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NATIONAL
TODAY’S ZAMAN 03
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ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ
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KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ
28° 28° 31° 23° 28° 32° 29° 28° 29°
‘Environmental NGOs taking larger role’
The majority of environmental NGOs in Turkey are interested in areas such as the protection of nature, biological diversity, forests, erosion, sea and coasts.
Civil society organizations have been taking increasingly important roles in creating public awareness on environmental problems of the world and Turkey, with their numbers growing here in recent years, a new study has stated. The study, titled "Environment and Civil Society in Turkey: Organization and Latest Tendencies," was conducted by Bahçeþehir University instructor Hande Paker and researcher Gençer Baykan and was released on Wednesday. According to the study, one-third of the environmental organizations in Turkey are in Ankara, Ýstanbul and Ýzmir. The study noted that while the number of environmental organizations established between 1925 and 1995 was 136 this figure jumped to 439 in the 1995-2007 period, which means the number of environmental organizations established in the last 12 years is three times greater than the number established in the 70 years previous to this period. The research also shows that the proportion of environmental NGOs among all NGOs in Turkey is only 0.7 percent, or 575 out of the total 78,608. The study noted that the majority of environmental NGOs in Turkey are interested in areas such as protection of nature, biological diversity, forests, erosion, sea and coasts but that they are weak in areas such as mining and the nuclear energy debate. The study pointed out that the state may not have provided ample room to NGOs to voice their ideas on these topics. Some newly established NGOs are beginning
Turkish researchers make highly conductive boron wire project offers an alternative to the already existing methods used in the production of boron wire. A few firms in the world control the production of conductive boron wires and do not allow other entrepreneurs to work in this domain. With our project, we have succeeded in breaking this monopoly up," he said. Gençer also called on Turkish industrialists to examine the project. "We expect our industrialists to evaluate this technology and are ready to share its details with them. We have developed the necessary technology and device, but need support from the state or the public sector so that it can be used in industry. I cannot disclose more information on the project as we are working on patenting the technology, but I can at least assure our industrialists that the technology we have developed is much better than the existing methods used in making such wire. Thus, we hope Turkish industrialists will find our project beneficial," he said. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
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A group of researchers from Ankara University have succeeded in generating highly conductive wire made of boron, a trivalent nonmetallic element of which Turkey is one of the world's leading exporters. Professor Ali Gençer from Ankara University's department of physics and a group of researchers he heads were the producers of the boron wire. "Turkey has almost 72 percent of the world's boron potential and boron reserves and is one of the world's largest exporters of the element. Yet the contribution of this precious element to our economy is less than 1 percent. We have focused our efforts on making highly conductive wire from boron so that Turkey can produce the wire it uses in electrical networks on its own," he noted. Gençer, underlining that the wire was generated entirely with domestic technology, said his group has been working on the project for two years. "We completed our project solely with the contribution of Turkish engineers and workers. Our
Professor Ali Gençer (R) from Ankara University's department of physics and his team produced the boron wire.
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to branch out into areas such as soil research, agriculture and eco-tourism. Another interesting find of the research is that all of the environmental NGOs, with the exception of Greenpeace, do not organize demonstrations to bring attention to their causes. The methods that these NGOs employ include lobbying, judicial initiatives, mass media and awareness-raising programs; however, some social organizations and movements sometimes participate in or stage demonstrations on environmental issues. The research noted that such demonstrations are mainly used to oppose mining activities, pollution and nuclear energy projects as well as to raise awareness over climate change issues. The study criticizes Turkish NGOs for their tardy response in giving importance to the issue of global climate change, which is a concept that gained worldwide attention particularly after the Kyoto Protocol was adopted on Dec. 11, 1997 and at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, which aimed at replacing fossil fuels, which are linked to global climate change, with alternative energy sources and curbing air pollution in metropolitan areas. The study has come out at a time when the world is suffering from a food crisis, global warming and dwindling natural resources. The study noted that environmental NGOs have a growing influence in this struggle and must assume the responsibility of raising public awareness and improving legislation on environmental issues. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
Meteorologists forecast ‘normal' summer this year State Meteorological Affairs Deputy General Director Mahmut Kayhan has said this summer will see temperatures at seasonal norms and that regular showers are also anticipated. "There might be a temperature rise by one degree in the south, however, according to our estimates, but it will not have any adverse affect on the region," he said, particularly stressing that Turkey was not a country exposed to abundant showers in the summer. "Turkey sees 7 to 13 percent of annual rainfall during the summer months. By looking at seasonal estimates, we can conclude that it is not going to be a very hot summer," he noted. He also said rainfall in the Marmara region had decreased over the last year by 7.3 percent compared to seasonal norms, 8.5 percent in central Anatolia, 13.8 percent in the Aegean region and 17.5 percent in the Mediterranean region. Rainfall increased in the Black Sea region, however, by 8.9 percent compared to last year. The situation in the Southeast, however, is problematic, Kayhan said, adding that the region saw a decrease in rainfall of 59.4 percent compared to last year. "Last year, there was a 50 percent drop in rainfall in the Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean and central Anatolian regions compared to the previous year. The situation in Ankara was truly severe, with the lowest rainfall since 1930," he said, noting that some parts of the country may suffer lower levels of rainfall sufficient to disrupt agricultural activities. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
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French lawmakers approve referendum clause against Turkey first country in the world whose constitution contains clauses specifically targeting a foreign country. The Socialist opposition voted against the measure, which won backing from most, but not all, UMP lawmakers. "This proposal dangerously targets a certain country," said Socialist parliamentarian Manuel Valls during the National Assembly session. Another Socialist lawmaker, Rene Dosiere, called the provision "disgraceful and shameful." "If in a referendum tomorrow the French say, 'No,' to Turkey's [EU] membership, while the 26 other countries say, 'Yes,' what will remain of Europe?" his colleague Serge Blisko was quoted as asking by Internet news portal EUobserver.com. An opponent of the measure within the UMP, Bruno Le Maire, criticized it for targeting Turkey.
"Many eyes are fixed on us now -- those of our compatriots, but also those of peoples from the world wondering whether we will really introduce in our Constitution an arrangement targeting implicitly a particular country," Le Maire said, according to EUobserver. "[If the US put into its constitution an article] targeting Mexico, Columbia or any other country, then France -- the country of human rights -- would be shocked. I am now afraid that our neighbors might be [shocked] by this new arrangement," he added, before the vote took place. After the debates on the constitutional reform proposal and its amendments in the French Assembly, the text will be brought before the French Senate and a final decision is to be taken by a three-fifths majority of the two bodies gath-
ered for a parliamentary meeting in July. In order to reach the three-fifths majority, the UMP needs to secure the backing of the Socialists as well. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the former leader of the UMP, is a vocal opponent of Turkey's bid to join the EU, saying it does not belong to Europe. The constitutional reform package originally abolished a clause calling for a referendum on all future accessions to the EU and left the decision on the matter to the president. But UMP lawmakers, most of whom rely on votes from the French-Armenian electorate, pressed for guarantees against Turkey's possible accession into the EU and proposed the amendment in question. Besides Turkey, the amendment would also affect EU hopeful Ukraine, home to approximately 46 million. Paris Today’s Zaman
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French lawmakers have voted to pass an amendment to constitutional reforms apparently aiming to block any eventual Turkish membership in the European Union. Under the amendment tabled by deputies from the center-right UMP party, holding a referendum would be obligatory for approving the EU accession of any country whose population exceeds 5 percent of the EU population, which stands at about 500 million. With its population of 70 million, EU candidate Turkey will be affected by the referendum clause. The French National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, approved the amendment with a 48-21 vote late on Thursday. The provision, if eventually approved by the Senate and a majority of both houses, will make France the
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L), his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan (C), and German Education and Research Minister Anette Schavan signed the agreement in Berlin yesterday.
Turkey, Germany sýgn deal to establýsh joýnt unýversýty Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has signed an agreement with German authorities to establish a Turkish-German university in Ýstanbul, stepping up cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and academic fields. Babacan signed the deal yesterday with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the German minister for education and research, Annette Schavan. "This university will deepen cooperation between the two countries by meeting a need for educated and qualified human resources," said Babacan during a ceremony in Berlin. Germany, under the leadership of conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, is certainly not the biggest champion of Turkey's membership in the European Union, but economic ties between the two countries are very strong. The annual trade volume between Turkey and Germany exceeds $22 billion, and about 3,000 German companies are operating in Turkey. Nearly 3 million Turks live in Germany, some 60,000 of whom are employers in the wealthy country. Close to 70,000 Germans are now settled in Turkey, and more than 4 million German holiday-makers visited Turkey last year.
Babacan said graduates of the TurkishGerman university will further contribute to a deepening of bilateral relations and announced that the project enjoys top-level support in Ankara, with President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan backing the initiative. "The university will bring a major momentum to our relations," Steinmeier was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency. The university is initially planned to include four faculties -- law, sciences, culture and social sciences, and engineering. The land, building, infrastructure and operational expenses will be provided by the Turkish side. Germany will be responsible for sending German academics, providing the equipment necessary to assist in the establishment of a German language teaching center at the university, financial assistance to help pay salaries of local staff, scholarships and post-vocational training. It is not clear when the planned university will be launched. Babacan declined to mention a date, saying the agreement would need to be approved in national parliaments first. But German Minister Schavan indicated that she
was optimistic for a swift conclusion of the project; when asked whether autumn of 2009 was a realistic deadline, she said "yes."
Mideast water claims dismissed Babacan visited Germany after attending international talks on Iraq in Stockholm on Thursday. The minister, responding to a question after talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the sidelines of the talks, dismissed claims that recently confirmed Syrian-Israeli peace talks under the auspices of Turkey were linked to the issue of water-sharing in the Middle East. Reports in the Turkish media claimed this week that Syria agreed to restart peace talks with Israel years after they collapsed in 2000 after receiving assurances from Turkey that it would get a bigger share from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in return for joining the peace initiative. Babacan dismissed the reports, saying that water talks between Turkey and Syria and the Turkish-mediated peace talks between Syria and Israel were two different processes. "Water issues between Syria and Turkey are definitely
not an element of the peace talks," Babacan said. He also warned that such claims not founded on verifiable information are likely to undermine Turkey's international image. Syria says Israel is ready to return the Golan Heights in the event of a peace deal. The strategic plateau, seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967, provides more than 12 percent of Israel's water requirements, and analysts say Israel will have to strike some sort of deal that allows them to continue utilizing that water even if it returns it to Syria as part of an ultimate peace deal with the latter. This could lead Syria to seek a bigger share of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which originate in Turkey. Speaking at a joint press conference with Babacan later in the day, Steinmeier thanked Turkey for its role in the Israeli-Syrian peace talks and said there were realistic prospects for a peace deal. Turkish mediation between Syria and Israel was taken up in Babacan's talks with the UN secretary-general. Cyprus and Iraq were also on the agenda, Babacan said. With Rice, he stated that he mainly discussed the situation in Iraq, without elaborating. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
Christofias says reunification talks not aimed at ‘new partnership’ in Cyprus
Greek Cyprus to go ahead with exercise with France despite KKTC objections
was quoted as saying by the Financial Mirror. The Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias has basis of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation is said he would not accept creation of a "new one state with one sovereignty, one nationality and partnership" state in Cyprus at the end of an ongoone international personality, he stated, adding that ing process of negotiations with the Turkish the "new partnership" model was buried with a Cypriots to reunite the divided island. Christofias, in failed UN plan to reunite the island. The plan, comments published in the Greek Cypriot media named after then UN Secretaryyesterday, said a statement released General Kofi Annan, was approved at the end of a May 23 meeting with by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali by the Greek Cypriots. He noted Talat that the two sides were comthat intense negotiations for a mitted to a "bi-zonal, bi-communal Cyprus solution will be held at federation with political equality" some point, emphasizing that the stood in full contrast to an earlier Greek Cypriot side will defend its statement by Turkey's National principles and positions. Talat and Security Council (MGK) that called Christofias are expected to start difor a Cyprus solution based on two rect reunification talks in the comstates. "'I cannot accept the wordDimitris Christofias ing 'new partnership'," Christofias ing months. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
humanitarian assistance to civilians fleeing a criGreek Cyprus will go ahead with a conflictsis," Anastasiou said. Turgay Avcý, the foreign relief exercise participated in by Greek and minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern French forces, despite objections from the Turkish Cyprus (KKTC), called on France to revise its deCypriots, the Greek Cypriot administration said cision to take part in the exercise in remarks this on Thursday. Senior Foreign Ministry official week, saying its participation was "not a sign of Phaedon Anastasiou said the June 2-6 exercise good will." Anastasiou said miliwill focus on assisting a mass intary involvement was necessary flux of civilians fleeing conflict. because of the need to respond Tens of thousands of civilians fled rapidly to a large-scale humanitarfrom Lebanon to Cyprus two years ian crisis. The exercise will also inago to escape Israeli attacks on volve search-and-rescue operathat country. Anastasiou said tions and anti-terrorism drills, inGreek and French warships will cluding a scenario in which terrortake part in evacuation drills and ists seize a refugee ship. Greek denied it was part of joint military Cyprus and France signed a demaneuvers. "This exercise is part fense cooperation pact in January of the Foreign Ministry's crisis Turgay Avcý management planning to provide 2007. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with AP
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NATIONAL
ALÝ ASLAN a.aslan@todayszaman.com
Gone wýth the wave Dealing with peace in the Middle East is often like trying to build a sandcastle on the beach; no matter how careful you are, sooner or later a wave will come and sweep away what you have built. Think about the indirect Israeli-Syrian peace talks through Turkish intermediation. A week ago, international news agencies were excitedly spreading the news on the Israeli government's first highprofile official confirmation of the effort. This week, the corruption allegations about Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came to an important milestone when powerful Defense Minister Ehud Barak demanded his resignation. Many think Olmert disclosed news of the peace talks to divert attention from the bribery investigation. It looks as if he will most likely be unable to protect his government from dissolving, let alone securing peace with Syria. The story at first received considerable attention in the US because of the ongoing debate among the presidential candidates over whether Washington leaders should talk to rogue regimes. President Bush joined the discussion during his trip to the Middle East by implying that those who are for direct talks with people like Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmedinajad and entities like Hamas are in the business of the "appeasement" of enemies. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared, 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history," Bush said. Democrats felt this was one last example of tough "cowboy talk," and that their candidate Barack Obama was a target. The pro-Obama argument went like this: Even the security-conscious Israelis are talking to their enemies, such as the Syrians, why shouldn't the US? Well, Bush and his favorite presidential candidate, Republican Senator McCain, will not have to worry too much about refuting such arguments, because if and when the current administration in Israel collapses, hard-line Likudniks will most likely seize power. Be assured that one of Benjamin Netanyahu's first acts as prime minister will be to stop peace talks, to the joy of his neocon friends in Washington. Sometimes pleasing friends may produce as many dangerous outcomes as appeasing enemies in international relations. Wasn't good friendship between Bush and Sharon an important factor leading up to the disastrous war in Iraq? For hardliners in Washington, crafting wars has traditionally been preferable to making peace. That's why they are now heavily involved in the business of preparing the US for yet another war, one with Iran. As long as the power of the war lobby lingers, one should keep expectations low when it comes to Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Syrian peace. Not only the hotbeds of hawks in the White House National Security Council and Vice President Cheney's office, but also the US State Department seems "cool" to peace efforts between Israel and Syria, as The Associated Press put it. David Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said, "It's a good thing and we hope it progresses, but where we're making the effort right now is on the Palestinian track." The message to Turkey: Thank you, but don't waste your and our time with this. If you ask me, given the hot potato issues like Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, the Bush administration does not even have sufficient time or political capital for the Israeli-Palestinian track, despite the overblown Annapolis process. Turkey would certainly benefit from an Israeli-Syrian peace in many ways. For example, if Israel agrees to leave the Golan Heights, a main water resource, they might end up buying Turkish water, which would help bolster Ankara's strategic and economic interests in the region. However, having heard about the relayed to-do list for Syrians in exchange, full of politically revolutionary compromises, I have little reason to believe Damascus would go for it. The US administration further bound itself with its diplomatic lockout policy toward regimes such as Damascus and Tehran after Bush's appeasement remarks. Republicans wouldn't be interested in taking a talking point from the hands of comrade McCain, who seems to stick to the Bush line on this. The Assad regime cannot be fully trusted unless it suddenly begins acting constructively in Lebanon and stops being an agent of disruptive Iranian policies. The expected change in Israel's political landscape is also a liability for peace. Having disconnected from its southern backyard since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, this peace effort can only be a warm-up for Ankara, which, by the way, is caught up in its own domestic crisis. In light of these observations, I see little prospect for the castle of peace and stability standing in the sands of the eastern Mediterranean shores for the foreseeable future.
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Chief prosecutor submits opinion on AK Party defense statement, did so yesterday -- the day of the deadline. Speaking to reporters outside the Constitutional Court in the evening, the court’s chairman, Haþim Kýlýç, said that although he had not yet reviewed the content of the prosecutor’s statement, he knew that it did not demand any more political bans. The indictment currently seeks to ban 71 former and current AK Party members from party politics. Next, the prosecutor’s opinion will be relayed to the AK Party, which will submit a second defense statement on the content of the court case. The pre-
liminary defense statement was focused on procedural issues in the case, while this coming statement will focus only on subject matter. The AK Party will have a month to submit this second defense statement. Following the submission of the second and final defense statement, Yalçýnkaya and AK Party officials will present oral statements in the presence of the court’s judges at a later date yet to be fixed by the court. Once these testimonies are delivered, the rapporteur of the court will prepare and submit to the judges an opinion statement on the substance of the
case. Both the prosecutor and the AK Party will retain the right to present additional testimony to the court during the reporting process. Once the report is completed and delivered to all 11 judges of the Constitutional Court, the court’s chairman, Kýlýç, will set a date for when the panel will start hearing the case. The votes of at least seven of the 11 judges will be needed to shut down the AK Party, which was re-elected to power in July 2007 with 47 percent of the vote. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman
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Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçýnkaya has submitted his opinion statement to the Constitutional Court on a closure case he had filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), demanding its closure over allegations of undermining Turkey’s secular foundations. Sources at the Constitutional Court said that Yalçýnkaya, who was supposed to submit his opinion statement on the content of the case within one month of the AK Party’s submission of its defense
A hundred students from 10 countries staged Turkish folk dances, wearing the local apparel of Anatolia, in front of an audience of about 14,000 people from various countries.
Vietnamese ‘Zeybek’ takes first place in folkloric contest The finals of the folkloric contest portion of the Sixth International Turkish Olympics were held in Kayseri with the participation of 100 students from 10 countries. Vietnamese students won first place MUSA ÖZYÜREK / EÞREF AKGÜN KAYSERÝ
The finals of the Sixth International Turkish Olympics’ folkloric contest were held yesterday at Kayseri’s Kadir Has Convention Center, with students from Vietnam earning first place with their rendition of a dance from the Aegean region. A hundred students from 10 countries performed Turkish folk dances, wearing the local garb of Anatolia, in front of an audience of about 14,000 people from various countries. Vietnamese students, wearing the traditional costumes of the historical heroes of the Aegean region known as Efeler and Zeybekler, staged an almost perfect dance, receiving 94.60 points from the jury. Jury members stressed they had difficulty making the choice among the contestants and gave the Azerbaijani students, who performed dances from the Caucasian region and their home country, second place with 90.00 points. Scoring 88.80 points with their dances from the Black Sea region, the Moldovan folklore group took third place. The Mongolian team performed first, to great applause, followed by the other teams and individual performances. One Mongolian student sang the “Gesi Baðlarý” (Gesi Orchards)
folk song, a Slovenian student sang “Ben gibi” (Like Me), a student from Nakhchivan recited the poem “Ýnsan Kardeþim” (My Human Brother), a Bangladeshi student sang the song “Üsküdar’a giderken” (As I Go to Üsküdar), a Ugandan student sang Erkin Koray’s “Fesubhanallah,” an American student sang the song “Dön gel” (Come Back) and a Mongolian student recited the poem “Sakarya.” The students’ extraordinary performances were met with much applause from the audience. Results were announced following the dance performances. Mehmet Kýnýk, from the department of fine arts at Erciyes University, speaking on behalf of the jury, stated that selecting the top three groups was difficult as all the groups had performed well and were faithful to the original forms of the dances. Kýnýk announced the Vietnamese groups as the champion of the contest, noting that they performed the “Efeler” and “Zeybekler” dances from Aydýn perfectly, although they had not see the region nor lived among its locals. “Turkish folkloric dances are among the most difficult to perform in the world, with their rhythms and tunes hard to master. However, this makes them one of the most popular folk-
loric dances in the world. We should express our thanks to the students as well as to the teachers who trained them,” he said. Boydak Holding executive board chairman Hacý Boydak presented certificates of appreciation and prizes to the third-place Moldovan group and said students from Turkish schools around the world spoke Turkish with proficiency and staged well-rehearsed performances. “This has made us happy. In order to express our thanks and support of them, we will give them travel allowances worth $300,” he said.
Unimaginable Kayseri Mayor Özhaseki presented the certificates and prizes to the second-place Azerbaijani group, saying that nobody would have believed it if they were to have been told that Turks would travel overseas, open schools in other countries, instruct foreign students and teach them the Turkish language and that these foreign students would attend Turkish contests, one of which would be held in Kayseri, speak Turkish, sing Turkish songs, read Turkish poems and dance Turkish folk dances. However, he said, these unimaginable things have already happened. “Our people have worked very hard in these countries to open these schools,
fighting all hardship. These schools now provide educational services. The teachers must have suffered from nostalgia for their country. Wherever they went, they were alone and had no one to talk to. They embraced the Turkish flag with a yearning for home. But today we are reaping the fruits of their labor. Today, we see what benefit these schools bring to Turkey. We must lend them support. This is Turkey’s biggest project for the century, and we would like to thank all of them,” he said.
Governor presents top prize The champion of the contest was the last to be announced. Amid rising excitement, the jury announced the Vietnamese group as the winner. Kayseri Governor Mevlüt Bilici presented them with their prizes and congratulated them. “I would like to express my thanks to the organizers of this event, to those who raised these students and to the jury. I hope that the achievement of these students will continue in the future,” he said. The students posed as a group for photos at the end of the competition. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, the Kayseri Young Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (GESÝAD), Ýstikbal Mobilya and Kayserigaz were among the sponsors of the event.
Justice Ministry launches 472 probes over Ergenekon news The Justice Ministry has opened 472 investigations into media outlets in the past three months over alleged violations of the confidentiality of the Ergenekon case, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Þahin revealed. The information came in a written response by Þahin to a parliamentary question posed by Democratic Left Party (DSP) deputy Süleyman Yaðýz. The justice minister said publicizing documents from testi-
monies given as part of the Ergenekon case violated the Law on Criminal Procedure due to the case’s confidential nature, adding that despite this, some media outlets had publicized the details of the case in a way that violated its confidentiality and could affect the investigation. The minister said in his statement that state prosecutors had the authority to launch probes into these instances and had done so, adding: “We have
issued an internal memo to the Ýstanbul Police Department and ordered them to pursue any violations by media organs of the confidentiality of the Ergenekon case and denounce them to the offices of the state prosecutors. As part of this, 472 probes were launched in the first three months of 2008.” Þahin also replied to criticism regarding the 4:30 a.m. arrest of daily Cumhuriyet chief columnist and copyright owner Ýlhan Selçuk in March, saying se-
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curity forces had reason to believe some suspects in the case would leave fly out of the country at 5:30 a.m. on the same day and so they arrested Selçuk and other suspects at 4:30 a.m. to circumvent this. The minister also said hundreds of other investigations involved arrests in early morning hours to prevent suspects from being tipped off or destroying evidence, asserting that Selçuk’s situation was not unique. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
United demonstration in Kadýköy for Kurdish problem AYÞE KARABAT ANKARA
The Turkish Peace Council will hold a demonstration in Ýstanbul’s Kadýköy district on Sunday to demand a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem. Although some workers unions and civil society organizations are supporting the demonstration, none of will carry their own flags. According to the demonstration’s organization committee, only a few slogans will be chanted. In both these respects the demonstration will be unique among Turkish protests. The main slogan of the demonstration will be “Enough, we want a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem.” According to the organization committee, the other slogans will be as follows: “We don’t want death, but solutions; we want a dialogue for peace,” “Long live the brotherhood of peoples” and “We want a democratic constitution.” The declaration calling for the demonstration was signed by 235 prominent individuals, among them writers Vedat Türkail, Adalet Aðaoðlu, Leyla Ýpekçi, Murathan Mungan, Ahmet Ümit; artists Müjde Ar, Mehmet Ali Alabora, Görkem Yelten and Pelin Batu; professors Mithat Sancar, Murat Belge and Ferhat Kentel; journalists Ertuðrul Kürkçü and Faruk Bildirici; and intellectuals Ümit Kardaþ and Sýrrý Süreyya Önder. The declaration said the solution to the Kurdish problem is the responsibility of the people: “We, as the ones who have been living in this land in peace for a thousand years, would like to leave a permanent peace for our children. The Kurdish problem has cultural, economic, sociological, psychological, political and humanitarian dimensions. We have to see that our destinies are tied to each other. We share the same concerns and the same pains. We want to look in each other’s eyes without feeling shame. We want to live in peace. This is why we are calling everybody to join us on June 1 at Kadýköy.” The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Union (DÝSK), The Union of Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers (Petrol-Ýþ) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) called on their members to join the demonstration, as did the Young Civilians activist group, Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (Mazlum-Der) and the Human Rights Association (ÝHD). The Democratic Society Party (DTP), the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) and the Antiglobalization Movement will also be among the participants. Following this year’s Nevruz celebrations, Turkish courts banned the use of the slogan “Edi Bese,” which means “enough” in Kurdish, on the grounds it is used by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
PKK infighting kills 8 terrorists Eight terrorist operatives of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in Iran and Turkey this week in two separate skirmishes amid an ongoing battle for the organization’s leadership. Still reeling from Turkey’s latest crossborder strikes against it in northern Iraq, the PKK continues to sustain damage from bloody infighting. Syrian-born Fehman Hüseyin has recently been involved in a power struggle with Turkish-born acting PKK head Murat Karayýlan. A group of PKK members loyal to Hüseyin laid an ambush in Cander Village in Iran’s Salman region earlier this week, killing seven PKK members bearing the codenames Salih, Baran, Devrim, Hüseyin, Rubar, Zilan and Tikoþer, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Another group of terrorists close to Karayýlan later killed a PKK terrorist codenamed Muto, the mastermind of the Cander ambush, in an attack near Kýzýlkent village in Turkey’s eastern province of Kilis. Karayýlan was recently reported killed in aerial strikes launched on May 1 and 2 by the Turkish military in northern Iraq. Tension between his faction and that of Hüseyin is reported to have escalated amid disagreement over the division of PKK funds generated by drug smuggling. In the meantime, Reþit Ehkendi, one of the leaders of the PKK-linked terrorist group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) was sentenced to criminal punishment by an Iranian court for terrorist activity, murder, armed robbery and other illegal activity. Ehkendi was captured by Iranian security forces early in May as part of an operation carried out in the Iranian region of Sakýz. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
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Students participating in the competition come from various nations and backgrounds; however, the common link between them is Turkish. But this is not limited to language only, as elements of Turkish culture also strongly unite the peoples of four continents.
Chýldren from around the globe unýted by common language: Turkýsh The students, gathered outside their various nations’ stands, invite visitors inside to learn more about their culture and to sing old Turkish songs. The students say they have many Turkish friends with whom they mostly communicate through the Internet and that they find Turkish people warm and hospitable KAZIM CANLAN ANKARA
The 6th International Turkish Olympics continue apace, with the finalists chosen in Ankara set to receive prizes in a large ceremony to be held tomorrow night at the Ýstanbul Gösteri ve Kongre Merkezi (performance and congress center). The students participating in the competition are diverse, from different nations and walks of life. But the common link between them is Turkish -- and not just the language, but elements of the culture as well. Some of these students know how to make çið köfte (a traditional food from southeastern Turkey), others are interested in the traditional Turkish art of ebru (marbling), and a few can sing and dance a Turkish folk dance (atabarý) just as well as, if not better than, their Turkish counterparts. One group even enjoys singing the anthem for Turkish soccer team Fenerbahçe! If it weren’t for the national costumes worn by participants and the names on their lapels, you might just think this group had come straight to Ankara from villages and cities across Anatolia. Representing Brazil at the Turkish Language Olympics are Daniel Cotta, Carman Bravo, Amarilis Camin and Bruno Costa. These four students, each of whom can read poetry in excellent Turkish, are also all diehard Fenerbahçe fans. The minute Fenerbahçe -- known for its rash of Brazilian players -- is mentioned, they shout in unison the Fenerbahçe anthem: “Fenerbahçe, caným feda, olsun sana, hiçbir þeye deðiþilmez, senin sevdan bu dünyada!” (Fenerbahçe, I would sacrifice myself for you, nothing on this Earth can change the love for you!) The students gathered outside their various nations’ stands invite visitors inside to learn more about their culture and sing old Turkish songs -they are all objects of great interest to those touring the area. These students affirm that they have lots of Turkish friends with whom they mostly communicate through the Internet, and that they find Turkish people warm and hospitable. Cotta, who says he learned about Turkey through his love of Fenerbahçe, says he is thrilled that Roberto Carlos plays soccer in Turkey and that he would love to meet him if possible. The Brazilian students, who say that before they learned Turkish and got to know Fenerbahçe that they could not even locate Turkey on a map, say that they know as much about this country and culture as Turks themselves. Costa, who says he loves Turkish foods like baklava, menemen, mantý, döner kebab and biber dolmasý, says: “We are all fanatic Fenerbahçe fans. We couldn’t sleep until the morning when Chelsea beat Fenerbahçe. I even saw some of my friends crying. Our teachers tried to comfort us, but our Galatasaray-supporting friends were really happy. ... I know so many soccer players, like Volkan, Hasan Þaþ, Hakan Þükür.” Costa explains that soccer-mania has Brazil in its grip, noting: “In Brazil, even the girls play soccer really well. Lots of great matches take place.”
work on the song and dance he plans to present, in hopes of becoming a finalist. When we ask him if he will show us a bit of what he is working on, our ears are treated to the strains of an old song and Francice explains in perfect Turkish: “I have been learning this language for one year. We have toured around Ýstanbul, to Sultanahmet, the Topkapý Palace and the Bosporus. I really love Ýstanbul. Even though I sometimes miss my family here, I feel at home here too. Thanks to my Turkish, I haven’t had any troubles communicating. I want to study in Ýstanbul and become a doctor later. We are able to watch Turkish films in Madagascar.”
‘Turkish tolerance is surprising’ Joselin Miranda Suares, who has come from Mexico to attend the competition, sings Turkish singer Nazan Öcel’s song “Gitme kal bu þehirde” (Don’t go, stay in this city). Suares, whose mother and father are both teachers, says that in the past she only knew the Turkey’s name, and nothing about the country and its culture. “Our whole family adores Ýstanbul. We watch the soccer matches played by Turkish teams and we are either overjoyed or crushed right along with you.” Suares talks about her plans for the future, as they involve the Turkish language: “After high school, I want to develop my Turkish skills even more and study at a Turkish university. Since most of the classes at school are already in Turkish and English, we already learn two languages very well. And in addition to this, we get to choose another language for our program, which means we graduate knowing four languages.” Joselin’s mother, Conny Miranda, has come to Turkey with her daughter. She says she has read many books about Far Eastern, Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, noting: “But of all these, the ones I was most interested in were the books about the Ottomans and the Turks. For hundreds of years, people lived out their cultures and religions freely in the same geographical regions. Turkey has inherited the Ottoman sense of tolerance and the cultural mosaics from this culture. Ottoman contributions to regional and world civilization endure still. To take the simplest example, at home, our concepts of family are not so developed. Tolerance and mercy for others are so strong among the Turks. People can trust those they don’t even know. When the time comes, you can even entrust your very life and all your possessions to others. The doors to homes in Turkey are open to everyone and sometimes they are never even locked. I was so surprised when I saw all this.” She adds: “As far as I am concerned, though, the greatest legacy left by the Ottomans to today’s Turks is Turkish. I believe Turkish is even more important than languages like Chinese and English. When I learned that today, up to 250 million people from Europe all the way to China speak Turkish, I was so surprised. As my daughter learns more and more Turkish, we have begun to support these positive impressions she is receiving of your country at home. With our support, my daughter has seen some great success in this competition. Nowadays, our whole family is actually learning Turkish. ...When I heard she would be representing Mexico, I decided to come along. In touring around Ýstanbul, we’ve met lots of Turkish families, who are also interested in our culture. I guess for us, the most important thing is that the concept of assistance and solidarity has taken root in our lives.”
‘We make çið köfte too’
Abadan Halmedova from Turkmenistan
Francice Paskalin from Madagascar
Burkina Faso’s take on a Turkish classic
Alex Cambell from England
A future intertwined with Ýstanbul With his cowboy hat atop his traditional national costume, Madagascan student Francice Paskalin Razananomenjanahary attracts a lot of attention. This young man takes every free moment he can grab to
Sohruhi Sohmurod Özel from Tajikistan is competing in the skills category. He is helping put on a performance of the traditional Turkish puppets Karagöz and Hacivat. Sohmurod, who says he is playing the role of Karagöz, explains: “I loved it when our teachers told us the life stories of these two characters. One of these characters is always joking around, while the other is more cultured. They live very different kinds of lives, but they have a wonderful friendship. This symbolizes how different cultures can come together and get along with one another. No matter what Hacivat says, Karagöz seems to misunderstand it.” Sohmurod, who says that his father is a doctor and his mother a banker, says: “My father would always praise Turks when he was talking to us. In the beginning, I had a hard time learning Turkish, but then it became easier since its grammar structure is like that of our language. We eat both Turkish and Tajiki foods together. We even have çið köfte parties. The çið köfte we make might not be as delicious as the ones you get in Turkey, but we love eating them. I also have friends who make pilav, dolma and baklava.”
Daniel Cotta from Brazil
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Students have traveled thousands of kilometers from the West African nation of Burkina Faso to represent their country in the arenas of poetry and song. Adam Sankara sings a famous old Turkish song, saying that he originally learned this listening to a rendition by Turkish singer Beyazýt Öztürk. “Not only do the Turkish Language Olympics give us the chance to learn more about Turkey and Turkish, but we also have the opportunity to meet new friends from hundreds of other countries. We speak with our new friends from other countries in Turkish. This is not a chance everyone gets in life. Thanks to all this, the world becomes a smaller place. We become close friends with people we may never have even imagined would be parts of our lives. When I tell my friends at home about this, they think it’s great,” he says. Sankara, who says he is among the first students to learn Turkish in Burkina Faso, also says interest in Turkey is growing in his country, due in large part to the competition. In the meantime, the parents of students learning Turkish in Burkina Faso have also applied for language courses, while businesspeople from
this country, in the hopes of setting up trade ties with Turkey, have begun to come to Turkey. It is expected that within two to three years, the number of people in Burkina Faso who know Turkish will near 700.
‘Suya resim yapýyorum!’ Yvonne Bourgeois has arrived at the Turkish Language Olympics from the United States. She has always been interested in art, but says it was upon the advice of a teacher that she began practicing the art of ebru. “For four months now I have been doing ebru. It gives me great pleasure. When people ask me ‘What are you doing?’ in English, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to respond to them in Turkish, ‘Suya resim yapýyorum’[I am drawing a picture in water]. European languages all resemble each other, but Turkish is unique. Turkey is a complete cradle of cultures. I have met very warm and helpful people here.”
‘I love Galatasaray and döner’ With smooth, fluent Turkish and an eye-catching outfit, student Alex Campbell also attracts a lot of attention. When asked what comes to mind when he thinks of Turkey, Campbell replies, “Döner and Galatasaray.” It’s hard to avoid smiling when looking at Swedish student Jakob Falk speaking Turkish while dressed in a Viking outfit. Falk recites sections of famous Turkish poet Nazým Hikmet’s “Memleket isterim” (I want a country) to almost everyone he meets. Falk, who says he loves both pide and mantý, also says he absolutely adores Ýstanbul.
International Turkish Language Olympics to conclude Sunday night The 6th International Turkish Language Olympics will come to an end tomorrow night at the Ýstanbul Show and Congress Center with an announcement of results in the song competition. The 10 finalists in the song competition performed on Monday, and the Turkish public has been voting via cell phone for their favorites. The winner will be announced tomorrow night and awards will be presented. Gifts will be presented to all the participants at the ceremony, which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan is expected to attend.
Finalists in the song contest Azerbaijan: Hatice Alizade Turkmenistan: Abadan Halmedova Latvia: Anna Zelencava Cambodia: Maliny Chea Tajikistan: Suman Kurbanova Indonesia: Nixiie Lesmana Mongolia: Togsbayar Enkhtaivan Russian Federation: Darya Shkalkova Albania: Blerta Gjolaj Yemen: Sara Mohamad
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Economic growth rides on private sector’s strength, says president President Abdullah Gül has said the success of the private sector means the success of the whole country, noting that the growth of the economy is based primarily on a strong private sector. Speaking at a meeting yesterday organized by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) on the eve of its 63rd general assembly, Gül said it is a crucial responsibility of politicians to pave the way for entrepreneurs in the private sector. He noted that a strong country is only possible with strong actors in its economic realm. Despite the lost years of the crises in the past, Turkey is now one of Europe's major industrial suppli-
ers, Gül stated. He acknowledged that there are still many problems facing the country's economy, referring to the atmosphere of uncertainty that was brought about by a closure case filed against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). "However, Turkey will definitely overcome these obstacles by being fully committed to the supremacy of law and the principles of democracy," he added. Gül called on businessmen to invest more without losing confidence in Turkey's future. "Assess all the opportunities you encounter; establish partnerships in the country or abroad. Assist foreign capital in entering the domestic market. It is not possible for Turkey
to make a major push toward development by depending only on its own resources," Gül said. At the TOBB meeting Minister of Industry and Commerce Zafer Çaðlayan praised the contributions of the private sector to the admirable growth performance of Turkey's economy, which climbed to $659 billion in terms of gross national product (GNP) as of the end of 2007. Çaðlayan said the Turkish economy had become the 17th largest in the world after seeing growth for 24 consecutive quarters thanks to the stability of the last five years. The private sector had an undeniable role in these excellent figures, he noted, thanking the private
‘Olive a golden opportunity for GAP region'
sector for their commitment on behalf of the general assembly members of TOBB. TOBB President Rifat Hisarcýklýoðlu also gave an address at the meeting, saying the union is a unique body gathering all private initiatives under one roof. "Chambers and commodity exchanges, as in other countries, have contributed much to spreading industry, as well as democracy, across the country," he said. After the speeches, the president was invited to the stage to present plaques to TOBB members who had served as general assembly delegates for periods of 10, 20, 30 and more than 35 years. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
A former leader of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has stated that the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) region has great potential for olive production and that Turkey should use this potential wisely for the development of this region. Shimon Lavee, a former president of the IOOC, an intergovernmental organization in charge of safeguarding olive and olive oil quality and ensuring that olive oil products are marketed properly, visited the International Wine, Olive, Olive Oil and Technology Fair in Ýzmir on Thursday. He told the Anatolia news agency that Turkey's GAP region presents a golden opportunity for development through olive production. GAP is a regional development project that covers nine southeastern provinces -Adýyaman, Batman, Diyarbakýr, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Þanlýurfa and Þýrnak. "Unplanted fields in these provinces are quite suitable for olive production. I believe Turkey has great potential in this domain. I recommend that businessmen invest in Turkey's olive production," said Lavee. He noted that small-scale Turkish enterprises are unlikely to be successful in competing with strong rivals in the olive sector. "Turkey may derive greater benefits in this sector if small-scale enterprises merge," he remarked. Lavee also said officials in former Turkish governments had met with certain foreign countries to cooperate on the development of the country's olive sector. "I don't know whether Turkey has made similar contacts at present. But, there is great potential for olive production in this country. You should use this potential wisely," he added. Mohammed Ouhmad Sbitri, the IOOC's executive director, on the other hand, told Anatolia that olive consumption is rapidly increasing across the world. "Olive oil consumption holds a 4 percent share of all oil consumption around the world. In the past, olive oil was 10 times more expensive than sunflower oil. Today, it is only three times more expensive. This reduction in price has increased olive oil consumption. Another factor that has contributed to this increase is people becoming more health conscious. There is a great market for olive and olive products in the world," he noted. Ýzmir Today's Zaman with wires
EÞREF AKGÜN
300 million euro Erciyes winter tourism plan approved PHOTO
MUSA ÖZYÜREK KAYSERÝ
A scene from Mount Erciyes
The Culture and Tourism Ministry has approved a winter tourism plan for Kayseri's Mount Erciyes, which officials hope will become Turkey's biggest skiing center after the project is completed. Turkey has been taking important steps to diversify its tourism potential and one of the biggest of these steps has been taken in Kayseri. The Culture and Tourism Ministry has approved a plan for a 300 million euro project aimed at establishing Turkey's biggest skiing center on the slopes of Erciyes. The project includes the building of facilities for both winter and summer tourism and is planned to create employment for 5,000 people. The skiing center is expected to earn 200 million euros annually, half of which will be earned in the summer. Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Kayseri deputy Yaþar Karayel said the Culture and Tourism Ministry had sent the project to the Ministry of Finance after deciding it was feasible. He explained that the area where the facilities will be built will be handed over to the Kayseri Municipality after the procedures on title deeds are completed. Kayseri Mayor Mehmet Özhaseki emphasized that Mount Erciyes has just the right features to become a worldwide skiing center, adding that the height of the mountain and its climate make it suitable for snow accumulation so there will be sufficient
snow for skiing five months a year. "Our skiing center will have the chance to host many national and international winter sports events, including world championships and even the Winter Olympics in the long run. We aim to turn Kayseri into Turkey's winter sports center." According to Özhaseki, Mount Erciyes will become Turkey's answer to the Alps after the project is completed. The Kayseri mayor said Erciyes will particularly appeal to tourists from Central Asian and Arabian countries. "We will establish a closed ice ring for ice sports, too. There will also be a ski jump, alpine skiing trails, snowboard trails and speed-skiing trails in the facilities. We will also establish grass skiing and paragliding facilities to attract tourists in the summer and a water sports facility will be built on Lake Tekir." The current ski-lift network on Mount Erciyes has seven-and-ahalf kilometers of lines, but this will reach 16.5 kilometers with the first step of the project and after the project is completed this length will reach 34.8 kilometers. The total length of ski trails, currently nine kilometers, will reach 160 kilometers and have an annual capacity of 30,000 people. In addition to all these facilities, there will also be restaurants, car parks, health centers, shopping centers, picnic areas and facilities for skiing clubs. The bed capacity of the hotels on Mount Erciyes will increase from 1,000 to 5,000.
Finance Ministry resists reduction in oil taxes
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After several ill-fated attempts at its privatization, Turkey has finally managed to complete the sale of giant petrochemicals manufacturer Petkim, transferring ownership to the SOCAR-Turcas-Injaz joint venture yesterday at a well-attended signing ceremony in Ankara. The Azeri group submitted the second highest bid in the tender on July 5 for the block sale of a 51 percent state-owned stake in Petkim. Kazakhstan's TransCentralAsia Petrochemical Holding consortium offered a higher bid, $2.05 billion -- later rejected by a commission overseeing the privatization of Petkim because one of the Kazakh group's partners had close relations with the Armenian diaspora. The Azeri group made a $1.02 billion down payment to the Treasury for the purchase of Petkim on Wednesday but later decided to increase the amount to $1.66 billion. The remaining payment will be made within three years. The group borrowed $625 million from Akbank and Garanti Bankasý. Finance Minister Kemal Unakýtan, Privatization Administration (ÖÝB) President Metin Kilci and the acting president of the Social Security Institution (SGK), Fatih Acar, were all present at the signing ceremony of the contract transferring ownership. The consortium was represented by State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Chairman Rövnag Abdullayev and Turcas Chairman Erdal Aksoy. Petkim was established in 1965 under the leadership of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). It initially decided to establish the Yarýmca petrochemical complex and started up ethylene, chlorine alkali, VCM, PVC and LDPE plants in 1970. To meet soaring demand, it opened its new facilities in the Aliaða district of Ýzmir. Today it has 14 manufacturing plants, eight other plants that it shares with the private sector, one electricity generation facility, one recycling unit and a port. It also owns and runs Güzelhisar Dam. The company is a major provider of more than 50 products for the construction, automotive, agriculture, electricity, electronic and packaging industries.
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Turkish petrochemical manufacturer Petkim meets its new owners
Speaking at the ceremony, Unakýtan said the Petkim sale will be a fresh start for the Turkish petrochemicals business and that the company will soon become a major player in the world petrochemicals market. Privatizations are not conducted to earn money, he said, adding that each sale is indeed a structural reform. Almost all countries, the Iron Curtain countries of the past included, have completed the sale of their inefficiently run state-owned properties, but Turkey has dragged its feet for years for ideological reasons. "Privatization is done for the sake of competitiveness and to give the
economy more dynamism," he noted. He also expressed pleasure over a company from "Turkey's brother nation, Azerbaijan," having purchased Petkim. Aksoy noted in his speech that they aim to increase Petkim's production capacity. They will not lay workers off, he added. Meanwhile, according to the contract signed by the parties, the Treasury will hold the golden share, giving it expanded rights in management despite its minority share in the new ownership structure of the company. Ankara Today's Zaman with wires
The Finance Ministry has denied a request from Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) Chairman Hasan Köktaþ to reduce the tax on oil in order to lower fuel prices in Turkey. Köktaþ had previously said Turkey needed to change its tax policy on oil. "Evidently we cannot affect global oil prices; thus we need to reconsider domestic oil prices," he had said. Köktaþ requested that the tax on oil, which currently stands at 57 percent, be lowered, but this appeal was not welcomed by the Finance Ministry. One of the top bureaucrats of the Finance Ministry talked to the Anatolia news agency, saying that there is a fixed private consumption tax (ÖTV) on oil which is not affected by changes in oil prices. The ministry official stated that taxes are of great importance in terms of providing the budget with stable revenue. "You are talking about reducing taxes, but what does this mean, exactly? Oil prices in Turkey have increased parallel to the increasing global oil prices of the last five years, but we did not increase the ÖTV on oil. As a result, the tax load on gasoline and diesel fuel has already decreased proportionally. Why don't they demand a reduction of other taxes, too? This would decrease the revenue of the Finance Ministry. Then Turkey would have to borrow more money, which means Turkey would have to pay more interest on its debt. We all know what high interest rates do to Turkey," stated the official. According to Finance Ministry statistics, the highest tax rate is imposed on gasoline. The tax burden on unleaded gasoline is 42 percent, and this increases to 57 percent after adding ÖTV and value-added tax (KDV). Diesel fuel follows with a tax load of 46 percent, with 31 percent of this being ÖTV. In regards to fuel prices in Istanbul, YTL 2 of the YTL 3.48, which is the price of one liter of gasoline, is tax that goes to the Finance Ministry. The price of one liter of diesel is YTL 3.11, with YTL 1.4 of this being tax. Ankara Today's Zaman with wires
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Fed emergency loans at record highs, while investment firms scale back the previous week, and the total was a record. The previous high of $14.4 billion came in the week ending May 14. The identities of commercial banks and investment houses are not released. In the broadest use of the central bank's lending power since the 1930s, the Fed in March scrambled to avert a market meltdown by giving investment houses a place to go for emergency overnight loans. The program will continue for at least six months. Commercial banks and investment companies now pay 2.25 percent in interest for the loans. Donald Kohn, the Fed's vice chairman, said in a speech Thursday night in New York that the Fed's series of unconventional actions to ease credit problems have "contributed to some improvements." But, he added, "market functioning
The Federal Reserve's emergency loans to banks climbed to the highest level on record even as Wall Street investment companies scaled back their borrowing. The investment houses were given similar loan privileges as the banks in March after a run on Bear Stearns pushed the nation's fifth-largest investment bank to the brink of bankruptcy and raised fears that other Wall Street firms might be in jeopardy. A Fed report Thursday said the investment companies averaged $12.3 billion in daily borrowing over the past week, down from $14.2 billion the previous week. Banks stepped up their borrowing, according to the Fed report. They averaged $15.95 billion in daily borrowing for the week ending May 28, compared with $13.5 billion for
remains far from normal." To that end, the Fed also announced Thursday it will make a fresh batch of short-term cash loans available to banks as part of an effort to ease stressed credit markets. The Fed said it will conduct three auctions in June; each will offer $75 billion in short-term cash loans. It would mark the latest round in a program that the Fed launched in December to help banks overcome credit problems so they will keep lending to customers. The new round of auctions will be conducted on June 2, June 16 and June 30. As part of efforts to relieve credit strains, the Fed auctioned $16.4 billion in Treasury securities to investment companies Thursday. The latest auction drew bids for less than the $25 billion available. That could be a sign of
some improvements in credit conditions. In exchange for the 28-day loans of Treasury securities, bidding companies can put up as collateral more risky investments. These include certain mortgage-backed securities and bonds secured by federally guaranteed student loans. The auction program, which began March 27, is intended to make investment companies more inclined to lend to each other. A second goal is providing relief to the distressed market for mortgage-linked securities and for student loans. Kohn said the Fed's auction programs "have been an important innovation that we should not lose," seeking to make the case to extend them even after turmoil in financial markets recedes. Washington AP
REUTERS
Fresh fears for US economy as corporate profýts tumble agaýn PHOTO
Corporate America caused fresh fears of a US economic downturn on Thursday as first-quarter profits fell at an annual rate of 6.2 percent, their sixth consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline. Profits in non-financial businesses for the first three months of this year fell by an annual 2.6 percent while those in financial groups were down by 12.2 percent, before writedowns. Economists said that the figures raised questions over the Federal Reserve's expectation that its past series of steep cuts in US interest rates, alongside a fiscal boost from tax rebates to American consumers, will suffice to stave off a severe downturn lasting into next year. Some analysts argued that the worst may be over because the profit figures for the first quarter of this year were higher than the final quarter of last. The toll on financial firms abated, with their profits down only $3 billion in the first quarter, against a $74.4 billion plunge in the previous three months, while non-financial businesses recorded a quarterly profit gain. However, a number of economists said that the continuing slide in profitability, against a year earlier, remained ominous. Rob Carnell, of ING Financial Markets, said: "A negative spin would be that, after so many quarters of declines, we seem no nearer a turn in the profit cycle." Persistent concern over the profitability of "America Inc" took some shine off an upward revision to the US economy's growth in the first quarter. That lifted Wall Street hopes that the economy will avoid a technical recession, despite the slowdown's depth. Overhauled data upgraded first-quarter growth to a still anemic 0.9 percent annual rate, from an initial estimate that GDP had risen only 0.6 percent on an annual equivalent basis. The upward revision came as cuts in America's estimated appetite for imports in the first quarter (Q1) flattered its trading performance compared with the initial data. Imports of goods and services in Q1 are now estimated to have fallen by 2.6 percent, against the 2.5 percent rise previously reported. Exports were also weaker than first thought, rising only 2.8 percent, rather than 5.5 percent
CALENDAR
The recent gloomy data on the US economy and of some US firms shows that it will be some time before markets can breathe a sigh of relief. as initially reported. However, America's net trade showing in Q1 is now shown to have added 0.8 percentage points to growth -- four times its previously calculated contribution. Growth was also boosted in the revised data by an emerging revival in commercial construction activity. Investment in non-residential buildings is reported to have risen by 1.1 percent, rather than falling by 6.2 percent as shown in the early GDP estimates. The boost to growth from this upgraded perform-
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Nikkei 225
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Hang Seng
İMKB-BANK
73.430
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75.751
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DJIMT
10,90
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109
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France
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0,91
7.119,5
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0,53
6.100,2
USA
0,17
12.645,0
TurkDEX
NASDAQ
USA
0,78
2.034,7
US$/JP¥
S&P
USA
0,37
1.403,5
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0,48
72.141,2
49.050 1,232
fallout for US economic activity from the credit crunch and the housing slump, Thursday's data also offered the central bank some reassurance over stubbornly high inflationary pressures. A key inflation gauge closely tracked by the Fed showed that the annual rate of price increases across the US economy, after excluding food and energy costs, eased to 2.1 percent in the revised data, down from an initial estimate of 2.2 percent and closer to the Fed's preferred 2 percent ceiling. © The Times, London
ance was partly offset, though as the rejigged figures also showed a sharp drop in companies' stocks, by $14.4 billion, compared with the previously estimated $1.8 billion rise. Thursday's figures confirmed the weakness of American consumer spending, which rose at an unrevised annual pace of 1 percent in the first quarter -- less than half the 2.3 percent gain in the previous three months. Although the upward revision of first-quarter growth will offer some comfort to the Federal Reserve over the
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EU€/JP¥
contýnued from page 1 The agreement was finalized on May 26, when the Kazakh parliament ratified the deal. The agreement entered into force with Nazarbayev's final approval yesterday. Under the new deal, a new 730-kilometer pipeline running from Kazakhstan's Eskene region to Kuruk will be constructed. Oil will be transported from the Kuruk port to Baku via tanker. Once pumped into the BTC there, Kazakh oil will then go to Ceyhan in Turkey, increasing the amount of oil arriving in Ceyhan to 75 million tons a year -- up 50 percent from the current 50 million. The BTC, which began operating in 2006, is 1,767 kilometers long, with 443 kilometers of it passing through Azeri land, 248 through Georgia and 1,076 through Turkey. The Eskene-KurukBaku pipeline, expected to be completed in 2013, will have a pumping capacity of 1.6 million barrels a day, compared to the BTC's current capacity (as of May 28) of 1 million barrels per day. The pipeline has been operating for two years. The BTC is owned by BP, 30.1 percent; Azerbaijan BTC, 25 percent; Chevron, 8.9 percent; Statoil, 8.71 percent; the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), 6.53 percent; ENI, 5 percent; Total, 5 percent; Itocuhu, 3.4 percent; INPEX, 2.5 percent; ConocoPhillips, 2.5 percent; and Hess, 2.36 percent. Russia sees the new pipeline as an attempt to weaken its regional influence.
TENDER
Tekel land sale canceled again on lack of demand
2,29% -0,32%
BOVESPA
29.68
23,0 7.03
9.5
Native
Foreign
Number of Shares
Native
M.cap
Daily Close Change (%)
Number of Shares
Monthly Change (%)
Yearly Change (%)
United, US Airways ending consolidation talks
Foreign M.cap
Ticker
Price
Daily Change (%)
Ticker
Volumes
US$/JP¥
105,6
14,60
13,18%
AKGRT
5,25
-4,55%
GARAN
193,8
5,6
-46,67
YTL / €
1,871
-1,2%
-6,4%
5,1%
EU/JP¥
163,89
1,93
12,87%
EREGL
7,80
-3,11%
ISCTR
190,2
5,0
-28,32
YTL / $
1,207
-0,7%
-6,1%
-9,0%
EU/US$
1,5519
IHEVA
2,80
12,00%
VESBE
-2,96%
VAKBN
104,8
2,1
-47,84
TAVHL
10,60
9,28%
CIMSA
5,25
-1,87%
AKBNK
73,2
5,4
-35,29
ASYAB
8,30
9,21%
SARKY
2,54
-1,63%
IHEVA
60,9
2,8
2,19
ÝMKB 100
3,94
Price (YTL) Yearly Change (%)
ÝMKB 30
ÝMKB IND
P.CHEM.
TUPRS
PTOFS
PETKM
AYGAZ
--
--
11.873,6
6.329,5
2.364,8
1.230,2
880,9
12,6x
12,5x
11,8x
8,0x
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12,4x
25,6x
3,0x
P/E 2007/06t
8,8x
11,2x
10,9x
5,6x
6,9x
9,1x
13,4x
1,5x
P/E 2007/09t EV/EBITDA 2006/12
8,3x 8,2x
8,5x 8,3x
8,6x 7,7x
6,0x 6,6x
6,9x 7,3x
8,6x 5,2x
13,4x 6,8x
1,5x 5,3x
EV/EBITDA 2007/03t
7,6x
7,6x
6,8x
6,1x
6,2x
5,0x
5,1x
5,7x
EV/EBITDA 2007/06t
8,3x
7,1x
6,9x
6,2x
6,4x
5,0x
5,4x
6,1x
Mcap YTL
--
P/E 2006/12
CM Y K
Japan's economy showed new signs of deterioration Friday, with the country's unemployment rate rising and consumers tightening their purse strings amid soaring food and oil prices, the government said. The jobless rate in April rose to 4.0 percent, up from 3.8 percent in March, the highest level since last September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. "Amid a slump in the economy, conditions of employment are not improving," said Keiji Kanda, an economist at think tank Daiwa Institute of Research. "The number of employees in the manufacturing sector is declining as companies are reluctant to hire people." Japan's household spending in April dropped 2.7 percent from a year earlier, the government said. That was far worse than a 0.9 percent decline expected by economists. "The data showed people were cutting back overall expenses to cope with rising food and energy prices. Food and energy are so vital, and a hike in those prices is directly affecting household spending," Kanda said. Tokyo AP
AVIATION
42.32
PEGYO
Price (YTL) Daily Change (%)
Japan's economy shows signs of deterioration
70.32 57.68
54.5
ENKAI
Ticker
Kazakh oil to flow into Turkey after historic deal
STATS
Dow
June 1 y (TIM) s of Turke Export figure Index -E 10:00 CNBC June 2 ex facturing ind I of ISM Manu PM ing sector Manufactur Euro d an Britain Germany , of Turkey dence index Con. confi
DIPLOMACY
A property tender for an old distillery belonging to Turkey's alcohol and tobacco monopoly, Tekel, which was being conducted by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKÝ), was canceled on Friday due to a lack of demand. As the Kiler Group was the only participant in the tender for the premises, the group made no offer and the tender was canceled. Kiler Group CEO Nahit Kiler said: "The speculation after the previous tender had a significant effect on us. So when we learned that we were the only company to participate in this tender, we refrained from making an offer for the Tekel land." Kiler also said it was unfortunate that there was only one company participating in the tender of such a unique property as the Tekel factory. Kiler had participated in the previous tender for the same land and won the bidding, but the process was canceled because it did not meet the necessary competitive conditions. Kiler said they were still interested in the property, adding, "We want to invest on this land." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
Close
CE AT A GLAN
BUSINESS
Price ($) Light C. Oil Gold Copper
127,28 884,00 3,59
Way
Change (%) 0,52 0,78 0,86
High 128,30 887,50 3,61
Low 124,67 868,60 3,57
P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the income or profit earned by the firm per share. EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for trailer and means the data over the last four quarters. (*) Yesterday's closing (**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2 Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.
The CEOs of United Airlines and US Airways met Thursday, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting, but there was no immediate announcement by either side on the status of efforts to combine the two carriers. The New York Times reported Thursday night that Glenn Tilton of UAL Corp.'s United informed Doug Parker of US Airways Group Inc. at the meeting that United had decided not to continue the merger talks. The report, citing unidentified sources said to have direct knowledge of the situation, said the airlines were expected to announce Friday that the discussions have ended. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation, also reported that Tilton told Parker that talks were suspended for now and that United is near an alliance agreement with Continental Airlines Inc. Both United and US Airways declined to comment and would not even confirm that the meeting took place. Chicago AP
T09-31-05-08.qxd
30.05.2008
19:00
Page 1
CINEMA
TODAY’S ZAMAN 09
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
This week in theaters ‘The Orphanage’ Laura spent the happiest years of her childhood growing up in an orphanage by the seaside. Now, 30 years later, she returns with her husband Carlos and their 7-yearold son, Simon, with a dream of reopening the long-abandoned orphanage as a home for disabled children. The new home and mysterious surroundings awaken Simon's imagination and the boy starts to spin a web of fantastic tales and not-so-innocent games; a troubling web that begins to disturb Laura, drawing her into the child's strange universe which resonates with echoes of deeply unsettling memories of her own childhood. As the opening day draws near, tension builds within the family. Carlos remains skeptical, believing that Simon is making everything up. But Laura slowly becomes convinced that something terrible is lurking in the old house.
Actors Naomi Watts, who is also one of the producers, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt play the leading roles in director Michael Haneke's "Funny Games US," which opened this Friday in theaters across Turkey.
Haneke’s ‘Funny Games US’ is not your typical family movie EMÝNE YILDIRIM ÝSTANBUL
Nearly a shot-to-shot remake of his 1997 Austrian-produced film of the same title, headstrong Michael Haneke's "Funny Games US" delivers even more now than it did 10 years ago. Not only is the language barrier lifted, but also Haneke has now been given the chance to reach wider audiences -- namely the American population that so eschews subtitles -- thanks to his all-star cast, including Naomi Watts, who is also one of the producers, Tim Roth and the up-and-coming flaxen-haired Michael Pitt. So what is so special about "Funny Games" that it was worth a remake? Frankly, it's so terrifyingly astute in making us viewers disgusted with our potential for feeding on violence that it achieves more than its ambitions of being a great film and becomes a sociological handbook. Anne (Watts) and her husband, George (Roth), along with their young son, George Junior, and dog, Lucky, head out to their stately lake house for a lengthy vacation. Listening to classical music with smiles on their faces, comfortable in their gigantic SUV, they have no idea what they're in for. But we do. Suddenly the classical music in the car is overridden by the screeches of death metal; only heard by us viewers. As the family unit settles into their house, two young men dressed in white who claim to be guests of the neighbors abruptly pay them a visit. The younger and quieter one, Peter (Brady Corbet), asks for some eggs and the older and more talkative Paul (Michael Pitt) asks to take a look at the golf clubs. The two young men are insistent but always polite and controlled, of course that is until Anne realizes that something is wrong with them -- they are not leaving. It's isn't long before the Paul and Peter take the family hostage, basically for kicks, and embark on a string of sadistic games that entails a bet whether any member of the family will manage to stay alive until the next morning. And so as we watch Anne, George and little Georgie continuously being degraded by the tricks of the two young boys, somehow hoping that they will get through the night but knowing they probably won't, we cringe for the next two hours. And that's pretty much it, really; no big story arcs and no plot points. The only surprise: By the 20th minute, Haneke
makes Paul look straight into the camera, straight at us, the viewers. Even further into the film Paul will directly address us. "Funny Games" is based solely on the premise of the viewer's expectance of violence, meaning Haneke is well aware of how we are conditioned to take the role of voyeur as we comfortably and continuously watch from our couches the bloodbaths and brutality presented to us through the media. It isn't really Paul and Peter playing nasty games with the family unit, it is Haneke playing games with the viewer, reversing every single convention and making us sit on the edge of our seats, leaving no room to breathe whatsoever once Paul starts to lecture the audience. And the best part is that every single act of violence in the film is off-screen: We know exactly what's going on through the sound, but we are not allowed to see any of it. Until, that is, when Anne suddenly takes a hunting rifle and blasts one of the youngsters; finally, we're thinking: "Here we go! The woman has started to show them a taste of their own medicine." In fact, we're so enthralled that we ache to see it once again. We want to rewind the scene. No worries, Paul happens to find a remote control and rewinds the whole scene for us, but only to change the course of events by taking the rifle away from Anne. Thus, our "hungry" eyes will not be "rewarded." So why should you watch "Funny Games" when you know that you will come out of the cinema feeling like a criminal? This is exactly why you should watch it. With the rise of production in torture-porn movies such as the "Hostel," "Wolf Creek" and "Saw" installments over the last decade, it's scary to observe that it is the hoards of viewers (especially young men) that further enable the production of these gore fests which have no aim other than to nurture a lust for blood, indoctrinated by a global culture of violence stemming from movies, videogames, the Internet and newscasts. At first glance, we might not seem to be responsible. After all, we are just watching what is presented to us -- we
shouldn't be held accountable for something we did not do. Well, old man Haneke definitely knows better. We are definitely accountable for every second we don't turn away our eyes, thus creating the demand for more, and, bless him, he's going to make sure we understand that.
88 MINUTES Ýstanbul: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Bakýrköy Cinebonus Capacity: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Beyoðlu Atlas: 12:00 14:15 16:30 19:00 21:30 AFM Akmerkez: 11:00 13:30 16:10 18:50 21:40 Ýstinye AFM Park: 10:50 13:30 16:25 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 23:35 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Mecidiyeköy AFM Profilo: 11:50 14:20 16:50 19:30 21:50 Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:00 13:10 15:20 17:40 19:50 22:00 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 11:30 13:50 16:10 18:45 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Caddebostan AFM: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:20 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:30 16:15 18:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Kozyataðý Bonus Premium Cinecity Trio: 12:00 14:15 16:30 18:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Ümraniye Cinebonus Meydan: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Ankara: AFM Ankamall: 11:20 13:45 16:15 18:45 21:20 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Cinebonus Panora: 12:00 14:35 17:00 19:25 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Armada: 12:00 14:15 16:30 18:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:15 AFM Cepa: 11:30 14:05 16:40 19:15 21:45 Cinebonus Arcadium: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Ýzmir: Alsancak Ýzmir: 12:15 14:30 16:45 19:00 21:15 Cinebonus Balçova Kipa: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Çiðli Cinecity Kipa: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:15 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Konak AFM Passtel: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:30 AFM Maviþehir Ege Park: 11:15 13:40 16:10 18:40 21:10 Antalya: Cinebonus Migros: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:15
Ýstanbul: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:00 13:45 16:30 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 23:30 Bakýrköy Cinebonus Capacity: 11:00 14:15 16:30 17:45 19:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:00 Beyoðlu CineMajestic: 11:45 13:00 15:45 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:15 AFM Akmerkez: 11:20 13:00 14:40 16:20 18:00 19:40 21:30 Ýstinye AFM Park: 10:45 12:30 14:15 16:10 18:00 20:00 21:50 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:00 13:00 14:30 16:30 18:00 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:30 24:15 Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 13:45 14:45 18:00 19:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:00 Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:00 12:30 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:30 Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:00 12:15 15:15 16:45 18:15 21:30 Caddebostan AFM: 11:30 14:40 17:50 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:10 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:00 13:00 14:30 18:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Þaþkýnbakkal Megaplex M&S: 11:00 12:45 16:00 19:00 20:30 22:00 Kozyataðý Bonus Premium Cinecity Trio: 11:15 14:30 17:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Suadiye Movieplex: 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:15 Ankara: AFM Ankamall: 12:10 15:30 18:50 22:10 Bahçelievler Büyülü Fener: 12:15 15:15 18:15 19:45 21:15 Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:45 13:20 15:00 16:55 18:30 20:10 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Ata On Tower: 11:00 14:15 15:30 17:30 18:45 20:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Cinebonus Panora: 11:30 13:45 14:45 17:00 18:00 20:15 21:15 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Armada: 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 AFM Cepa: 10:45 12:10 13:50 15:30 17:10 18:50 20:30 22:10 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Cinebonus Arcadium: 11:15 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Ýzmir: Cinebonus Balçova Kipa: 11:15 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 19:30 21:00 Fri/Sat: 22:45 24:15 AFM Bornova Park: 11:00 12:30 14:00 15:30 18:00 19:30 21:15 Çiðli Cinecity Kipa: 11:15 14:30 17:45 18:30 21:00 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Cinebonus Konak Pier: 11:15 13:00 14:30 16:15 17:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Antalya: Lara Prestige: 12:00 15:00 16:30 18:00 19:30 21:00 Cinebonus Migros: 11:00 12:45 14:30 16:15 18:00 19:45 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 AFM Laura: 11:00 12:30 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 Antalya Plaza: 12:00 15:00 18:00 20:45
CHIKO Ýstanbul: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:15 Bakýrköy Cinebonus Capacity: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:15
Fri/Sat: 23:15 Ýstinye AFM Park: 11:30 13:55 16:20 18:45 21:10 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:00 12:30 14:45 17:00 19:15 21:30 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:45 19:45 21:45 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:45 Caddebostan AFM: 11:20 13:40 16:20 18:40 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Kozyataðý Cinepol: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Ümraniye Cinebonus Meydan: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Ankara: AFM Ankamall: 11:45 14:10 16:40 19:15 21:25 Bahçelievler Büyülü Fener: 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:30 Ata On Tower: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Kýzýlay Büyülü Fener: 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:30 Cinebonus Panora: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 AFM Cepa: 11:45 14:10 16:30 18:55 21:15 Cinebonus Arcadium: 11:00 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Ýzmir: Cinebonus Balçova Kipa: 11:30 13:45 16:00 18:45 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:15 Çiðli Cinecity Kipa: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:15 19:15 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Cinebonus Konak Pier: 10:30 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 AFM Maviþehir Ege Park: 11:45 14:10 16:30 18:55 21:15
FUNNY GAMES US Ýstanbul: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 20:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 22:30 24:00 Bakýrköy Cinebonus Capacity: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 00:15 Beyoðlu Beyoðlu: 12:15 14:30 16:45 19:00 21:15 Etiler AFM Akmerkez: 11:10 13:50 16:20 19:00 21:50 Florya Cinebonus: 12:15 14:30 16:45 19:00 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:30 Ýstinye AFM Park: 11:00 13:45 16:30 19:35 22:00 Fri/Sat: 23:25 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:15 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Mecidiyeköy AFM Profilo: 11:30 14:10 16:40 19:20 22:00 Ortaköy Feriye 12:30 14:45 17:00 19:15 21:30 Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:00 13:10 15:20 17:30 19:40 22:00 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 11:00 13:40 16:10 18:30 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:15 Caddebostan AFM: 10:50 13:20 15:50 18:20 21:30 Fri/Sat: 00:00 Kadýköy Cinebonus: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 00:15 Kadýköy Rexx: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:15 Ümraniye Cinebonus Meydan: 11:15 13:30 16:15 18:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:45 Ankara: AFM Cepa: 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:30 21:55 AFM Ankamall: 11:10 13:55 16:30 19:10 21:45 Cinebonus Arcadium: 11:40 14:10 16:40 19:10 21:40 Fri/Sat: 00:10 Cinebonus Panora: 12:30 14:50 17:10 19:30 21:50 Fri/Sat: 00:15 Armada: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 00:15
‘La Zona’ (The Zone) Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) lives with his father Daniel (Daniel Giménez Cacho) and his mother Mariana (Maribel Verdú) in an isolated community known as "La Zona." This is a wealthy neighborhood in the middle of Mexico City, fenced off and protected by private security guards and surrounded by a shocking poverty. Three guys from the slums break into one of the Zone's houses. In the bungled robbery that follows, an old woman is killed, but her housemaid manages to escape and warns the security. The guards take swift and brutal action: Two of the intruders are shot dead. The third, Miguel (Alan Chávez), escapes but is later hunted down by a group of residents who decide to administer their own justice against him, without the police. Meanwhile Alejandro, who is preparing for his birthday party, will have to face the most difficult trial of his life. Directed by: Rodrigo Pla Genre: Rodrigo Pla Cast: Daniel Jiménez Cacho, Maribel Verdú, Carlos Bardem, Daniel Tovar
‘88 Minutes’ Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) is a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live, he must use all his skills to narrow down the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover and a serial killer who is already on death row, before his time runs out. Directed by: Jon Avnet Genre: Action Cast: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, Ben McKenzie
‘Sex and the City’
MOVIE GUIDE
SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE
Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona Genre: Horror Cast: Belén Rueda, Fernando Caya, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Geraldine Chaplin
Ýzmir: AFM Passtel: 10:50 13:30 16:00 18:45 21:15 Balçova Cinebonus Kipa: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 00:00 Cinecity Kipa Çiðli: 12:00 14.30 17:00 19:30 22:00 Fri/Sat: 00:30
THE ORPHANAGE Ýstanbul: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:30 Kadýköy Cinebonus Nautilus: 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Ankara: Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Cinebonus Panora: 12:30 14:50 17:10 19:30 21:50 Fri/Sat: 24:10
LA ZONA Ýstanbul: Beyoðlu Alkazar: 12:30 14:30 16:45 19:15 21:30 Maçka Cinebonus G-mall: 11:00 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 Altunizade Capitol Spectrum: 14:15 16:30 18:50 21:30 Ümraniye Cinebonus Meydan: 11:30 13:45 16:15 18:45 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:45
SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO Ýstanbul: Beyoðlu CineMajestic: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:15
SHINE A LIGHT Ýstanbul: Esentepe Cinebonus Astoria: 13:45 16:30 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:45 Ýstinye AFM Park IMAX: 11:00 13:45 16:30 19:15 21:45 Ankara: AFM Ankamall IMAX: 11:30 14:10 16:45 19:25 22:00
Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), successful author and everyone's favorite fashion icon, is back, her famously sardonic wit sharper than ever, as she continues to narrate her own story about sex, love and the fashion-obsessed single woman in New York City. The film finds Carrie, Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) four years after the hit TV series ended, as our favorite femmes fashionables continue to juggle jobs, friendships and relationships while they start to navigate motherhood, marriage and Manhattan real estate. Directed by: Michael Patrick King Genre: Comedy Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Lynn Cohen
‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ Two clans, Genji the white clan led by Yoshitsune, and Heike the red clan led by Kiyomori, battle for a treasure hidden in a mountain town. One day, a gunman, burdened with emotional scars but blessed with incredible shooting skills, drifts into town. Two clans try to woo the gunman to their sides, but he has ulterior motives. Dirty tricks, betrayal and love collide as the situation erupts into a final showdown. Directed by: Takashi Miike Genre: Action / Adventure Cast: Quentin Tarantino, Hideaki Ito, Koichi Sato, Masanobu Ando, Yusuke Iseya
‘Shine a Light’ Martin Scorsese's concert documentary "Shine a Light" shows the Rolling Stones as they've never been seen before. Filming at the famed Beacon Theatre in New York City in Fall 2006, director Martin Scorsese assembled a legendary team of cinematographers to capture the raw energy of the legendary band. Directed by: Martin Scorsese Genre: Documentary Cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Charlie Watts
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S AT U R DAY, M AY 3 1 , 2 0 0 8
DELUGE AP
McCain and Obama try to redraw the political map
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Italy declares emergency, at least three dead Italy declared an emergency in the northwest of the country on Friday after torrential rainfall caused floods and landslides that have killed at least three people and are putting crops at risk. "We are still in the middle of a crisis and will be so for the next 24 hours, Guido Bertolaso," the head of Italy's Civil Protection service told reporters after an emergency meeting in Turin where the river Po has been at dangerously high levels. The Turin region of Piedmont and the mountainous Val d'Aosta were put under a "state of emergency" by the government -- a status which allows for extra funds and special measures to be taken to protect lives and infrastructure. The Po, Italy's longest river which flows across the north of Italy, and its tributary the Dora remain at serious risk of further flooding, the Civil Protection service said. The heavy rainfall caused a landslide in an Alpine village near the French border where witnesses spoke to media of a five-metre (16 ft) high wall of mud engulfing a house. Three bodies have been recovered and a 3-year old girl is missing. Turin Reuters
CLUSTER BOMBS
Nations adopt ban, debate loopholes More than 100 nations formally agreed on Friday to ban the use of cluster bombs but debate continued on loopholes that could benefit powers such as the United States, which has refused to take part in talks on a ban. The conference chairman the declared the draft treaty adopted on Friday after the text formulated during 12 days of talks received no objections from delegates. "In practical terms, implementation starts today," the head of the Norwegian delegation Steffen Kongstad told the conference. Delegates agreed on the draft treaty on Wednesday after a promise from Britain to stop using the devices. The United States, China and Russia have rejected the pact, while NATO states have backed it. Cluster munitions contain "bomblets" that are scattered from planes or by artillery shells and that detonate like mines. Opponents say the bombs cause indiscriminate injury after often lying unexploded for months or years until accidentally trodden on. Children are frequently the victims. Dublin Reuters
VIOLENCE
Eight shot dead outside mosque in north Yemen A gunman opened fire outside a village mosque in north Yemen after Friday prayers, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, a local official said. "It was apparently a lone gunman with a machinegun," the official told Reuters. State media said police had arrested a suspect. In the south of the country, a small-scale oil producer, three blasts were heard near the refinery in the port city of Aden, but an official said the installation was not damaged. The shooting took place in Kohal village in Amran province, about 60 km (40 miles) north of the capital, Sanaa. Many of the wounded were seriously hurt, the local official said. Yemen, a poor Arab state where many ordinary citizens are armed, has faced unrest over unemployment and rising prices in the south and renewed fighting between government forces and Shiite Muslim rebels in the north. In early May, 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in the bombing of a mosque in the volatile northern city of Saada. Officials blamed the attack on followers of rebel leader Abdul-Malik alHouthi. The rebels denied involvement. Sanaa Reuters
OFFENSIVE
Taliban captures a remote Afghan town Taliban insurgents seized a remote Afghan town overnight, patrolling the streets for some hours before withdrawing ahead of a government operation to retake it on Friday, residents and officials said. Ghazni province where the attack took place is only a twohour drive south from the capital, Kabul, and while not as unstable as provinces such as Kandahar or Helmand, the villages around the historic city of Ghazni have seen an upsurge of Taliban activity in the past two years. Ghulam Shah, district governor of the captured district of Rashidan, had links with the Taliban and had handed over the district buildings to the militants, provincial Police Chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid told Reuters. The district police chief, meanwhile, had been taken prisoner, he said. The provincial governor confirmed the attack. "I know that last night there was an attack on the district and the preliminary investigations show that basically they have taken over the district," Shir Khosti told Reuters. "But right now we are dispatching our forces to recapture the district." A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents had taken the district by force and had killed nine policemen. Governor Khosti denied the Taliban claim saying they had "no reports" of any casualties. Ghazni Reuters
WORLD
McClellan book ýs a surprýse hýt for many, even publýshers McClellan, a press secretary known for loyally defending Bush on Iraq, Katrina and other issues, has written that his ex-boss misled the country about Iraq and calls the White House atmosphere 'insular, secretive and combative' The allegations of deceit in Scott McClellan's book have been a surprise not only for Bush officials enraged with the former White House spokesman but also for publishers who turned down what is now the industry's hottest release. "Books by spokespeople rarely contain anything newsworthy and have generally not proven particularly compelling to consumers," said Steve Ross, publisher of the Collins division of HarperCollins and head of the Crown Publishing Group at Random House Inc. at the time McClellan was offering his manuscript. "It was shopped around but, like others who publish in the category, we didn't even take a meeting based upon past history."
McClellan, a press secretary known for loyally defending President George W. Bush on Iraq, Katrina and other issues, has written that his ex-boss misled the country about Iraq and calls the White House atmosphere "insular, secretive and combative." "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" was No. 1 on Amazon.com and the publisher, Public Affairs, said that the printing has been doubled from 65,000 to 130,000. McClellan's accusations have been met by counteraccusations that he is cashing in on his White House access. Bush supporters have criticized him, but so have liberals such as commentator Arianna Huffington. "It's George Tenet deja vu all over
again," Huffington wrote in a posting on her blog, http://www.huffingtonpost.com, referring to the former CIA director who received seven figures for his memoir. "How many times are we going to have a key Bush administration official try to wash the blood off his hands -- and add a chunk of change to his bank account -- by writing a come-clean book years after the fact ..." But McClellan's book does not fit the pattern of Washington megadeals. He was not represented by Washington, D.C., attorney Bob Barnett, whose clients include Tenet and countless political leaders, but by the much less known Craig Wiley, whose most famous client is actor Ron Silver. Los Angeles AP
A White House race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama could shake up the political map in November, putting new states in play and shifting the odds in some traditional battlegrounds like Florida and Ohio. Both McCain and Obama believe they can win at least a few states recently dominated by the opposing party, chipping away at the now-familiar pattern where Republicans won states in the South and the heartland, Democrats took the coastal states and upper Midwest -- and a few crucial swing states decided the winner. "We're looking at a much larger and more unpredictable playing field than we saw in the last few election cycles," said Dan Schnur, a Republican consultant and a former aide to McCain during his 2000 presidential bid. "Obama's people correctly see historically Republican states where they think they can be competitive," Schnur said. "But it's pretty clear Obama also loses ground to McCain in some states that have been safe for Democrats in the past." Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. president, has nearly clinched victory in his Democratic nominating race against Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. He already has turned his focus to the general election with trips in recent weeks to battlegrounds such as Michigan, Florida, Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado. McCain, an Arizona senator who has clinched the Republican nomination, has been focusing on the general election for two months. Strategists for both candidates are scanning opinion polls, voter registration lists and demographic reports to find states they can win in their quest for the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the White House. Those votes are awarded to the popular-vote winner in each state. Most of the focus will be in the big battleground states that have proven crucial in recent presidential elections, including Michigan and Pennsylvania, won by Democrat John Kerry in 2004, and Florida and Ohio, won last time by Republican President George W. Bush. Both campaigns also will target 11 states decided by 6 percentage points or less in the close 2004 presidential election narrowly won by Bush. Kerry won six of those battles -Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Bush took five -- Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico. Washington Reuters REUTERS
30.05.2008
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Senator John McCain (L) is greeted by Senator Barak Obama.
Polygamist sect members waiting for kids to be returned after court ruling
Dunkin’ Donuts scarf ad flap ‘silly,’ American Islamic lobby group says
to the state's massive seizure of children from a Now, the waiting begins. A Texas polygamist sect's ranch in western Texas. The Supreme Court ruling paves the way for high court affirmed a decision by an appellate members of a polygamist sect to get their chilcourt last week, saying Child Protective Services dren out of foster care, but it remains unclear failed to show an immediate danger to the when that might happen or what kind of remore than 400 children swept strictions might be imposed. up from the Yearning For Zion "I'm happy (when) all the chilRanch nearly two months ago. dren are back to their mothers "On the record before us, reand we're home," said Martha moval of the children was not Emack, who was visiting her 1warranted," the justices said in year-old and 2-year-old in foster their ruling issued in Austin. The care in Austin when word of the high court let stand the appellate ruling arrived Thursday. The court's order that Texas District court said child welfare officials Judge Barbara Walther return overstepped their authority and the children from foster care to the children should be returned Judge Barbara their parents. San Angelo, Texas AP to their parents, a crushing blow
es in the Middle East, in the Arab world. It's inA move by Dunkin' Donuts to pull an onteresting to see how that will affect business line ad featuring Rachael Ray after a blogthere," said Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman for the ger dubbed the celebrity chef's scarf "hate couCouncil on American-Islamic Relations. Dunkin' ture" was an incredibly silly situation, a US Donuts, which calls itself the world's largest cofIslamic lobby group said. The ad, online for two fee and baked goods chain, said weeks before Dunkin' Donuts in a statement Ray had been removed it last weekend, showed wearing a silk scarf with a paisTV host Ray wearing a black and ley design selected by a stylist white scarf that some critics with no intended symbolism. It likened to a keffiyeh, a traditional pulled the ad due to the possibilArab headdress. Columnist and ity of misperception, the compablogger Michelle Malkin said it ny said. Ray hosts morning was "hate couture," after which lifestyle show "Rachael Ray" on others made similar criticisms. ABC, also appears on the Food "It's sad that Dunkin' Donuts Network and has written recipe pandered to that kind of fearRachael Ray books. New York Reuters mongering. They have business-
CM Y K
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WORLD
TODAY’S ZAMAN 11
S AT U R D AY, M AY 3 1 , 2 0 0 8
INTRUDER
Crane collapses in NYC; searchers combing wreckage
Japanese man discovers woman living in his closet A Japanese man who was mystified when food kept disappearing from his kitchen, set up a hidden camera and found an unknown woman living secretly in his closet, Japanese media said on Friday. The 57-year-old unemployed man of Fukuoka in southern Japan called police on Wednesday when the camera sent pictures to his mobile phone of an intruder in his home while he was out on Wednesday, the Asahi newspaper said on its Website. Officers rushed to the house and found a 58year-old unemployed woman hiding in an unused closet, where she had secreted a mattress and plastic drink bottles, the Asahi said. Police suspect she may have been there for several months, the paper said. "I didn't have anywhere to live," the Nikkan Sports tabloid quoted the woman as telling police. Local police confirmed that they had arrested a woman for trespassing, but would not comment further on the case. Tokyo Reuters
A construction crane collapsed on Friday in a residential Manhattan neighborhood, smashing into a 23-story apartment building before crashing onto the street below and killing one person. It was the second deadly crane accident in 2½ months in the city, which is undergoing a building boom. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the latest collapse was “unacceptable,” and the city would investigate. “The sound was like a thunder clap. Then, an earthquake,” said Peter Barba, who lives on the seventh floor of the building across the street from the con-
struction site on the Upper East Side. One body was brought out of the rubble at East 91st Street and First Avenue, placed on a gurney and covered in a white sheet. A construction worker knelt over the stretcher, gently stroking the sheet. It wasn’t immediately clear whether there were additional fatalities. Crews pulled others out of the wreckage, the Fire Department said. Their conditions were not immediately known. Firefighters and rescue workers continued to search through the tangled wreckage. Video from the scene showed the upper-floor balconies of
the apartment building were severely damaged and a hole extended several stories down the side of the building. Barba said it appeared the entire cab came off the crane; its main arm hit the penthouse of his building, then “took out the northeast corner,” he said. Chaos enveloped the largely residential neighborhood of town houses and apartment high-rises as dozens of emergency vehicles raced to the scene during the morning rush hour. Brian Nurenberg, 37, was playing indoor tennis two blocks away when he heard the crash. New York AP
AP
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Rescuers work at the scene of a crane collapse on NY Upper East Side on Friday.
TRIAL
Croatia jails general for 7 years over war crimes
Olmert’s party considers ballot over scandal
Croatian general Mirko Norac was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for crimes against rebel Serbs in the 1991-95 war, at the end of a year-long trial seen as a test case for the European Union candidate country. Norac was accused of failing to prevent the murder and torture of civilians and war prisoners by Croatian troops during an army incursion into a rebel-held area in September 1993. Reading the sentence, Judge Marin Mrcela said Norac had breached the Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians and treatment of war prisoners. "As the commander of sector 1, Norac failed to prevent his subordinates from killing and torturing civilians and from destroying and ransacking their properties and killing their cattle, both during and after the operation," Mrcela said. Twenty-three ethnic Serb civilians and five prisoners of war were killed at the time, and some 300 homes were attacked. The ruins and dead bodies were found by United Nations peacekeepers after the Croatian forces retreated. Despite finding out about the crimes, Norac failed to punish the perpetrators or prevent new atrocities, the judge added. The trial, which started in June last year, has been closely watched by the European Union and human rights officials for indications of how Croatia is dealing with atrocities committed by some of its military in the war of independence from Yugoslavia. Zagreb Reuters
NEGOTIATIONS
Lebanon’s Siniora begins talks on forming cabinet Prime Minister-designate Fouad Siniora began talks with Lebanese lawmakers on Friday on forming a national unity government in which Hezbullah-led minority factions will wield veto power. The new cabinet will give Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbullah and its allies the power to block key decisions. But its advent will also be another step towards reviving state institutions after an 18-month political crisis that paralyzed government and pushed the country to the brink of civil war. A Qatarimediated deal earlier this month ended a sometimes violent standoff between the US-backed ruling coalition and the opposition spearheaded by the Shiite Hezbullah group. Under the agreement, majority factions will be allocated 16 ministers, the opposition 11 and the president three. Lebanon’s new president, former army chief Michel Suleiman, reappointed Siniora prime minister on Wednesday, asking him to form a cabinet set to rule until a 2009 parliamentary election. Siniora will consult members of parliament from across the political spectrum in talks expected to last into next week. Suleiman himself is likely to have a big say in selecting a neutral figure for the post of interior minister, who will have the task of overseeing the parliamentary elections. While the Doha agreement resolved a dispute over electoral constituencies, conduct of the elections is a sensitive issue in Lebanon’s delicate sectarian power-sharing system. Beirut Reuters
END OF AN ERA
Nepal king formally told to leave the royal palace
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, right, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, center, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, left, attend a session of parliament in Jerusalem. has survived similar scandals in the past. Olmert may be charged with bribery, fraud or breach of trust at the end of the investigation, which is expected to take months. He has denied any wrongdoing but said he will step down if indicted. Police are expected to question him on the allegations for a third time in the coming two weeks, while Talansky
is expected to be cross-examined by Olmert’s lawyers on July 17. But the Israeli political scene did not wait for a legal decision. Barak, Olmert’s senior coalition partner, said this week he would topple the government and move for new elections if Olmert does not step down at least temporarily, or if Kadima does not replace him. Jerusalem Reuters and AP
China’s struggle to overcome earthquake devastation was compounded by confusion after an official denied a report that 1.3 million people would evacuate from a city threatened by a swelling “quake lake.” The landslide-blocked river at Tangjiashan in southwest China’s Sichuan province is the most pressing danger after an earthquake devastated the region on May 12. The official death toll from the quake is 68,858 and is sure to rise with 18,618 missing, and there is widespread worry that more than 30 landslide-blocked rivers could burst through and bring more havoc by flooding downstream towns and reservoirs. The official Xinhua news agency said Tan Li, Communist Party Secretary of Mianyang in the quake zone, ordered 1.3 million people living downstream from Tangjiashan to “evacuate to higher ground.” But Zhou Hua, a Mianyang city official who is a spokesman for the lake relief effort, told Reuters the report was inaccurate. “There is a virtual training exercise scheduled for tomorrow to test our contingency plan to move that many people,” he said. “But there is no public participation, and we see no reason at all to actually implement the plan at this stage.” In villages outside Mianyang city there were no immediate signs of either mass panic or exodus. “The government and the army are working on it and won’t let it burst,” said Jin Dongsheng, a farmer in Qingyi town near the city. He and about 3,000 town residents had been moved about half an hour’s walk uphill from homes close the river bank. Xinhua’s Chinese-language service later also said there was merely a training exercise planned in Mianyang, a city of 5.3 million people including many in rural areas. At the unstable Tangjiashan lake, hundreds of troops have removed more than a third of the earth for a channel intended to ease pressure from the rising waters, Zhou said. Up to 190,000 residents downstream had moved to higher ground, usually hillsides close to where they were living before, to avoid a surge if the blockage suddenly gave way, he said. Xinhua said the water level was nearly 23 meters (75 feet) below the lowest point of the barrier, which experts have said could give way quickly once breached. Troops have also built escape paths in the event that happens.A Chinese meteorological authority official, Zhai Panmao, said the authority did not expect heavy rain in the area in the next 10 days. “We’ve adopted extremely important measures and are opening up a breach and so on,” he said of the Tangjiashan build-up. “We have full confidence in solving this problem.” Post-quake reconstruction work has only begun, with many displaced people facing a cramped, sweltering summer in tents. Mianyang Reuters
AP
Myanmar starts mass evictions of families from cyclone camps contýnued from page 1 “We knew we had to go at some point but we had hoped for more support,” 21year-old trishaw driver Kyaw Moe Thu said as he trudged out of the camp with his five brothers and sisters. The youngest, a 2- year girl named Moe Win Kyah, was sheltered by the others under a pair of black umbrellas. They had been given 20 bamboo poles and some tarpaulins to help rebuild their lives in the Irrawaddy delta, where 134,000 people were left dead or missing by Cyclone Nargis on May 2. “Right now, we are disappointed,” Kyaw Moe Thu said. “We were prom-
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Nepal’s government formally told the deposed monarch Friday to vacate the royal palace within the next two weeks, and a palace official said the king was preparing to move to his palatial private home in Katmandu. Hours later a bomb exploded near a mass rally in the capital being addressed by leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) -- former communist rebels who have emerged as the largest political party. No one was hurt in the blast, and police were investigating, said police official Suresh Shah. As word of the expulsion order spread, Nepali television stations broadcast video filmed overnight of trucks being driven from the palace to King Gyanendra’s private home. The order to leave the concrete palace that dominates downtown Katmandu comes two days after Nepal’s newly elected lawmakers, led by the former communist insurgents, declared the country a republic, ending a dynasty that had reigned for 239 years. Home Secretary Umesh Mainali said the order was delivered to the palace Friday morning. At midday Friday, Gyanendra was still in the palace, although his daughter-in-law, Hemani, had moved to a private home in the northern part of the city just after midnight, the home secretary said. Katmandu AP
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Leaders of Israel’s governing Kadima Party plan to meet in as little as a week to decide on an internal ballot that could replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, senior Kadima members said on Friday. Olmert has so far defied a demand by his main coalition partner, Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s left-leaning Labor Party, to leave office over a growing corruption scandal. A poll by Israel’s mass circulation Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper found Olmert’s deputy, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, would win an internal vote to find a new leader for their centrist party. Livni, Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians, garnered the support of 39 percent of Kadima members, according to the poll. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz came in second with 25 percent. But a poll by the Maariv daily found that Livni, as Olmert’s successor, would lose to Benjamin Netanyahu of the right-wing Likud Party if a general election was held today. Lawmaker Tzachi Hanegbi, head of Kadima’s central committee, told Israel Radio on Friday that Kadima delegates would convene a meeting on a leadership ballot after Olmert returns from a visit to the United States at the end of next week. Kadima sources said Olmert wants his centrist party to put off any such vote for months, hoping to ride out the police investigation into allegations he accepted envelopes filled with cash from a Jewish-American businessman. Olmert has denied wrongdoing but has said he would resign if indicted. The turmoil threatens to derail US-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Sixty percent of Kadima’s members believe Olmert does not have to resign at this stage in the investigation, the Yedioth Ahronoth poll found. Olmert has responded to the crisis with a business-as-usual approach. He is expected to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as early as Sunday, Israeli officials said. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said a date has yet to be set. Israel’s attorney-general, Menachem Mazuz, said on Thursday the investigation would be accelerated “in order to complete it as soon as possible.” He gave no precise timeframe for a decision on whether to indict the prime minister. Olmert
AP
Olmert may be charged with bribery, fraud or breach of trust at the end of the investigation, which is expected to take months. He has denied any wrongdoing but said he will step down if indicted. Police are expected to question him again
Chinese battle against time to drain quake lake
Cyclone survivors line up outside an aid tent in Yangon, Myanmar.
CM Y K
ised 30 poles by the government. They told us we will get rice each month, but right now we have nothing.” Four weeks after the disaster, the United Nations says fewer than one in two of the 2.4 million people affected by the cyclone have received any form of help from either the government, or international or local aid groups. Rumors are flying around the international aid community in Yangon that the evictions are occurring in state-run refugee centers across the delta. The UN, which has local and foreign aid workers in the delta, said it did not know if that was the case.
“We certainly don’t endorse premature return to where there are no services, and any forced or coerced movement is completely unacceptable,” UN spokeswoman Amanda Pitt said in Bangkok. The evictions come a day after official media in the former Burma lashed out at offers of foreign aid, criticizing donors’ demands for access to the delta and saying cyclone victims could “stand by themselves.” “The people from Irrawaddy can survive on self-reliance without chocolate bars donated by foreign countries,” the Kyemon newspaper said in a Burmese-language editorial. Kyauktan Reuters
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CULTURE&ARTS
TODAY’S ZAMAN 13
S AT U R D AY, M AY 3 1 , 2 0 0 8
Jewel lets her country self sing out in latest album due next month SCOTT GOLD NASHVILLE
Back when she was living in her van, when playing a San Diego coffeehouse was a big gig, Jewel Kilcher had an inspiring vision of fame. She'd read about intellectuals who gathered to find common ground in disparate pursuits, each bringing his or her own ingredient -- a little Klimt, a little Henry Miller and Monet -- to create a magical stew of ideas. That, she figured, had to be what it was like for the famous and the fabulous in the modern pop music world -- lying about, perhaps, as if they were students in Plato's academy, swapping songwriting tricks and unusual chord progressions. "Wrong," she said. That would have come as a surprise only to a kid who grew up largely in the wilds of Alaska, playing lumberjack bars with a knife on her belt, prohibited from cutting her hair until it was the same length as Crystal Gayle's. It turned out, of course, that the pop music world was a petty place, laced with narcissism and insecurity; collaboration can be difficult when one artist's success is seen as correlated to another's failure. So, Jewel set off on her own path, and she's done pretty well for herself. Since the 1995 release of her debut, "Pieces of You," she has sold roughly 27 million albums -- about one every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day, for 13 years. All along, she said, she was driven largely by a quest to find authenticity in the music business. In the last year, she realized it was here all along, in Nashville, where she'd recorded all but one of her records, where the neon signs on Broadway are in the shapes of guitars, where Dolly Parton sang of Music Row: "If you want to be a star, that's where you've got to go." For her seventh and latest album, "Perfectly Clear," Jewel has gone country. Largely self-produced, the album will be released on June 3; its first single, "Stronger Woman," has been making a robust showing on country radio and the country charts for weeks. There are subtle suggestions that Jewel, who turned 34 on May 23, has entered a new and strange world. She released two versions of "Stronger Woman," for instance -- one using the word "horny" and another using "frisky" -- to ensure that she wouldn't ruffle any of Nashville's conservative feathers. Still, she said, this feels like home. And those who will see her transition as some sort of career overhaul or reinvention -- and she's been accused of all of that before -- haven't been paying attention, she said. "I've always loved this town," she said. "You can throw a rock and hit somebody in the head who is more talented than you."
Partly as a result, many of today's songwriters Jewel sees as professional kin -- fellow storytellers like Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley -- rose through the country charts. "It's a cool thing that's happened. And it demands authenticity," she said. "You either rise or fall based on talent and merit. They don't really trade on much else." That contention will raise a few eyebrows in the music industry. Jewel's own sense of authenticity has been called into question in the past. And Nashville can be as commercial as it comes, and as a result is enormously divisive in the industry; country-punk renegade Hank Williams III lamented on a 2006 album that country music had been overrun by "these kids from a manufactured town." The unvarnished truth, however, according to Jewel, is that she doesn't particularly need to care if critics or even some fans see her as straying from her roots -- even if she
has never come close to replicating the commercial success she found with "Pieces of You." "I went from being homeless to selling 11 million copies of that record," she said with a shrug. "I'm not a real decadent person. I didn't spend it on cars and houses. Every other record after that, I had nothing to lose. It kind of set me up. It bought me freedom."
She comes by it naturally In spirit, if not in genre, Jewel has always been a little country. It comes with the territory when you grow up picking your own heating coal from the hillsides, using an outhouse, curing your own salmon and learning yodeling techniques that your father gleaned from Jimmie Rodgers records. Country music was the logical soundtrack. Indeed, Jewel wrote several tracks on the new album when she was a teenager. They include "Perfectly Clear," a breakup song she wrote at 18 after
Before and after
she became fascinated with picking a moment in time and writing about it from every angle, and "Loved by You (Cowboy Waltz)," which she wrote at 17, inspired by the open range of Alaska. "She's always written country-flavored material," said Alan Bershaw, her Connecticutbased archivist. Jewel requires his services in part because she is a remarkably prolific writer; she has written approximately 400 songs that have never been recorded on an album. It is likely that no one -- including Jewel herself, she points out -- knows more about her catalog. "I look at this album as going back to her roots," Bershaw said, "but just giving it a new soundscape. This does have overtly country flavorings. But every album she has done, if you look at them one at a time, they all have an individual sound." In the first years of her career, Jewel wanted to talk about those roots, about the evolution of music. She wanted to talk about how her pioneering ancestry -- her grandfather tried to establish an Alaskan commune of craftsmen who could survive the end of the industrialized world -- had informed her songs. But all everyone else wanted to talk about was the van -- the one she lived in for a spell in her teens. Being homeless was not pleasant, of course, but back then it was painted as almost glamorous, with an unspoken subtext that amounted to: And so pretty too! "It became really cartoonish," she said. Entranced, the pop world beckoned, and Jewel began to give in with some regularity, whether that meant singing with Beyonce in a very tiny dress or hawking hair products. But she says she never lost her way. Jewel had been nibbling at the fringe of the country music industry for a while; she has hosted the reality-TV show "Nashville Star," and sang with country singer-songwriter Jason Michael Carroll on his debut album, "Waitin' in the Country." Jewel had also played several times with a storied, Nashville-based country music co-op of sorts called Muzik Mafia -- and when she decided to jump whole-hog into country music, one of the Mafia founders, John Rich, signed on as co-producer. Rich is half of the country-rock duo Big & Rich. "Perfectly Clear" is the debut release for a new independent label based in Nashville, the Valory Music Co. Producing the record herself, meanwhile, gave her enormous latitude over the recordings. She kept them simple, recording the bulk of the songs in two days and keeping them free of overproduction and overdubs. "I didn't wake up one morning and become somebody new," she said. "I tried to pick the best 11 songs and sing the heck out of them." © Los Angeles Times, 2008
Today's Jewel is different, to a degree, from the breathy, mesmerizing ingenue of her teens. She is well-coiffed, businesslike and made-up immaculately. If she were discovered today, Jewel said, she would be pegged as a country artist from the start, because the alternative-radio programming that was the foundation of her early career has largely disappeared. "That was a magical window," she said. "I mean, they would play my songs between Nirvana and Soundgarden."
Historic Ankara Citadel to host second festival The historic Ankara Citadel will be enlivened with music and arts next week thanks to the second edition of a festival sponsored by the Ankara Citadel Foundation in collaboration with the local Altýndað Municipality. The Citadel Festival, set for June 5-8, was launched last year by the foundation with the aim of "re-establishing Ankara's links with its citadel." Festival coordinator Meral Dinçer told the Anatolia news agency this week that the inaugural event was a success and that it had achieved an important part of its goal when it drew the attention of the local municipality to the area's problems. She said the Altýndað Municipality had given momentum to the restoration of old structures in the citadel area following last year's festival and added that the event had also contributed to attracting people from varied segments of the society to the area, making business in the citadel neighborhood livelier. This year's festival will feature a free-admission open-air concert by folk-pop band Yeni Türkü and a special concert by artists from the Ankara Opera at the citadel's Akkale Point, where the landmark flagpole is located, Dinçer said. The festival program also includes fashion shows, an antique auction and puppet theater shows, she said, adding that a number of tents where traditional handcrafts would be produced and sold would be erected in various spots around the citadel grounds. The festival will kick off June 4 with a festival procession that will start from the Kuðulu Park in Kavaklýdere and proceed toward the Kýzýlay Square, inviting citizens to the festival. Ankara Today's Zaman
Eddie Murphy to return as ‘Beverly Hills Cop' If Indiana Jones can make a successful comeback after almost 20 years, why not the Beverly Hills Cop? Paramount Pictures has given the go-ahead for a fourth installment of its "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise, with Eddie Murphy on board to return to the role that launched his movie career, the studio said on Thursday. Brett Ratner, the filmmaker behind the similarly themed "Rush Hour" movies starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, is in negotiations to direct the latest "Beverly Hills Cop" adventure, a Paramount spokesman said. Lorenzo di Bonaventura ("Transformers") will produce. The film is expected to begin filming next year for a summer 2010 release. According to Daily Variety, it was Murphy, 47, who approached the Viacom Inc.-owned studio about reviving the film series in which he plays a Detroit police detective, Axel Foley, who ends up chasing crooks in Beverly Hills, California. The original 1984 film and its two sequels, the last of which opened in 1994, collectively grossed more than $735 million in theaters worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The first movie alone took in over $316 million globally. Los Angeles Reuters
US comic actor Harvey Korman dead at age 81
ALBUM
OPERA
Hande Yener to sing first ‘Hypnosis' gig in June
La Scala to stage Gore's ‘An Inconvenient Truth'
Turkish pop singer Hande Yener, whose sixth studio album "Hipnoz" (Hypnosis) hit music stores last Sunday, will perform the first concert for her album on the night of June 14 at Ýstanbul's Studio Live. The album includes 10 tracks enhanced with electronically synthesized vocal effects. Among them the lyrics to eight tracks were written by Yener and two were written by Mor ve Ötesi front man Harun Tekin. The concert will start at 10 p.m.
Al Gore's Academy Award-winning global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" will get an operatic remake in Italy, The Associated Press reported. La Scala officials told AP that Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera on the international hit for the 2011 season at the famed Milan opera house. Battistelli is a renowned composer and the current artistic director of the Arena in Verona.
FESTIVAL
Three-day festival to lure rockers to Lara Beach The Mediterranean holiday resort town of Lara in Antalya will next month be hosting rockers from across Turkey when the three-day festival Rock'n Antalya gets under way on June 20. Turkish rock musicians Aydilge, Teoman, Hayko Cepkin, Emre Aydýn and the bands Redd and Duman are among the acts that will take the stage at the open-air festival, which will be held at a campsite to be erected on Lara Beach. Tickets at www.biletix.com.
THEATER
Erincin brings ‘Atrocity Boulevard' to Ýstanbul New York-based Turkish artist Serap Erincin this weekend presents her latest production, "Atrocity Boulevard," at the French Institute in Ýstanbul as part of the Ýstanbul International Theater Festival. Written and directed by Erincin, the play mixes elements of theater, dance, narrative and visual arts to portray the relationship of individuals in the city. The performance will be staged today at 8:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Tickets: YTL 10
CM Y K
Comic actor Harvey Korman, who costarred on the US television classic "The Carol Burnett Show" in the 1960s and 1970s and in "Blazing Saddles" and other Mel Brooks movies, died on Thursday at age 81. Korman died of complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm he suffered four months ago, according to a statement issued by the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. "It was a miracle in itself that he survived the incident at all," his daughter, Kate Korman, said in a statement. "Everyone in the hospital referred to him as ‘miracle man’ because of his strong will and ability to bounce right back after several major operations. Tragically, after such a hard-fought battle he passed away," she added. Starting off in small roles on Broadway, the tall, lanky actor first gained notice as a featured performer on "The Danny Kaye Show," a CBS musical variety series where he perfected his talents as a sketch comedy artist. In 1967, he joined the cast of another popular CBS variety hour, "The Carol Burnett Show," and spent the next decade as Burnett's leading sidekick in an ensemble of comedy regulars. Korman earned four Emmy Awards for his work on the show, but left the series in 1977 to pursue other projects. In motion pictures, he played a prominent supporting role as Hedley Lamarr in the 1974 western spoof "Blazing Saddles," and appeared in two other Brooks films, "High Anxiety" and "The History of the World: Part I." He also appeared in two "Pink Panther" sequels in the 1980s. Los Angeles Reuters
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14 TODAY’S ZAMAN
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
OPINION
of the municipalities of Kosovo and in the constitution it is stated that Turkish is also a secondary language in Kosovo. Another argument that would show that there is no such thing as Albanization is the flag. As you well know, the Kosovo flag has six stars, signifying the six ethnic groups living in Kosovo. In the government the Turkish political structure had main advantages and rights, as do the Bosnians, for example. With ministers, deputies, etc. they are making their voices heard. If the language was such a big problem then why did the Turkish parliamentarians sign the constitutional law? As far as the "Orhans" are concerned, didn't you mix this with the Serbian provinces of Nish and Tmava in the 1950s? Because there is no possible claim, or no such an act as the cleansing of Turks or any other minority from Kosovo during the revolts in the 1980s. I must say that this is not true in any possible way. It may be true that people like Orhan have left Kosovo because of Serbian pressure and economic difficulties, as even 500,000 Kosovar Albanians left Kosovo, but it is completely untrue that it was because of pressure by Albanian Kosovars during the revolts of the 1980s. Albanians had no such a power to put pressure on anyone. The Albanians in Kosovo have accepted that they are a part of a new country, and they are ready to leave some of their national pride and they have accepted that now they shall live together with Serbs, Turks and others in the same country, as that is the future. The Kosovar Albanians are done with wars and they want to build something on tolerance, and so do the Turks and the Serbians, together with other minorities. If only there were no people from outside who want to destabilize the relations between the minorities there, such as Russia and Serbia. I have tried to show in these arguments that there is no such a thing as "Albanization" of other minority groups, be they Turks, Bosnians, Gypsies, Pomaks or whoever, rather there is a process of deAlbanizing the Albanians there and constituting a Kosovar identity with symbols and national celebrations. I agree with Mr. Somun that the Turkish government is doing pretty well for the Turks in Kosovo, but I don't agree that it is doing this just for the Turkish minority there. The Turkish government has been working and helping Kosovo in general in every step, economic, political, cultural and social, but the "Albanization" fear comes from some ultra-nationalist minority in Turkey, or some pro-Serbians who want to destabilize Albanian-Turkish relations in Kosovo and beyond. I also agree with Mr. Somun that the Balkans have been a place of migrations for centuries, but these migrations, I shall remind, were done only because of Serbian nationalism, as in the 1959s, the 1980s and the 1990s. So now that Kosovo is based on tolerance and non-nationalist causes, there is no reason to expect such a thing. Erdoan Shipoli Graduate candidate in international relations Fatih University
m.turkone@todayszaman.com
The May 27 occupies a central place in Turkish political history. Fortyeight years ago, in 1960, a clandestine military organization that included 38 officers seized political power after toppling the government. What happened was a coup d'état. A democratically elected government was toppled; Parliament was dissolved; the military administration that took office prosecuted members of the toppled civilian government in a special tribunal. Following the trials at the tribunal, the prime minister and two ministers from his Cabinet were executed. May 27 was announced by the coup instigators as an official day, which they designated Freedom and Constitution Day. This national holiday was observed until 1980, when another military administration took office following another coup. The coup in 1960 was a turning point in the Turkish political landscape. For this reason, every year on the anniversary of the coup, discussions take place about it. The leftist politics represented by the Republican People's Party (CHP) support this coup. The rightist conservative segment that constitutes 70-80 percent of society is opposed to the coup and what it produced. The fact that every anniversary of this incident ignites discussions is because of its persistent impacts and influences even to the present time. The May 27 coup is the primary reason behind the fundamental problems of Turkish democracy and the power struggle within the state.
May 27 cult It is only natural that political views in a broad spectrum attract supporters from different social segments. Democracy allows these different views to compete in a liberal environment. The problem that Turkey encounters is that this competition takes place via armed interventions. Of course, the military figures and actors are entitled to hold political views and beliefs. This is actually where the problem becomes visible. What will happen when those who are assigned the duty to protect seek to defend their political views by relying on their military strength? As the four military coups have demonstrated so far, the country will be put in the position of becoming unable to govern itself and resolve its problems. If you fail to introduce restrictive rules and a sound system of checks and balances, the armed forces will resort to using the power they hold to defend and promote their political views. The military coups in Turkey are all about mobilization of the armed power for the sake of political considerations. The seizure of power by a group of military officers who formed a junta, relying on arms and the soldiers under their command 48 years ago, was an example of an unauthorized armed takeover. What makes a junta different from a plain gang of murderers is their reliance on state facilities and seizure of state power relying on these facilities. The May 27 coup set a precedent and model for creation of juntas within the army. What makes the stagers of the May 27 coup different from the coup supporters of May 21 who were executed is that the latter failed to achieve their goals.
May 27 disaster May 27 is one of the disasters that greatly affected Turkey's recent past. This society, which has a respected state tradition, was turned into a banana republic on May 27. Turkey has achieved things despite the obstacles created by the May 27 coup and the subsequent developments. If I were a fanatic who was committed to marginal ideologies, my views would remain mere fantasies unless I resorted to violent strategies. But what would happen if these views were held by the armed forces of this country? In that case, my views would pose a great threat to the order and security of this country. The previous scenario is not
The May 27 coup was staged against the people. The ideal of popular sovereignty was crushed under the military boots of the May 27 junta. The order established by the May 27 actors reduced and even minimized popular participation in democratic and electoral processes. Parliament, which was supposed to reflect the popular will, was divided into two parts. Some figures were appointed without election. This was actually reminiscent of a monarchic order. The coup stagers became fundamental members of this newly established body. Parliament was paralyzed and rendered unable to adopt laws while the political administration's authorities were also restricted. The military guardianship maintained over the democratic administration was further institutionalized by introduction of the National Security Council (MGK). The universities were transformed into supportive agents where the elites were assigned the task of promoting and supporting the guardianship system vis-à-vis democracy, becoming dominant and influential. The judiciary was restructured to offset the popular will and democratic institutions. The Constitutional Court was invented as a bureaucratic control center rather than as an institution to check the political administration. The political establishment failed to create its own balances under the influence of this guardianship. Instead of seeking popular support, the CHP assumed the role of remaining close to the state power under the umbrella of this guardianship and sustaining the state power; the reason for the CHP's reliance on such a role and its failure to transform into a normal political actor of the democratic regime should be sought in the May 27 coup. May 27 is responsible for most of the current problems in Turkey. Recalling that the current judicial and higher education establishment is a product of the May 27 coup alone is enough to give you a basic idea of the background of the current political issues. That every political issue turns into a regime crisis is a product of the fragility associated with May 27. Today, 48 years after the coup, based on the reviews and commentaries published in the Turkish press, it would be fair to assert that the trauma and anguish associated with the coup is still fresh and visible.
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May 27: guardianship over democracy
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hypothetical. The marginal set of ideas called ultranationalism, which is a synthesis of Mussolini fascism and Third World leftism, is promoted by mainly military figures. Autocratic and hierarchical ideas have always been attractive to those who are used to leading a life in a command-order chain. These ideas lie beneath the tendency to form gangs and clandestine entities. These marginal and fascist ideas that rely on the armed forces over politics present the greatest threat to Turkey. After the May 27 coup, marginality became prevalent and dominant; since then, the influence of this marginality has remained visible in Turkish politics. Construction of the state institutions on these marginalities is the primary reason for the frequent reference to the regime issues and lack of agreement and consensus in relation to the foundations of the political order. The legal system possessed by the marginal segments leads the current marginal groups to stake claims on the political system. This marginal tradition is behind the military guardianship that has become dominant over democracy. All political administrations elected since the May 27 coup had to confront this institutionalized guardianship shaped by this marginality. For 48 years, this marginality has been repeating the same slogans and mottos: "Peer fighting is prevalent in Turkey," "Laicism is under threat," "The state is about to be partitioned," "We are surrounded by enemies; the political administration is unaware of the situation." Society should also have been marginalized in order to convince the people that these allegations are accurate. The strongest aspect of the May 27 coup was its imposition of this marginality on society.
ABDULLAH BOZKURT OKAN UDO BASSEY FATMA DEMÝRELLÝ EMRAH ÜLKER KERÝM BALCI YONCA POYRAZ DOÐAN ÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMEN YASEMÝN GÜRKAN PINAR VURUCU HELEN P. BETTS FARUK KARDIÇ YAKUP ÞÝMÞEK BEYTULLAH DEMÝR HAYDAR DURUSOY ALÝ ODABAÞI
Public Relations Contact Information: Publication Type: Periodical, Daily Headquarters: Today’s Zaman, 34194 Yenibosna, ISTANBUL. Phone Number: +90 212 454 1 444 Fax: 0212 454 14 97, Web Address: http://www.todayszaman.com, Printed at: Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ. Tesisleri. Advertisement Phone: +90 212 454 82 47, Fax: +90 212 454 86 33. Today's Zaman abides by the rules of press ethics.
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NECÝP ÞAHÝN
I have read the article ‘‘Kosovo Turks' fear of Albanization,'’ written by Hajrudin Somun, published in Today's Zaman on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, with care and, generally, it is fine in terms of the written language. But I couldn't stay without writing some notes on the things that were wrong in this article, despite some minor correct assertions. First, I want to start by saying that there is no such a thing as "Albanization," as in Kosovo they are trying to make another identity: "Kosovars." If you have ever been to places in Kosovo other then Prizren, then you could see this. And if you watch the news on Kosovo you can realize this as recently there was a constitutional law on celebrations, and they wanted to take out the Nov. 28 celebration of the Albanian National Day, and in this way loosen the national Albanian sense among the Kosovars. After the population protested this, now you have all the ethnicities' celebration days, including Bosnian National Day and also April 23, the Turkish national celebration, that has been celebrated since 1999. So now you are telling me that there is a fear of Albanization, while the Albanians in Kosovo are trying to build another identity as "Kosovars"? This is for me a naive claim, which comes out of skeptics who have no self-confidence. Not only after Kosovo declared her independence, but also before that, there was never such a thing as trying to Albanize any minority in Kosovo. As Mr. Somun noted in his article, the Albanians were the majority in number at all times, and there would be no need to try to Albanize a 2 percent population, as anyways there were 95 percent Albanians against less than 5 percent Serbs. This skepticism of Albanization is a phenomenon that is present in Turkey among some minor ultra-nationalistic groups, but it is not present among Kosovo's Turks, and I know this due to the fact that I am from Kosovo myself. I agree with Mr. Somun that the 1-2 percent Turks have been caught between two nationalities. But this was not because they were oppressed by the Albanians under pressure by Serbs, rather it was because they wanted to be Turkish, closer to Albanians, but this was impossible because of Serb pressure. The issue of Bosnians was different, as they had no problems in Kosovo, as it was a problem when you said that you are an Albanian, not a Muslim or another ethnic group. For Turks or Bosnians, there was never a problem in Kosovo during the Milosevic era, but there were problems for Albanians, and also the Muslim identity was no problem for the Serbian government in Kosovo. If we need to talk about languages, then we should ask if it would be alright if a newborn country had more than six official languages. Mr. Somun in his own article said that the Bosnians in Kosovo complain about how much better the Turks in Kosovo are than the Bosnians. So I would like to ask: If Turkish would be an official language, then wouldn't the Bosnian language need to be like that? What about the other ethnic groups' languages? After all, the Turkish language is accepted as a working language in most
MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE
ILLUSTRATION
Albanýzatýon and ýdentýty ýn Kosovo: Do they clash?
48 years after the May 27 coup
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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The questýon Babacan wasn’t asked ýn the European Parlýament I recently listened to the speeches delivered by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan in the European Parliament (EP), where Turkey is subjected to the harshest criticism. He delivered his first speech at the Joint Parliamentary Committee and then his second speech at the Foreign Affairs Committee. I had to listen to the first one standing because I couldn't find any seats due to my utter amazement at seeing a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) member currently being sought with an Interpol red notice under the roof of the European Parliament. I was very annoyed to see somebody sought with a red notice being able to freely enter an institution that represents 27 EU member countries at the heart of the European continent. Our Brussels correspondent, Selçuk Gültaþlý, and I immediately wrote a news article and sent it to Zaman's Web site. I'm sure you all got angry while reading it. I paid particular attention to this piece, and saw that it remained on the top of the "most read" list throughout the day. Officials should take care of this strange situation. However, my intention today is not to get stuck in this negative event. Just the contrary, I want to draw your attention to a positive development I observed in both of the sessions Babacan attended. As you know, following India, the European Parliament is the parliament of the second largest democracy in the world, where the different opinions of 492 million European citizens are represented. In order to truly appreciate the diversity of this structure, where 785
KLAUS JURGENS
ABDÜLHAMÝT BÝLÝCÝ a.bilici@todayszaman.com
members of parliament elected directly by the votes of EU citizens work, it is enough to look at the plaque at the entrance of the building. "European Parliament" is written in all of the 23 official languages of the union on this rectangular plate. This institution, which calls to mind the Tower of Babel in the legend, has the record of employing the greatest number of interpreters in the world. The duties of this institution, which grows stronger by the day, are to oversee the democratic monitoring of the EU's institutions and to contribute to the preparation of the budget. However, according to me, the most interesting thing about this is that it is a mirror in which you can hear the pulse of the entire European public beating and which reflects all the colors and thoughts in Europe. The political groups under this roof take shape according to ideologies, not nationalities. The liberal, conservative, green and even fascist elements of Europe are represented there. I listened to Babacan's speeches and the answers he provided to
the questions he was asked in a free environment that contained so many different views on Turkey. But I concentrated on the questions of European politicians and their intonation while directing their questions. Well, what things did they ask? Cyprus, the Aegean issue, the Armenian issue, energy, Article 301, party closures, judicial reforms, the Kurdish issue, the cross-border operation… What immediately got my attention was that Turkey was almost treated like a family member and that the questions included things the EU did not deem fitting for Turkey, a country which says it takes EU standards as a foundation. Generally, they were questions such as "How can you expedite Nabucco?" "Why have the reforms slowed down?" "When will you open your air and seaports to the Greek Cypriots?" "What steps are you taking against the closure case?" and "Are your archives open in regard to the Armenian issue?" In my opinion, the minister replied to all the questions very intelligently and very calmly. However, there was one question that was not asked, and I think that it was far more important than the questions that were asked. None of the members of parliament -- including the members of the anti-Turkey groups -- asked whether there was a place in Europe for Turkey. Nobody brought up the theses defended by some European leaders such as Angela Merkel and, in particular, Nicolas Sarkozy. It was as if there were no representatives of the thought that argues that there is no place in Europe for Turkey.
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I asked European Parliament member of Turkish origin Vural Öger and the Brussels representative of the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSÝAD), Bahadýr Kaleaðasý, what they thought about the developments. They agreed with my assessement on the positive changes regarding Turkey in the European Parliament, noting that such meetings should be held much more frequently. The fact that the recent report on Turkey, which is said to be the most well-balanced report drawn up so far, was passed with the support of 467 members is an indicator of this change. While flying to Stockholm from Bratislava, our stop after Brussels, I shared this view of mine, and Babacan agreed with me. He said that by looking at the questions one could see that the general attitude had changed from three years ago, that the members knew Turkey better and that they now asked questions to understand rather than questions not based on facts. He also recounted an anecdote: During his meeting with Elmar Brok, famed for his staunch anti-Turkey stance, in the cafeteria of the parliament, Brok made this confession: "Up until this point, I always wished that the accession talks wouldn't be initiated and that this project would never come to fruition. Now I wish that they would never stop." As Turkey keeps fulfilling what is incumbent upon on it, this picture will keep growing more positive unless we yield to despair.
CAIRO, REUTERS
b.dedeoglu@todayszaman.com
klaus.jurgens@gmail.com
Is the glass half full or half empty? It all depends which perspective you look at it from. When I heard about the latest blunder, as published in a leading Turkish-language daily newspaper, I asked myself is it that time of year again: summer? Summer means that nonbroadsheet newspapers are in a frenzy to come up with ludicrous and often ill-fated and un-researched stories to fill the gap, keeping readers happy while decision makers go into recess. The German language has a nice way of articulating this phenomenon: das Sommerloch (literally "the summer's hole," the need to fabricate news as there isn't any in its true meaning). I reckon other countries' newspaper editors (at least some of them) have happily incorporated this totally nonsensical tradition. Newspapers are there to write about news, sometimes to make it, but should never lie to their readers. You may have a certain political leaning, but even so there is a huge difference between a political party broadcast and honest news brokerage. Here are the facts: The statement made a few weeks ago that alcohol in Turkey can no longer be sold by the glass was a factual lie, on top of being a misinterpretation of Turkish law and above all a misjudgment of the common sense of one's readership. The new legislation in question prohibits certain vendors, including small corner shops, from opening bottles containing alcoholic beverages on site for their customers as they do not have the required "for consumption on premises" liquor license. In other words, no seating for patrons to consume the alcoholic beverage on site. Proud licensees in England pass a thorough vetting process in a local court before they obtain permission to sell alcohol on licensed premises. It carries huge weight and you as the seller carry a huge responsibility vis-à-vis society. The English law about alcohol consumption, as an example, is straightforward: You as a non-restaurant or non-bar business owner simply cannot open a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage for consumption on your premises bought by someone else on your premises unless you have a license to do so -- there are only a few exceptions (such as trade fairs, open air markets, street parties, etc.). Well, Turkey has adopted the same legal framework, nothing more and nothing less. In the reverse case, (now you are the restaurant or bar owner), you are still not allowed to sell an opened bottle bought on your premises for consumption off your premises. Complicated? Not at all! Go to a bar or restaurant and drink by the glass, but on the premises. Go to a shop or supermarket and buy a bottle and take it home before opening it. Unfortunately other Turkish news media even copied the aforementioned worthless piece of information from the Turkish-language newspaper, whose name I will not mention as hopefully its readers will by now exercise more scrutiny in the future when it comes to what to believe or not when reading that paper. Could it be that after issues concerned with one's dress code seem to have worn off -- forgive me for again citing an example from England, but I would be more than happy to invite you to a number of English libraries where in a perfectly secular society, we, frankly speaking, have more pressing items to take care of instead of dress codes and all nationalities and religious beliefs, including garb and attire, are accepted within clearly defined limits -- a story on a proposed ban on selling alcohol by the glass is the next best thing? Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let's hope it was the early arrival of the "Sommerloch" and no ill intention! If I were a regular reader of this certain newspaper, I would wonder why more research was not put into that piece before it went to print. Why am I withholding its name? Well, I would be more than happy to disclose it via e-mail, but I am reasonably certain that most "local" readers already know what paper I'm talking about anyway. The trouble is, even foreign observers and journalists (and foreign readers who speak Turkish!) got worried by this piece of non-factual war of words. Turkey deserves better. What will come next in the Sommerloch -- an announcement that the Earth is a disk and you'll fall off when you get to the edge?
BERÝL DEDEOÐLU
Declaratýon battles
What ýf the Ottomans had Turkýsh schools? MEHMET KAMIÞ m.kamis@todayszaman.com
What was the difference between England and Turkey? Why is it that the Ottoman state is ill-famed in the areas once under its rule even though it left all people free to observe their own faiths and live their daily lives as usual, and never acted like a colonizing power? And why is it that the blood-spillers who exploited the lands they colonized to their very marrow, so to speak, are not illfamed? Why do the exploited lands' current administrators still try to establish all their relations with countries such as England and France? And why is English a lingua-franca and Turkish is not a common language, whereas we have so many common denominators with the people in our region? Why do we, as Turks, have to speak English in order to communicate with, say, a Syrian? The answer is that England and France had state-supported, voluntary missionary schools. All of the administrators in the exploited lands, the historians and academics and a major section of those able to mold public opinion through their influence were graduates of those missionary schools. These schools not only existed in colonized lands, but also in many other parts of the world. This is how English and French have become lingua francas. Looking back on all those years now, we see that the chief deficiency of the Ottoman state was a well-organized civilian school chain spread across its lands. Today, dozens of states and hundreds of nations live in the lands that had to be abandoned by the Ottomans. After the complete collapse of this state, which had ruled the most complicated regions of the world, the Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East have experienced unceasing strife, conflict and war. The Ottomans never went to those lands with an exploitative mindset. Not only did the Ottoman state refrain from exploiting them,
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it also allowed them to live with all their traditions intact. They never attempted to steal all the riches of those lands or carry them to Ýstanbul or Anatolia. But still, in the history textbooks used in these regions, it is written that the Ottomans were exploiters. Although those such as England and France invaded other countries for the sole purpose of exploiting them, and pillaged and plundered all their resources for centuries, they are mentioned with much more benign expressions -- despite the fact, furthermore, that they are chiefly responsible for the ongoing turmoil in all their former colonies… The Ottomans couldn't evacuate the lands in the dignified manner they desired. They were forced to leave all those lands after a great, humiliating defeat. Those who devastated the Ottoman state wrote the history books the way they wanted. And an overwhelming majority of those history book writers were graduates of the missionary schools. The Ottomans never acted upon exploitative intentions because they were never concerned with saving the day. They saw the lands they conquered as their own and thought that those lands would be theirs until Judgment Day. If the Ottomans had the Turkish schools of today, everything could have been different. As a matter of fact, they moved Muslim groups from Anatolia to the newly conquered lands for people to mingle with one another. However, this practice did not fulfill the mission Turkish schools could have carried out. If today's Turkish schools had existed back then, Turkish, at the very least, would still be spoken in much broader regions of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East. The mission of the Ottomans would be much better appreciated by "working into the capillary vessels of the society" and it would have been far more difficult for this structure, based on peace and loving tolerance, to collapse. After the Ottomans, huge amounts of blood were spilled in these regions for ethnic and religious reasons. The blood is still flowing, and there is still no established peace or serenity in these regions. Today, don't they sorely need an understanding not based on exploitation - one that allows all ethnic and religious elements to live freely -- and an understanding built upon the notion of justice?
Just a week ago, you read in this column that Turkey's destiny is in the hands of 11 judges. However, while talking about Turkey, one should make careful deductions, because every single day brings with it new and important developments. And every single development clarifies what our country will look like in our grandchildren's time. The Turkish Constitutional Court is actually dealing with the headscarf issue and the closure cases both against the governing party, which is accused of seeking to establish an Islamist regime, and against the Democratic Society Party (DTP), which is accused of trying to bring about the country's division. By the way, the rapporteur of the Constitutional Court has concluded that the headscarf issue is not a matter that should be brought before this court, a position which has drawn severe criticism. Each high judicial body has issued declarations about the necessity of a closure verdict, and the university rectors have joined them. There was already an impression that the judiciary intervenes in the legislative and executive processes, but now it seems there is also an intervention in the judiciary by the judicial bodies themselves. These declarations show clearly enough the essence of the current crisis. The judiciary alleges that foreigners try to intervene in the Turkish justice system; thus they gnaw at our sovereignty with the help of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is practically accused of treason. This approach contradicts many international treaties and conventions that Turkey has signed. It also lays out an impossible situation concerning Turkey's relationship with Europe. Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe, has recognized the European Court of Human Right's authority; that is because everything done in Turkey should be in line with the Council of Europe's principles. In fact, can we talk of a foreign intervention while referring to an organization in which Turkey is a member? Furthermore, Turkey is an EU candidate country, which means that it has already agreed to adopt the EU acquis communautaire. Consequently, speaking of a foreign intervention is inappropriate. After all, the EU doesn't diminish the sovereignty of member countries but urges them to share it with one another. However, we should also admit that those who want to ban the governing party are also against both the EU and the United States. Still, the same judicial bodies have never thought to oppose the recently adopted law on Turkey's participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. It appears that regarding security issues, there isn't any problem with foreign involvement, assistance or investment, and consequently laws to facilitate those activities are silently accepted. Or, maybe there is a tremendous threat that could justify Turkey's participation in such a costly project, even though we ignore this threat. When it is about democracy, human rights or freedom of expression, some people easily accuse foreigners of always being ill-intentioned. This reflects a position that places security above basic freedoms. Nevertheless, there are people who think that security is best assured with social stability, peace and solidarity; thus they support democratization efforts above all. On the opposite side, there are people who believe that security is nothing but the destruction of the enemy and they fear that democracy is a method of recycling the enemy. As a consequence, those who want to conduct politics in the context of protection, preservation and defense concepts don't attach much importance to democracy and its elementary tools. That's how the judiciary, the army and the Republican People's Party (CHP) have started to be seen as authoritarianism's representatives and how, paradoxically, the AKP has taken upon itself the mission in favor of democracy.
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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
LEISURE
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Gregorian Calendar: 31 May 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 26 Jumada al-Awwal 1429 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 26 Iyyar 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com Today is World No Tobacco Day. The first World No Tobacco Day was held in 1988 upon a resolution from the World Health Organization (WHO). This day draws global attention to the tobacco epidemic and to the preventable deaths and diseases it causes. It aims to reduce the 3.5 million yearly deaths from tobacco-related health problems and reduce individual tobacco dependence. This day represents a chance for eliminating tobacco-related deaths and
Film showing the making of ‘Misfits’ up for auction
diseases and for working toward a tobacco-free world. On this day in 1962, former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was hanged by the state of Israel for his role in the extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. The Eichmann case is still a legal precedent in international politics and a living memory in Israel. Eichmann was captured by Israeli Mossad agents in Argentina and literally smuggled out of the country and brought to Israel. He is known as the last person to be legally executed in Israel.
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Like the island where so much of the action takes place, “Lost” giveth and it taketh away. Flashes of illumination for its viewers are routinely undone the next moment by bewilderment. This is a game “Lost” devotees are happy to play -- albeit fewer of them lately than there used to be. Four seasons in, the show demands even more of the viewer than it used to. But those who have stuck around know that rewards richly outweigh the frustration. This was never more so than on Thursday’s two-hour season finale. It might be the most rewarding, deliciously challenging episode in the history of this mystical ABC serial. Spoiler alert: Read no further if you mean to watch it for yourself and want to preserve its surprises. There are many. For instance, you get to see the man in the casket at the L.A. funeral home. Though identified at the end of season 3 as Jeremy Bentham, he is shown to the audience at long last, lying in pasty-faced repose: none other than John Locke. But how did Locke, who embraced life on the island, get to Los Angeles? And how did he die? Let the guessing begin. Another mystery addressed: that recent crazy talk about “moving the island.” Darned if it doesn’t happen! But not like moving a couch from one room to another. This was moving from Now to Who-Knows-Where-OrWhen. Ben did it deep within a chamber of the Dharma Initiative’s Station 6, where experiments had previously been conducted in time travel. Ben made the island disappear along with its occupants (including Locke, Sawyer and Juliet), while, aloft in their helicopter, Jack, Kate and several others watched in disbelief. Yikes! Time, not just space, is now a way to separate and torment the characters -- and amplify the “Lost” narrative. From the start four seasons ago, “Lost” roamed freely from the island where its characters were stranded. The series interspersed the “present-day” island story lines with scenes that captured its characters prior to their fateful flight on Oceanic Airlines flight 815. But in the final moments last season, “Lost” added another dimension to the saga: propelling the action into the future, to offer glimpses of how certain characters readjust
Sudoku
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The cast of the ABC series “Lost.” The series wrapped up its fourth season this week with a two-hour episode. to the “normal” world. The flash-forwards have given “Lost” an intriguing new perspective on the characters who got out. But their post-rescue lives are also shedding light on what took place on the island -- and serve as a reminder to the audience that, even for those characters who came home, there’s no escaping. Not yet, anyway. The finale makes clear how, for the safety of the “Oceanic Six” as well as any comrades they left behind, everything that happened on the island must stay secret. “We’re gonna have to lie,” says Jack. “Lie about what?” Sayid asks. “All of it,” Jack answers. “Every moment since we crashed on the island.” “Jack, we can’t pull it off,” argues Kate. But, however difficult, they apparently don’t have any choice. Dangers from the island have followed them. (Why are people stalking Hurley at his L.A. mental ward?)
Meanwhile, the island is a powder keg of unfinished business, at least for one haunted survivor. Jack remains obsessed by the notion that he was the cause of some disaster there, and that he must go back and, somehow, make things right. This could be tough, and not just because the island might be awfully hard to find. The season’s bitterly funny punch line comes courtesy of Ben, who somehow pops up in the funeral home to deliver Jack a message. “The island won’t let you come alone,” Ben tells him. “ALL of you have to go back.” And that includes the deceased John Locke. Brilliantly, tantalizingly, the “Lost” finale hints at the season to come, where time travel likely will be part of the mix. Yet another element of intrigue is looming when season 5 arrives early next year. If only time travel could make it come quicker. New York AP
Cem Kýzýltuð
Mr. DýploMAT!
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Hallmark 07:45 They Still Call Me Bruce 09:30 Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well 11:15 Mystery Woman: Game Time 13:00 They Still Call Me Bruce 14:45 Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well 16:30 Mystery Woman: Game Time 18:15 Mary and Tim 19:45 Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage 21:30 Turning April 23:30 Mayflower Madam
Comedymax 07:00 The Game 08:30 American Dad 10:00 What I Like About You 11:00 Ugly Betty 12:00 The Knights of Prosperity 12:30 Still Standing 13:30 Miss Guided 14:00 The Game 15:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 16:30 30 Rock 17:00 Ugly Betty 18:00 Til Death 18:30 Samantha Who 19:00 What I Like About You 20:00 Two Guys and a Girl 21:00 Rules of Engagement 21:30 30 Rock 22:00 Ugly Betty 23:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 23:30 JFL Stand-Up Series 00:00 Til Death
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07:50 Lord of War 09:55 Inside the Actors Studio 11:05 John Tucker Must Die 12:40 Ira and Abby 14:30 The Number 23 16:15 Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 18:25 Happy Feet 20:30 Goal II: Living the Dream 22:30 Vanity Fair 00:55 The Spanish Apartment 03:00 The New World
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HOW TO PLAY? : The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a 9 by 9 square Sudoku game: Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9
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08:00 Dora the Explorer 08:30 Go, Diego! Go! 09:00 The Fairly OddParents 09:30 Jimmy Neutron 10:00 Avatar 11:00 SpongeBob SquarePants 12:00 Back at the Barnyard 12:30 The Simpsons 13:00 My Name is Earl 13:30 The King of Queens 15:00 24 17:00 Cold Case 18:00 CSI: NY 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 19:30 Scrubs 20:00 ER 21:00 Desperate Housewives 22:00 The Closer 23:00 Dexter 24:00 Ghost Whisperer 01:00 Family Guy 01:30 Masters of Horror 02:30 Desperate Housewives
07:55 Head Over Heels 09:20 The Color Purple 11:50 Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey 13:15 Young Einstein 14:45 Going in Style 16:25 Tarzan, the Ape Man 18:25 Cube 20:00 Broadcast News 22:20 SubUrbia 00:25 Freddy’s Nightmares: Memory Overload 01:15 Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man 03:00 Broadcast News
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‘Lost’ wraps up season four wýth answers, new questýons
Want a behind-the-scenes look at the set of Marilyn Monroe’s last fully produced feature? Better call the bank. Two reels of silent, 8-millimeter color film titled “On Set With ‘The Misfits’” is going on the auction block, with bids starting between $10,000 and $20,000 (6,500 euros and 13,000 euros). Julien’s Auctions is listing the 47-minute film next month at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. According to the Julien’s Auctions Web site, it’s the original film by amateur photographer Stanley Floyd Kilarr, who shot scenes of the stars and crew during the making of “The Misfits” -- the final completed film for both its stars, Monroe and Clark Gable. Gable had a fourth heart attack just after filming was finished, and died Nov. 16, 1960, some two months before the movie’s US release. Monroe died Aug. 5, 1962. Kilarr was part of the “Misfits” crew and shot his own film throughout production. “On Set With ‘The Misfits’” features candid moments with Monroe and Gable, as well as Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter and director John Huston. The video shows the actors preparing for scenes, chatting with crew members and others on the set, and relaxing between takes. “The two things that make it interesting are that very few people knew it even existed, and that the family was able to obtain a copyright,” Julien’s Auctions President Darren Julien told AP Television. That means the winning bidder will own the rights to license the footage for things like documentaries and special-edition DVDs. The film is part of “Julien’s Summer Entertainment Sale,” which consists of more than 400 lots of Hollywood memorabilia. The auction is set to begin June 12, with bids accepted at Planet Hollywood and online. Los Angeles AP
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08:00 Cheers 09:00 How I Met Your Mother 09:30 My Name is Earl 10:00 Rachael Ray Show 12:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 16:00 Hollyoaks 18:00 Late Night with Conan O’Brien 20:00 Two and a Half Men 20:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:00 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia 22:00 Big Shots 23:00 Late Night with Conan O’Brien 24:00 South Park 01:00 Dexter 02:00 The Tudors 03:00 Big Shots
Today is the birthday of Clint Eastwood (1930). Eastwood is an iconic American actor, composer and Academy Awardwinning film director and producer. While his recent work as a director on films like “Million Dollar Baby” and “Letters from Iwo Jima” have been consistently praised by critics, Eastwood is perhaps most famous for his tough guy, antihero acting roles, including Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan in the “Dirty Harry” series and the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns. By Kerim Balcý
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SPORTS
Bolt works at fast start in showdown with Gay Usain Bolt has admitted he needs to work on his start and finish in the 100m, yet the 21-year-old Jamaican is eager to test himself against world champion Tyson Gay in the Reebok Grand Prix today. This meeting also features a reprise of the women's 100m at the world championships in Osaka with gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown taking on Lauryn Williams. NY, Reuters
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
TENNIS
Inspýred Bryant leads Lakers past Spurs ýnto fýnal
Serena felled, Maria Sharapova survives Serena Williams trudged out of Roland Garros on Friday after her French Open dreams were pounded into the red clay by a tenacious Slovenian who never lost belief. Less than 24 hours after the tournament saw the defeat of three top 10 seeds, including David Nalbandian and James Blake, the American joined them at the exit queue as she roared and screamed her way to a 6-4, 6-4 mauling by Katarina Srebotnik in the third round. Triple champion Rafael Nadal, playing for the fourth day running in the rain-hit tournament, can look forward to a rest day at long last after he crushed Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. An erratic Ivanovic overcame a slight wobble in the first set before downing Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-1 to reach the fourth round, while Sharapova huffed and puffed her way to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 second-round win over American Bethanie Mattek. Paris Reuters
The Los Angeles Lakers secured an NBA finals berth for the first time in four years by mounting a dramatic fightback to beat the San Antonio Spurs 100-92 in Game Five. Kobe Bryant orchestrated the recovery on Thursday with a towering display as the Lakers came from 17 points behind early in the second half to clinch the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4-1. The All-Star guard, the NBA's Most Valuable Player, top-scored with 39 points as Los Angeles won their eighth consecutive home playoff game this post-season. Bryant also registered three rebounds and three assists while forward Lamar Odom contributed 13 points and Spanish center Pau Gasol 12, along with a career playoffhigh 19 rebounds. Spurs guard Tony Parker led the way with 23 points for the defending champions who have clinched four NBA titles in the last nine years. "This is a dream come true, a dream come true," an elated Bryant said in a courtside television interview after the Lakers were presented with the Western Conference trophy. "It is such a blessing to share this with a group of guys, who are like brothers. It's such an unbelievable feeling. It's the answer to a prayer. We knew we could play better and the first half was tough for us. They caught us off guard but we cut the deficit to a manageable game by halftime. Then we came out in the second half and put our foot on the gas. And we ain't done yet," Bryant added, referring to the NBA championship finals where the Lakers will meet either the Boston Celtics or the Detroit Pistons.
SOCCER
Africa kicks off month of World Cup qualifiers Africa's top footballers head wearily back from a demanding club season in Europe for an intensive month of World Cup qualifiers starting this weekend. Players like Michael Essien, Samuel Eto'o, Frederic Kanoute, Nwankwo Kanu and Emmanuel Adebayor go from the cauldron of top club competition into an equally demanding round of qualifiers for the 2010 finals in South Africa over the next four weekends. The season in Europe has taken a toll already with the likes of Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Benni McCarthy and Obafemi Martins missing out on the first exchanges today and Sunday. Drogba is injured and Toure out after a back operation for the Ivory Coast's opening game against Mozambique in Abidjan on Sunday. Striker McCarthy has withdrawn from South Africa's team for unexplained personal reasons ahead of their match against Nigeria in Abuja. Johannesburg Reuters
Real season "We play for one thing and one thing only, and that is championships. This is big, big stuff for us and we are all really proud of what we have accomplished. But now the real season starts." The Lakers made a surprisingly lackluster start as the Spurs dominated the first quarter, Michael Finley pouring in two three-pointers to put the defending champions 28-15 ahead. San Antonio stretched their lead to 17 points early in the second period before reserve Jordan Farmar sparked a brief Lakers fightback with a 6-0 solo burst. A twisting drive to the basket for a lay-up cut the deficit to 33-22 and the capacity crowd at the Staples Center, stunned into silence moments earlier, erupted in a cacophony of noise. The inspirational Bryant, with loud chants of "MVP, MVP" ringing in his ears, shot four out of six from the floor before the Lakers closed the first half just 48-42 behind. Urged on by an energized crowd including Hollywood actors Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington and Cameron Diaz, the home team raised the tempo after the break. Los Angeles Reuters
SOCCER
Juventus signs Amauri in big-money deal
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, shoots over San Antonio Spurs' Bruce Bowen during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals in Los Angeles.
Juventus have signed Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo and sold Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino to the Sicilians, the Serie A clubs said on Friday. “Amauri belongs to Juventus,” said Juve's Web site (www.juventus.com), ending weeks of speculation. “Today the Brazilian forward signed a four-year contract.” Amauri, who is acquiring an Italian passport, scored 15 league goals last season and was much in demand, with AC Milan and clubs in England also interested. Juventus were always front runners to sign the 27-year-old but a complicated transfer has taken weeks to conclude. Rome Reuters
Anti-doping chief hails Graham conviction Former elite athletics coach Trevor Graham's conviction is a significant message that it is important to tell the truth to federal investigators, the head of the US AntiDoping Agency (USADA) said on Thursday. "It's a good message that athletes and coaches and others need to constantly be reminded of," USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart told Reuters in a telephone interview. Graham, former coach of Olympic sprinters Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, was found guilty on one count of lying to federal agents about telephone conversations with an admitted steroids dealer. The jury could not reach a verdict on two Trevor Graham other counts that Graham lied to
GOLF
Goggin plunders course for lead in the first round
AP
agents investigating the BALCO doping scandal about his relationship with the dealer, Angel Heredia. "That's the good and bad of the jury system," Tygart said. "All it takes is one juror to not agree and it results in ...a hung jury," he said after it was revealed the jury failed by counts of 10-2 and 11-1 to reach a unanimous verdict on the two counts. San Francisco Reuters
PHOTO
A clear-headed Mathew Goggin plundered eight birdies to take the first round lead at the PGA's prestigious Memorial tournament on Thursday. Australia's Goggin, who admitted he had a hangover the last time he played at Muirfield Village, was in much better condition on Thursday to card a seven-under-par 65 in magnificent weather. Americans Kenny Perry and Jerry Kelly were one stroke back after shooting 66s, with American Brett Quigley and Australian Rod Pampling two behind Goggin. Dublin, Ohio Reuters
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PHOTO
PHOTO
AP
M.BURAK BÜRKÜK
SPORTS
Hakan Þükür
Galatasaray offering Hakan 5-year deal, says Polat
Turkey's Semih Þentürk, right, scores the second goal against Finland's keeper Otto Frederikson, center, during their friendly soccer match in Duisburg, western Germany, on Thursday night.
Turkey ends first phase of Euro preparations on a winning note Played three, won two and lost one -those were Turkey’s statistics after three warm-up matches in Germany in preparation for next UEFA Euro 2008 proper. The Turks beat Slovakia 1-0 in their first match and lost 3-2 to Uruguay on Sunday. But Fatih Terim's team bounced back on Thursday evening with a comfortable 2-0 win over Finland in Duisburg. Goals in either half from Tuncay Þanlý and Semih Þentürk were decisive, as coach Terim handed a start to fit-again Galatasaray defender Servet Çetin and Sochaux-Montbeliard striker Mevlüt Erdinç. The Turks started the game with some enterprising football and were ahead in the 16th minute when Tuncay touched in Sabri Sarýoðlu's right-wing cross. Finland responded with a spell of ball possession without ever threatening Volkan Demirel's goal, while after the break the lethargy of Stuart Baxter's side negated any hope of an
AA
equalizer. Both coaches then took the opportunity to give several members of the squad a run out, but the newcomers were unable to change the course of the match, as the game looked to be drifting toward a slender Turkish victory. However, a minute from time, Semih -- who had only been on the field seven minutes -- converted a cross from Fenerbahçe teammate Kazým Kazým. The Turks have no more friendlies scheduled before they play their first UEFA Euro 2008 clash against Portugal in Geneva on June 7. It was the third loss for Finland in the three games that coach Baxter has been in charge of since taking over from Roy Hodgson. Finland did not qualify for Euro 2008, and Hodgson left to coach Fulham in the English Premier League. Thursday’s victory over Finland was a muchneeded morale booster for Turkey, no doubt about it. But the Turkish team showed signs of weariness, especially in the second half, and this means Terim and his boys still have plenty of work to do before Euro 2008 proper kicks off.
PHOTO
OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL
Galatasaray Chairman Adnan Polat has said the team’s administration will offer Hakan Þükür a contract for five years, after the famous striker noted that he did not want to remain with the team due to reports that Polat did not want him to stay. Polat was speaking after the clubs three-hour board meeting about Hakan Þükür’s situation when he stated that they would offer Hakan a new contract for five years, not just one, as had been expected. “We want to see Hakan as Galatasaray’s football representative in these five years. What we mean by this is that we will change the name of Galatasaray football schools to Galatasaray Hakan Þükür football schools. We want to assign Hakan to all of the social responsibility projects that we are going to carry out,” said the club’s chairman. The board of directors also decided to erect a statue of Þükür near legendary Galatasaray footballer Metin Oktay’s statue at the club’s Florya Metin Oktay training facilities. Polat suggested another idea, saying: “We have Adnan Polat training camp facilities; I will offer to delete my name and call these camps Hakan Þükür training camps. If he accepts I will also give him a personal gift. For us, Hakan is the most significant footballer in Turkish football history. He is a living legend, a legendary footballer.” Polat emphasized the fact that he had observed Hakan’s great contributions to the team himself. “As a footballer he has always had a great influence on Galatasaray. If he accepts, he will work at Galatasaray as a football authority for five years. We want him to continue his contributions to Galatasaray and Turkish football. We will be very happy if he agrees to work with us. I am sure we will be very successful together,” said Polat. Polat noted that they were working on the details of the project. “I think he will examine it after that. This will be a five year merger bid, which has economic weight.” He said this could also open the way for Hakan to be the coach of Galatasaray, adding that they may convene with Hakan in order to discuss this project face to face. “However, this deal will be completed by next Friday; we want to complete the details first and can think of this option after that,” he noted. Responding to a question about Hakan’s jubilee match, Polat said they might organize the event at any time in the next three years, adding that Hakan will decide the date himself. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman
PHOTO
REUTERS
FIFA members overwhelmingly support objectives of ‘6+5’ rule
FIFA President Sepp Blatter
The world's national soccer associations (FIFA) voted overwhelmingly in favor of a push to introduce the “6+5” rule to limit foreign players in domestic club competitions. In a ballot at FIFA's 58th Congress on Friday, 155 associations voted in favor of a resolution supporting the objectives of rules that would require clubs to start all matches with at least six players who are eligible for the national team. Five associations voted against and 40 abstained. FIFA President Sepp Blatter proposed the “6+5” rule -- which was unanimously endorsed on Tuesday by FIFA's executive committee -- saying it would safeguard the national identity of clubs and national teams. But it has been opposed by some of Europe's biggest and richest clubs and contravenes the European
Union's principle of free movement of workers. The Congress backed the presidents of soccer's world and European governing bodies “to explore all means within the limits of the law to ensure that these crucial sporting objectives be achieved.” “Where there is a will, there is a way and we shall try in consultation, not confrontation,” Blatter said. “Thankyou for support to protect the youth, and football.” Blatter proposed a stepped introduction, with a 4+7 rule in place by 2010, 5+6 in 2011 and the 6+5 in 2012. “It means that we have enough time,” he said. “The objective is not to start tomorrow morning, because we need consultation with the governments, especially in Europe. Michel Platini, the French football great and UEFA president, said he supported the “objectives” of
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Blatter's “6+5” rule despite his confederation proposing “home grown” regulations that put the emphasis on the development rather than nationality of players and has been supported by the EU. “It's a thorny issue,” Platini said. “The 6+5 rule is a European rule first and foremost ... it concerns the European leagues, the European Court, the European Parliament ...” “That puts European football at risk. I fully share both the philosophy and objectives of the 6+5 rule -- it would be an excellent thing for football and the identity of national teams. “For Europe, it's not a comfortable position, but we'll do everything we can to assist the FIFA president reach this objective.” The Congress also officially ratified the
World Anti-Doping Agency's revised drug testing code, voting 175 to 1 -- a 99 percent approval rate -- to adopt the code. “The commitment of FIFA has been strong and I believe will be even stronger in the days ahead,” said Sydney-based WADA president John Fahey, who signed the accord with Blatter minutes after the vote was announced. And FIFA officially closed the books on its failed relationship with MasterCard Inc., announcing a US$49 million (31.5 million euros) profit for 2007 despite a payout of US$90 million (58 million euros) to the credit card company. MasterCard and FIFA met in court in 2006 over MasterCard's right to sponsor the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tournaments. Sydney AP
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