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T02-18-06-08.qxd
17.06.2008
18:19
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02 TODAY’S ZAMAN
’
F OOD FOR THOUGHT
’
Q UOTE OF THE DAY
From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure [Obama] is elected president of the United States. Former Vice President Al Gore
FATMA DÝÞLÝ
columns
If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.
Former leftist MURAT BELGE, TARAF Hürriyet daily Editor-in-Chief Ertuðrul Özkök penned an article upon my leaving the daily Radikal and moving to the daily Taraf. Referring to an interview with me published by the Sabah daily, he quoted my remarks as follows: "If I am for democracy, then I should work for a media organ which fully supports democracy," and argued that my remarks symbolize the birth of a new professional opinion in the Turkish press. He associates my remarks with my old leftist days. I am not a former leftist. In this country, a large group has mixed up left-wing and right-wing ideologies; that's why there is now a confusion of concepts. Contrary to what Özkök suggests, I was a new leftist in the past and I am still a new leftist now.
Mark Twain
press roundup PHOTO
AA
f.disli@todayszaman.com
PRESS REVIEW
W ORDS OF WISDOM
There is nothing here that can be called impossible, and miracles take some time. Miracles do take a little time. Turkish national team coach Fatih Terim
CROSS READER
’
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
Natýonal team’s stunnýng comeback more meanýngful than ever
ENJOY TODAY’S ZAMAN AT THESE TOP HOTELS
The thrilling victory of the Turkish national team, which scored three goals in the last 15 minutes to beat Czech Republic 3-2 in Group A on Sunday and reach the Euro 2008 quarterfinals, has delighted all of Turkey, causing joy, happiness and high spirits at a time when the country is experiencing political turmoil, chaos and crisis after a closure case was filed against the ruling party. Turkey's stunning comeback led many writers to devote their columns to this incredible victory and to draw parallels from the course of this match to Turkey's overall situation while also raising hopes that the country will be able to overcome the political crises it has been undergoing. Sabah daily's Ergun Babahan, referring to what Sunday's match has done, focuses on its unifying power among people with different ideologies and from different walks of life. "At a time when everybody is in conflict with one another and society is fragmented, the three goals that were scored minutes before the end of the match have the power to unify everyone. All of a sudden we forget all of our fights. If our national team is the winner, we will be even more overjoyed. It does not matter whether you are from the ruling Justice and Development Party [AK Party], main opposition Republican People's Party [CHP] or pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party [DTP]," says Babahan. He states that the victory was even more meaningful as it was won against the Europeans, who insult and dislike Turks, refusing to grant a place to Turkey in Europe. In Babahan's view, the great comeback of the Turkish national team in Sunday's match showed everyone the power of holding on to hope and not surrendering; something Turkey should always keep in mind. Star daily's Eser Karakaþ, referring to both Sunday's victory and many other victories either the Turkish national team or other Turkish soccer teams have won in Europe over the past years, says all of these wins show that Turkey has become a world and European brand in soccer. He notes that in a country that lags far behind much of the world in the fields of economics, law and politics and that has seen deterioration in these fields over the past several months, the reasons soccer is the only area in which Turkey measures up should be closely examined. "It is true that a remarkable amount of financial resources are allocated to football and that key investments are made in this area. Although these make a big contribution to the development of football, they do not fully explain the situation," he states. According to Karakaþ, the level Turkey has reached in football is far from the level it has reached in law or politics because the soccer sector is free from protectionism, favoritism, despotic sovereignty of local ideologies and nationalist boasting. "If we want to achieve the same success we have achieved in football in the economy, politics and law, we have to implement the same method and protect these fields from local ideologies while also globalizing them. The real fight seems to center around this," contends Karakaþ. Cengiz Çandar of daily Referans says there is one thing almost everyone is in agreement over regarding Turkey's amazing comeback in Sunday's match, which is the fact that the last 20 minutes of the game was like a summary of what is going on in Turkey. "It was unpredictable; it was impossible to lose hope; it was surprising; it was exciting and exhausting, as well. It was passionate and eye-catching at the same time. Our national team was representing us in the real sense, all of us. We saw our country, nation and all of us in our national team in Geneva on Sunday night. Recklessness, incompetence, unnecessary anger and even violence, all of these were there. At the same time, there was belief, an incredible show of skills and liveliness," says Çandar, pointing out the existence of all these in the Turkish nation as well.
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Phone: +90 252 617 00 13 info@karbelhotel.com www.karbelhotel.com
SHERATON HOTEL ANKARA
Phone: +90 312 4576000 www.sheraton.com/ankara
KORUMAR HOTEL DE LUXE
Phone: +90 256 618 15 30 Gazi Beðendi Mevkii P.K. 18 09400 - Kuþadasý / Aydýn www.korumar.com.tr
Both Paksüt and Baþbuð should resign... AHMET KEKEÇ, STAR One of them is the Constitutional Court deputy president, the other is the commander of the Turkish Land Forces. They met three times to talk things out alone. These meetings took place with a "personal" visit of the judge to the military commander. And on the days when these meetings took place, the security cameras were blacked out while the floor where the commander has his offices was cleared out. Why? Neither side is answering this question. Why would a judge whose business it is to "spread justice" visit a soldier whose business it is to "do battle and eliminate the enemy"? And what exactly would these two men be discussing together? The one whose business it is to "spread justice" at first denied these visits. Then he admitted, "I did go." Going even further, he added, "What of it? Not only did I make such a visit, but I visited him three times. And I will go again, what of it? He is my good friend." Alright, so you made such a visit, but what did you talk about? If we were living in a normal country, we would say, "Both of those men need to resign." But we can't say that here in Turkey. Of course, in normal countries, such complex business just doesn't occur. And of course, in normal countries, journalists, whose job it is to report the truth, don't take on the role of acting as spokespersons for the military.
Sports Minister Murat Baþesgioðlu presents national team captain Nihat Kahveci's uniform to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan. Kahveci produced a memorable and incredible comeback for Turkey in Sunday's match against Czech Republic by scoring two goals just minutes before the match was over.
zaman:
"This is a Google case," read the Zaman daily's top headline yesterday, referring to the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) description of a closure case filed against it in a defense statement it submitted to the Constitutional Court on Monday. The defense statement said the arguments in the chief prosecutor's indictment were a compilation of Internet articles and commentaries. "First, the prosecutor decided to file a closure case against the AK Party, then he collected evidence. The prosecutor gathered many articles, news and commentaries by writing keywords in Google on the weekends as evidence for his argument [that the AK Party has become a focal point of antisecular activities]," said the AK Party's statement.
taraf:
"Gül refused to be tried," the Taraf daily's top headline said yesterday. The daily reported that President Abdullah Gül, who is facing being banned from politics for five years as part of a closure case filed against the ruling AK Party, will not make a defense to the court on the grounds that it is unconstitutional to demand a political ban on a president. According to
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RIXOS BELDÝBÝ
Phone: +90 242 824 97 00 Beldibi Kemer 07985 Antalya www.rixos.com
Phone: +90 252 337 11 22 Zeytinli Kahve Mevkii Bodrum/Muðla www.rixos.com
RAMADA PLAZA ÝSTANBUL
CM Y K
I don't know what the situation is in other countries, but in Turkey "investigative reporters" can't exist because the information trapped within the state's own monopoly is not accessible. In fact, never mind the journalists, even deputies here aren't able to access certain information. So how and when does that information emerge? When the time is deemed appropriate. The reason I am writing this is for those "self-respecting" journalists who have been angered that the Taraf newspaper published news about the meetings that took place between Constitutional Court Deputy President Osman Paksüt and Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Ýlker Baþbuð. These are journalists who know quite well the way information in Turkey is "served up" for public consumption -- especially since most newspaper heads do it this way. In fact, they are so aware of this reality that sometimes they even write open, public laments, such as "How come you gave that information to our competitor and not our newspaper?"
akþam:
The world could not make any sense of it, read the daily's headline yesterday, referring to the victory of the Turkish national team over Czech Republic in Sunday's match in Geneva by scoring three goals in the last 15 minutes, thereby reaching the Euro 2008 quarterfinals. Various newspapers all around the world covered the match with stories expressing amazement and surprise over how the Turks could change the course of the game when they were about to bid farewell to Euro 2008. While The Sun daily of Britain said "They are Turks," the Greek press described Turkey's victory with adjectives such as "craziness," "strange" and "miraculous," reported the daily.
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RIXOS PREMIUM BELEK
Phone: +90 212 315 44 44 Fax: +90 212 315 44 45 info@ramadaplazaistanbul.com www.ramadaplazaistanbul.com
EMRE AKÖZ, SABAH
Çankaya Palace, Gül refuses to enter a defense on judicial grounds: The chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, who prepared the indictment against both the AK Party and Gül, and the Constitutional Court, which accepted the case, acted unconstitutionally and the president cannot be a party to this mistake. According to the Constitution, a president can only be tried if he is charged with treason, the daily noted.
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Phone: +90 212 368 1234 Fax: +90 212 368 1000 istanbul.regency.hyatt.com
CLUB FAMILIA
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RIXOS TEKÝROVA
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RIXOS KONYA
Phone: +90 332 221 50 00 Ýstanbul Yolu Selçuklu 42250 Konya www.rixos.com
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17.06.2008
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17.06.2008
18:21
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04 TODAY’S ZAMAN
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
Irish commissioner sparks political scandal
AA
Babacan urges faýrness from French ýn EU talks contýnued from page 1
PHOTO
EU Commission Director-General Michael Leigh, who also attended the talks with Babacan yesterday, told the press conference that another seven policy chapters are waiting to be opened for negotiation as soon as Turkey meets minimum reform standards. The new policy areas up for negotiation include food safety, taxation, employment, public procurement and the environment. "I expect that during coming months further progress can be made," he said.
‘EU will examine Turkish system in event AK Party is closed' In addition to problems stemming from the Cyprus issue and French opposition, Turkey's EU bid is also facing troubles due to a closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Rupel said the EU respected the internal functioning of the Turkish judiciary but reiterated that the case caused concern in Europe and warned that the EU will have to examine the Turkish political system in the event the AK Party is closed down. He said the Turkish people made their choice in the July 22 elections, noting that party closures were not common in Europe and calling for a decision that will be in line with European norms and standards.
More Israel-Syria talks next month Meanwhile, Babacan also stated that indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria are making progress and that both sides agreed to two more rounds under Turkish mediation next month. Babacan said the latest round of indirect talks on Sunday and Monday were complicated, but he expressed hope they could lead to a breakthrough. "The negotiations went very successfully, and more importantly the calendar was set for the next
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (L) talks with his Slovenian counterpart, Dimitrij Rupel, during an accession conference in Luxembourg on Tuesday. two meetings, which will be held in July," he told the news conference. He said both sides "were very satisfied" with the negotiations to date. Babacan did not go into detail on what progress was made but said Turkey would continue to act as an intermediary. "As long as we see hope for peace, we are determined to continue this
process. Of course, the will of both parties is also very important," Babacan said. Last month Israel, Turkey and Syria announced that indirect negotiations had been taking place for a year, with Turkish diplomats shuttling between the two countries. Previous peace talks broke down in 2000 with disagreements over final borders and peace terms.
CM Y K
Syria demands the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured in the 1967 war. In previous talks, Israel agreed in principle, but the two sides failed to come together on where the border should be. Israel also said Syria was not offering full peace in return for such a pullback. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
NATIONAL
Shocked and disoriented in the wake of Irish rejection of a reform treaty of the European Union, the 27-nation bloc has finally found the culprit: the EU's Irish commissioner responsible for internal market and services. A confession Irish Commissioner Charlie McCreevy made after the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty at the weekend -- that he had not read the treaty -- has attracted the ire of many European politicians, the most vocal among whom is the leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament (EP). Martin Schulz, the leader of the second largest group in the EP, has called the Irish commissioner's attitude "arrogant," saying he was "particularly disappointed" by it. The Irish commissioner for internal market and services admitted he had not gone through the Lisbon text, leading to accusations that the European Commission, the guardian of the European treaties, has not been serious at all over approval of the vital Lisbon Treaty. Speaking in Strasbourg, Schulz also accused European Commission President José Manuel Barroso of picking the wrong people for critical posts. "We have to ask Mr. Barroso what kind of people he has in his commission, particularly if you have someone acting as the deregulation pope in Europe who goes home and says he hasn't read the treaty and doesn't understand it," said the Socialist leader. Schulz also criticized the commissioner for going to the US four days before the vote. "That is arrogance that we cannot put up with," he said. Despite his criticism of Barroso, Schulz tried to avoid a clash with the powerful commission, saying it would be unfair to blame the commission president for the "no" vote." The Irish "no" vote, the second in seven years, has raised a number of questions about the relevance and legitimacy of EU institutions. Ireland, one of the member countries who has benefited most from EU funds, has shown that even those who used the EU the most can be against it, leading to concerns that Europeans do not understand at all what the EU is all about. Touching on this issue, the Socialist leader said: "There is little passion for European integration. There is passion against Europe. Selçuk Gültaþlý Brussels
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17.06.2008
18:19
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T06-18-06-08.qxd
17.06.2008
18:22
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06 TODAY’S ZAMAN
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
FOCUS
Closure case buýlt on evýdence found through Google, says AK party PHOTOS
A defense statement submitted on Monday by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to the Constitutional Court, where the ruling party currently faces closure on charges of anti-secularism, criticized the indictment against it, saying the evidence had been put together through Internet searches. The defense statement argued that the indictment showed that its author had obviously decided to start a lawsuit first, and only then began gathering evidence. “The prosecutor has found most of the news clips and commentaries used as evidence in the indictment through keyword searches on Google,” the statement said. The Constitutional Court announced yesterday that it has scheduled July 1 as the date on which it will hear the prosecution’s oral testimony. The AK Party will testify on July 3. Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçýnkaya has accused the AK Party of violating secularism, which is protected by the Turkish Constitution, and has demanded that the party be closed down. His indictment was filed in March. Yalçýnkaya also asked that President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan and 70 other current and former AK Party officials be barred from politics for five years. The defense statement, written in the form of a rebuttal to the indictment, bears the signature of Erdoðan. The statement emphasized that the chief protector was acting ideologically and that he was biased. “We are faced with a conspiracy-theory view of diversity, multi-party politics, civil society, intellectuals, clergy and international organizations that we are part of. It is impossible for a mentality that is irritated even by the concept of ‘democratic secularism’ to protect democracy or secularism,” the defense statement argued. The AK Party submitted its defense statement 13 days before the deadline, hoping to speed up the process to avoid further political ambiguity, which has been taking its toll on the country. The defense statement is hundreds of pages long, with 92 pages set aside to answer accusations directed at Prime Minister Erdoðan. The accusations leveled at the other 70 people are being dealt with in another file. “The indictment defends not the principle of secularism, but a totalitarian ideology, a philosophical conviction in the guise of secularism and, most perilously, a set of beliefs in competition with other religious beliefs. Secularism is not a lifestyle; it is the name of the principle that allows different lifestyles to live side-by-side in peace. Exalting a certain prototype of a person seen in totalitarian states is the end of freedoms. The experience of the Soviet Union has shown that secularism can be made into a way of life only under a totalitarian ideology, and that different lifestyles have to be destroyed for that to happen.”
MEHMET KAMAN
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party in its defense statement referred to an indictment seeking to close it down as a ‘Google case,’ claiming that the prosecutor had gathered evidence through searches for certain keywords on the popular search engine. The defense statement argued that the indictment showed that its author had decided to start a lawsuit first, and only then began gathering evidence
Turkey's ruling party on Monday rejected the charges against it in a court case seeking its closure for alleged anti-secular activity, arguing that its closure would be rejected by the European Court of Human Rights.
Lawsuit first, evidence collection later “When one looks at the date of the evidence gathered in this court, a majority of the material presented as proof of the prosecutor’s case appears to have been collected after the prosecution decided to launch the case,” the statement said, asserting that a majority of the material, such as news stories and commentaries from columnists accessed on the Internet, were from dates very close to the date the prosecutor filed the initial complaint.
‘The prosecutor is biased and acting ideologically’ “As we iterated earlier in our preliminary defense, the indictment is arbitrary and subjective. The prosecution has unfortunately persisted with its ideological and biased attitude seen in the preliminary indictment. Just like in the first opinion, the second statement based on the merit of the case is filled with concepts that are impossible to define but charged with a certain political/ideological meaning, such as “imperialism,” “betrayal,” “fundamentalism,” “fundamentalist,” “religion mongers,” “conspiring,” “colonialist,” “pro-mandate” [i.e. those who support the idea of the European tutelage of Turkey after WWI], “accomplices,” “reactionary,” “domestic and foreign centers” and “ a project of political hegemony.” Interpreting history, or judging history, can never be the subject matter of a closure case. The prosecution has tried to make up for its despondency caused by lack of evidence for its claims by making subjective historical references. The establishment date of the AK Party is Aug. 14, 2001. The law openly rejects a logic that retroactively accuses a political party [of alleged crimes committed] before it gained its legal personality,” the statement said
‘YARSAV contributed to indictment’ Among the 17 binders of documents that Chief Prosecutor Yalçýnkaya included in his indictment was a news clip cropped from the Cumhuriyet daily. The document was photocopied onto the reverse of another document, a communiqué from the Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV), a professional organization of the judicial bureaucracy. The AK Party criticized this in its indictment: “The fact that one of the documents used as evidence against us is on the back page of a YARSAV statement gives the impression that this evidence was put together at YARSAV. … We are curious to see how the prosecution explains this situation before the Constitutional Court.”
‘Prosecution’s understanding of society horrifying’ The statement also criticized the prosecution’s understanding of an ideal society. “It is impossible not to be horrified after reading the indictment about the model society the prosecution has in mind. … The Interpretations of and comments about the definition of secularism in the indictment are very problematic throughout the document. None of these definitions are academic. They are contradictory, subjective and not up to legal standards and, most importantly, they involve elements that are hazardous to the principle of secularism, which
Feb. 28 mentality The AK Party statement said the indictment was written with an attitude strongly reminiscent of the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed military intervention that overthrew a coalition government led by an Islamist party. “The indictment at one point refers to Beþir Atalay, saying, ‘Beþir Atalay, who was dismissed from office as the rector of Kýrýkkale University in 1997.’ Beþir Atalay, who was dismissed from office illegally and arbitrarily in the Feb. 28 process, has never committed an act against secularism, not then and not since,” the statement said, adding, “To include such an accusation in the indictment is the extension of the logic of the Feb. 28 process.
The AK Party submitted a defense statement of more than 400 pages to the Constitutional Court on Monday, saying that closing down the party would amount to overturning the results of a democratic election.
President's response to top court akin to veto President Abdullah Gül, who faces a ban from politics for the next five years along with 70 members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), has declined to testify in his defense in court. President Gül’s decision was made on the grounds that his inclusion in an indictment sent to the Constitutional Court seeking the closure of the AK Party is a violation of the Constitution, which says presidents cannot be impeached except for treason, sources at the Presidential Palace said. “President Gül is refusing to provide a defense to avoid becoming part of the illegality created by the closure case,” an official said. Another source who spoke to the Taraf daily on Tuesday strongly denied that President Gül had sent documents in his defense to the AK Party. “The president has sent nothing to the AK Party,” one bureaucrat at the palace said. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman
they claim to protect. The indictment defends not the principle of secularism but a totalitarian ideology, a philosophical conviction in the guise of secularism and, most perilously, a set of beliefs that stands in competition with other religious beliefs.” The statement also argued: “Defining secularism as a way of life is also against our Constitution. The Constitution offers protection for different lifestyles, and it also forces the state to be impartial in this regard. … According to this mentality [exhibited by the indictment] declaring special religious days as holidays, for example, is also against secularism. The concrete ideological approach that says religion should remain a matter of emotions, thoughts and consciousness only and should never be made part of worldly affairs cannot be found in any Western democratic secular system.” “There are significant differences between the Constitutional Court’s history of party closure cases and the
prior rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. For this reason, the Constitutional Court should change its interpretation according to the court’s rulings,” the AK Party statement said, recalling that a constitutional amendment enacted in 2004 made this a rule for Turkish courts. “When one looks thorough the prosecution’s positivistic and militant window, the concept of ‘democratic secularism’ might appear to be a new political expression. In fact, the problem stems from this anachronistic understanding of the meaning of secularism and its necessities,” the statement argued. The statement also asserted that the prosecution has failed to prove its case. “None of the evidence presented in this case has value as legal evidence. Not a single piece of convincing evidence proving that our party has become a focal point for anti-secularist activity has been presented and the prosecution has failed to prove its case.”
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Prosecutor using ‘divine inspiration’ “All the data in this case against us has been interpreted by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office at the expense of freedom. However, the fundamental principle of universal human rights is ‘interpretation in favor of freedoms.’ … The Chief Prosecutor’s Office has literally used the method of ‘divination’ in assessing the AK Party’s alleged goals and has shown things not likely to happen as likely,” the statement said. It continued: “There is not a single reason in this case that necessitates sanctions against our party. In fact, the AK Party has become the focal point not of actions against the law, but of serving the nation, human rights, democracy, peace, brotherhood, tolerance and the love of Turkey. The actions of the AK Party in its six years in power have testified to it being the guarantor of the preservation of the democratic, secular and social state of law.”
Violation of human rights convention The indictment also noted that closing the AK Party would be a violation of the freedom of expression, the right to organize and the right to free elections, all protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. Meanwhile, the court has also scheduled a date to hear the defense of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), which is facing closure on charges of promoting ethnic separatism.
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W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
Turkish exports to Asia-Pacific region up 53 percent ABDULLAH BOZKURT ÝSTANBUL
and Japan with $4.3 and $3.7 billion, respectively. The combined export figure to the Asia-Pacific region, which encompasses 44 countries including China, Japan and India, presents a stark contrast to Turkey's volume with other trading partners. The volume of Turkish exports to this entire region in 2007 was almost equal to Turkish exports to France. Turkey is not unique in having difficulty in expanding to this region as Asia-Pacific countries meet 58 percent of their import demand mostly from the region itself. Europe is the leading exporter to the region, followed by North America and the Middle East, which exports mostly oil and gas. Turkey faces two major challenges in opening up to Asian and Pacific countries. First it can't compete with China in terms of low-cost goods and the employment of cheap labor. China places among the top three trading partners with almost all countries in the region. As for innovative and technological
products, Turkey has a slim chance against Japan. The remaining aspect that Turkey can use to compete is the raw materials that it has in abundance and the Asia-Pacific region lacks. Machinery and chemicals, construction materials such as steel and iron, and marble and granite present lucrative export items for the countries in this geography. The promotion of Turkish goods in this market is not at the desired level. Trade exhibitions and fairs such as those organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) are important in promoting Turkish products. The Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade has started to implement strategic plans to expand into this market. Turkey maintains commercial attachés in many countries in the AsiaPacific region. Turkey recently signed 72 agreements dealing with double taxation, but only nine of these were with Asia-Pacific countries.
SELMAN EÞTÜRKLER
Parallel to exponential growth in the last decade in Turkey's trade volume with other regions, the trade volume between Turkey and Asia-Pacific countries has also experienced an upward trend, signaling a boost in the confidence of trading partners vis-à-vis economic cooperation with Turkey. Following the Asia-Pacific Strategy declaration by the Turkish Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade in 2005, trade volume with this region has risen but not at the desired pace. The latest data released by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) show that exports to Asian countries grew by 53 percent in the first four months of 2008 over the same period last year. The total export volume increased to $2.3 billion in the January-April period this
year, while it was almost $1.5 billion in the same period of 2007. Turkey's total export volume to Asia in 2007 was realized at $5.2 billion. The most dramatic increase occurred in March 2008, with a jump of 94 percent over the same month last year. As for 2007, the highest volume of exports for Turkey in the region was to China, with over $1 billion, followed by Singapore ($389 million), India ($348 million) and Australia ($291 million). On the import front, Turkey has a negative trade volume with Asian and Pacific countries. It imported $33.7 billion worth of goods in 2007, resulting in a $28.5 billion trade deficit with the region. Data from the first four months of 2008 indicate that the import figures increased by 42 percent, from $9.3 billion to $13.2 billon. According to 2007 statistics, China is the biggest importer to Turkey with $13.2 billion, followed by South Korea
BUSINESS
Turkish Central Bank hikes interest rates to 16.25 percent Joining other independent central banks across the world in a move in line with market expectations, the Turkish Central Bank raised its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 16.25 percent on Monday in a bid to fight soaring inflation stemming largely from high energy prices. The central bank said the inflation risk was ongoing and that it would consider a further rate increase. Turkey's inflation in May soared to a 10.7 percent yearon-year basis. The central bank also raised overnight lending rates from 19.75 percent to 20.25 percent. The interest rate on overnight and one-week maturity borrowing facilities provided for primary dealers via repo transactions rose from 18.75 percent to 19.25 percent. The bank said in a written statement that "difficulties in international credit markets continue to restrain the domestic demand, while external demand displays a relatively strong course." It sounded optimistic on food prices, though, as "there have been favorable developments in unprocessed food prices."The bank expects inflation to begin decelerating in the last quarter of the year, ending 2009 close to the 7.5 percent inflation target. It pointed, however, to "ongoing uncertainties" as inflationary risks, presumably a reference to domestic political turmoil. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
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Enerjisa secures $1.55 billion loan for investment
Sun rýses to the East výa TUSKON Trade Brýdge contýnued from page 1 Tüzmen reminded the audience of the Latin aphorism "ex oriente lux" -- the sun rises in the East -- in his speech and said, "The axis of the world economy has shifted from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and we can make an important opportunity out of this shift if we work hard." He also added that Turkey took a major step in reaching out to new trade partners in 2005 when it launched a new strategy aimed at developing business ties with the Asia-Pacific region. Tüzmen also expressed hope that Turkish exports to the region would reach $6 billion by the end of 2008 and $10 billion by 2010. A common point among all speakers at the opening was the improvement of trade relations between Asia-Pacific countries and Turkey while realizing their full potential at the international level. TUSKON Chairman Rýzanur Meral said, "The Asia-Pacific region a $10 trillion GNP and a $2.1 trillion import and $2.2 trillion export volume." He noted Turkey has competitive advantages in furniture, food processing and packaging,
the timber industry, industrial machinery and textile products. "It is a great job to organize such a meeting and gather together distinguished businessmen and diplomats," said one diplomat, adding that the future is in Asia with its population, which accounts for 50 percent of the total world population. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Muhammad Ijaz Abbasi, president of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also added that "in such an environment, we want to enhance our trade volume and use our potential more than in past years." He went on, saying, "Turkey is a bridge between Europe and the Asia-Pacific countries, and Pakistan is also a bridge to India, which has a large economy." Turkey's last-minute success in the Euro 2008 soccer tournament was also a hot topic at the event, with a Japanese politician and Samson Lim, the president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, congratulating the Turkish national soccer team. The speech delivered by Annisul Huq, president of the Federation of Bangladesh
Chambers of Commerce and Industry, was also one of the most applauded for mentioning the country's special attachment to the Republic of Turkey with their common Ottoman heritage. Hamdun Abdulla Hameed, minister of planning and national development for Maldives, said there were many investment opportunities in Maldives. "There is one Turkish entrepreneur in Maldives already building a resort and holiday village," he said and thanked Turkey for helping his country to cope with the tsunami disaster of 2005, adding, "When Turkey does something, they do it with greatness and on a permanent basis." Joshi Kush Kumar, president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, stressed the potential for cooperation in the tourism sector and said they needed the tourism skills and experience of Turkey, one of the world's leading countries in the tourism sector. In an interview with Today's Zaman, Capt. Rachata Phisitbanakorn, secretary to the deputy minister of commerce and advisor to the minister of natural resources and environment in Thailand, said they also wanted to im-
prove their commercial relations with the AsiaPacific countries through the meetings and added that they are optimistic about future of the AsiaPacific region. Egypt's ambassador to Turkey -- speaking for Myanmar, which was unable to send its own officials due to its recent cyclone disaster -- said Myanmar needs Turkey's experience in construction, particularly in the near future as the disaster left many people homeless. Some 460 businessmen attended the forum yesterday from the Asia-Pacific region along with 1,200 businessmen from Turkey. TUSKON aims to realize $550 million in business transactions during the two-day marathon meetings. Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Tüzmen estimates that Turkey's foreign trade volume will reach $325 billion by the end of 2008, saying exports would constitute $125 billion of that figure. He noted Turkey's trade volume with Asia-Pacific countries stood at some $36 billion, adding that Turkey aimed to bring the figure up to $50 billion in total trade.
ArcelorMittal raises shares in Erdemir to 24 percent ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, is engaged in a share-purchasing competition with Oyak, which controls Turkey's biggest steelmaker, Ereðli Demir Çelik, commonly known as Erdemir. After an unsuccessful bid to take over the formerly state-owned Erdemir in 2005, ArcelorMittal paid $1.3 billion to increase its stake in the Turkish steel producer. A company statement announced yesterday it had paid $869 million, buying 24.99 percent of the company. The company is known for its aggressive share buyback pro-
gram, which saw ArcelorMittal spend $1.1 billion in the first quarter to repurchase 16.3 million shares on the open market in 2007. Ordu Yardýmlaþma Kurumu, or Oyak, an army pension fund, has controlled Erdemir since it bought a 49 percent stake in the steelmaker from the government for $3 billion in 2005. Oyak CEO Coþkun Ulusoy said on Saturday that the fund had subsequently increased its stake in Erdemir to over 50 percent, without giving an exact figure. Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal said it paid YTL 8.4 ($6.74) a share
on June 13 to Societe Generale, Nextgen Capital Ltd. and Credit Suisse International for the Erdemir stake. Erdemir advanced by as much as YKr 60, or 6.9 percent, to YTL 9.30 in Ýstanbul. Oyak had initially planned to buy Erdemir in partnership with ArcelorMittal but proceeded alone, although it said later that it could still take on a partner. "At the beginning we wondered whether perhaps it would be good to have a partner with international experience," Ulusoy said, adding that the aim of searching for a partner
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had not been to get financing. "Our thoughts about a partnership were never carried out, and that matter was closed. Now there is no question of us taking on a partner," he said. Turkish steelmaker Erdemir is expected to show a net profit of around YTL 1 billion ($800 million) this year, the CEO of parent company Oyak Group said, up from YTL 679 million in 2007. He also said a $3 billion expansion of its smelter in Ýskenderun in southern Turkey to increase the company's output of flat steel products was almost complete. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
Turkey's Enerjisa, a joint venture between conglomerate Sabanci Holding and Austrian energy firm Verbund, said on Monday it had signed a loan contract for $1.340 billion, funds which it will use for investment. The company said it will add funds totaling $1.55 billion to its investment portfolio by the end of this year. The money will be used to make the largest private investment to date by a Turkish company in the field of energy generation. More specifically, the funds will be allocated to several planned power plant projects having combined annual production capacity of 12,000 gigawatt hours and serving 3.6 million customers, the company said in a statement. In the first phase, the company will be investing in construction of 10 hydroelectric power plants on the Seyhan and Ceyhan rivers and in Çambaþý. Company Chairman Selahattin Hakman said in the statement, "We envision reaching 10 percent of market share by 2015 and having 5,000 megawatt power capacity." Verbund CEO Michael Pistauer stated, "The belief of leading banks in the strategic objectives of Sabancý and Verbund has resulted in the financing of this project against the backdrop of difficult financial market conditions." Enerjisa was established in 1996. Since May 2007 it has been jointly owned and controlled by Sabancý Holding and Österreichische ElektrizitätswirtschaftsAktiengesellschaft (Verbund) after the two partners teamed up to become the leading player in the Turkish electricity sector. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
Finance minister: Privatizations prove good source of revenue Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said on Tuesday that Turkey has made $49 billion from privatizations since 2003. Unakýtan was speaking at the opening of the Euromoney Turkey Finance and Investment Forum, hosted in Ýstanbul by Euromoney Conferences and the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DE?K). Unakýtan said privatization was a structural reform aimed at promoting equality in competition. He added that privatization projects would continue, with Turkey's tobacco monopoly Tekel slated for privatization at $1.7 billion. Unakýtan said Turkey had successfully completed two stand-by agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). An IMF delegation will soon be coming to Turkey for discussions, he said, adding that Turkey would continue to pursue fiscal discipline. Unakýtan also said that Turkey's budget deficit would not be over 2 percent by 2012. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
FDI inflow to Turkey sees sharp decline Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to Turkey amounted to $799 million in April, the Treasury said on Tuesday, of which $292 million went to the manufacturing sector. According to the Treasury's International Direct Investment Data Bulletin, in terms of origin, EU funds constituted the largest source of FDI, at $430 million. With $225 million, the Netherlands is the leading country for FDI inflow to Turkey. Asia comes second after the EU with $211 million. FDI inflow in the January through April period dropped by 50 percent compared the same period last year. While it stood at $8.85 billion in the first four months of 2007, FDI inflow dropped to $4.37 billion in the same period of 2008. Total FDI last year amounted to almost $22 billion. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
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TODAY’S ZAMAN 09
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
Nazlý Gýda eyes Indian snack foods and beverage market Leading Turkish snack foods and beverage company Nazlý Gýda is angling to introduce its wide product range to the Indian beverage market. Nazlý Gýda Chairman Ethem Kurt told Today’s Zaman his company wants a share in the Indian beverage market and has already set the gears in motion: “We believe Indian people will like Nazlý Gýda products. We have been in contact with Indian officials and businessmen -- to get to know this country’s beverage market better - over the last year. We have had very satisfactory meetings to this end. There are talented and ambitious businessmen in India, and I believe we will soon have a considerable place in the Indian beverage market.” Emphasizing that his company is also active in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kurt said Nazlý Gýda planned to expand its market share in Asian countries. “Our business contacts in Afghanistan prepared a strong base for us to expand our market share in Asian countries. Thanks to these contacts, we have developed good strategies to better appeal to customers there. We wish to extend our business network to other Asian countries as well, starting with India,” he said. Kurt also said his company exports products to countries including Spain, Greece, Morocco, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan. “We have declared 2007 and 2008 as years of export breakthroughs for our company. Each country has different characteristics. For example, our beverages are
sold in pharmacies in Afghanistan, as they include high amounts of vitamin C,” he noted. The chairman attributes his company’s success in sales abroad to their product quality. “Our products are packed carefully. There is no risk for them to become contaminated. Our products are prepared so easily -- you pour them into a bottle or a jug and mix them with water. For us, hygiene is a top priority. Such characteristics make our products preferable in foreign countries,” Kurt said. According to Kurt, Nazlý Gýda also has ambitions for the coffee sector. “As you all know, in Turkey instant coffee mix packages either contain or don’t contain sugar. They are called 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 in accordance with their sugar content. We at Nazlý Gýda have an ambitious proj-
Beijing poses big challenge for Turkish lifters SELÇUK GÖKOLUK ANKARA
Turks take pride in the international success of their weightlifters but the basic gym where the team are preparing for the Beijing Games comes as a surprise, given the prestige of their Olympic achievements. Turkey won three gold medals at the Athens Olympics four years ago and hope to repeat the success this time despite having an older team. Some of their lifters are preparing to retire after Beijing. Triple Olympic champion Halil Mutlu will be 35 by the time the Games begin on Aug. 8. “We lack private sponsors. The Ankara municipality is paying basic expenses for Halil Mutlu,” coach Raif Özel said. “I wonder how a sportsman like Mutlu would be treated if he was in America?” Mutlu is the focus of attention as he seeks an unprecedented fourth medal in Beijing after winning the 54-kg title in Atlanta in 1996 and the 56-kg at the last two Games. “I still owe to my country. My debt is not paid completely,” Mutlu, who was born in Bulgaria as an ethnic Turk and emigrated to Turkey, told Reuters. In their gym in central Ankara, the lifters say they follow a harsh, disciplined programme. “We work out in the morning and in the afternoon and then take a nap between on some days. My contact with my family is reduced to brief phone calls,” said Derya Açýkgöz, a female lifter, before putting weights on a barbell and repeatedly hoisting it above shoulder height alongside five male lifters. The gym is quiet to allow concentration, apart from the occasional scream of effort from one of the lifters. Advertisements for strength-boosting supplements lie on the floor.
Doping crackdown Özel says the team face a major challenge in Beijing. “Their performance is worse compared to Athens. They are now four years older and the Chinese are very motivated because they are the hosts,” he said. Turkey hope Mutlu, as well Taner Saðýr, who won the 77-kg gold at the age of 19 in Athens, and Nurcan Taylan, the country’s first female Olympic champion who won the 48-kg class in 2004, will return from Beijing with more gold medals. Turkey has imposed strict doping checks ahead of the Games after its weightlifters were banned from international competitions in 2005 for widespread abuse. Despite the doping ban and a scandal involving allegations of harassment by some women weightlifters against a former coach, weightlifting remains a respected sport in the country. Turkey does not want to give up its hard-gained position in the sport and a bill is currently being discussed in parliament to establish an antidoping agency and tighten sanctions. Doping scandals and suspensions are not limited to one country. Greece’s weightlifting squad were threatened with a Beijing ban after 11 members were charged with using illegal substances, while Bulgaria’s team were stripped of three gold medals and sent home from the 2000 Sydney Games after positive tests. “After 2005 we have taken permanent measures to prevent a repetition of this,” said Hasan Akkuþ, head of the Turkish Weighting Federation. In the past, Turkey brought in many Bulgarian-born ethnic Turkish weightlifters such as Naim Süleymanoðlu, but it is now working to create its own pool of young, talented lifters. Dozens of Turkish schools train weightlifters. Turkish weightlifters won two gold medals and a silver at the 2007 world youth championships. “The arrival of ethnic Turkish weightlifters from Bulgaria gave a stimulus to the sport but Turkey now had sufficient home-grown talent,” he said. Apart from soccer, sport is not very popular in Turkey despite government investment to encourage youngsters. Women lifters face extra social barriers. “I could not enjoy my childhood and youth because of competitions. It is impossible for a woman to be married, have children and be a weightlifter,” said Açýkgöz, the first Turkish woman lifter to win a gold medal in international competition. Reuters
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ect for this market. We have placed coffee, coffee creamer and sugar in the same packet, but in partitioned package sections. People will thus have the ability to decide how much sugar to add to their coffee. This project is the first of its kind. We’ve already obtained a patent for our new product. We use the finest Brazilian coffee in our products, and I believe our customers will like this new item very much,” he explained. Nazlý Gýda, established in 1997, is a leading fruit drink mix company, producing 600 million units a year. The company’s product range includes coffee, sahlep (a hot drink made with dried orchid root, milk and cinnamon), fruit drink mixes, mixed fruitmilk beverages and chips. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman
Nazlý Gýda Chairman Ethem Kurt
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W E D N E S D AY, JUNE 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
WORLD
CONFLICT
NUKES
Iran says it will continue uranium enrichment work Iran said on Tuesday it would continue enriching uranium, defying efforts by major powers to pressure Tehran into stopping such work. The EU's top diplomat on Saturday presented Tehran with a package of economic benefits to try and persuade it to stop its nuclear program, which the West fears could lead to a nuclear weapon. "We have repeatedly said that enrichment is our red line and we should enjoy this technology. The work will be continued," Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Sheikhattar told reporters, according to the state news agency IRNA. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after talks in Tehran that Iran should stop enrichment during negotiations on the offer, a condition Tehran has repeatedly rejected. The incentive package agreed by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany last month and delivered by Solana is a revised version of one rejected by Iran in 2006. Western powers have warned Iran it will face more sanctions if it rejects the offer and presses on with its nuclear work. So far Iran has shown no sign of flexibility. Sheikhattar said Iran was reviewing the incentives package. "We will give our answer as soon as possible. But we do not know exactly when it will be," he said. Tehran Reuters
Chýna floods pummel export heartland China's far-southern industrial hub braced on Tuesday for floods that have killed 169 across the region, adding to the toll of natural disasters that have pummeled the nation in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Officials in Guangdong province, the vast, densely populated economic powerhouse neighboring Hong Kong, warned of a "black June" as high tides, rain and two converging swollen rivers threatened levees, Xinhua news agency said. Heavy rains in south China in the past 10 days have forced the evacuation of 1.66 million people, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. Direct economic losses totaled nearly 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion). The death toll covered the period since the flood season began at the beginning of the summer. Guangdong expects possible flooding in the low-lying Pearl River Delta, which embraces several big export manufacturing zones, including Foshan, Zhongshan and the provincial capital, Guangzhou. In the suburbs of the delta city of Dongguan, one of the Pearl River's many tributaries remained swollen, but residents said the muddy-brown water had dropped significantly. A 64-year-old farmer, who gave only his surname, Liang, was tending to a small patch of yams, lotus and other vegetables on the banks of the river. "The water came up to here," Liang said, pointing at a spot on the levee about 10-12 feet above the water level. "It washed away all my cabbages." The typhoon season has begun, ensuring further disaster for the coast of sub-tropical Guangdong, home to 110 million permanent and migrant residents, over the summer. "The Pearl River Delta river network has suffered not only the biggest volume floods in over 50 years but simultaneously also the highest tides in over 10 years," said a report on the Guangdong water resources
AP
Scores of families fled their homes in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday as foreign and Afghan forces prepare to drive out Taliban insurgents who have overrun several villages, officials and witnesses said. About 600 Taliban insurgents took over several villages in Arghandab district in the south on Monday, days after they had freed hundreds of prisoners, including about 400 militants, after an attack on the main jail in Kandahar city. "There are hundreds of them (Taliban) with sophisticated weapons. They have blown up several bridges and are planting mines everywhere," Mohammad Usman, a taxi driver who evacuated a family on Tuesday from the district, told reporters in Kandahar. Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of Kandahar's provincial council and a brother of President Hamid Karzai, said about 600 Taliban had positioned themselves in Arghandab district, which lies 20 km (12 miles) to the north of Kandahar city, one of Afghanistan's largest cities. He did not know if the militants included the 400 set free in the jailbreak. The development prompted NATO and Afghan forces to deploy troops to seal off the area to drive the militants from the district, which has an estimated population of 150,000. NATO troops have dropped leaflets by air warning people to leave the district, fleeing villagers said. Kandahar Reuters
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Scores flee as battle looms in Afghan south
Local people row boats in flooded Daoshui town of Wuzhou City, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as floods continue to wreak havoc in China
office Web site (www.gdwater.gov.cn). Rarely a year goes by when China does not suffer floods, drought and other natural disasters somewhere on its huge landmass. Fierce snow storms blanketed much of the south in January and the country is reeling from the May 12 quake centered on southwest Sichuan province that killed more than 70,000. Parts of the quake zone and other provinces have also been battered by heavy rains, floods and landslide risks as Beijing prepares to host
the Olympics in August. In Wenchuan County, site of the quake epicenter, troops were rushing to move close to 20,000 people threatened by landslides as heavy rains approached, Xinhua reported. More than 52,000 had already moved out of threatened areas, the report said. Flooding has struck as far north as Longnan, on the southern tip of Gansu province, north of Sichuan, where 365 died and 1.8 million were left homeless after the May 12 quake. As well as the 169 killed in the floods across
the south, Guangdong officials are also counting the cost in lost production, waterlogged crops and transport disruption. Roads and highways in the province have suffered damage amounting to about 600 million yuan ($86 million), Xinhua reported. The National Meteorological Centre forecast more downpours for nine provinces -- including the already battered Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi -- across south and east China in the next two days, warning of floods, lightning and landslides. Dongguan Reuters
Japan hangs serial killer of young girls and two others
UNMOVED
Japan hanged three convicted murderers on Tuesday, including the killer of four young girls, the Justice Ministry said, in a further sign the country is speeding up the pace of executions. Among those executed was 45-year-old Tsutomu Miyazaki, who kidnapped and murdered four young girls aged 4-7 years in the late 1980s, then cut up and burned their bodies, the ministry said in a statement. The hangings bring to 13 the number of executions authorized by Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama, a strong supporter of the death penalty, since he took office last September. Also executed were 73-year-old Yoshio Yamasaki, who murdered two people for insurance money, and 37year-old Shinji Mutsuda, who killed two people and threw their bodies into the ocean in a box packed with concrete. "The lives of the victims were taken in these extremely brutal cases that go beyond words," Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said. "To realize justice and to securely protect a nation where the law is respected, I am enforcing the death penalties." Hatoyama is trying to reduce the number of prisoners on death row, after a previous justice minister refused to sign death warrants for religious reasons. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said he saw no need to abolish the death penalty as a majority of Japanese supported it. "This is an issue which me must consider while keeping an eye on the trend of world opinion," he said in an interview with news agencies ahead of next month's Group of Eight summit. Opinion polls show most Japanese people support capital punishment but there is a vocal movement to try to end the hangings. "It seems like he has completely deviated from the rule of executing extremely cautiously," said Akiko Takada, a member of Forum 90, an anti-death penalty organization with some 5,000 participants including around 200 lawmakers. “This is a strong expression of the will that Japan is going to continue regardless of the international community or what the United Nations says.” Tokyo Reuters
Japanese PM says no plan to resign soon Unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said on Tuesday he did not have the luxury of time to call a snap election for parliament's powerful lower house, but instead wanted to work on urgent challenges. "There are major challenges that require immediate response and for the time being, the political challenge is to work on these," he said in an interview with news agencies ahead of next month's G8 summit in northern Japan. "We have not got the luxury of time to dissolve the lower house." Fukuda's support ratings have declined on doubts about his ability to cope with a divided parliament, which has delayed legislation and blocked key appointments, including the government's first two choices for Bank of Japan governor. Two media polls issued on Tuesday showed that more Japanese would vote for the main opposition party than the ruling party if a lower house election were held now. But no election need be held until late next year. "We are working on very important challenges like social security and the pension system. There are important reforms being sought. We need to work on tax reform," Fukuda said. There are various administrative issues that need to be resolved and we need to move to a low carbon society. Tokyo Reuters
VIOLENCE
Two killed in clashes in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley Two people were killed in clashes between government loyalists and opposition supporters in eastern Lebanon overnight, security sources and witnesses said. Four people were wounded in the violence, which reached its peak at dawn in the SaadnayelTaalbaya villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Houses and shops were also destroyed in the clashes in which heavy guns and rocket propelled grenades were used. Witnesses said the Lebanese army had deployed in the area. Last month Lebanon ended its 18-month political crisis with the Western-backed coalition and the Hizbullah-led opposition reaching a Qatari-mediated accord. The conflict had led to a violent showdown between the two sides. Since then there have been frequent minor security incidents between supporters of the opposing factions. Beirut Reuters
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WORLD
CRACKDOWN
Iraq displays arsenal seized in southern city Iraq's army put on display on Tuesday an arsenal of weapons and bombs abandoned by Shiite militia fighters in the southern city of Amara before a planned government crackdown. Iraqi soldiers at a base near Amara showed reporters a haul of about 150 home-made bombs, 200 mortar rounds, 100 rocket propelled grenades, rockets, mines and rifles they said had been handed in to authorities or dumped after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave an ultimatum to militants in the city. Also on display was a car which Iraqi soldiers said had been used in assassinations. Maliki, pushing to extend government control to areas previously under the sway of Shiite militias or Sunni Arab insurgents, has sent army and police units backed by tanks to Amara and the rest of the southern province of Maysan. On Saturday, Maliki gave "outlaws and criminals" in Maysan, a stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada alSadr's Mahdi Army militia, four days to surrender and hand over heavy weapons and bombs. The army is expected to begin operations in Amara, 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad, any time from Thursday, hunting for wanted militants and searching out weaponry. Amara Reuters
DEFENSE
Sarkozy urges more contribution to NATO French President Nicolas Sarkozy made the case for greater French participation in NATO, saying Tuesday that nothing prevents the country from rejoining the trans-Atlantic alliance's military structures. But Sarkozy essentially put the ball in NATO's court by setting conditions for full French participation. Among them, France must maintain its freedom to decide whether to send troops to an operation, Sarkozy said. "France is an independent ally, a free partner," he said. President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO's military command in 1966 as he sought to reassert France's independence after the grueling postWorld War II years. The decision has damaged trans-Atlantic ties for decades, and France remains outside the alliance's nuclear group and its planning committee. Sarkozy, who has pressed for better relations with the United States since his May 2007 election, insists that a greater French role in NATO would not be in conflict with the European Union's own defense plans. Paris Reuters
CEASE-FIRE
Official: Gaza truce to begin on Thursday A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will begin on Thursday, a Palestinian official familiar with Egyptian-brokered truce efforts said on Tuesday. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was unaware of any deal. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. "The two sides agreed and the implementation of the truce will begin at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Thursday," said the Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to announce a deal. He said the cease-fire was agreed despite Israel's killing of at least six Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Commenting on the latest violence, the official said both sides were trying to show they agreed to the truce out of strength, not weakness. A cease-fire would aim to end rocket and mortar bomb attacks on Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and Israeli raids in the territory. Israeli and Palestinian officials cautioned earlier on Tuesday that under any truce accord, the blockade Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip after Hamas seized the territory a year ago would be eased only gradually and partially. Gaza Reuters
DELUGE
More towns in Iowa brace for flooding As some of Iowa's flooded towns began cleaning up, others braced for new flooding risks, particularly in southeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River. Two more deaths were reported on Monday, including a woman whose car was hit by a National Guard truck, bringing the state's death toll to five. The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the Mississippi River if the weather forecast is on the mark and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press. Officials are placing millions of sandbags on top of the levees along the river in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri to prevent overflowing. In Des Moines County, where the Mississippi was expected to crest Wednesday, authorities had asked for a half-million sandbags. "We have just begun to fight," Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said. The floodwaters that deluged much of Iowa have done more than knock out drinking water and destroy homes. Oakville, Iowa AP
TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ZAMAN 11
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
AP
17.06.2008
Obama holds on to small lead over McCain
PHOTO
T11-18-06-08.qxd
Barack Obama
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama opens the US general election campaign with a narrow lead over Republican John McCain but the two score near even among independent voters, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, Obama leads McCain by 48 percent to 42 percent among all adults, while McCain has picked up support from independents who could be key to deciding the November election. Independents see McCain, an Arizona senator, as more credible on fighting terrorism and are split evenly on who is the stronger leader and better on the Iraq war, the Post reported. McCain has a 14-point lead over Obama, an Illinois senator, on the issue of dealing with ter-
rorism and a narrow edge on who is best equipped to handle international affairs, the poll found. On Iraq, 47 percent of all respondents said they trust McCain more and 46 percent said they have faith in Obama. Independents were 45 percent for McCain to 43 percent for Obama on the question of Iraq, according to the poll. Experience appears to be Obama's clearest weakness, the newspaper said. The poll found that just 50 percent of Americans said Obama has the necessary experience to be president, almost unchanged since early March. Fifty-six percent said McCain was a safe choice, while 52 percent said that of Obama. The two candidates were evenly matched on the question of who is the stronger leader, with 46 percent of respon-
dents rating each as top. McCain was in a far weaker position on domestic issues with Obama leading by 16 points on the economy, which continues to top the list of the campaign's most important issues, the Post reported. The poll of 1,125 adults was conducted by telephone on June 12-15 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. On Monday, Obama said he plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan before November's election and was encouraged by a recent reduction in violence in Iraq. Obama, who later picked up the endorsement of former Vice President Al Gore at a Detroit rally on Monday night, spoke by telephone with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and reiterated his support for a pullout of US troops. Washington Reuters
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CULTURE&ARTS
TODAY’S ZAMAN 13
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
Marvel Comics brings us yet another one of its fables this summer; the rather unfortunate fate of Dr. Bruce Banner, a.k.a. that mean, green brute called the Hulk. If you think the newly released version is a sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 "Hulk," which was a surprisingly thoughtful film pumped with Freudian elements rather than an action movie, you are definitely mistaken. Obviously, some studio heads were profoundly frustrated with the box-office results of Lee's psychological take on the Marvel Comic's hero and thus came up with a rescue plan to lay the grounds for the typical blockbuster franchise. Directed by Louis Letterier, who proved he could pull off some decent chase sequences with his "Transporter 2," "The Incredible Hulk" stars Edward Norton as scientist Banner, who is the victim of an en experiment gone wrong, leading to his transformation into a destructive green giant whenever he gets angry. Leaving his academic position and love-interest, Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler), behind, Banner escapes to Brazil so he won't harm anyone and meanwhile takes anger-management lessons with some sort of post-modern capoeira instructor. Basically, the guy just wants to be left alone. If only life were that easy; headed by Elizabeth's pitiless father, Gen. Ross (William Hurt with a truck driver's moustache), the US army demands Banner's capture in order to further create super soldiers with the help of his infected blood. The first hour of the film is actually quite intriguing, considering that there is only one action sequence and most of the 60 minutes is used to build the film's atmosphere without any CGI effects. The Banner we are introduced to is an ordinary man who does not relish his super powers, but on the contrary, wants to get rid of them as soon as possible. His solitude and loneliness is ever more saddening as we understand that he has become a slave to his biological malfunctioning, which prevents him from allowing himself the luxury of getting angry, frightened, excited, etc. Norton is quite successful in creating the right amount of empathy in the audience through his melancholic face, which could be on the verge of a psychotic breakdown any second. Once Banner realizes that the only way to "cure" himself is going back to the US, the army will put in all its resources to capture him. This is
pretty much where everything goes wrong in the film. Gen. Ross creates a man-weapon of his own in the form of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth of all people) to capture Banner/Hulk. Unfortunately, Blonsky is an unstoppable egotistic maniac who also injects himself with some biological goo, transforming him into one power-driven, ugly monster. The final showdown is between the Hulk and the Blonsky giant in the streets of Harlem, New York. The tables have turned, now the Hulk has to help the US army to stop one of their own, none other than Officer Blonsky. Watching the two CGI giants throttle each other like two sumo-wrestlers should bring about some unintentional laughs in the audience. The best part of the "Incredible Hulk" is undeniably the performances of Norton and Tyler, quite an odd situation, as you wouldn't be expecting such acting forte in this kind of film. Not only do they have the right amount of chemistry, but they also both give their best to create three-dimensional characters with the two-dimensional material they are provided. On the other hand, Hurt and Roth are obviously in need of some fat paychecks since they have agreed to take part in this jamboree. I sometimes wondered whether Hurt ever read his lines before filming and whether the script girl was reading it aloud to him on the set. The Hulk's character admittedly has a lot of potential, a potential that Lee had clearly seen in 2003. In 2003 Eric Bana, the Hulk, thrived in his incredible green colored strength although he knew what the consequences meant. This guy had a real dilemma. If you consider all the repressed rage in our modern urban lives, the hulk could be any of us sad saps who cannot channel our anger after the chaos we are subjected to in our jungle cities. And why? Because we are civilized and we've been taught that we shouldn't resort to aggression. All fair play, but there have been so many times that I wish I had the strength of the Hulk to vent out my road rage caused by ?stanbul's traffic and I'm sure you have as well. "The Incredible Hulk" unfortunately dares to not delve in any sort of existential crisis of the modern man that might actually give meaning to the outrageous concept that the mediocre Dr. Banner converts into a green behemoth. Talking about green behemoths, it's too bad the Shrek franchise didn't produce anything this summer.
PHOTOS
EMÝNE YILDIRIM ÝSTANBUL
AP
‘The Incredible Hulk’: busting the blocks
Edward Norton plays scientist Bruce Banner, who transforms into a green giant whenever he gets angry, in “The Incredible Hulk,” directed by Louis Letterier.
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14 TODAY’S ZAMAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY , JUNE 18, 2008
Indýa at play
Common denominators and diversity
SHASHI THAROOR*
ILLUSTRATION
CEMKIZILTUÐ
What is observed in modern nationstates is the determination to coexist, despite differences and diversities. Peaceful coexistence can only be achieved by respecting differences.
HERKÜL MÝLLAS
It is not fulfilling to write about Turkey in present times when words are no longer influential. So let's take a look at our world, which is struggling with problems. I reviewed the turmoil-related concepts on Wikipedia: revolts, military coups and internal wars. I am writing what I learned from that portal, according to which there have been about 30 coups for governmental posts since 2000 in the world. Almost all of them were in Africa, Latin America and the Far East. But if you run a search for Turkey, you will come up with the coups staged in 1960, 1963 (failed), 1971, 1980 and 1997. The number of revolts and insurgencies in the last decade was about 40. The ones I am most familiar with are the revolts by Algerians (1991-2002), Chechens (1999 and in the aftermath), Abkhazians (1988 and subsequent years), Kurds, Northern Irish and Kosovars. Civil wars have been fairly frequent in history; in fact, 26 civil wars were fought in the 20th century alone. The number of civil wars that lasted for more than a year is 19. Most of these wars took place in Latin America, Africa and the Far East (Nigeria, Mozambique, Congo, China, Vietnam, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru). The following were fought relatively close to Turkey and Europe: Russia 19171921, Ireland 1936-1939, Yugoslavia 1941-1945, Afghanistan 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995, Greece 1946-1949. Internal war is defined on Wikipedia as follows: armed conflicts based on cultural, social, religious, political or economic clashes and irreconcilable views. Of course, the type of arms is not specified. But it is noted that the target is the leadership and the government. The parties involved in such a conflict are in general from the same cultural, social and national groups. The war is fought for political power and influence in the making of politics. It appears that it is easier to define terrorist events. There is no agreement between the experts on the required number of deaths in order to define a given incident as a civil war. For instance, some argue that there should be at least 1,000 deaths in such an event or
100 from each party to call the incident a civil war. We can find interesting details on the civil wars with religious motives on the same Web site. The conflicts between the members of monotheistic religions were more severe and deadly than the conflicts between the members of pagan religions. The primary reason for this is that members of pagan religions were in general undereducated; and they did not have the will to sustain a clash because of a lack of strong affiliation with a single god and a sense of uncertainty about their multiple gods. Those with flexible beliefs open to interpretation do not feel the pressure from the opposite side and in the past, syncretism -- attempting to reconcile aspects of different religions -- was fairly commonplace. As religions became more defined through explanations and interpretations, it also became difficult to reconcile these beliefs with a measure of uncertainty. The site also makes mention of religion-based wars between Shiites and Sunnis, Catholics and Protestants and many others. This is a very disturbing explanation and view. In other words, do societies develop violent tendencies as they become more educated? What is relieving is that the major religious wars were fought centuries ago.
Common denominators From a certain point, reading does not suffice, you will want to contemplate and determine your own perspective, as well. It's obvious that the reason for all these internal wars is the lack of agreement on common denominators. But saying this is a tautology. It is all the same to argue that we cannot agree and to say that we do not have common denominators. Nothing is achieved by repeating this fact. The question is actually something different. Which societies developed common denominators and which ones are going through a painful process? On what foundation is reconciliation based? When taking a look at the issue in this way, the conclusion would be as follows: societies are more reconcilable in Western Europe, where the nation states emerged first. They maintained stability after horrible clashes and conflicts. There are ongoing wars in the countries in transition to modernity. For instance, Latin America, Africa and the Far East are expe-
riencing this process of transition. Achievement of common denominators is not the formation of homogenous citizens within the nation-state. Such entities could only be found in communities of the past, not in modern societies. Today, a society free of diversity is not possible or desirable. What is observed in modern nation-states is the determination to coexist, despite differences and diversities. Peaceful coexistence can only be achieved by respecting differences. The most natural outcome in a society where differences are frequently emphasized is division based on these differences. The behavior that unites a society is avoiding polemic over differences because such a polemic will create the opposite of the targeted goal: revolts, coups and internal wars. The societies with obvious differences base their national unity on this diversity. Respect for diversity ensures unity. In nation-states, this is called a national common denominator. They start with notions like citizenship and of course a constitution. People are not treated differently based on their wealth, rank, education, background, culture or language. Equality is not a utopian goal. It is the fundamental fabric of a modern society. Those who disrespect equality are not in favor of the nation; they actually favor a society that they will be able to control. When citizens feel that they are not equal before the law, the desired modern society cannot be achieved. This nation-building process also includes a paradox. As the social engineers proceed with exclusions, bans and prohibitions, society is divided. In such an environment, coups, revolts, conflicts and internal wars are expected to emerge. Didn't we witness that those who took action in good faith caused partition of their countries? Common denominators are achieved within nation-states when everyone is equal and no particular attention is given to differences. For instance, in some countries, no attention is paid to who is wearing what or who loves who. This creates an environment of mutual respect and common denominators. In this type of environment, we begin to love one another because of mutual respect and understanding.
dagistancetinkaya@todayszaman.com.tr
Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ
ALÝ AKBULUT Chief Executive Officer
EKREM DUMANLI Editor-in-Chief
BÜLENT KENEÞ
Ankara Representative Diplomatic News Editor Business News Editor Culture & Arts Editor Features Editor Chief Copy Editor General Manager Chief Marketing Officer Deputy Chief Marketing Officer Brand Marketing Responsible Manager and Representative of the Owner
*Shashi Tharoor, an acclaimed novelist and commentator, is a former under-secretary-general of the United Nations.© Project Syndicate, 2008.
Daðýstan Çetinkaya
Thýnk tank cafe´ Established on January 16, 2007 NO: 0493 Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Executive Editor Managing Editors
On June 1, the Indian Premier League came to a thundering climax with a cliffhanger final match, watched by 60,000 cheering fans in a new stadium and an estimated 300 million television viewers around the world. As cheerleaders danced and waved brightly colored pom-poms, and star sportsmen from across the globe, clad in their teams' multi-hued regalia, looked forward to a $2.5 million payday, black-market tickets changed hands for as much as $2,500. Football? Basketball? No, the IPL is the newest Indian innovation revolutionizing that most staid of Victorian sports -- cricket. As the globalizing world discovers a 21st century India full of high-tech computer geeks, efficient businessmen, colorful fashions and glitzy entertainment - a far cry from the old stock images of fakirs on beds of nails, maharajahs on elephants and mendicants with begging bowls -- it is also finding an India obsessed with what most regard as a 19th century sport. Cricket has seized the Indian national imagination like no other sport. An international match can fill 100,000-seat stadiums, while attracting TV audiences of 350 million. Airline pilots provide passengers with the latest scores; office-goers cluster around the nearest available television. Cricketers occupy a place in India's pantheon rivaled only by gods and Bollywood stars. The performances of our heroes are analyzed with far more passion than any political crisis. In no other country does a sport so often command the front pages of leading newspapers. Cricket first came to India with decorous English gentlemen. It took nearly a century for the "natives" to learn the sport, but when they did, they took to it like snakes to their charmers. Today, the public's obsession has made India into the sport's global financial powerhouse, with advertisers and sponsors pouring unheard-of sums into the game. It is estimated that India alone accounts for nearly 90 percent of cricket's worldwide revenues, putting the game's traditional guardians, England and Australia, in the shade. India has become the most influential country in the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council, which has moved its headquarters from London to Dubai, which has no cricketing tradition but is closer to the sport's new fulcrum in South Asia. In April and May, the new Indian Premier League (IPL) revolutionized the sport. By bringing the world's top players to India at unprecedented salaries (one Australian player was auctioned to his new team for $1.4 million, more than most cricketers previously earned in a lifetime) and by spicing up the game through such innovations as American cheerleaders, the IPL is transforming the sport. When the traditional English cricket season opened in April, as it has for the last couple of centuries, seasoned British journalists ruefully reported that while the players and officials were dutifully present, their minds were far away, following the fortunes of the lucrative league in India. I have often thought that cricket is really, in the sociologist Ashis Nandy's phrase, an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British. Everything about cricket seems ideally suited to the Indian national character: its rich complexity, the endless possibilities and variations that can occur with each delivery, the dozen different ways of getting out -- all are reminiscent of a society of infinite forms and varieties. A country where a majority of the population still consults astrologers can well appreciate a sport in which an ill-timed cloudburst, a badly prepared pitch, a lost toss, or the sun in the eyes of a fielder can transform a game's outcome. Even the possibility that five tense, exciting, hotly contested and occasionally meandering days of cricketing could still end in a draw seems derived from ancient Indian philosophy, which accepts that in life the journey is as important as the destination. So, too, is the fact that cricket is a team game that showcases individual excellence. Indians have long been resigned to defeat for their national side (though this is changing), but they have always managed to produce individual record-breakers -- outstanding cricketers like the batsmen Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, or the all-rounders Vinoo Mankad and Kapil Dev, who were considered to be among the world's best players, even if the Indian teams to which they belonged lost more often than they won. What offers better consolation than the thrilling endeavors of a gifted batsman or the magical wiles of a talented bowler, each performing his dharma, the individual doing his duty in a team game, just as in life each Indian fulfils his destiny within the fate of the collectivity? In the old days, cricket was reproached as a sport played by Anglicized elites in the big cities. But now cricket is followed by the masses all over the country. New cricketing heroes have emerged from small towns, none more popular than India's swashbuckling captain, M.S. Dhoni, the son of a peon in the dusty town of Ranchi, who now commands millions in endorsement fees to tout products that his family could never have aspired to own. Cricket, once the sport of the British upper classes, is in India a great leveler. Indeed, the sport both reflects and transcends India's diversity. It is entirely fitting that the Indian team has been led by captains from each of its major faiths -- Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Christians and a colorful Sikh. A land divided by caste, creed, color, culture, cuisine, custom and costume is united in consensus around a great conviction: cricket.
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T16-18-06-08.qxd
17.06.2008
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16 TODAY’S ZAMAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
LEISURE
tv guýde
Gregorian Calendar: 18 June 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 14 Jumada al-Thani 1429 A.H.Hebrew Calendar: 15 Sivan 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com
E2
FRONTIER(S) ÝSTANBUL: Maçka G-mall: 11:00 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:00 Fri/Sat: 23:30 Suadiye Movieplex: 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:30 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANKARA: Panora: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ÝZMÝR: Konak AFM Passtel: 11:30 13:45 16:00 18:30 21:00
THE SECOND WIND ÝSTANBUL: Þiþli Megaplex Cevahir: 11:45 18:00 18:15 21:45 Caddebostan AFM: 10:40 13:50 17:00 20:10 Fri/Sat: 23:20
21 ÝSTANBUL: Maçka G-mall: 11:00 13:30 16:15 19:00 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 Kadýköy Nautilus: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:15 13:45 16:30 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Konak Passtel: 10:45 13:30 16:15 19:00 21:45 ANTALYA: Migros: 11:15 13:45 16:30 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:00
SUPERHERO MOVIE ÝSTANBUL: Astoria: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:15 Kadýköy Nautilus: 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15 19:15 21:15 Fri/Sat: 23:30 ANKARA: Panora: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 23:45
Crossword
07:50 The Dead Zone 09:35 Bullitt 11:30 Someone Like You 13:05 Picture Perfect 14:50 Three Fugitives 16:30 Predator 2 18:15 Junebug 20:00 The Horse Whisperer 22:50 Jane Austen’s Mafia! 00:20 Freddy’s Nightmares: Memory Overload 01:50 Namesake 02:25 The Last Days of Disco
Australýa aýms to attract more tourýsts wýth outback movýe
Movýemax An epic Australian outback movie starring Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will spearhead a new tourism campaign designed to recapture the country’s “mojo” and lure more visitors Down Under. Titled “Australia” and directed by flamboyant home-grown director Baz Luhrmann, the A$130 million ($122 million) film follows an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a sprawling property and falls in love with a rugged drover (Jackman). With sweeping Outback scenery and set in northern Australia on the eve of World War II, “Australia” will see Kidman and Jackman take 2,000 cattle overland and caught in the wartime bombing of Darwin by the Japanese. “This movie will potentially be seen by tens of millions of people and it will bring to life little-known aspects of Australia’s extraordinary natural environment, history, and indigenous culture,” Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said at the weekend. Tourism Australia will kick off an international marketing campaign to coincide with the film’s planned release in November, Ferguson said. The epic was tipped to bring the biggest
Actors Hugh Jackman (R) and Nicole Kidman in a scene from the upcoming movie "Australia," an epic Australian outback movie that will spearhead a new tourism campaign. boost to tourism since “Crocodile Dundee” in 1986. Some cinema critics have predicted the film will be an amalgam of Australian cliches. But tourism industry officials are hopeful the movie epic will kickstart the country’s tourist arrivals which have stagnated since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The film, Luhrmann’s first film since “Moulin Rouge” in 2001, has
been shot on location in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, the Northern Territory capital Darwin and the tropical city of Bowen. Australia’s government recently dumped the controversial A$180 million “Where the bloody hell are you?” tourism campaign featuring a bikini model, which was banned in Britain and Canada. Ferguson has flagged a new in-
ternational campaign presenting Australia for the next three years as a “mature, inviting country,” while riding on the expected popularity of “Australia” with international audiences. Tourism numbers have fallen off recently in the face of an Australian dollar approaching parity with the US greenback and with rising fuel and airline ticket prices keeping many potential visitors away. Tourism industry spokesman Christopher Brown this month lamented that Australians had “lost our mojo” for tourists. Tourism data in April showed signs of weakness from key markets including Japan, Hong Kong and Britain. Overseas arrivals were down 1.2 percent in February and 0.7 percent in January. Holidaymakers injected A$85 billion into the A$1 trillion economy in 2006 to 2007, with overseas visitors accounting for A$22 billion of that, according to the latest Australia Bureau of Statistics data. Tourism accounted for 3.7 percent of the Australian economy, but overseas arrivals were down 1.2 percent in February. A Tourism Australia official this week told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that “Australia” would be “basically a two and a half hour ad” for the country. Canberra Reuters
09:05 Neverwas 10:55 Deal 12:30 Happy Feet 14:20 The Walker 16:15 Outlaw 18:15 Pauly Shore is Dead 20:00 Devil’s Diary 21:50 Little Miss Sunshine 23:35 Jade Warrior 01:20 Solstice 02:50 The Day After Tomorrow
Cnbc-e 18:10 Scrubs 18:50 Desperate Housewives 20:00 The King of Queens 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:30 Dexter 22:30 Vaniglia e cioccolato 00:30 The King of Queens 01:00 How I Met Your Mother 01:45 Dexter 02:30 Vaniglia e cioccolato
Hallmark 07:30 Back to You and Me 09:15 McLeod’s Daughters 10:00 Mystery Woman: Redemption 11:45 Annie’s Point 13:30 Back to You and Me 15:15 McLeod’s Daughters 16:15 Mystery Woman: Redemption 18:00 Annie’s Point 20:00 Wild Hearts 21:30 Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows 23:15 The Murders in the Rue Morgue 01:00 Wild Hearts 02:30 Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
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c.kiziltug@todayszaman.com 496
ÝSTANBUL: Levent Kanyon: 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:30 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:30 Kadýköy Nautilus: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:30 13:00 15:30 17:45 20:00 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Konak Pier: 10:30 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ANTALYA: Migros: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:15
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THE HAPPENING
08:00 Rachael Ray Show 09:00 The Martha Stewart Show 10:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 11:00 Desperate Housewives 12:00 Rachael Ray Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 15:00 The O.C. 16:00 Rachael Ray Show 17:00 The Martha Stewart Show 18:00 Ellen DeGeneres Show 19:00 The O.C. 20:00 Desperate Housewives 21:00 Footballers’ Wives 22:15 The Sopranos 23:00 Late Night with Conan O’Brien 24:00 South Park 00:30 The Sopranos 01:30 Celebrity Poker 02:30 Footballers’ Wives
cian and composer in popular-music history, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles. On this day in 1936, Russian author and founder of the socialist realism literary method Maksim Gorky (Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov) died. Today is Autistic Pride Day. This day is a celebration of the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum. The day tries to change the common view of autism from “disease” into “difference.” Autistic Pride Day aims to fight the prejudices that individuals with autism have no feelings. Today is the Liberation Day of Ereðli, a town in northern Turkey. Ereðli was liberated from French occupation on this day in 1920. By Kerim Balcý
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ÝSTANBUL: Niþantaþý Citylife: 11:45 14:15 15:30 16:45 18:00 19:15 20:30 21:45 Fri/Sat: 23:00 24:15 Caddebostan AFM: 10:30 12:00 13:30 15:00 16:30 18:00 19:30 21:00 22:20 Fri/Sat: 23:45 ANKARA: Ata On Tower: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat: 24:00 ÝZMÝR: Konak Pier: 10:30 13:15 16:00 18:45 21:30 Fri/Sat: 24:15 ANTALYA: Migros: 13:45 16:30 19:15 22:00 Fri/Sat: 24:15
new constitution in 1993 and created the Third Republic. Seychelles was previously a socialist oneparty state. This constitution established a new multiparty system in the archipelago nation. On this day in 1815 the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte lost the Battle of Waterloo against the British and Austrian armies. On this day in 1942 Sir James Paul McCartney, an iconic Academy and Grammy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of the Beatles, was born. McCartney is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful musi-
08:30 Frasier 09:00 For Your Love 09:30 Everybody Hates Chris 10:00 Two Guys and a Girl 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 What I Like About You 11:30 What I Like About You 12:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 12:30 Third Rock from the Sun 13:00 Still Standing 13:30 American Dad 14:00 Samantha Who 14:30 Frasier 15:00 For Your Love 15:30 Everybody Hates Chris 16:00 Two Guys and a Girl 16:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:00 What I Like About You 18:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos 18:30 Third Rock from the Sun 19:00 Still Standing 19:30 American Dad 20:00 Samantha Who 20:30 Frasier 21:00 Two Guys and a Girl 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 22:00 What I Like About You 23:00 JFL Stand-Up Series 23:30 American Dad 00:00 Samantha Who
radýo guýde TRT Tourýsm Radýo
Sudoku 4
8
EASY
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
HARD
‘Frontier(s) ’
Today is Liberation Day in Egypt. On this day Egypt commemorates the withdrawal of foreign troops in 1956 and the proclamation of the republic in 1953. The Egyptian Republic was declared on June 18, 1953 with Gen. Muhammad Naguib as the first president of the republic. Naguib was forced to resign in 1954 by Gamal Abdel Nasser -- the real architect of the 1952 movement -- and was later put under house arrest. Nasser assumed power as president and declared the full independence of Egypt from the United Kingdom on June 18, 1956. Today is the national day of the Republic of Seychelles. This is the day Seychelles adopted its
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00:00 Identification and Programming 00:25 Music 07:25 Identification and Programming 07:30 Music 08:30 News (English, French, German) 08:40 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 10:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 10:45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 12:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 12.45 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 15:00 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 15:15 Live Broadcast (English, German, Russian) 18:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 18:45 Live Broadcast (English, French) 21:30 News (English, French, German, Greek, Russian) 21:45 Live Broadcast (English, Greek) 23:58 Identification
Broadcast Areas: 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:
travelers’ s.o.s
movýe guýde
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
Ambulance: 112 Fire: 110 171 Police: 155 156 Maritime: 158 Unknown numbers: 118 Turkish Airlines: 444 0 849, U.S. Embassy: 0312 455 5555 U.S. Consulate: 0212 2513602-3-4 Russian Embassy: 0312 439 2122 Russian Consulate: 0212 244 1693-2610 British Embassy: 0312 455 3344 British Consulate: 0212 293 7540 German Embassy. 0312 455 5100 German Consulate: 0212 334 61 00 French Embassy: 0312 455 4545 French Consulate: 0212 292 4810-11 Indian Embassy: 0312 438 2195 Pakistani Embassy: 0312 427 1410 Austrian Embassy: 0312 419 0431-33 Austrian Consulate: 0212 262 9315 Belgian Embassy: 0312 446 8247 Belgian Consulate: 0212 243 3300 Egyptian Embassy: 0312 426 1026 Egyptian Consulate: 0212 263 6038 Israeli Embassy: 0312 446 3605
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Alanya FM 94.4 Ankara FM 100.3 Antalya FM 92.1 Ayvalýk FM 101.1 Bodrum FM 97.4 Fethiye FM 103.1 Ýstanbul FM 101.6 Ýzmir FM 101.6 Kalkan FM 105.9 Kapadokya FM 103.0 Kuþadasý FM 101.9 Marmaris FM 101.0 Pamukkale FM 101.0 Trabzon FM 101.5
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CONTINUATION
Gül not to be tried in lost trillion case, says prosecutor The Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office yesterday announced that President Abdullah Gül cannot be prosecuted in connection with an embezzlement case for which a former prime minister is currently under house arrest. The prosecutor noted that under Turkey's current Constitution the president cannot be tried for any allegation other than treason. In the case against the Welfare Party (RP) regarding the "missing trillion" collected for the Muslim war victims in Bosnia, former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan was sentenced to two years, four months behind bars, but this was later postponed and then reduced to house arrest. The case concerns the disappearance of more than TL 1 trillion in Treasury grants to the RP. Gül was a state minister under the RP government in 1998, and there were appeals to have him tried before a court. Turkey's Constitutional Court shut down Erbakan's then-ruling RP in 1998 on the grounds that it sought to overthrow Turkey's secular system and set up an Islamic state. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman
New constitution on AK Party’s agenda again contýnued from page 1 When Parliament seemed unable to produce solutions, the AK Party canceled the parliamentary recess initially scheduled to begin July 1 and decided to keep working until the result of the closure case against the party became clear; the AK Party deputies can in this way convene Parliament quickly if it becomes necessary to call early general elections. The Constitutional Court's headscarf ruling will play a central role in a separate case launched on March 14 seeking to close the AK Party for anti-secular activities and ban 71 AK Party members, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, as well as former AK Party member President Abdullah Gül, from political party membership for five years. Turkey has a history of banning political parties and the Virtue Party (FP), seen by some as the AK Party's predecessor, was banned in 2001 for Islamist activities. Following the submission of the closure case, the AK Party first worked on a package of constitutional changes to make shutting down political parties in Turkey harder. However both the CHP and the smaller opposition Democratic Left Party (DSP)
Gen. Baþbuð hosts Greek counterpart
expressed that they were not in support of the changes. The MHP said it would support the changes but again, set down conditions for this support. On the other hand, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), currently facing a closure case as well, supported the change, but its support does not provide enough votes to pass the legislation. Then AK Party then realized it would be impossible to pass a constitutional package without a referendum due to the current distribution of seats in Parliament. It hopes to return to Parliament with a higher majority of seats, enough to ensure the quorum needed to change the Constitution. "The political parties which have seats in Parliament did not take a position against the Constitutional Court decision that annulled the change easing the headscarf ban at universities. That shows that we will not have enough support in Parliament to change the Constitution, so we need to take the initiative to do it ourselves," said party officials speaking under condition of anonymity. The so-called civilian constitution -- to replace the current one, which was drafted by the military -- was prepared by an independent
ALÝ ÜNAL
contýnued from page 1 Following the match on Sunday, fans of the Turkish national team poured into the streets to celebrate the victory, he said. "In the match, all the good moments and enthusiasm of soccer could be seen in the ordinary time of the contest, as well in overtime. … I would like to congratulate the football federation executives, coaches and players who never stopped trying until the last minute under very difficult conditions and became a source of pride for the nation, and we would like to see them as winners in the quarterfinals. If nothing goes wrong, I am planning to watch them in Vienna. I believe their success will continue," he said.
Emine Erdoðan phoned by wife of Qatari emir Erdoðan asserted that Turkey has undertaken a "silent revolution." "One should see and understand that Turkey's victory over Czech Republic had repercussions in a vast geography, and one should understand this message. Our players have the power to represent not only our citizens, but also the people living in an extensive region that is connected to us with historical and cultural ties, and we must understand what this implies," he said. "Last evening, the wife of the Qatari emir had a phone conversation with my wife. She said they watched the match and wanted to share the excitement they felt about the match with us and congratulate us. Those troubled minds that seek to alienate Turkey from the world must open their eyes and see this truth. Turkey is so great a country that those shallow minds cannot enclose it," he said. Erdoðan further urged EU officials to better analyze the repercussions of the national team's victory. "As our national team is a sine qua non component of the European soccer championship, and as Turkey's success leads to excitement on three continents, Turkey's membership will create large and positive effects for the EU," he argued.
Artillery units destroy PKK group in N. Iraq The military said yesterday it had opened fire on a group of outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members trying to infiltrate Turkey from northern Iraq. The General Staff, in a statement on its Web site, said artillery units opened fire on the terrorists late on Monday three kilometers inside northern Iraq in the Zap region and that most of them had been "neutralized," a term the military uses to refer to being killed. The military has launched several aerial cross-border attacks on PKK positions in northern Iraq this year. It also staged a major ground operation against the group's bases there in February. The United States and the European Union consider the PKK a terrorist group, and Washington has been sharing intelligence to help Turkey fight it. The Turkish military recently began using unmanned drones to pursue the terrorists. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires
Skibbe signs with Galatasaray Galatasaray's new German coach, Michael Skibbe, signed a contract for a 1+1-year term at the team's Florya Metin Oktay facilities. Ümit Davala was chosen as the assistant coach during the ceremony, which was attended by Director General of Football Inc. Adnan Sezgin. Sezgin noted that they had full faith in Skibbe, adding: "He has an ability that will allow us to reach our goals. We particularly think that he will present a great opportunity for our young players to improve themselves." The German coach was visibly pleased at the signing ceremony. "Galatasaray, like Leverkusen, has very gifted young players. Arda, Topal and Servet excite me very much. I'm proud to be here. This is a great chance for my career, too," Skibbe said in his statement. Mesut Yýldýrým Ýstanbul
commission headed by internationally renowned constitutional expert Professor Ergun Özbudun, who was chosen for the task by Erdoðan. The package was shelved after the closure was opened on March 14 against the AK Party. Advisors to the AK Party say taking the package to the people and holding early elections would turn into a "referendum of democracy." AK Party officials, also taking into consideration the likelihood of early general elections and interim elections if the Constitutional Court decides to close down the AK Party, think that in such a case the court will adjust the number of deputies to be banned from politics in such a way that interim elections will not be obligatory. There are currently two empty seats in Turkey's 550-seat Parliament. If a political ban is imposed on 26 deputies, it will be obligatory to hold interim elections according to the Turkish Constitution. The closure case demands a ban on 38 AK Party deputies. In addition to this, 10 DTP deputies are also facing a political ban. AK Party officials, who term the AK Party closure case a politically-motivated one, think the court's ruling will be in com-
pliance with the political environment and social engineers will take initiative to make a general election obligatory instead of an interim one at a time when the AK Party is suffering from the effects of closure. The CHP claims that the current Parliament does not hold the authority to make comprehensive changes to the Constitution and that a new constitution can only be written by a founding Parliament. CHP leader Deniz Baykal had earlier said that such a constitution could only be written after the end of a coup period or a war for independence. Countering Baykal's arguments, AK Party parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Bekir Bozdað told Today's Zaman: "According to Baykal's mentality, Turkey must either be invaded or a military coup has to happen for Turkey to write a democratic constitution. It is impossible to accept such a mentality." The MHP supports the AK Party's new constitution initiative, but thinks the term of the 23rd Parliament is complete and Parliament should be renewed with early elections to write a new constitution. The DTP says the step is a late but welcome move, asserting that the new constitution should be submitted to Parliament immediately.
National team’s victory inspires PM Erdoðan to not give up the fight PHOTO
Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Ýlker Baþbuð yesterday hosted visiting Greek Army General Staff Chief Lt. Gen. Dimitrios Voulgaris, the first Greek army general staff chief to make an official visit to Turkey. Voulgaris arrived at the Land Forces Command after a visit to Anýtkabir, the mausoleum of the Turkish Republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Voulgaris' visit is "extremely important," Baþbuð told reporters before greeting his counterpart with a military ceremony held at the command: "The importance of Gen. Voulgaris' visit is stemming from this reason: Gen. Voulgaris is the first Greek land forces commander to visit Turkey. He is realizing a first." The two commanders' talks following the ceremony -- during which the visiting party greeted a Turkish guard of honor by saying "Merhaba asker," the traditional Turkish salute meaning "Greetings, soldier," -- were closed to the press. The Greek military delegation is scheduled to depart from Turkey tomorrow. In May, Greek Chief of General Staff Gen. Dimitrios Grapsas also paid an official visit to Ankara, where he met with his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Yaþar Büyükanýt. Earlier in the same month, regional rivals Greece and Turkey held a rare joint drill to improve relief responses to natural disasters. It was the third joint drill of its kind, organized as part of confidence-building measures aimed at easing tension between the neighboring nations' armed forces. The last such drills were held in Ankara in 2006. May's exercise took place on the outskirts of Athens. Ankara Today's Zaman
TODAY’S ZAMAN 17
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
'Never stop trying'
PM Erdoðan has stressed the importance of Sunday's victory of the Turkish national team over Czech Republic in the European soccer championship, apparently seeing in it a metaphor for an ongoing closure case against the ruling AK Party.
Noting that there are many Turkish footballers playing on the national teams of other countries, Erdoðan continued: "If you believe that you deserve achievement, then you should never stop trying. If you have confidence in yourself and in the great nation supporting you and if you believe that you can do your best, you should never quit trying and do everything to achieve your goal. You should never be overcome by the difficulties you face and the injustices done to you. If the
entire nation props you up with their support, power and prayers, then you are destined to be successful and get what you deserve. What we should do is strive to the best of our ability. This is true in sports, politics and government. The nation's support gives you the power you need to overcome all difficulties," he said. Erdoðan pointed out that the government's purpose is to add to the happiness of the nation. "Those who want to put an end to the happiness of the nation may go on with their plans. But we must continue to strengthen the nation's will to coexist. And we must not forget that every individual is a part of this nation. And we must ensure that all citizens in this country can lead a dignified life. As put by Cemil Meriç, an intellectual in these territories who managed to speak for the conscience of this country: 'Let the miserable people who try to put out every light, thinking it a fire to be extinguished, continue to cover the sun with mud. They have grown so accustomed to the dark that they are bothered even by the stars.' There will always be the people who try to block progress, curb improvement and prevent any good developments. There were, are and will always be those who add fuel to the fire, those who feed on crisis and chaos and those who adopt tension as a political strategy. But do not forget that our nation, with common sense, will always cause such plots to go up in smoke," he said. Erdoðan stressed that the current process that the country is going through is a controversial one. "It is our hope that Turkey will be saved from the ongoing chaos in the quickest time possible and continue with its progress with the same determination and strength," he noted. "We know that every step we take should add to the wealth of this country. If a step will cause this nation to lose something, then we will quit it at once," he noted. Erdoðan said Turkey has made significant progress in the struggle for democracy since 1950, and that Turkish democracy, interrupted three times between 1950 and 1982, has grown stronger since 1983 due to the country's increasing ties with the world. He added that the slowdown in Turkish democracy seen after the second half of the 1990s stopped after the 2002 elections, as the AK Party government, which assumed office after the elections, launched a comprehensive democratization initiative with the goal of full EU membership. "The most salient characteristic of this post-2002 era is the fact that the demand for democracy has turned into a true social demand and that our party has the courage to fulfill this demand," he said. Ankara Today's Zaman
Little action on year-old plan for senior population contýnued from page 1 One of the forecasts mentioned in the national aging plan is an increase in crimes against the elderly. The report notes that there are no statistics or scientific studies on the subject while proposing several measures to improve the situation -- such as laws to increase the punishments for violence against elderly, sensitivity training for those that work with the elderly, a hot line for senior citizens who feel their safety is at risk, increasing public awareness on the matter and supplying free legal and financial advice. The plan forecasts that in the year 2050, 17.6 percent of the population will be over 65 years old, while this figure was only 5.7 percent in the year 2005. "When these numbers are taken into consideration the necessity of implementing policies regard-
ing the aging can be better understood," the report indicates. It notes that the target of these policies should be more than the caretaking of the elderly, aiming also at integration of senior citizens with society, where they can regain their position as wise and respected persons and increase their function. According to the plan, 45.3 percent of the elderly are men and 54.7 are women. Most senior citizens live in rural areas, 84 percent of them are uneducated and only 56 percent of them have a personal income. The report suggests that one of the biggest problems of elderly citizens is social security and that the amount provided is not sufficient. Under the law, the state pays monthly sums to Turkish citizens above 65 who have no relatives and who need special care. Currently almost 1
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million citizens are benefiting from this law. Not only the state and government but also local administrations and municipalities have obligations toward the elderly; one of these is to open senior citizen centers. According to the current law, these centers should be opened for the elderly regardless of their economic situation and should aim to prevent their isolation through social events, sports and courses directly linked to having greater quality of life, such as nutrition. The report indicates that only a few municipalities have these centers and that less than a couple thousand are benefiting from them. The report advises that in order to improve the participation of senior citizens in all kinds of decision-making processes, they should be allowed to
continue their working life under flexible conditions and senior citizens unions should be established. The national aging plan sets many targets, such as the improvement of infrastructure to meet the needs of senior citizens, lifetime education, implementation of policies to prevent discrimination against the elderly, benefiting from the experiences of aging citizens, improvement of health conditions, encouragement of aging citizens in their own environments and improvement of home designs to allow the aged to live independently. There are many policy suggestions to reach these targets but as the national aging action plan indicates, these are only suggestions and implementation of them requires detailed coordination among the relevant institutions.
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18 TODAY’S ZAMAN
W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 8 , 2 0 0 8
TODAY’S LEARNING TIME
QUOTE OF THE DAY
OSMAN TURHAN
elementary Activity:
ILLUSTRATIONS
there - they’re - their Choose there, they’re or their to complete each sentence correctly. 1) Where are your parents? ………….out. 2) The children did ………homework yesterday afternoon. 3) …………is a cat in the garden. 4) The boys are playing football with ……….ball. 5) Where are the CDs? ……. in the box. 6) ………….. brother is a car mechanic. 7) Have you seen my book? - Yes, it's over ……….. 8) Mandy and Tom are waiting for ………..mother. 9) We went to London and stayed …………. for two weeks. 10) They have forgotten to brush …………. teeth.
Comprehension Questions There is a very famous mountain in Japan. It's called Mount Fuji (or Fuji-san). People can see it from many parts of the country. It's more than 12,000 feet high, higher than any other mountain in Japan. It's wonderful to look at it and many people take photos of it. Artists often draw or paint pictures of it. They love the mountain's beautiful and unusual shape. It's symmetrical. Mount Fuji is actually a volcano. People often forget that fact. The last eruption was a long time ago, in 1708. Now it's dormant. People can safely climb to the top of it. More than
READING
Mount Fuji 200,000 people climb Fuji each year. Most of them are Japanese. However, a large number -- about 30% of them -- come from foreign countries. July and August are the best months to climb Mount Fuji. At other times during the year, it can be dangerous. There's too much snow and bad weather. Even in the summer, the climb isn't easy. The air is thin on the mountain, so it's hard to breathe.
The sun is strong, and the days can be very hot. Then at night, it's cold. Many climbers start up the mountain late in the day. They carry flashlights, and they climb for hours in the dark. They want to arrive at the top before sunrise. Then they can watch the sun come up. It's getting to be a Japanese tradition. Many Japanese people want to climb Mount Fuji once in their lives. Most of them want to climb it only once. There is a saying in Japan: "A person who never climbs Mount Fuji is a fool, and a person who climbs twice is twice the fool."
1. Where is the Mount Fuji? ________________________________ 2. What does it look like? ________________________________ 3. What are the best times to climb Mount Fuji? ________________________________ 4. What is the weather like in the summer ? ________________________________ 5. Why is it dangerous to climb Fuji at other times? ________________________________ 6. Why do people climb Fuji starting late in the day ? ________________________________
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” Linus Pauling
advanced READING
The car makes the man! Most men like to appear hardy, selfconfident and relaxed. They like speed and power. It is the same way for the car they drive. Men want the vehicle they operate to be a direct reflection of themselves. Color is not important. If you see a canary-colored Lamborghini Gallardo coming down the street, 90% of the time a man will be behind the wheel. It's the same for attention-getting sports cars, large sedans and sport utility vehicles. Men want to be seen, and heard in vehicles that others can't afford. The sporty Dodge Viper, of which only 435 were sold in the U.S. last year, is usually driven by men. The powerful, predatory look of the Viper attracts male buyers. Men want to show off their power, and the Viper accomplishes that with its brawly engine sound. Dodge's data says that
95% of Vipers are owned by men, and are used primarily as a weekend vehicle. According to Imre Molnar, the Dean of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, the car a man drives stems from an "animal nature". Males like to showcase power and aggression. They like to embellish themselves with their automobiles like it's "mating season". This explains why men like to drive vehicles with big wheels pushed to the corners, and a high shoulder line. On the other side of the coin, women prefer to drive cars with understated styling and opulent interiors. Rather than with their cars, women use jewelry and highly priced handbags to create a distinctive look. When it comes to creating an aura of influence and wealth, men have fewer choices. That's when the car comes in.
Vocabulary Exercise
c.noisy d.economical 6.to showcase ______ a.to display brightly b.to put in shelves c.to build d.to show to best advantage 7.to embellish ______ a.to dress b.to put on cologne c.to enhance d.to embarrass 8.understated _______ a.exposed b.exaggerated c.restrained d.beneficial 9.opulent __________ a.luxurious b.tasteless c.clean d.leather 10.aura ____________ a.area b.atmosphere c.interior d.exterior
ýntermedýate READING
PART 1: Matching Definitions
Cristina Sanchez
Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right. 1. Decency ____ a. To arouse or compel the interest, admiration 2. Criticism ____ b. an enclosed area, often circular, as for a sports contest or exhibition 3. Morality ____ c. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause 4. Ban _________ d. people in general considered as a whole
Christina Sanchez was one of the only female bullfighters, or "matadors", of modern times. She was forced to stop fighting bulls because of criticism-many people thought that bullfighting was only for men. Women in Spain have fought bulls since the 18th century, but a law in 1908 banned them on the grounds of "decency and public morality". The ban was lifted briefly in the 1930s when Spain became a republic, but was put back again by the director Francisco Franco. The ban was lifted again after Franco's death in 1976but even then most women only fought on horseback. Cristina fought on foot. Cristina was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1972. She started her bullfighting career in South America when she was only 20. She attracted a lot of attention and soon became a matador back in Spain. However, Cristina was frequently criticized by male bullfighters. A lot of people believed that women in the ring were unlucky. "Women should be in the kitchen, backing up men. It's unnatural for them to fight," said Jesulin de Ubrique, a typical critic. Many male bullfighters refused to appear with her. Cristina Sanchez retired in 1999 because she was fed up with the attitude of the other matadors and some of the public. But, almost certainly, she won't be the last female matador.
Activity: Vocabulary Builder Use the correct words above to complete the sentences below. breathe, exercise, fat, fit, healthy, lazy, lift, meals, order, several, piece, packet.
5. Refuse _____ e. a way of thinking or acting 6. Ring _______ f. concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong; right or good conduct 7. Attitude ____ g. the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything 8. Public _______ h. to decline to accept (something offered) 9. Ground ____ i. to prohibit, forbid 10. Attract ____ j. the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality Fill in the blanks with the correct letters. 1.hardy ________ a.secure b.strong c.handsome d.rich 2.behind the wheel ________ a.driving b.riding c.cleaning d.directing 3.sporty ________ a.athletic b.dull c.exciting d.flashy 4.predatory _____ a.plundering b.weak c.colorful d.fast 5.brawly ________ a.quiet b.powerful
Activity: Vocabulary Practice
1. Don't be __________. Get up and help. 2. We should eat well in order to stay __________ 3. We must __________ in oxygen in order to live. 4. What did you __________ at the restaurant last night? 5. There is a lot of __________ in hamburgers and chips.
Phrasal Verbs:
Specialized Vocabulary
Entertainment: Shot (noun) usually refers to what the camera lens can see or a particular scene or segment of a scene being recorded on film or video. During the filming of the documentary the cameraman managed to get the tigers fighting in one shot. Publishing: Typeface (noun) is a set of characters that share a distinctive and consistent design. Jihan used a standard typeface for her university thesis. Technology: Template (noun) is a preformatted document that is protected from overwriting and can be used repeatedly to create new documents. Sian had two hundred letters to send so she used a template document to get the job done quickly. Architecture: High-rise (noun) is a tall building or structure. High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper, more abundant building materials.
__________________________________ 3. To question at length and thoroughly, often for an official purpose. __________________________________ 4. Having a fighting inclination or character; warlike. ______________________ 5. Having to do with the study of human populations, involving statistical analysis of size, distribution, density, migration, fertility, and the like. __________________________________
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER KEY:
VOCABULARY Fashion: Haute couture (noun) is (French for 'high sewing') it is a common term for high fashion as produced in Paris and imitated in other fashion capitals such as New York, London, and Milan. Some famous women love to spend huge amounts of money on haute couture clothing.
6. Jogging and riding a bicycle are all forms of _____. 7. Are you __________ and healthy? 8. __________ your right arm as high as you can. 9. You should eat ________ pieces of fruit every day. 10. How many __________ do you eat every day?
Write the correct word under the definitions: sophisticated - demographic - pathos belligerent - interrogate 1. Having or showing signs of subtle or extensive knowledge or experience; not naive or simple; worldly-wise. __________________________________ 2. A quality in life or art that evokes pity, sadness, or compassion.
Idiom of the Day For a song MEANING: at a low price, cheaply EXAMPLE: We bought the car for a song and will try and sell it for a higher price.
TAKE TO meaning: When you take to somebody, you begin to like them. example: She took to her new class mates immediately they were all so friendly and helpful.
ELEMENTARY: (Reading Part) 1.b 2.c 3.a 4.b 5.a 6.a (Activity) 1.do 2.do 3.make 4.make 5.do 6.do 7.make 8.do 9.make 10.do INTERMEDIATE: (Reading Part) 1.b 2.b 3.c 4.b 5.a 6.a 7.a 8.a 9.c 10.a (Activity) 1.f 2.e 3.b 4.i 5.c 6.g 7.d 8.h 9.j 10.a ADVANCED: (Reading Part) 1.c 2.a 3.c 4.c 5.b 6.a 7.d 8.c 9.b 10.c (Activity) 1.d 2.b 3.d 4.a 5.c
TIP OFF meaning: When somebody is tipped off about something, they receive secret information. example: It seems a reporter was tipped off that something interesting was going to happen that night. Slang: Nerd meaning: An overly intellectual person with poor social skills; an unfashionable and unpopular person. example: I like Stephan, even though he is a bit of a nerd. Confusing Words In English: last vs latest Last adjective usually meaning ‘final’ For example: I took the last train to Memphis. Latest is an adjective meaning ‘most recent' or ‘new' For example: His latest book is excellent.
In cooperation with English Time
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