baraçlı answered questions from an audience on the matter after giving a speech on the history of public transportation on Monday. Baraçlı said a new pricing system would be applied in Istanbul based on the distance passengers travel. He also said the new Metrobus line had contributed to economic transportation in Istanbul in that more than 240 tons of petrol had been saved since the line began functioning. Eighteen bus lines were cancelled and 11 were shortened after the Metrobus opened, he said. By using the Metrobus, each passenger has saved 52 minutes per day over the time they used to spend on roads, equaling 316 hours per year, he said. The Metrobus has also resulted in 80,000 vehicles being withdrawn from traffic, meaning 623 tons of carbon dioxide gases have been prevented from being released into the air, he said.

STAR

Suspect in hotel entertainer’s murder found not guilty

Oktay Konaksever, who had been detained in prison for the past 34 months after being accused of murdering a hotel entertainer in İzmir, has been released after being found not guilty of the crime, daily Star reported Tuesday. Tolga Güzelyalı, 31, was murdered outside his home in 2006. Konaksever was arrested after being linked to the victim’s mobile phone, which was found in a secondhand store. He was connected to the phone after the store owner told police that the phone was used to call a pre-paid credit line, checking to see if it was working or not, although he said Konaksever had not brought the phone in himself. After giving a statement, Konaksever was arrested and a case opened at the İzmir 3rd Criminal Court. Throughout the case, Konaksever stated that he had no connection with the murder and did not know who had murdered the hotel entertainer. He was eventually released after almost three years in prison. If he had been found guilty of the murder, he would have been sentenced to 27.5 years in jail. “I do not know how I will go back to my normal life,” Konaksever said after his release from jail. “The 50,000 to 100,000 Turkish Liras compensation is nothing compared to the 34 months I lost while incarcerated.”

HURRİYET

‘Weeping’ Virgin Mary icon draws a crowd

An image of the Virgin Mary that is said to “weep oily tears” has drawn many Christians to the home of a Turkish couple living in Paris, daily Hürriyet reported Tuesday. Esat and Sevim Altındağoğlu, a couple from the southern Turkish province of Hatay, live in the Garges-les-Gonesse suburb of Paris. Their home has been visited by scores of Christians who consider the weeping Virgin Mary “a small miracle,” Esat Altındağoğlu said. People with small pieces of cotton in their hands wait in line in front of the house to get a sample of the Virgin’s oily tears. The believers put the oil on various parts of their bodies as a remedy for various ailments. Sevim Altındağoğlu said she had a serious disease and got well after sharing her problem with the icon. Some women who do not have children had the oil rubbed on their bellies, daily Radikal reported in a story on the same topic. Sevim Altındağoğlu said a woman got pregnant this way. French clerics also reportedly visit the home to see the icon, which is drawing around 50 visitors a day to witness the oil pouring down from the image.

SABAH

Historical cistern being restored

Restoration work has begun on the historical Şerefiye water cistern located in Istanbul’s Eminönü district, daily Sabah reported Tuesday. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has started to demolish the Eminönü municipality headquarters in order to reveal the 1,565-year-old cistern. Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş announced that once the cistern is uncovered and restored, it will be open to the public as a tourist attraction. According to the mayor, the upper level will be transformed into an archeological park displaying all the findings from digs that will be carried out in the area. “It is time to bring to the surface 1,600 years worth of history,” Topbaş said. The Byzantine emperor Theodosius first constructed the reservoir, which was used to store water from the Bosphorus, in the fifth century, between 428 and 443. Historic records show that the Şerefiye cistern was connected to the Binbirdirek cistern, which also stored water from the Bosphorus. Following the demolition of the Eminönü municipality building, its offices will be joined with those of the Fatih municipality.

From the Anatolia news agency:

HURRIYET

8-MAGNITUDE DESTRUCTION

A 6-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern province of Elazig at 4:32 a.m., causing a massive destruction. 51 people were killed and 74 others were injured as the quake knocked down stone or mud-brick houses in five villages in the town of Kovancilar. The worst-hit area was the village of Okcular, where 17 people were killed. Another 13 people were killed in the village of Yukari Demirci.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed profound sorrow over loss of lives in the quake. "Unfortunately, mud-brick houses constitute the architecture in the region. We have given necessary directives to the provincial authorities to change architectural structure in the region," he said.

MILLIYET

MUD-BRICK HOUSES SWALLOW 51 PEOPLE

A 6-magnitude earthquake caught people in the eastern province of Elazig as they slept. Mud-brick houses collapse just like sand castles, burying people under rubble. They suffocated under debris of their houses. The quake lasted for about one minute. It was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Tunceli, Bingol and Diyarbakir. Residents in the worst-hit villages said that the air was thick with dust from crumpled homes and barns. The quake was followed by 110 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.5 and 5.1.

SABAH

6-MAGNITUDE DEATH WITH AN EPICENTER OF MUD-BRICK HOUSES

A 6-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern province of Elazig, shaking mud-brick houses in villages into piles of rubble. 51 people were killed and 34 others were injured in five villages. The pre-dawn quake lasted for about one minute and caused the worst damage in the villages of Okcular and Yukari Demirci. 84 aftershocks followed the quake.

LAND-MINE KILLS A SOLDIER

A soldier lost his life after stepping on a land-mine in rural area in Semdinli town of the southeastern province of Hakkari. Three soldiers were injured in the explosion.

VATAN

6-MAGNITUDE CLAIMS 51 LIVES

While the world escapes 6-magnitude earthquakes with minor damages, mud-brick houses in villages in the eastern province of Elazig razed to the ground, burying people under rubble. The 6-magnitude quake hit five villages in the province at 4:32 a.m. The destruction it caused was not seen even in Chile which was struck by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake a few days ago.

TURKEY TO PURCHASE 20 BOEING AIRCRAFT

The Turkish Airlines (THY) signed a final agreement with U.S. Boeing firm to purchase 20 737-aircraft. The order is valued at 1.6 billion USD at current list prices.

CUMHURIYET

5.9 MAGNITUDE CLAIMS 51 VICTIMS

Residents in the eastern province of Elazig woke up at 4:32 a.m. on Monday with a strong earthquake. The quake which was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Tunceli, Malatya, Bingol, Erzurum and Diyarbakir, killed 51 people including 3 children and injured more than 70 people. Aftershocks shook the province all day long. Freezing temperatures added to misery of quake victims. A tent-city was erected in the town of Karakocan. Turkish relief agency, the Red Crescent, sent tents, blankets and mobile kitchens to the quake-hit area. U.S. sources said that the magnitude of the quake was 5.9.

RADIKAL

NOT EARTHQUAKE, BUT DISASTER OF MUD-BRICK HOUSES

A pre-dawn earthquake with a magnitude of 6 hit villages in the towns of Kovancilar and Karakocan in the eastern province of Elazig. The quake ruined five villages, killing 51 people and injuring 74 others. A number of cattle also died in the quake. Both scientists and politicians admitted that it was not earthquake, but mud-brick houses which caused the disaster.

OPEFUL SIGNS IN INDUSTRY

Turkish Board of Statistics said that Turkey's industrial production rose 16.1 percent in January 2010 over the same month 2009.

TURKIYE

-- QUAKE CATCHES THEM IN THEIR SLEEP

Turkey experienced another quake disaster. A 6-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern province of Elazig at 4:32 a.m. and caught people as they slept. Mud-brick houses claimed 51 lives. Although it was not a powerful shock, the quake ruined three villages. Houses, most of them were made of stone or sun-dried bricks, could not bear the quake and razed to the ground.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that mud-brick houses was the real cause of the disaster in the quake. He added that they gave necessary directives to the Housing Development Administration (TOKI) to change architectural structure in the region.

ZAMAN

MUD-BRICK HOUSES BECOME GRAVE FOR PEOPLE

Turkey faced with the fact of earthquake once again. A 6-magnitude earthquake in the eastern province of Elazig knocked down mud-brick houses in five villages. 51 people were killed and 74 others were injured. As aftershocks continued to shake the region all day long, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned residents in the quake-hit area to stay away from the damaged buildings.

YENI SAFAK

COUNTDOWN FOR CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE

The constitutional amendment package topped agenda of the central executive board of the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party. AK Party executives will meet with opposition parties and non-governmental organizations this week. The package is expected to be brought onto parliamentary agenda by the end of March.

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