www.todayszaman.com - September 2, 2008

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‘There is pain and sorrow in the East,’ says Locarno award-winning Turkish actor Tayanç Ayaydýn

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Fishing season begins despite stormy weather

Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda suddenly announces his resignation after less than a year in office

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Yo u r Wa y o f U n d e r s t a n d ý n g T u r k e y

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008 WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM YTL 1.50

page08 Turkey's exports make strong showing in August SEPTEMBER BOOM IN TURKISH MARKETS WITH ARRIVAL OF RAMADAN AND SCHOOL YEAR

Ramadan, new school year boost markets ÞULE KULU, ÝSTANBUL

excitement among consumers has already started to make itself felt amongst business owners. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Turkish Federation of Food and Drink Industry Associations Chairman Þemsi Kopuz said retail stores have been so busy that producers are having trouble keeping the stores supplied. "Charity groups organizing food packets for the needy and companies giving their employees shopping checks have caused a considerable increase in the demand for food products," he explained, adding that a good yield of certain crops this year has caused the prices of related

products, such as sunflower seed oil, to drop. "There have been discounts on food prices because stores have developed sales campaigns specific to Ramadan, leading consumers to buy in large amounts," he adds. According to Kopuz, the heightened level of activity in the retail sector is expected to continue throughout Ramadan and to spike even higher with the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the month, which will in turn deflect some of the effects of the recent recession while entering the last quarter of 2008. Ýstanbul Food Wholesalers and Dealers'

Association Chairman Osman Kay also said retailers were satisfied with the demand over the weekend. "We have dropped the prices for Ramadan. Although the sales are not as good as last Ramadan, the market is still experiencing a boom thanks to Ramadan," he explained. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Konya Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers' Association (KONMESKOM) Chairman Halil Ýbrahim Gündüz said this year's Ramadan coincides with a harvest period, which enables consumers to buy more. CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Erdoðan, Sarkozy to discuss Middle East in Damascus SERVET YANATMA, ANKARA Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan will attend a quadripartite summit in Damascus this week with French, Syrian and Qatari leaders convening to discuss Lebanon and the situation in the Middle East, Turkish officials said yesterday. Erdoðan had earlier announced that he would visit Damascus on Sept. 4 for a working visit, coinciding with a landmark trip by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sept. 3-4 to the Syrian capital. News reports in the Arab media said Paris was the sponsor of the meeting. Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani and the president of host country Syria, Bashar Assad, will also attend the talks, which will review the situation in Lebanon and the Syrian-Israeli peace talks, currently mediated by Turkey, government spokesman Cemil Çiçek confirmed after a Cabinet meeting yesterday. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

Crisis in Caucasus: An opportunity for Ankara-Yerevan ties? AYÞE KARABAT, ANKARA As the possibility grows stronger that President Abdullah Gül will visit Armenia for a soccer match between the two countries' national teams, the debates among businessmen and politicians over whether or not he should go have become more heated. Diplomatic sources in Ankara have signaled that Gül may accept the invitation of his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, to watch the World Cup qualifying match between the Turkish and Armenian teams in Yerevan on Saturday. Academics, businessmen and politicians are discussing the possible outcomes of this gesture. CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

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MEHMET YAMAN

With the arrival of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the school year coinciding this year, the Turkish domestic retail market is enjoying a boom at the end of the third quarter of 2008. People across the country spent the weekend at shopping malls and supermarkets shopping for Ramadan and for school supplies for children going into the first grade, which started yesterday, one week before older students. Shopping

08 ENERGY MINISTER VISITING CASPIAN ENERGY PRODUCERS

Energy Minister Güler is paying visits to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan for official talks amid tense ties with Russia, which claims influence over these countries.

04

ANKARA TO BUILD ‘STRATEGIC DIALOGUE’ WITH GULF COUNTRIES Babacan travels to Jeddah to participate in a meeting during which a "senior level strategic dialogue" mechanism between Turkey and the GCC will enter into force.

Youngest students start school

Close to 1 million first graders and 700,000 kindergarten students began the new school year yesterday, one week before older students, to participate in an orientation program meant to ease adaptation to the school environment. At the opening ceremony of a school in Ýstanbul, Ata Özer, head of national education in Ýstanbul, said the practice of having the youngest students begin school a week early, first implemented two years ago, has been a success. "This practice helps to eliminate school phobia and ease the relationships between students and their teachers," he said yesterday at Ýstanbul Osmaniye Primary School. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Gov’t shelves sanctýons agaýnst Russýa ERCAN BAYSAL, ANKARA Turkey has stepped back from implementing fullfledged Customs inspections on trucks from Russia and vehicles carrying goods of Russian origin, which had been devised as retaliation against actions taken by Russian Customs authorities on Turkish exporters attempting to cross the Russian border. Following a Cabinet meeting yesterday Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Cemil Çiçek

announced that negotiations for a solution with Russia would continue in the days ahead. A proposal floated by Minister of State for Foreign Trade Kürþad Tüzmen to retaliate for non-tariff barriers imposed by the Russians was not approved, he added. Tüzmen had announced on Friday that Turkey would officially launch a package of measures against Russia on Monday by placing it in the high-risk country category. Russia recently labeled Turkey a high-risk country. Tüzmen had said earlier on Monday that Russian goods

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were "in the red channel," meaning Turkish Customs officials would physically check Russian goods at border crossings, in lieu of relying solely accompanying documentation. Turkish officials would also implement the "red channel" against goods from third parties to Russia, forcing Russian goods to wait at the border. Tüzmen was speaking yesterday to a group of Turkish reporters in Ürümqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where he was attending the 17th International Commerce Fair. CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

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NATIONAL

TODAY’S ZAMAN 03

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 8

ÝSTANBUL ANKARA ÝZMÝR ANTALYA ADANA ERZURUM EDÝRNE TRABZON KAYSERÝ

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KONYA ÇANAKKALE DÝYARBAKIR SAMSUN BURSA GAZÝANTEP ESKÝÞEHÝR MALATYA KOCAELÝ

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MEHMET ALÝ POYRAZ

Ramadan ýn the country

The fishing season opened yesterday, but several regions, including the Black Sea, experienced heavy storms.

Fishing season begins despite stormy weather The fishing season opened in Turkey yesterday, but fishermen in the Black Sea region had to contend with storms and returned home with a small catch. Many fishmongers rushed to the wholesale market in Ýstanbul's Kumkapý neighborhood to buy on the first day of the season. Fishermen are hopeful for the new year even though its first day proved disappointing and expect that bonito, bluefish and anchovy will be abundant. Transportation Minister Binali Yýldýrým delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the new fishing season at Ýstanbul's Yenikapý docks and said the job of the fisherman is a difficult one. "They earn their livelihood on the sea and provide our citizens with fish. They contribute to society. I wish you all an abundant fishing season," he said. In Trabzon, a port city on the Black Sea coast, fishermen encountered a violent storm, preventing many from even putting out to sea. Bigger boats, however, managed to set sail, and fishermen hope this year will prove to be an abundant fishing season for them. Fishermen in Karamürsel, a city in the province of Kocaeli, located on the eastern Marmara Sea, set sail late

Our job requires a minimum level of gossiping, and within the sanctified atmosphere of Ramadan it becomes harder to perform this job. Sometimes it becomes quite impossible not to swear at a news item we read or hear. A significant portion of our colleagues are addicted to something: cigarettes, gum, cursing and in my case, tea. Our colleagues who are fasting during Ramadan not only abstain from eating and drinking, but also from their addictions. A full day without tea, for me, means a late take-off, to use the prime minister's words. This is harder than a regular fast, but it is also certainly more fruitful. During my pilgrimage last year, I was accompanied by an Azerbaijani journalist who knew less about the religion, more about life. On our first day of nonstop pilgrimage he did quite well, despite his older age. While drinking something outside of the Kaaba, he claimed that he acquired 10 times more blessings than me. Adding to my amazement, he said, "I didn't smoke all day long!" This is the main message of Ramadan in my understanding: freeing oneself from self-imposed handcuffs. Though they do not express this openly, many people dislike the fact that Ramadan lasts 30 days. For them, giving up smoking for the sake of God is OK, but only if it is about three or four days. They would, of course, pray a little bit extra for his graces, but 30 days is too much compared to what they are prepared to do. Turkey needs a political Ramadan. A period of political fasting when everybody gives up his or her acquired habits, addictions and prejudices. It may be hard for soldiers who feel as if they are the guardians of the regime to stop intervening in civilian politics. It may be even harder for a name like Deniz Baykal to stop running to the gates of the Constitutional Court so as to block every constitutional amendment or passing of any new bill. It may be hard for the prime minister not to speak with anger and to seek consensus in decision making. It may be hard for some deputies not to receive bribes or benefits when they "help" people solve their problems. It may be even harder for the military to open its expenditures to civilian inspection. But then, this country will continue to be handcuffed with its problems. I remember the comical story of Hajjaj-i Zalim. Hajjaj was a caliph but he was too tough. Thus he was nicknamed Zalim, or the cruel. This cruel caliph was interested, paradoxically, in being a good Muslim and receiving

Sunday night but were unable to catch as much as they had hoped for in the waters of Þirinyalý, Hereke and Tuzla. These fishermen brought home horse mackerel at the end of the first day. Turgay Özsandýkçý, a fisherman in Trabzon, speaking with the Anatolia news agency, said that although the first day was disappointing, the rest of the year will not necessarily follow suit. Özsandýkçý said fishermen who were brave enough to set out despite the stormy weather had netted a satisfactory number of fish. "Bonito is pretty abundant this year. This is a good sign. This year bonito will be abundant and consumers will benefit as well. Even though the first day was a little disappointing, expectations are high for the season." The fishermen in the Thracian province of Tekirdað also experienced adverse weather conditions. Erdin Güler, who has been fishing in Tekirdað for 18 years, spoke with Anatolia and said the first day did not start off on a good note. "We were expecting that it would be an abundant day in terms of fishing as this is the first day of the season and the holy month of Ramadan; however, no one could go out to sea due to a strong storm." Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Turkey competing to host World Amateur Team Championship Turkey's Golf Federation Chairman Ahmet Aðaoðlu said on Monday that Turkey's application to host the World Amateur Team Championship had been approved for consideration. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency Aðaoðlu said Turkey was continuing in its lobbying efforts to host the World Amateur Team Championship. "Turkey is competing against Italy and Austria, countries that have also applied to host the world championship," Aðaoðlu noted. The World Amateur Team Championship takes place every two years with the participation of golfers from more than 100 countries and is being organized

by the International Golf Federation (IGF). "Turkey deserves to host many golf events based on its excellent [golf] courses and success in sports," Aðaoðlu said. Touching on Turkey's efforts to increase golf courses, Aðaoðlu stressed: "Belek [a resort town in the southern province of Antalya] is special. Belek is a very different kind of place. It is one of those unique spots in the world where golf can be played on a coast that is 10 kilometers long." Turkey hosted the European Champion Golf Clubs Championship in 2005 and will host the same event in 2008 and 2009, Aðaoðlu added. Trabzon Today's Zaman with wires

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KERÝM BALCI k.balci@todayszaman.com

the consent of Allah. One day he asked a knowledgeable sheikh what the best type of worship for him would be so as to receive maximum divine consent. The courageous sheikh said: "Sleeping is the best type of worshiping you can make. While you are asleep you cannot harm others." For some time now, Parliament has been in summer recess; the leaders of the opposition are by and large keeping quiet and the prime minister is not putting his foot in his mouth simply because he is speaking less. Had we not had the Caucasus crisis and the Russian blockade of exports, what a relaxed period we would have been experiencing. So please, politicians, change yourself. Take a break from your habits! As for the extra prayers we do in Ramadan, politics needs such a period also. Yesterday was Peace Day in Turkey. The prime minister and minister of culture and tourism made declarations about their hopes for future peace on this earth. The difference between these declarations and actually doing something to bring about peace in this world is quite similar to the difference between my diet plans and the Ramadan fast. Diet plans may be backed by good intentions and may promise even more success; but they are not real. They are plans and the Ramadan fast is real. It comes pre-planned. Let's look at that Third National Program the government recently disclosed. It is a beautiful plan, indeed. But for its realization we need extra work, extra zeal, extra determination. The government should be ready for a Ramadan of extra prayer, and the opposition should be ready for a Ramadan of abstaining from swearing and blocking a good deed. I am not trying to politicize religion. But having lost two years of time from its history of economic and political development, Turkey needs to work with a kind of religious zeal.

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T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 8

Ankara to build ‘strategic dialogue’ with Gulf countries Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will travel to Jeddah today for a two-day visit in order to participate in the first foreign ministerial-level meeting during which a "senior level strategic dialogue" mechanism between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will enter into force. In addition to Babacan, GCC Secretary-General Abdurrahman al-Attiyah as well as foreign ministers of six council members -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar and Bahrain -- will participate in the two-day meeting. The GCC, formed in 1981 against the backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Iraq-Iran War, aims at boosting economic cooperation between members and, through collective security, to guard against any threat from neighboring states and from Islamic extremism.

"The goal of the mentioned initiative -- which will be the first strategic dialogue to be regularly built between the GCC and a sole country -- is the establishment of a comprehensive and regular consultation mechanism first of all in political, economic, defense, security and cultural fields in order to further improve existing and already good relations and cooperation with the GCC countries," the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released yesterday. During the meeting, Turkey and the GCC are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will provide for "cooperation in the economic, political and security domains," GCC SecretaryGeneral al-Attiyah told the Cihan news agency yesterday in Cairo, highlighting that signing of the MoU would pave the way for signing of a free trade agreement between Turkey and the GCC countries.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has attached importance to both bilateral relations with Gulf countries since coming to power for the first time in November 2002 and strengthening institutional ties with the GCC. The government has also aimed to attract the Gulf business sector toward investment in Turkey. A number of reciprocal official visits have been made between Turkey and Gulf countries since then, the latest of which brought Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to the Turkish capital, making him the first Bahraini head of state to visit Turkey. The signature of a free trade agreement between Turkey and the GCC has actually been under negotiation since 2005. In May 2005, then Foreign Minister current President Abdullah Gül and alAttiyah signed a framework agreement in Manama to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement.

In the last few years, in a show of solidarity with Turkey in its efforts to ease international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, several GCC countries, namely Oman, Qatar and the UAE, allowed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) to open trade offices on their soil. During the meeting in Jeddah, ministers are expected to discuss Iran's recent decision to set up two new facilities on one of three Gulf islands disputed with the UAE. Tehran's establishment of a maritime rescue office and a ship registration office on Abu Musa Island drew a formal protest from the UAE last month. Recent developments regarding Palestine and Lebanon, problems between Israel and Arab countries as well as recent political developments in the region are other key topics expected to cover the agenda of the Jeddah talks. Ankara Today's Zaman

CÝHAN

Busýness, polýtýcal cýrcles debate merýts of Armenýa výsýt PHOTO

contýnued from page 1 Tuðrul Türkeþ, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy and the son of the late leader of the same party, Alparslan Türkeþ, who initiated efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia, said he is not opposed to the gesture as someone who has participated in developing relations between the two neighbors but that it is Armenia's turn to make a gesture. Turkey was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Armenia, but it closed its border and severed formal ties after Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Normalization of ties depends on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, Yerevan shelving support for Armenian diaspora efforts to win international recognition for Armenian genocide claims and formal recognition by Armenia of the current border with Turkey. "Since 1994, Turkey has made gestures of good will. But the reciprocal moves did not come. Every time there is a new administration in Armenia, Turkey repeats its gestures. I guess President Gül is thinking that going to the soccer game will be helpful for starting dialogue but it is not Turkey's turn to make a gesture," Türkeþ said. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is against Gül visiting Yerevan. CHP leader Deniz Baykal on Sunday told reporters that the government is trying to reverse the official policy without Armenia meeting any of the conditions requested by Turkey for normalization of ties. He also warned against alienating Azerbaijan, saying this country is of vital importance for Turkey in many respects. "I want the government to refrain from taking any step that would harm Azerbaijan," he said, and added that he would rather go to Baku than to Yerevan to watch the World Cup game. Azerbaijan, Turkey's regional and ethnic ally, is likely to be offended by any rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia. But the recent crisis in the Caucasus may force a rethinking of regional balances. The Russian operation in Georgia raised questions about the security of regional transportation and energy transfer lines. With its Armenian border closed, Turkey relies on Georgia as an outlet to the Caucasus. Associate Professor Mithat Çelikpala from the TOBB University international relations department, who visited Armenia recently, stated that even if Gül visits Yerevan for the soccer game, there is no reason to expect much from this trip, if it actually takes place. "It will be a goodwill gesture by Turkey and that's it. It will not produce that much in the short run. But diplomatically it

Members of an Azerbaijani association oppose a possible Turkish move to open its border with Armenia in a demonstration in Ýzmir on Aug. 16. will be advantageous for Turkey. Other countries used to say that Turkey is a big country and so it should make such gestures," he noted. Çelikpala stated that the most likely beneficiary from Gül's visit in the short term will be Sarksyan. "He is the person who headed the army during the Nagorno-Karabakh invasion. When he was elected almost a year ago there were protests against him in his country. But after a year he will be the one who was able to compel the Turkish president to visit Armenia," Çelikpala stated, but also recalled that there have been secret talks between the two countries and that the content of these talks has not been made public. "If there is a concrete outcome from these talks, Gül's visit to Yerevan will perhaps gain more meaning," Çelikpala said. On the other hand, he recalled that due to the complicated situation in the Caucasus, one of the possibilities is a civil war in Georgia. "If this occurs then Turkey will not align with the east and

Azerbaijan. It will have to sit down at the table with the Armenians," Çelikpala noted. Recently a group of Turkish Armenian businessmen and intellectuals called on officials, in view of the war in Georgia, to open the railways and the borders with Armenia, releasing a declaration to this effect. "The war in Georgia has left the countries of the south Caucasus struggling with substantial risks and challenges. As a consequence of the recent crisis, which further exacerbated an impasse created by the existence of the protracted conflicts, the region is deprived of a vital artery to transport goods through the countries of the region. This is our strongest concern," the declaration notes. "This crisis should make us assess the situation realistically and initiate a new age of cooperation. The governments in Ankara, Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan have a unique chance to prove their credentials of being good neighbors willing to contribute positively to regional peace and stability. We request that they take collec-

tive action and immediately unblock railroad networks in the region," the declaration states. The declaration was signed by people who have been engaging in diplomacy projects, including Tevan Poghosyan from the International Center for Human Development, Noyan Soyak and Aline Özinan from the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council, Natela Sakhokia from the Strategic Research Center of Georgia and Professor Baskýn Oran. The businessmen, especially those dealing with border trade, are hoping that Gül will make the trip to Armenia. One of them is Necdet Aksoy from Van, who spoke to the Cihan news agency. "We think that this soccer game is a great chance for both countries. President Gül should go there, and he should invite his counterpart here. Both leaders can contribute to opening up the border, which has been closed since 1994. If this border is opened, trade will improve and unemployment will decrease," he told Cihan.

Erdoðan, Sarkozy to discuss Middle East in Damascus contýnued from page 1 Sources said Assad, a personal friend of Erdoðan, wanted the Turkish prime minister to be part of the talks because of his contributions to peace efforts in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan is expected to accompany Erdoðan in Damascus. Syria and Israel announced in May that they were holding indirect peace talks mediated by Turkey. Despite having held several rounds of talks so far, a process of direct talks seems unlikely to start soon. Sarkozy's visit to Damascus is another step the French leader is taking toward normalizing ties with Syria and bringing Damascus back into the international fold by reversing a policy of exclusion that has in recent years alienated the country from the West. Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, was the first

Western leader to reward the Syrians by welcoming Assad to the launch of a new Mediterranean Union in France and as a guest of honor at the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris last month. Qatar is the holder of the term presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Syria is the term president of the Arab League. Turkey is a member of none of the organizations but is preparing to sign a strategic dialogue document with the Gulf Cooperation Council today in Jeddah. The document will be signed during a visit by Babacan to Jeddah. Turkey has also been invited to attend Arab League meetings although it is not a member of the group, and diplomatic sources say efforts are under way to establish an institutional relationship between Ankara and the Arab League. Turkish diplomats say the invitation for Turkey to

attend the talks confirm Ankara's standing as a bridge between the East and the West and added that Erdoðan has been invited because Turkey is trusted by both sides. Though the main agenda is the Middle East, the Damascus talks are also expected to touch on the situation in the Caucasus after the brief GeorgianRussian war in August, following a Georgian offensive in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Erdoðan is also expected to have bilateral talks with leaders attending the quadripartite summit, though no details were immediately available. Erdoðan and Sarkozy rarely meet, and relations between Turkey and France are tense over staunch French opposition to Turkey's membership in the EU. Çiçek said he hoped progress in Turkey's accession process would also be discussed in Damascus. Before flying to Jeddah, Babacan will host

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today in Ýstanbul for talks on the situation in the Caucasus. After attending a foreign ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah, Babacan will head to Damascus to attend the quadripartite summit on the Middle East there. On Friday, Babacan will attend an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers in France. His last stop before winding up the week will most probably be Armenia. Foreign Ministry officials remain tightlipped on whether President Abdullah Gül will accept an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, to watch a World Cup qualifying game between national teams of the two countries on Sept. 6, but Erdoðan suggested over the weekend that Gül will go to Armenia and that Babacan will be accompanying him.

NATIONAL

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Ministry: Montreux implemented fully In response to media criticism, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has once again voiced strongly worded remarks about Ankara's commitment to the proper implementation of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which governs passage through the Turkish Straits. A newspaper article titled "The Foreign Ministry's wrong calculation," which was published on Sunday in the Cumhuriyet daily, prompted the Foreign Ministry to release a statement on the issue on the same day. The article, which had suggested that "the calculations of tonnage limits provided by the Montreux Convention were done wrong," do not reflect the reality of the situation, the statement said. The newspaper article suggested that, through intentional miscalculation, Turkey allowed NATO ships headed for routine exercises in the Black Sea and US Navy ships carrying humanitarian aid to Georgians to pass through the straits even though their tonnage was over the limit set by the Montreux Convention. "As we said in our earlier statements, our country has been implementing the 1936 Montreux Convention with diligence and objectivity for 72 years. This implementation has found general acceptance in the international community," the statement said. The Montreux Convention was ratified by Turkey, Great Britain, France, the USSR, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Yugoslavia and Japan (with reservations). Ankara Today's Zaman

DIPLOMACY

Sarksyan in Moscow before possible Gül visit Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan is scheduled to pay an official visit to Russia today at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin announced yesterday in a brief statement. The timing of Sarkysan's visit is widely found to be meaningful, as it comes only days ahead of an expected visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gül to Yerevan. While Gül said over the weekend that he was still considering whether to accept an invitation from Sarksyan to watch together a World Cup qualifying game between the Armenian and Turkish national soccer teams on Saturday in Yerevan's Hrazdan Stadium, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan indicated, also over the weekend, that Gül would respond positively to the invitation. Last week, Sarksyan's office announced that he would depart for Sochi on Tuesday for a working visit. "During the meeting the parties will discuss the future development of the ArmenianRussian strategic partnership and will dwell on issues of Armenia's forthcoming presidency of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO]. The interlocutors will also discuss regional and international issues," his office also said then. Also this week, probably after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan today in Ýstanbul, a Turkish Foreign Ministry delegation will visit Yerevan to discuss a proposed platform for the troubled Caucasus. The Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform, proposed by Turkey as a mechanism to develop conflict resolution methods among the Caucasus countries, is planned to be made up of Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Moscow Today's Zaman

SECURITY

Syria arrests two Kurdish leaders Syrian authorities have arrested two Kurdish leaders and charged one with a capital offense as part of a campaign to crush political dissidents that has triggered international protests. The two men were arrested ahead of a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Syrian capital on Wednesday. Sarkozy has been trying to convince President Bashar al-Assad to release leading political prisoners who have been campaigning for minority rights and a democratic constitution as an alternative to four decades of Baath Party rule. Talal Mohammad of the banned Wifaq party, an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), using northern Iraq as a launch-pad for attacks on Turkey, was arrested without a warrant in northeastern Syria last week and not heard from since, according to the National Organization of Human Rights in Syria. Authorities earlier arrested Mashaal Tammo, an official in the Future Movement, which like all opposition parties in Syria is banned. The Future Movement advocates democracy and equal rights for Syria's 1-million-strong Kurdish minority. The Kurdish language is not allowed to be taught in schools and tens of thousands of Kurds were denied citizenship after a 1960s census. Tammo had said before his arrest that Syrian policy toward the Kurds risked a repeat of riots that killed 30 people in Syria in 2004. The riots started in a Kurdish region. Tammo was charged on Aug. 27 with aggression and arming Syrians to start a civil war, an accusation that carries the death penalty and is rarely directed against well-known political activists. Ankara Today's Zaman with Reuters

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Novelist Pamuk: Ergenekon wanted to kill me litical reasons. This is not an ethical country if mafia leaders and retired generals plan to have people murdered and they do it over and over again, and they blackmail people in this way. I have to say that protecting Ergenekon members is unethical,” he was quoted as saying yesterday by Sabah. In response to a question as to whether or not he believes the judiciary will follow through to see that the Ergenekon gang members receive just punishment, Pamuk said he could not comment on the subject. “You should ask this question to

the politicians. It seems believable to me that a murderer cooperated with another and that this other one made a phone call with another, and so on, but I don’t read about Ergenekon every day. This is not how I live my life,” he said. He noted that Ergenekon has been politicized and criticized this. “It is not important whether they are Atatürkist, Islamist, liberal, conservative or leftist. This is an ethical issue for me. I am convinced that there are murderers,” he stated. The indictment against Ergenekon, made public

on July 25, said the organization incited the perpetrators of deadly attacks on important public figures. The planned victims allegedly included Pamuk, Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink, journalist Uður Mumcu, businessman Özdemir Sabancý and writer and scientist Necip Hablemitoðlu. The gang was also planning to launch bloody assaults on several high-profile personalities, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, former Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaþar Büyükanýt and journalist Fehmi Koru. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

PHOTOS

TODAY’S ZAMAN

Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has said he was targeted for assassination by Ergenekon, a political crime gang that had allegedly been making preparations to topple the government and was readying to perpetrate bloody attacks on several high-profile figures. In an interview with the Sabah daily to promote his latest novel, “Masumiyet Müzesi” (The Museum of Innocence), Pamuk said he believes there are murderers in Ergenekon and that they wanted to kill him. “It is unethical to protect those murderers for po-

With the arrival of the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, along with the beginning of 2008-2009 school year for first graders, Turkish citizens flocked to supermarkets, boosting sales.

Boom in markets with arrival of Ramadan, new school year contýnued from page 1

Parents who were in a hurry to prepare their children for school were a boon for stationery retailers on Sunday. spend as much as YTL 1,225. Eðitim-Sen Chairman Ýsmail Koncuk recently held a press conference to announce that school expenses will be problematic for families this year, explaining that the expenses of a family with two children would amount to YTL 4,437. According to another survey carried out by Eðitim-Sen last year, the total

CÝHAN

such as Barbie and Spider Man,” he said. Every year large amounts of money are spent on school supplies at the beginning of the school year. According to a survey carried out by the Education Personnel Union (Eðtim-Sen), parents will spend at least YTL 387 on their children who will start elementary school this year, and may

Uludað drawing Arab tourists to Bursa

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Since fresh vegetables and fruits have to be immediately consumed after they are harvested, there are fewer price increases during the harvest seasons, he explained. “In previous years vegetable and fruit prices were high since domestic production ended and out-of-season production started. This year consumers will have the chance to buy cheaper vegetables and fruits.” Explaining that Ramadan brings good results every year, a sales representative at one of Turkey’s leading discount supermarket chains, BÝM, said: “The first and last weeks of Ramadan always stir the market. The increase in food sales leads to competition amongst the supermarkets.” Another factor leading citizens to flock to the stores is the start of the 2008-2009 school year for first graders. Parents who were in a hurry to prepare their children for school were a boon for sales of school supplies. Ýstanbul Stationery Retailers’ Association’s board member Yavuz Tekçe noted that despite an increase of more than 25 percent in the prices of stationery products, the weekend saw a big jump in sales. “Parents always want to please their children and buy them branded stationery products,

education expenses per student in Turkey amounted to YTL 2,258 in 2007. Education expenses include registration fees, school uniforms and stationery. Parents paid at least YTL 140 for school uniforms and YTL 130 for school supplies such as backpacks and notebooks and in 2007. One parent, Zeynep Albayrak, said although they spent a lot of money on their son, who started school yesterday, it is a source of happiness because their son was starting school. The owner of a stationery store in the Yenibosna district of Ýstanbul explained that backpacks and uniforms sold out over the weekend. Recep Altýndað, from the central Anatolian province of Konya, said they bought food for Ramadan as well as school uniforms for their children. “The excitement of Ramadan is felt strongly in our whole family. We can see that there is an increase in the sales of the retailers, which also makes us happy. Ramadan brings abundance,” Altýndað said. Second-hand car dealers are also expecting a boom in sales thanks to Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. Since Eid al-Fitr will mean a one-week vacation for many working citizens, dealers expect those people to be more likely to purchase automobiles.

ADEM ELÝTOK BURSA

The number of Arab tourists visiting Bursa has doubled compared to last year and many come to see Uludað, reached by cable car. As stated by Hasan Erdem, the former President of the Turkish Association of Travel Agents (TÜRSAB), 60,000 Arab tourists have visited Bursa this year, compared to 35,000 last year. Erdem says that the 100 percent increase in the number of Arab tourists visiting the city has considerably boosted the tourism sector and that there is a rising trend for Arab tourists’ preference for Bursa. With is historical and natural treasures, Uludað

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and thermal springs, Bursa has become a popular destination for Arab tourist, he said. Cable car operators note that cars operate between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and that a car can reach Kadýyaylý in eight minutes and, from there, Sarýalan in another eight minutes. They noted that the majority of tourists visiting Bursa opt to use cable cars to reach Uludað, their numbers increasing each year. The fee to ride on the cable car is YTL 2.5 for children aged 7-12 and YTL 6 for adults. Children 6 and below are free. Officials say recently made modifications to the cable cars, increasing security and comfort, were welcomed by people despite long queues.

Eyewitness says Osman Hayal was accomplice to Dink's murderer An anonymous eyewitness in the murder case of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, shot dead by a teenager over a year ago, confirmed that Osman Hayal was with Ogün Samast at the time of the murder. The eyewitness stated that Osman Hayal - the elder brother of Yasin Hayal, who instigated the murder -- was with Samast, who was 17 at the time of the murder, when he murdered Dink on Jan. 19, 2007, in broad daylight outside the office of Agos, a newspaper where Dink was the editor-in-chief. Osman Hayal denies the eyewitness’s claims. The anonymous eyewitness said: “Osman Hayal and another person with curly hair were there. They were standing in front of an Akbank on the street. After the event happened, Osman Hayal turned to the other two people and nodded. After that he escaped in the direction of Mecidiyeköy.” Osman Hayal rejects the claims, but police sources note that there were serious discrepancies in Hayal’s depositions. Hayal claims that he got on a bus at around 3 p.m. and for this reason emphasized he was on the bus at 4 p.m. when the event took place. “I do not know exactly where I was when the event took place, but I was probably going to Trabzon by bus.” A bus takes about 18 hours to travel from Ýstanbul to Trabzon but Hayal also claims that he learned about the incident while watching TV with his mother. However, according to Hayal’s claim about his being on the bus, he could not have been in Trabzon before noon of the next day. He missed this important detail. Osman Hayal had claimed previously that he was not in Ýstanbul on the day of murder but later it was proved that his mobile phone signaled from Ýstanbul’s Ümraniye district on Jan. 19, 2007, at 11:27 a.m. Responding to why he lied, Hayal said: “I said I was in Trabzon because I was very sad and bothered as my brother was involved in this event. I said this because I was deeply hurt. I did not say that I was in Ýstanbul thinking that it would change anything as I was not involved in this event.” Bülent Ceyhan Ýstanbul

Turkey's leaders, NGOs mark Peace Day Turkey’s officials and civil society organizations yesterday marked Peace Day while surrounded by clashes and wars. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan was one of many Turkish leaders who pointed to the increasing violence around the world in his peace day message. “Everybody should carry out his duties for world peace before it is too late. International cooperation and solidarity should first be established to fight against terror,” he pointed out in his written statement yesterday. Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan in his message underlined that one of the biggest contradictions humanity is facing is that despite technological developments and bad past experiences, humanity has been unable to prevent wars and conflicts. Civil society organizations also marked Peace Day. The Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) called attention to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to the crisis in the Caucasus, in its statement. KESK also touched upon the Kurdish question. “Clashes developing due to the existence of the Kurdish question hurt everyone. The only beneficiaries of these clashes are shadowy gangs. The only way for a safe future is to end these clashes,” the statement noted. During the weekend there was a peace demonstration in Ýstanbul organized by the Turkish Peace Assembly, comprising intellectuals and several NGOs. Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) leader Ufuk Uras and Democratic Society Party (DTP) co-chairwoman Emine Ayna also participated in the meeting, which called for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem. A 13-years-old swimmer, Buse Ýþçimen, swam from an island near Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos some four miles away as a way to promote peace. She said her aim was to contribute to world peace. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mehmet Ali Talat was also among officials who marked the day. He participated in a ceremony at which 27 trees were planted, symbolizing European Union member countries. He noted that negotiations regarding the future of the island will start on Sept. 3 and that he hopes they will contribute to peace and a solution. Ankara Today’s Zaman

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RAMADAN

Ramadan and its social dimension provide free iftar dinners for those in need and share iftar meals with non-Muslims as a way to build bridges while contributing to the social cohesion in this multicultural society. Around the world, more than 1 billion Muslims will celebrate the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, the first major holy day of the Islamic calendar year. This annual expression of joy and thanksgiving is an occasion of hope for a new life and abundant blessings. Customs vary from city to city and country to country, but the day universally begins with Eid prayers, which start before sunrise at mosques. Eid al-Fitr is a communal expression and affirmation of shared values and commitment. During Eid, families and relatives visit each other, exchange gifts, buy gifts for the children especially and prepare special foods and desserts. Through fasting during Ramadan, Muslims develop a balance in both the physical and spiritual dimensions of their existence. However all these benefits, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual, come as a blessing from God and are not the aim of hundreds of millions of Muslims. In the theory, Muslims observe Ramadan only to please God. *Dr. Salih Yücel is a lecturer at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology, Monash University, Australia.

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CÝHAN

Pre-dawn meal (suhoor): Also called sehri, sahari and sahur in other languages, suhoor is the meal eaten early in the morning by Muslims before beginning the day’s fast during Ramadan. It is eaten before dawn and before the fajr (morning) prayer. The Prophet Muhammad called suhoor a blessed meal. Muslims partake in suhoor before fasting because it follows the Sunnah (the deeds and words of the Prophet Mohammed); it makes the fast easier on the person who is fasting and also increases the desire to continue to fast. Muslims believe that the greatest blessing in suhoor may be that God engulfs those who partake in suhoor in His forgiveness and showers His mercy on them and that the angels ask Him to forgive and pardon the faster. The Prophet Muhammad said: “Eating the suhoor is blessed. Do not neglect it even if you take [only] a sip of water, because God and His angels invoke blessings upon those who partake in the pre-dawn meal.” Muslims are recommended to delay the suhoor till just before dawn. Zaid ibn Thaabit (a close companion of the prophet) said: “We ate the suhoor with the Messenger (SAW), then we got up to offer the salaah (prayer - in this case the Fajr prayer). I asked “What was the time between the adhaan (call to prayer) and the suhoor?” He said: “(The time it would take) to recite fifty verses.”

TODAY’S ZAMAN have iftar, the fast-breaking meal. Certain categories of people are legitimately excused from the fast, such as young children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, those whose health would be harmed by not eating and travelers. Fasting also includes refraining from gossiping, lying, slandering and all traits associated with bad character. It calls for doing good deeds, generosity and kindness, self-reflection, praying and Godconsciousness. Fasting calls humankind to realize the blessings and bounties given by God, show gratitude and live in appreciation of these gifts. These can lead to living with a greater spiritual intensity and developing a stronger inner life. Besides being a major practice in Islam in terms of fasting Ramadan, the month is significant for Muslims in other ways as well. During this month, God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran, which is around 600 pages divided into 30

parts roughly equal in length, with one part read each day. Muslims also go to the mosque to observe the supererogatory prayer known as terawih, special Ramadan prayers after the fast-breaking. Taking part in Ramadan and experiencing it together creates a social space that is shared by many Muslims across the globe. This creates a unique sense of solidarity among Muslims around the world. By sharing meals with friends and relatives and neighbors and by giving sadaqa (charity) and zakat (mandatory alms) to the poor and needy during Ramadan, Muslims take part in healing social wounds, knitting closer ties with others, redistributing wealth and connecting with those who are in need. This aspect of Ramadan contributes to creating a just and compassionate society based on sharing and giving rather than focusing on consumerism. Therefore Ramadan is a month of generosity, sharing and forgiving. For this reason, free dinners are provided, sometimes on a daily basis, to the local community by Muslim congregations throughout the world. Just as how many Christian organizations help those in need particularly during Christmas, Muslims also increase their charity alongside their worship. In Turkey, like in other Muslim countries, Muslims break the fast with their families, relatives and friends. NGOs and other institutions

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Pre-dawn meal (suhoor)

OPINION

Dr. Salih Yücel

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About Ramadan

Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world started fasting during the daylight hours on Monday. This creates a time of great solidarity and spiritual renewal throughout the Muslim world. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the principles of Islam. It is practiced by the majority of Muslims. Every year, the month of Ramadan rotates 10 days back because it is based on the lunar calendar. Fasting has been an integral part of all major religions. Moses (peace be upon him) fasted for 40 days and nights before he was given the Law (Deuteronomy 9:18). In the Judaic tradition, fasting is a form of seeking forgiveness and repenting (Isiah 58:1-13). Similarly, Jesus (peace be upon him) fasted for 40 days before he was called to prophethood (Matthew 4:2). In the Quran, fasting is required as follows: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, so perchance you may attain God-consciousness.” (2:183) During Ramadan all physically mature and healthy Muslims are required to abstain from all food, drink, gum chewing, tobacco use and any kind of sexual contact between dawn and sunset for 29 or 30 days, depending on the lunar calendar. Those who fast have a light meal before the break of dawn, known as suhoor, and at sunset, they

Coal miners eat first suhoor underground ABDULLAH KARABACAK ZONGULDAK

Coal miners in northern Zonguldak province yesterday enjoyed their first suhoor (pre-dawn meal before the day’s fast begins) several hundred meters underground. Workers at Arýlar Mining in Zonguldak’s town of Gelik welcomed the holy month of Ramadan deep underground on their night shift. Their first suhoor included tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cheese, olives and bread they had brought from home. “As we have to work during the night, we cannot have our suhoor at home. We have it in our coal mine. It is a different feeling to fast underground. We are all happy to have our first suhoor with our friends. Thank God we have food to eat,” said miner Süleyman Karadöngel. Ertan Ortak, another miner, said not everyone has the opportunity to feel the joy of having suhoor underground. “Having suhoor underground is much different than having it at home. We as friends gather here and share the food we bring from home. It [fasting] may seem difficult at first, but God helps us. I hope this Ramadan will bring goodness and joy to the entire Muslim world.” Bayram Barutçu, a mining engineer, emphasized that for a person who is fasting with pure intentions, it makes no difference where this fasting takes place. “It is not important where you are fulfilling your religious commitments. The important thing is that you are doing them with heartfelt feelings. It is not a necessity to eat delicious food during suhoor or fast-breaking meals.”

Ýstanbul to be center of feasting, charity during Ramadan ERDEM KAPLAN ÝSTANBUL

Surrounded by the spiritual atmosphere of the holy month of Ramadan, Ýstanbul is to become a center of feasting, reviving old traditions of the holy month. It will also be a focal point of charity work through which thousands of poor people will be given a helping hand by donors who are aware that Ramadan is not only a month of fasting but also an opportunity to alleviate the hardship of the needy. The Ýstanbul Municipality has completed preparations to turn the city into an entertainment center during Ramadan. In three different spots -- at the Feshane Cultural Center, the Topkapý City Park and the Baðlarbaþý Cultural Center -- Ýstanbulites will be offered a visual and cultural feast every evening until the end of the holy month. Among the events will be Sufi music performances, Karagöz and Hacývat shadow puppet shows for children, storytelling and plays relating the tales of Nasreddin Hodja in addition to performances by an Ottoman janissary band. More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the feasting centers during Ramadan. Ýstanbul’s Baðcýlar Municipality will also take the opportunity to entertain its denizens during Ramadan in a move to strengthen the ties of

unity and fraternity among them. Baðcýlar Mayor Lokman Çaðrýcý said the holy month of Ramadan should be conceived of and spent in a manner different than that of other months. “We will not settle for offering free fastbreaking dinners to our citizens during this month. We will also establish a cultural and intellectual bridge among Ýstanbulites so that we can remove all obstacles standing before their gathering together around traditional and sacred values,” he said. Çaðrýcý noted they plan to invite many prominent figures, including artists, intellectuals, poets, politicians and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, to the events to be hosted by the municipality. “In this way, we will provide a bridge between the city’s high-profile names and citizens. We will also organize events for women, children, the disabled and the poor. We will also establish amusement parks and shopping stalls in various spots in our district. We regard Ramadan as an opportunity to bring together our people around cultural values, not merely as a month during which people focus on religious practices,” he added. The historical Sultanahmet Square will also be one of the centers of traditional Ramadan entertainment in the city. The festivities at the

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square will begin with recitations from the Quran and a concert of Sufi music after the terawih prayer, an evening prayer performed during Ramadan after the regular night prayer. There will also be fast-breaking dinners, puppet shows and other events at the square every day. The traditional bazaar will also be set up in Sultanahmet this year as well, which will comprise dozens of stalls featuring Turkish cuisine, gifts and traditional crafts.

Ramadan, time to remember the poor, needy Aware of the fact that the holy month of Ramadan is more than just not eating and drinking, municipal officials in Ýstanbul have rolled up their sleeves to extend a helping hand to those in need. The most prominent charitable activity of the holy month is, undoubtedly, setting up iftar tents in which thousands of people have the opportunity to break their fast. Iftar tents are not only a place where people fill their stomachs but also a spot which brings together the rich and the poor. The helper and those helped sit at the same table at these tents and feel the joy of helping and being helped. Tents all across the city will accommodate thousands of people during Ramadan.

The Esenler Municipality will both pitch iftar tents and deliver iftar dinners to those unable to come to the tents. Esenler Mayor Mehmet Öcalan said his municipality first started delivering iftar dinners to the poor and sick who were unable to go to the iftar tents two years ago. “Our activity of delivering iftar dinners to the houses of the poor was met with great appreciation. We’ve prepared a list of around 10,000 people in our district who are in a difficult situation. Our objective with such an activity is to put a smile on the faces of the needy. We will continue to feed the poor during Ramadan,” he noted. The Zeytinburnu Municipality has chosen a historical spot to set up its iftar tents to provide fasters with the pleasure of breaking their fast in a historical atmosphere. Two tents pitched by the municipality in the Merkezefendi area will offer fast-breaking dinners to around 2,500 people every day. The Sarýyer Municipality, on the other hand, has prepared food aid packs to be delivered to the needy. The special packs contain sunflower oil, flour, sugar, tea, tomato sauce, beans, rice, pasta, olives and other foodstuffs. The municipality will also organize Sufi music performances and Karagöz and Hacývat shadow puppet shows during fast-breaking dinners at iftar tents to be set up in various areas in the district.

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BUSINESS

Islamic Development Bank to offer loans to Turkish companies

Turkey's exports make strong showing in August

ERCAN BAYSAL ANKARA

Turkish exports in August surged by 27.5 percent over July to $10.9 billion, bringing the 12-month total to $129.5 billion. The industrial, agricultural and mining sectors recorded the highest volume of exports, while iron and steel manufacturing saw the biggest increase in exports, followed by the chemical and machine components sectors. Also in August a downturn was seen in certain areas, including clothing, olive oil and hazelnuts, compared to July. Ýstanbul Mineral and Metal Exporters Union (ÝMMÝB) members exported the highest number of goods in August, bringing in $4.6 billion in revenue, with primary recipients being the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and France. Speaking to the press to announce the export figures for August, outgoing Turkish Exporters Assembly (TÝM) President Oðuz Satýcý said he will stand ready to serve his country. "I am sure that the new TÝM president will also have the chance to declare a new record of exports for Turkey. I gained a lot of experience during my service, and I am ready to share my experiences wherever they may be of benefit," said Satýcý. In a written statement he noted that Turkey has increased its exports to $130 billion annually from only $27 billion seven years ago. Emphasizing how eager and determined Turkish exporters are, Satýcý stated that he believes they will expand their abilities and that their success will continue in the coming years. He said Turkey has left the bad times behind and that now it is time to take a lesson from past experiences and look to the future with renewed hope. "The first eight months of this year might have proved fruitless; however, we have no time left to waste, and everyone should take action to compensate for Turkey's losses," he said. Stating that Turkish society has long suffered from internal conflicts and that its is time for these things to come to an end, Satýcý drew attention to the European Union harmonization process, which, he said, can help Turkey overcome both its social and economic problems. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

promising sectors. "The areas that we choose to invest in should be profitable," Çelik noted. The term granted depends on the costs of the enterprises' projects, which should be a minimum of $500,000 and no more than $10 million. The pricing of the loans can vary depending on their term. However, a six-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus an appropriate rate to be negotiated prior to disbursement is also available. The loans are valid for three years, and the IDB has the option to cancel them if they are not used within one year. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Pointing out that the World Bank and the European Investment Bank also grant loans to Turkish SMEs, Çelik said the Turkish Development Bank vouches for Turkish firms in this process. "We will continue providing our customers loans from these sources as long as they ask for them. These loans will be valid for two or three-year terms." Çelik went on to say that the Turkish Development Bank has been working to get financial aid to Turkish SMEs in the last couple of years. He suggested that SMEs invest in renewable energy and tourism, stressing that these are

would provide the Turkish Development Bank with loans. Explaining that they will have the authority to disburse the loans provided by IDB, Çelik said they will first offer a total of $40 million in loans from the IDB. He said they were waiting for companies to apply for the loans. He added that they will secure new loans from the IDB as soon as the current loan capacity is exhausted. "We do not discriminate between industrial sectors. The IDB currently wants to invest in Turkey. All companies should benefit from this situation. Companies should come and ask us for loans; we are ready to provide them," he explained.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has reached a deal with the Turkish Development Bank to provide loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Turkish Development Bank General Manager Abdullah Çelik has said. In light of recent positive developments in the Turkish economy, the IDB, like other leading international financial powers, has set its sights on the Turkish banking sector. Having recently met with IDB General Manager Ahmed Muhammed Ali, Çelik said the IDB guaranteed that they

Gustav fears ease; sterlýng and stocks fall AP

"That could be bearish." The storm, however, is the biggest threat to the region -- home to a quarter of US oil output and 15 percent of natural gas output -- since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrecked more than 100 offshore oil platforms in 2005 and closed several large refineries for months. Nearly 2 million Kpeople have fled the US coastal areas. Equity markets, in the meantime, were kicking off the month on a down note, generally gloomy about the economic outlook. European shares fell sharply in early trade, led by banks as Commerzbank tumbled more than 6 percent after agreeing its deal to buy Dresdner. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down around 0.9 percent, starting the month off on a weak note after notching up a gain of 1.2 percent in August, only its second monthly gain in 10 months. Allianz was flat. Investors appeared to believe the deal was too expensive. "On a first glance we don't like the transaction at all," DZ Bank said in a note. Earlier, Japan's Nikkei stock average shed 1.8 percent as Honda Motor Co and other exporters fell on worries about the economy and a slightly stronger yen. The benchmark Nikkei shed 238.69 points, completely erasing last week's gains, to finish at 12,834.18. The broader Topix lost 1.9 percent to 1,230.64. Euro zone government bond prices shot higher after the gloomy comments from Britain's Darling triggered concern that a similar outlook would be felt throughout the euro zone. Two-year yields fell 6 basis points to 4.061 percent while 10year yields were 1 basis points down at 4.161 percent. London Reutersk

PHOTO

Financial markets began the month in a volatile mood on Monday with economic fear driving equities lower and gloom about Britain's downturn knocking sterling to a 12-year low. The price of oil swung from being up well over $1.50 a barrel to registering losses of around $1.75 as Hurricane Gustav showed no signs of strengthening in its way towards the US state of Lousiana. Investors also were unhappy with Commerzbank's $14.5 billion purchase of Dresdner Bank from Allianz. The dollar was generally stronger and short-term euro zone government bond yields fell as investors bought into safe-haven plays. US markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday. Investors are mostly concerned at the moment with worries about the depth of a global economic slowdown. This was clearest on Monday on currency markets, where Britain's pound fell to a 12-year low on a trade-weighted basis. It was also down three-quarters of a percent at around $1.80 against the dollar, its lowest since April 2006 and a sharp comparison with more that $2 in July this year. The declines followed Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Alistair Darling's comments that the UK's economic downturn is likely to be deeper and last longer than originally feared and might turn out to be the worst for 60 years. "Most people believed that things were probably deteriorating faster in the UK than the government was admitting, but the fact that we've seen the chancellor come out and admitting that things are far worse have put sterling under pressure," said Ian Stannard, senior currency strategist at BNP Paribas. "Gustav is not strengthening," said Mike Wittner of Societe Generale.

Energy minister visiting Caspian energy producers Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler is paying visits to the two major energy-producing nations in the Caspian Basin, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, for official talks, amid heated relations with the Russian Federation, which often claims influence over these countries. The minister and a delegation of officials headed to the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on Monday night following a meeting of the Cabinet. The Anatolia news agency reported that Güler would have talks on diverse subjects with Turkmen officials, including oil, natural gas and electricity. The minister and his delegation plan to proceed to Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Güler was invited to participate in an "Energy Forum" in Astana to take place Sept. 4-5 and to deliver the meeting's opening remarks. He will meet with several Kazakh ministers and the chairman of Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunay Gas while in Astana, Anatolia reported. Güler is accompanied by representatives from the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAÞ) and the Turkish Electricity Trading Company (TETAÞ). Güler and his delegation will return to Turkey on Friday. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

Oil down as Gustav not gaining strength Oil prices fell below earlier Monday highs above $118 a barrel as weather forecasters said Hurricane Gustav was not gaining strength as it advanced toward Louisiana. Still, precautions due to Gustav prompted companies to shut down drilling and refining operations in the Gulf Coast region. At midday in Europe, light, sweet crude for October delivery was down 77 cents to $114.69 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier in the session, it reached a high of $118.25 before retreating. On Friday, the contract fell 13 cents to settle at $115.46 a barrel. In London, October Brent crude was down 79 cents to $113.26 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. U.S. trading was closed Monday for Labor Day. "There's no question the drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and the big refineries between Houston and New Orleans are in the path of this hurricane," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "There's likely to be some damage. We could see an extended period of disruption."

Some analysts, however, said the market's response to Gustav was not as strong as some predicted. US energy risk management firm Cameron Hanover described reaction as "extremely subdued." "The best reasons we can give for that are the strength of the US dollar, the continuing decline in consumer demand and the market's recent trend lower," a Cameron Hanover report said. "The reaction is telling us that this market just does not have the stomach it once did for higher prices." Oil companies are shutting down productions and evacuating facilities ahead of the storm. Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Valero Energy Corp., North America's largest refiner, were among the companies that said they had shut down Gulf Coast refineries, primarily in south Louisiana. Altogether, about 2.4 million barrels of refining capacity have been halted, roughly 15 percent of the nation's total, according to figures from Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. The US Gulf Coast is home to nearly half the nation's refining capacity. Houston AP

Sale of Dresdner Bank to cost thousands of jobs Daily Monthly Change (%) Change (%)

Close

CALENDAR

AT A GLAN

2 September PPI of Euro data de Foreign tra of the US New orders

CE

Yearly Change (%)

YTD Change (%)

MCAP (million YTL)

1-Y Av.Volum

Country

Change (%)

Level

İMKB-100

39.570

-0,6%

2,2%

-12,6%

-28,8%

209.705

1.239

Hang Seng

H.Kong

-1,67

20.906,3

İMKB-30

48.884

-0,6%

2,6%

-13,4%

-30,6%

155.947

969

Nikkei 225

Japan

-1,83

12.834,2

İMKB-IND

33.762

-0,2%

-0,7%

-7,7%

-16,8%

67.659

313

Cac 40

France

0,15

4.489,3

İMKB-BANK

77.091

-0,8%

3,6%

-15,8%

-35,7%

88.242

685

DAX

Germany

0,32

DJIMT

10,25

-1,4%

-9,3%

-10,9%

-13,5%

103

0,55

FTSE 100

TurkDEX US$/JP¥ EU€/JP¥

49.725 1,214

-0,48

5.609,6

USA

-1,32

11.541,0

NASDAQ

USA

-2,22

1.872,5

USA

-1,37

1.282,8

Brasil

-1,02

55.112,4

BOVESPA

40.91

6.442,7

UK

Dow S&P

-1,44% 0,00%

70.73 59.09

46.8 29.27

22.8 11.2

7.8 Native

Native

Foreign

Number of Shares

M.cap

Daily Close Change (%)

Foreign

Number of Shares

Monthly Change (%)

M.cap

Daily Change (%)

Ticker

Volumes

Yearly Change (%)

US$/JP¥

108,24

0,41

-4,65%

IHEVA

3,02

-3,82%

GARAN

100,1

3,5

-43,08

YTL / €

1,726

-0,3%

-6,7%

-4,5%

EU/JP¥

157,92

BAGFS

138,00

-2,13%

DYHOL

1,98

-0,50%

ISCTR

43,8

5,7

-19,64

YTL / $

1,179

0,4%

0,2%

-13,0%

EU/US$

1,459

ANSGR

1,25

-1,57%

TSKB

1,12

0,90%

VAKBN

31,0

2,3

-43,86

ISCTR

5,65

-0,88%

EGSER

0,93

-3,12%

AKBNK

32,0

6,2

-26,31

ANHYT

3,10

-0,64%

DGGYO

0,77

-1,28%

YKBNK

18,5

2,6

-26,38

Ticker

Price (YTL) Daily Change (%)

SASA

ÝMKB 100

Ticker

Price

Price (YTL) Yearly Change (%)

ÝMKB 30

ÝMKB IND

P.CHEM.

TUPRS

PTOFS

PETKM

AYGAZ

--

--

12.440,6

6.875,5

2.901,2

947,3

757,5

13,0x

13,4x

11,1x

8,0x

9,7x

14,6x

18,9x

2,5x

P/E 2007/06t

9,1x

12,1x

10,3x

5,6x

7,2x

10,7x

9,9x

1,3x

P/E 2007/09t EV/EBITDA 2006/12

8,5x 7,8x

9,1x 8,5x

8,2x 7,3x

6,0x 6,6x

7,2x 7,6x

10,1x 6,1x

9,9x 4,9x

1,3x 4,5x

EV/EBITDA 2007/03t

7,3x

7,7x

6,5x

6,1x

6,4x

5,8x

3,7x

4,9x

EV/EBITDA 2007/06t

8,2x

7,2x

6,6x

6,3x

6,6x

5,9x

3,9x

5,3x

Mcap YTL

--

P/E 2006/12

CM Y K

Price ($) Light C. Oil Gold Copper

112,62 827,30 3,35

Way

Change (%) -2,46 -0,24 -1,46

High 118,25 840,70 3,35

Low 112,45 827,30 3,35

P/E: Share price divided by earnings per share is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the income or profit earned by the firm per share. EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, tax and amortization; “t” stands for trailer and means the data over the last four quarters. (*) Yesterday's closing (**) Updated at 6 p.m. by GMT+2 Disclaimer: The information in this report has been prepared by BMD, Bizim Securities from sources believed to be reliable. All the information, interpretations and recommendations covered herein relating to investment actions are not within the scope of investment consultancy. Therefore investment decisions based only on the information covered herein may not bring expected results.

Commerzbank's purchase of German rival Dresdner Bank AG will cost thousands of jobs, but analysts said Monday it will benefit insurer Allianz SE, which agreed to sell Dresdner over the weekend in a 9.8 billion euros ($14.44 billion) deal. Shareholders appeared to agree, sending the Munich-based insurer's shares slightly higher in Frankfurt trading on Monday to 114.11 euros. Commerzbank shares suffered because many analysts were concerned about the boldness of such a major purchase in a German economic environment where growth has contracted and business and consumer confidence are at multiyear lows. Shares of Commerzbank, Germany's secondbiggest bank, slid nearly 7.4 percent to 18.6 euros. The deal comes with a heavy toll in terms of job cuts: 9,000 workers out of the combined banks' ranks of 67,000 workers will be eliminated, including back office, production and investment bankers. Of those cuts, 6,500 will take place in Germany with the other 2,500 abroad. But by holding on to some 30 percent of Dresdner Bank, Allianz will be able to continue selling its insurance products through the branches of the new bank, which will be Germany's biggest in terms of branches and customers, overtaking Deutsche Bank AG. It will also get Cominvest, Commerzbank's asset management unit, which is worth 700 million euros. Frankfurt AP

T09-02-09-08.qxd

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T11-02-09-08.qxd

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Page 1

TODAY’S ZAMAN 11

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 8

REUTERS

WORLD

LAND DISPUTE

PHOTO

EU to Russia: Do not isolate yourself

Despite deal, Kashmir plans more protests Sporadic clashes broke out in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir on Monday as anger festered against a deal with Hindu groups to resolve a land dispute that has paralyzed and polarized the state. The dispute over forest land near a Hindu shrine has sharply divided Hindu-majority Jammu and mainly Muslim Kashmir, the two main parts of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 38 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed since the row snowballed into some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley since a revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989. The government announced a deal with Hindu groups on Sunday, sparking celebrations in Jammu. In Kashmir, however, the deal has been rejected by separatists and some mainstream parties. A curfew remains in place but more protests are planned, separatists said. Police fired rubber bullets at protesters in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's summer capital, hitting a roadsweeper in the chest with a rubber bullet. Most shops remained closed in the city. Srinagar Reuters

Tussle within the EU is complicated by the bloc’s dependence on Moscow for much of its oil and gas, and the struggle to develop other sources

Bangkok bomb raises fears of more violence

spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters in London before leaving for the half-day Brussels summit. A second round of negotiations on the accord is due on Sept. 15. It is set to cover everything from energy and trade ties to dialogue on human rights. Brown's remarks contrasted sharply with a conciliatory tone in Paris, where Prime Minister Francois Fillon said President Nicolas Sarkozy would embark on new mediation between Georgia and Russia and seek to pursue dialogue with the Kremlin. "Either we want to relaunch the Cold War, point our finger at Russia, isolate it and stamp on it as was the case for a decade -- that is not the choice of France or Europe -- or we choose the option of dialogue," Fillon told French radio. "The German position is that we should not break off dialogue with Russia," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters as she arrived for the talks. Brussels Reuters

A small bomb exploded in a Bangkok police booth in the small hours of Monday as a standoff between the Prime Minister and protesters occupying his office entered its seventh day with no sign of either side backing down. A senior government source said the blast, which shattered nearby windows but caused no injuries shortly after 1 a.m. (1800 GMT on Sunday), was a signal the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was taking its campaign to another level. "The PAD has launched a guerrilla war with us," the source, who asked not to be named, said. Police echoed his comments, saying they believed it to be the work of agitators trying to depict the police as powerless in the face of the three-month PAD campaign to unseat the elected administration. "They want to show that the government and the police are too weak to protect the people," national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong told Reuters. "It is something we expected would have happened." The PAD, a group of businessmen and activists whose campaign against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra led to his overthrow in a 2006 coup, has always espoused peaceful protest. Bangkok Reuters

AP

South Ossetia. Moscow said it intervened to prevent Georgian "genocide" there. It drew Western condemnation by pushing far beyond the disputed area, bombing and deploying troops deep inside Georgia. The former Soviet republic is strategically important to the West because it hosts oil and gas pipelines that bypass Russia. In the streets of Tbilisi, more than a million Georgians protested against Russia, many linking arms and waving the red and white Georgian flag. The draft EU statement was an attempt to bridge differences among members on how to treat Russia. France, Germany and Italy had said any punitive action against the bloc's largest energy supplier would be premature, but Britain called on the 27-nation EU to suspend talks on a wide-ranging new partnership agreement with Russia in protest. "In light of Russia's actions we should suspend negotiations on a successor to the partnership and cooperation agreement," a

EXPLOSION

PHOTO

The US military handed over control of once brutally violent Anbar province to Iraqi forces on Monday -marking a major milestone in America's plan to eventually send its troops home. But American officials warned that the struggle against al-Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents was not over in the western region, the scene of some of the bloodiest battles in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. "This war is not quite over, but it's being won and primarily by the people of Anbar. Al-Qaeda has not been entirely defeated in Anbar, but their end is near and they know it," said Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the top US commander in Anbar, during the handover ceremony. The return of security control to Iraqi authorities doesn't mean US troops, who number about 25,000 in the region, will leave Anbar. The vast, mostly desert region extends from the western outskirts of Baghdad to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. But US troops will cut back on security patrols and focus on training Iraq's army and police. For years, Anbar, the 11th of 18 provinces to switch to Iraqi control, was the center stage of the Sunni insurgency. The city of Fallujah became the symbol of Sunni resistance until it fell to American troops in November 2004 in the most intense urban combat of the war. The province was the base of the shadowy al-Qaeda in Iraq and its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who used the area as a staging ground for attacks in Baghdad until he was killed in a 2006 US airstrike. Just two years ago, a Marine intelligence report concluded that al-Qaeda had made such inroads that the war was "lost" in Anbar. But later that year, some in the region's Sunni Arab community mounted a backlash against al-Qaeda in Iraq. Many Iraqi tribal leaders opposed al-Qaeda's brutal tactics, including mass killings of Shiite civilians and of some Sunni leaders who refused to accept al-Qaeda's rule. The disaffected Sunni sheiks organized so-called awakening councils that joined forces with US troops to push al-Qaeda from the province. That enabled US forces to gain control of the provincial capital of Ramadi and other cities long considered killing zones. Now Anbar is considered one of the quieter parts of Iraq. Yet bitterness remains between the awakening councils and the central Baghdad government, predominantly Shiite. T hat could complicate larger nationwide political reconciliation efforts. During Monday's ceremony, for example, the head of the local awakening council complained that the central government was not giving Sunni tribesmen enough credit for fighting al-Qaeda, and placing too much attention on their past ties to Saddam Hussein. Monday's ceremony had been postponed several times in recent months, with delays blamed on weather and a last-minute disagreement between the governor and the central government over control of security forces. Baghdad AP

With Russian troops stationed deep in Georgia, fears run high that Ukraine may be the next victim of a Kremlin drive to reclaim dominance in the former Soviet Union. Many here believe Moscow has its sights on Ukraine's strategic Crimea peninsula on the Black Sea -- once a jewel of Russia's empire. Officials both here and in the West worry how far Russia might go to stop Ukraine's drive to join NATO and to regain control of Crimea. Analysts say war between the two nations is highly unlikely. While Georgia is a small nation of 4.6 million, Ukraine is roughly the size of France, with a population of 46 million. Russia also relies on Ukraine for transporting its gas to European consumers, and Russia is Ukraine's energy supplier and top trading partner. "There is no way on earth that these two countries will go to war," said Geoffrey Smith, strategist at the Renaissance Capital investment bank in Kiev. Short of war, however, the Kremlin has many ways of using economic and military might to pressure Ukraine's Western-backed government. Kiev AP

ANNIVERSAERY

Anger, tears as Beslan tragedy remembered Nearly four years after a school hostage-taking turned into a tragic massacre in this southern Russian town, angry defiance mixed with the tears of the relatives of Beslan's dead. More than 1,000 children, parents and teachers were seized here on Sept. 1, 2004, the first day of the school year, by terrorists demanding independence for Chechnya. More than 330 people -- including 186 children -- died during the siege and the confused storming of the school two days later. There remains a bitter consensus among the relatives of the victims that state security forces used excessive force to crush the armed hostage takers, with reckless disregard for the lives of the children and teachers inside. Russian officials, meanwhile, say they did what they could to save the hostages and blame the carnage in the North Ossetian town on the hostage takers, who were led by the late Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev. Beslan AP

French FM Bernard Kouchner speaks during a press conference. Kouchner said France will not push EU leaders for sanctions on Russia.

TRIP

Pelosi to visit Hiroshima A-bomb memorial today

Gaddafi promises Italy privileges after deal Muammar Gaddafi said on Monday Libya would grant Italy privileges in investments in oil, gas and other business to reward it for compensating Tripoli for its colonial rule of the North African state. "Libya will benefit from its strengthened relations with Italy. Italy will be have priority in oil and gas and other investments because it is a friendly state," said Gaddafi, addressing his supporters on the 39th anniversary of the army coup that brought him to power. Gaddafi's speech was broadcast live on Libyan state television. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed the landmark deal on Saturday in Benghazi to pay $5 billion in compensation for misdeeds during its 1911-1943 colonial rule. Italy has had difficult relations with Gaddafi since he took power in 1969. He expelled Italian residents and con-

fiscated their property in 1970. But Rome backed Tripoli's drive to mend fences with the West, which have improved dramatically since 2003 when Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libya has also said it will stop pursuing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Gaddafi said the deal with Italy set a precedent in international relations. "No one believed that a day would come when a colonial state apologizes, expresses regret and pays compensation for its colonization," he said. Comparing Tripoli's newly strengthened ties with Italy with thawing relations with the United States, Gaddafi said: "We are not ambitious to be friends with the United States. We just want them to leave us alone and we leave them alone." Benghazi Reuters

CM Y K

REUTERS

US military returns control of Anbar to Iraqis

Ukraine fears becoming Russia's next target

PHOTO

Iraqi soldiers listen during a briefing of the security preparations for the handover of the Anbar province in Ramadi, 100 km (62 miles) west of Baghdad.

The European Union warned Russia on Monday that Moscow's future ties with the bloc could depend on its adhering fully to a peace deal to end the Georgia conflict, according to a draft summit statement. The five-page text, obtained by Reuters as EU leaders began emergency talks in Brussels, strongly condemned Russia's move to recognize the independence of the rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and urged other countries to avoid such a step. It contained no references to sanctions but described ties between the 27-nation bloc and its largest energy supplier as being at "a crossroads" ahead of a long-scheduled Nov. 14 meeting between European and Russian leaders in Nice, France. "The European Council is gravely concerned by the open conflict which has broken out in Georgia, by the resulting violence and by the disproportionate reaction of Russia," the draft said. In the light of the situation and in particular the implementation by Russia of all its commitments under the six-point (peace) plan, (the review) may lead to decisions on the continuation of discussions on the future of relations between the Union and Russia in various areas. Before the summit opened, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow's military intervention in Georgia had set a new standard for defending its national interests. "Russia has returned to the world stage as a responsible state which can defend its citizens," he declared, adding that the United States must "start adapting" to this reality. Russia crushed Georgia in a short war last month after Tbilisi tried to recapture by force its rebel, pro-Russian region of

Italian PM Berlusconi (L) and Libyan Gaddafi congratulate each other after signing an accord.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will become the highest-ranking US official to visit ground zero of the world's first atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan. Pelosi, in Japan for a two-day meeting of top legislators from the Group of Eight industrialized countries, is scheduled to lay flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial today. No sitting US president or vice president has ever visited Hiroshima. As speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi is second in line to the presidency after US Vice President Dick Cheney. The memorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is less than 500 feet (150 meters) from the center of the blast. Former US President Jimmy Carter paid his respects in 1984, though not in an official capacity. An estimated 140,000 people were killed instantly or died within a few months after the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its lethal payload on Aug. 6, 1945. The domed structure that would become the famed peace memorial was one of just a few buildings left standing in the otherwise obliterated city. Hiroshima AP

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EXPAT ZONE

Bye-bye buntýng A few years ago the approach roads to Göreme, like those to many Turkish towns, were increasingly disfigured by a proliferation of advertising hoardings dumped in the national park without thought for the aesthetic damage they were causing. Then the belediye (municipality) hit on the bright idea of grouping the signs together in single boards, which went a long way toward tidying up the clutter and improving the overall appearance of the area. But still we had to contend with the beverage vendors, who seemed intent on ensuring that the village would disappear beneath a welter of multicolored bunting. Foremost amongst the culprits was Coca-Cola which, not content with inflicting a multiplicity of red and white fridges on us, also wheeled out some strange looking freestanding objects that resembled rubbish bins but turned out to have no holes into which one’s cast-off chocolate wrappers could be inserted. Now, far be it from me to blow the horn for big multinational

companies, but credit where credit is due, and Coco-Cola appears to have undergone a Damascene conversion somewhere along the way. The first we knew of it was when they agreed to sponsor a set of wrought-iron signs for local shops on which their name appeared in discreet white lettering instead of the brash red and white of yore. Then recently I noticed something even better. Suddenly the souvenir stalls at Esentepe, the panoramic viewpoint overlooking Pigeon Valley, were highlighted with brand new matching signs, all of them environmentally sensitive terracotta plaques bearing the owner’s name and a ceramic rendering of the scenery, with a white Coca-Cola logo running along the bottom. What started quietly on the outskirts has now spread into the heart of the village, where new brown signs are very much the order of the day. But, of course, there’s a downside to everything. “What are those bars for?” I asked a friend who runs a

CAVE LIFE PAT YALE popular second-hand bookshop. Overnight it had sprouted metal tracks rather like vertical tramlines running down its façade. “The restaurant on top was going to put their sign up there,” she replied. “Except that I told them they couldn’t.” She went on to describe a typically Göreme stand-off as two businesses rubbed each other up the wrong way, and more and more peo-

ple found themselves drawn into the ensuing argument. My eye slithered to the ground beside her shop and there, sure enough, lay the offending sign -- one of the nice new Coca-Cola versions that just needed to be erected in a less confrontational location. But aesthetics is a funny business, and good taste never something to be taken for granted. A few days later I was walking to the post office when my eyes alighted on a sight so depressing that it brought me up dead in my tracks. Having decided that their balcony lacked a little something on the decorative front, some villagers had acquired a strip of Cola Turka bunting and wrapped it right around the railings. The recent improvements might never have happened as far as they were concerned, and I caught myself snarling “come on, folks, get with the program!” as I continued on my way. Pat Yale lives in a restored cave-house in Göreme in Cappadocia.

Artists want exclusive street in Sultanahmet ARÝF BAYRAKTAR ÝSTANBUL

Ashtanga yoga ýn Ýstanbul JOHN CROFOOT*

Where is home? For yoga instructor Dylan Bernstein, “Home is in my yoga practice.” He explains: “When I roll out a mat, I feel really grounded, I feel really centered and at home. I guess home is an internal place.” Bernstein, who teaches Ashtanga yoga at Yoga Sala in Niþantaþý (www.yogasala.com), has been practicing yoga in Asia and Europe since 2001. Always interested in world religions, especially Zen Buddhist philosophy, Bernstein started yoga when he was a boy of 13 in, in the US. In 2001 he left his 10-year career in childhood education and moved to Vietnam. He moved to India in 2004 and studied Ashtanga yoga with Vijay Amaran in Dharamsala (in northern India). Ashtanga yoga, explains Bernstein, “is a meditation in motion.” The goal in Ashtanga yoga is to “minimize thought” while going through a difficult series of movements. Every pose, continues Bernstein, is a gazing point, whether that point be a thumbnail, a big toe, between the eye brows (the “third eye”) or the tip of the nose. “With steady eyes, you create a steady mind,” he says. Ashtanga yoga is physically difficult.

Practitioners move constantly for 90 minutes through a fixed series of poses, always focusing on the breath and keeping the muscles of the abdomen locked. Gradually, novices learn to push the diaphragm down (to maximize the air taken into the lungs) while also keeping the navel pulled back toward the spine. Bernstein makes it sound simple: You take a pose and focus on the gazing point. “That’s it, your work is done, now your awareness goes back into breath instead of thinking, ‘Do I need to do this with my toe, is it the right pose, how long do I hold it?’” Ultimately, the body learns the series of movements, and muscular memory takes over, allowing the mind to be steady and focus internally. As Bernstein says, “You’re able simply to watch the breath and feel the pose.” The body moves, but both the mind and core muscles of the abdomen are fixed in stillness. Ashtanga yoga, like many forms of yoga, increases strength, flexibility and balance. Bernstein notes that while athleticism focuses on physical results, the goals in yoga are introspection and awareness. He says, “We need to transcend the physical body, and the way to do it in the Ashtanga practice is not to just let the body fall apart, but actually to engage it, look at its abilities, look at its limitations.” “And then from

there,” he adds, “we move into mediation.” While physically demanding to the point of being “athletic,” yoga lacks the egoistic competitiveness that is central to athletic games or “sports.” Competition creates adrenaline and helps one push “faster, higher and stronger,” but ego can be tricky for any athlete. Without proper conditioning and training, the competitive urge to outdo oneself or one’s opponent can lead to injury, which may take weeks or months to heal. The ego says, “I’m strong, I can do it.” The body, however, knows best. Yoga can help the recreational athlete learn how to listen to the body, to let the body lead in its own gradual development and advancement. Bernstein says people’s reasons for doing yoga usually change as they become familiar with it. “People may come into yoga studios because they want to lose weight, look better, or not age,” he notes. “We know this is true across the world, even in India.” However, with quality instruction, many students become aware of the emotional benefits of yoga, and some continue to explore its more subtle aspects. “They go from wanting to shape their physical body in a certain way to realizing that they have a much more desirable emotional state. They come to accept,” he concludes, “that exactly where they

are is exactly where they’re supposed to be.” How deep and authentic is the yoga scene in Ýstanbul? Bernstein says: “Ýstanbul is a great place to teach yoga; the yoga scene here has been developing for years, and now it seems to be spreading quickly.” He is impressed with the quality of his students in Ýstanbul. “They are not obsessed with getting into a specific pose, but are interested in a quality practice of meditation,” he observes. Is yoga in Ýstanbul a form of “luxury fitness”? “I think,” replies Bernstein, “that the people who really have the time and ability to seek out the best things they can do for themselves often find yoga, and then from there they realize it’s a meditative practice and they start to open up to some of the higher benefits.” Perhaps the hardest thing in yoga is to recognize the present moment as the most important time. In Bernstein’s words, “When you’re in a physical pose, your whole awareness has to be within your body and you realize that the outside fetters of society -- how you look, for example -- are not as important as what’s going on with you, right here, right now.” * John Crofoot is a runner and freelance writer in Ýstanbul. He can be reached at jcrofoot@earthlink.net.

NOTE: Today's Zaman intends to provide a lively forum for expatriates living in Turkey. We encourage you to contact us at voice@todayszaman.com and share your experiences, questions and problems in all walks of life for publication in Today's Zaman.

CM Y K

TODAY’S ZAMAN

{ Urban Beat {

PHOTO

While physically demanding to the point of being 'athletic,' yoga lacks the egoistic competitiveness that is central to athletic games or 'sports.' Competition creates adrenaline and helps one push 'faster, higher and stronger,' but ego can be tricky for any athlete

Artists from the Outdoor Art Center, a group of artists’ stands set up annually and organized for the fifth time this year by the Ýstanbul Chamber of Commerce (ÝTO), want an exclusive street for their concessions. Painters Sedat Özbilgi and his wife, Fatma Koç Özbilgi, say that such “art streets” exist in Europe. Stressing that currently idle stands will be more functional and effective with this kind of setup, Sedat Özbilgi says: “Tourists and locals will become more sensitive to art, and artists will have the opportunity to sell their work; Turkey will emerge the winner in the end.” Fatma Koç Özbilgi notes that artists will work without interruption all year round. “We’re pleased when somebody expresses amazement, saying, ‘This is my first time seeing a painter actually painting’.” Eminönü Outdoors Art Center artists, who have been asking authorities to reserve an exclusive place for their activities for some time, expect an immediate response. Nevzar Er, the mayor of Ýstanbul’s Eminönü district, notes that the artists may move to their own venue in September provided that they find one. Er says, “We have to find a proper place for them.” Er further notes that the spot identified by Özbilgi is not suitable for the purpose. Thousands of art-lovers visit the Outdoors Art Center in Eminönü every day. The stands set up by the ÝTO will remain open through mid-September. Visitors have distinct preferences. Sedat Özbilgi, who has been painting for three decades, speaking on the difference of choices customers make with regard to artwork, says, “The preferences of expats and tourists show what they have been longing for the most.” Noting that they sell about 10-15 paintings every day, Sedat Özbilgi says expats generally prefer paintings of Turkish handcrafts and old Ottoman works, whereas foreign tourists are mostly eager to buy paintings that depict old Ýstanbul. Özbilgi also regretfully adds that foreign tourists are interested in imitations of paintings by famous painters and that as an artist he is interested in producing his own work. “As recently as today, they [tourists] attempted to order the painting ‘The Tortoise Trainer.’ Such requests really hurt us. This is unfair to Osman Hamdi [the original artist].”Özbilgi said: “I see my work like a prayer. For this reason, I cannot accept such requests. There will be no injustice if every one sees their job like a prayer.”

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T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 8

Günay: More Turkish sites must be added to UNESCO list

‘There is pain and sorrow in the East,' says awardwinning actor

Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuðrul Günay has said that more of Turkey's historical sites should be added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Speaking at a recent press conference, the minister pointed out that there are nine sites in Turkey on the UNESCO list and 18 candidates for addition but said this number is quite low. He admitted that the sites on the list are still considerably lacking in administrative planning, tourist access, security and restoration and stressed that they will soon try to address these issues for the nine sites on the list and prepare the 18 candidate sites for inscription on the list. "Operations are under way to put Selimiye Mosque in Edirne and antiquities in Alanya on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites," he said. The minister explained that they are hoping to speed up projects in Demre to prepare it for inclusion on the World Heritage list. "If we can draw up a plan, Demre can also be suggested for the list. The Church of St. Nicolas and Kekova Island are both located there. Also, the historic ruins of Myra, the center of Lycian civilization, are there, with important rock tombs and a largely intact amphitheater. A large excavation site is waiting untouched. One of the biggest repositories for artifacts from the Eastern Roman Empire is located within the borders of this district." Günay added that they would strive to also include some significant ruins, such as Aphrodisias, Perge and Sagalassos, on the list. Adding that they are working on a project for museums that are rich in exhibition materials but lacking in space to exhibit them, Günay said they are hoping to increase the exhibition area of Turkey's museums. The minister said 134 excavations and more than 100 surface research projects are currently under way in Turkey. Stressing that Turkey protects all antiquities without distinction between periods or religions, Günay said: "We restore both Mevlevi lodges and the Church of St. Nicolas in Antalya. We are also providing funds for celebration of the Year of St. Paul, and we consider freedom of religion and expression as the basis of peace and of our universal worldview." The minister also said the Culture and Tourism Ministry will submit a bill to Parliament that will serve to attract international movie producers to Turkey. He went on to say that the ministry opened five state-run stage theaters last year and that they are hoping to increase the number of state-run theaters from 40 to 60 by 2009, the 60th anniversary of the state theater program. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

OLKAN ÖZYURT ÝSTANBUL

Tayanç Ayaydýn's career kicked off when he starred in Ben Hopkins' film "The Market -- A Tale of Trade" and subsequently won the Leopard for Best Actor at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. Ayaydýn is acquainted with the eastern face of Turkey; he had previously starred in a Turkish soap opera shot there, and his latest film was filmed in Van. "The East is not the way we see it from here. There are no boundaries, and the children grow up faster. There is pain and sorrow there," he says. Ayaydýn nowadays feels a sense of surprise and pleasure for being named the best actor at the 61st Locarno International Film Festival. He had previously played a role in the film "The Time of the Heart," directed by famous Turkish director Ali Özgentürk, and a few soap operas, but never thought he would be very successful. A foreign director filming a movie in Turkey did not stand out much. No one was aware of the film or of Ayaydýn's leading role -- except those involved in the movie. The award, however, has changed all that. Ayaydýn is now immediately noticed, although he has always been on the scene. Ayaydýn co-stars with famous Turkish actor and playwright Genco Erkal in the film, which deals with the efforts of a small business owner to make it big in a region where capitalism is slowly settling in. In the movie, cunning Mihram (Ayaydýn) is fond of his independence but realizes that the capitalist system will not allow him to enjoy it. "The Market -- A Tale of Trade," filmed last year, took a long time to prepare. Hopkins looked for an actor for the film when he came to the Ýstanbul Film Festival two years ago with his documentary "37 Uses for a Dead Sheep." Although he had previously met Ayaydýn, the journey began then and ended with an award. We heard that Hopkins had long looked for an actor for this film. Why did he choose you? Mihram was over 40. Hopkins was looking for an actor over 40. I, however, was 27 at the time. Mihram -- in his mind -- was like someone who has a hidden face and who always has a plan B and a plan C ready and waiting, but without revealing them. I think I left this impression during the test shoots. He then lowered the age of the character and I grew a beard, so Mihram ended up being a figure in his 30s. Hopkins, an English director, shot this film in Turkey in the same manner as a Turkish director would have. What is his view of Turkey? He said he was introduced to Turkish cinema by the movies of Yýlmaz Güney [a film director, screenwriter and novelist who died in 1984]. He

Actress Beart, director defend tsunami film French actress Emmanuelle Beart and the Belgian director of her latest movie have defended Vinyan , amid concerns that the film which opens with the 2004 tsunami may be insensitive to people affected by the tragedy. The horror story, which had its premiere at the Venice film festival, stars Beart and Briton Rufus Sewell as a couple who lose their son in the disaster but refuse to believe he is dead. They embark on a dangerous journey to the jungle of the ThaiMyanmar border to look for him, but stumble across a terrifying world ruled by savage children. I don't want to be unpleasant to people who have really suffered from the tsunami, said director Fabrice Du Welz. "I tried to be as respectful as I can," he told Reuters in an interview on Sunday. "I am, with Vinyan, respectful with people," he added, speaking in English. "There is no provocation with me. I am really at peace with that. I don't want to shock anyone who suffered from that terrible disaster. There is no footage from the tsunami. The only direct reference to the disaster is at the start, with a series of underwater shots and muffled sounds. The remaining narrative follows the desperate and devastated couple several months after the tsunami occurred." Beart said the tsunami was not the subject of the film. "The story is that they lost their son," she told Reuters. "It happened in the tsunami but it happens in other ways and elsewhere, so I don't want to justify myself."

Unbalanced picture? Du Welz heard some people were irritated by the fact that Vinyan dealt with the tsunami. The Times newspaper this week quoted a couple who lost a daughter in the tidal wave as saying that to turn tragedy into entertainment so soon was outrageous. The director said he felt that media coverage of the tsunami tended to focus on Western victims more than locals. "It shocked me the way one life is not equal to one life. That's why I tried to tell ... the (story of) that wonderful couple with everything -beauty, health, money, a career, a beautiful wife, and they lost something, a part of them. And they can't deal with that." Critics have likened Vinyan , which drains the jungle of colour and light, to Heart of Darkness , Joseph Conrad's novella about an adventure in the Congo that was adapted for the big screen in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Venice Reuters

has been traveling to Turkey for eight years. He knows Turkey perhaps better than most of us and is able to see the world from "within." That is why he does not have an Orientalist approach. How did Erkal contribute to the project as an actor? Hopkins has a certain way of communicating with people in Turkey. Erkal and I expressed our opinions on the issue, and that led to some changes in dialogue. Hopkins is open to such working methods. How does Turkey appear from Van? I traveled many times to the East and Southeast of Turkey because of the soap opera "Sýla." The East is not as we see it from the west. There are no boundaries there; the children cannot enjoy their childhood -- they grow up much faster. There is pain and sorrow there. A desire to act was kindled inside you early on in your childhood, that much we have heard. But you had to work for other businesses as well. Did you ever lose this desire? Acting is a lifestyle for me. Had I lost it, I would have lost my life. As long as you want to act, you can do something. It's all a matter of sharing. If you cannot share something with other people, problems arise. That is what we did in the film. That is what we shared with people in Locarno. What was the reaction of the audience at the festival? I watched the film for the first time at the festival and had a chance to observe the reactions of the audience. I felt they liked it. They understood the film, considering the questions they asked. They congratulated Erkal and me as we were leaving. Did any concerns arise working with Erkal? Working with him was a dream come true. I wondered if I was good enough; however, he is quite warm, modest and has an energy that makes it easy to work with him. Many in Locarno thought we had worked together before. We generally expect awards from domestic organizations; however, you earned a significant international award. Did you expect it? Just expecting an award is not good, I think. Müþfik Kenter [a famous Turkish-English actor] used to tell me, "Your career ends the day you like yourself." I liked the film a lot after I saw it, but I saw my mistakes as well. However, the jury was closer to experimental films and that is why we did not expect an award -though we did expect the film to be successful. How did you feel when the winners were announced? I don't know because I haven't totally gotten over what has happened. My head is in the clouds. I still cannot believe it.

SCREENING

PARTY

‘The Eye' to be shown at Enka Open-air Theater

DJ Cihan to spin old and new Turkish rock songs

As part of this year's Enka summer events, open-air movie nights continue with the screening of a Hollywood film. "The Eye," a faithful adaptation of the influential 2002 Hong Kong ghost tale, will be shown on Tuesday at the Enka Open-air Theater in Ýstanbul's Ýstinye district starting at 9:15 p.m. Tickets for the movie that ups the number of jolts for thrillseeking Western audiences are priced at YTL 12 and can be purchased from www.biletix.com.

Studio Live Aziza on Ýstiklal Street in Ýstanbul's Beyoðlu district is featuring Turkish rock songs from past and present on Thursday for Ýstanbullite rock audience aging 18 and more. The DJ of the party, titled "Geçmiþten Günümüze Türk Rock Tarihi" (Turkish Rock History from Past to Present), will be Cihan Emer from Last.fm. Tickets for the party, which will begin at 9 p.m., can be purchased at www.biletix.com for YTL 10.

THEATER

‘Karým Þov Yapýyor' to be staged in Caddebostan Actor Metin Zakoðlu continues to surprise his audiences with his interactive comedies. "Karým Þov Yapýyor" (My Wife Is Shooting a Show), whose stage is set up like a room in a house, has numerous impromptu scenes, and the audience has a chance to act with the husband and wife on stage. The performance takes place tomorrow at 8:45 p.m. at the Kulis Oda Sahnesi in Ýstanbul's Kadýköy district. Tickets can be found at www.biletix.com.

CM Y K

EXHIBITION

Trojan War to be exhibited by painter Akil Painter Ruhcan Akil will exhibit his paintings, inspired by the Iliad's Trojan War. The audience will also have a chance to view the last 51 days of the Trojan War, which lasted nine years, accompanied by narration describing the period in which the war took place. The exhibition will start tomorrow and run until Oct. 3 at Ýstanbul's Caddebostan Culture Center, located in the district of Kadýköy, on the Asian side.

ONUR ÇOBAN

01.09.2008

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16 TODAY’S ZAMAN

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

LEISURE

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Gregorian Calendar: 2 September 2008 C.E. Hijri Calendar: 2 Ramadan 1429 A.H. Hebrew Calendar: 2 Elul 5768 calendar@todayszaman.com

ÝSTANBUL: Akatlar AFM Mayadrom: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Bakýrköy Cinebonus Capacity: 11:30 14:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:30 21:30 Fri/Sat:23:00 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent: 12:00 14:30 16:50 18:05 19:20 21:50 Fri/Sat:24:15 Cinebonus Panora: 11:50 14:15 16:45 18:00 19:15 20:30 21:45 Fri/Sat:24:15 ÝZMÝR: Agora Balçova: 11:00 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:00 AFM Maviþehir Ege Park: 11:00 13:15 15:45 18:15 20:50 22:00 Fri/Sat:23:30

GARFIELD'S FUN FEST ÝSTANBUL: Ataköy Galleria Prestige: 11:45 13:45 15:45 17:45 19:45 21:45 Fri/Sat:23:45 Caddebostan AFM Budak: 10:30 12:40 14:50 17:00 19:15 21:25 Çengelköy Cinemaxi: 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 ANKARA: Moviecity: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 AFM Cepa: 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 ÝZMÝR: Cinebonus YKM: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 ANTALYA: Manavgat Kültür Merkezi: 11:45 13:30 15:15 17:00 18:45 20:30

120 ÝSTANBUL: Beyoðlu Atlas: 12:00 14:15 16:30 19:00 21:30 Pendik Oscar: 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:15 21:30 ANKARA: Moviecity: 11:00 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:00 ÝZMÝR: Çiðli Cinecity Kipa:11:15 13:45 16:15 19:15 21:45 Fri/Sat:24:15 ANTALYA: Megapol: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30

99 FRANCS ÝSTANBUL: Maçka Cinebonus G-Mall: 12:00 14:15 16:30 18:45 21:00 23:15 Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 22:00 00:15

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CNBC-E 18:10 18:50 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 00:15 01:15 02:00

‘Thunder’ stýll No. 1 at North Amerýcan box offýce Action film parody "Tropic Thunder" clung to the top spot at the North American box office for a third straight week as the summer movie-going season sputtered to a lackluster close, Hollywood studios reported on Sunday. Paramount Pictures' farcical combat movie within a comedy, starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, sold an estimated $11.5 million in US and Canadian tickets Friday through Sunday to bring its three-week tally to $83.8 million. While the final weekend heading into the US Labor Day holiday is typically one of the slowest of the summer, the box office was especially lethargic despite five new films competing for attention in domestic theaters. None of those even managed to even crack the $10 million mark. "It was an underwhelming end to a phenomenal summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box office tracking service Media By Numbers. Business also was likely dampened by the approach of Hurricane Gustav along the US Gulf Coast, where many families were too busy boarding up their homes and fleeing to higher ground to go to the movies. Tropic Thunder, about a group of self-absorbed actors who get caught up in a real-life battle with narco-terrorists while filming a war movie in Southeast Asia, was the only movie to post ticket sales in the double-digit millions. Its biggest competition came from a real action flick, the sci-fi thriller "Babylon A.D." from 20th Century Fox starring Vin Diesel, which grossed an estimated $9.7 million in its first weekend to land at No. 2. Blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" climbed up a notch on the box office chart to No. 3 with weekend receipts of nearly $8.8 million, pushing its cumulative domestic

According To Jim The King Of Queens Scrubs Smallville Cold Case Spanglish Without A Trace Cold Case Spanglish

Goldmax 06:05 White Men Can't Jump 08:00 Tall Story 09:30 The Stars Fell on Henrietta 11:20 Just Tell Me What You Want 13:15 Marked for Death 14:50 Dr. Dolittle 2 16:20 Garage Days 18:05 Edward ScissorhAnds 20:00 Patton 22:55 U Turn 01:00 Harlem Nights

Movýemax 06:10 The Illusionist 08:00 The House Next Door 09:35 Employee of The Month 11:30 K PAX 13:40 Emile 15:20 Captain Corelli's Mandolin 17:45 The Ant Bully 19:20 Inside The Actors Studio: Jane Fonda 20:30 The Muse 22:25 Music And Lyrics 00:30 Hustle & Flow

MGM Movýes 07:35 Cast A Long Shadow 09:00 Hickey And Boggs 10:55 Kidnapped 12:45 Die Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl 14:35 Trapeze 16:25 Birdman of Alcatraz 18:55 Great Balls of Fire! 20:45 Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number! 22:25 Return to Treasure IslAnd 23:40 Kansas City Confidential 01:20 Elmer Gantry

In this image released by Paramount Pictures, from left, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, background center, Jack Black, foreground, Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel are shown in a scene from "Tropic Thunder." haul to an estimated $502 million after 45 days in release. Dark Knight, a Warner Bros picture, has become only the second film to cross the $500 million threshold. Two weeks ago it surpassed Star Wars as the second highest grossing movie ever, behind only Titanic at $601 million. Two comedies that opened on Friday, "Disaster Movie" and "College," plus Don Cheadle's thriller "Traitor," which debuted on Wednesday, and "Hamlet 2," a comedy that expanded nationally on Wednesday, grossed just $17.9 combined this weekend.

When final studio figures come in later this week, Hollywood is expected to eke out roughly $4 billion in North American box office receipts, perhaps even slightly exceeding last summer's record $4.18 billion total. But with the actual number of admissions down more than 3 percent from a year ago, the gain in revenues is fueled mostly by higher ticket prices. Paramount is a unit of Viacom Inc., Fox is a division of News Corp and Warner Bros. belongs to Time Warner Inc. Los Angeles Reuters

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E2 08:00 The Rachael Ray Show 09:00 The Martha Stewart Show 10:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 11:00 Desperate Houewives 12:00 The Rachael Ray Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 15:00 O.C. 16:00 The Rachael Ray Show 17:00 The Martha Stewart Show 18:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 19:00 O.C. 20:00 Desperate Housewives 21:00 24 22:15 The Sopranos 23:00 Late Night With Conan O'Brien 24:00 South Park 00:30 The Sopranos 01:30 Poker Royale

after a fierce battle, and the top commanders of the Greek army were taken as prisoners of war along with several other high-ranking Greek officers. This was one of the turning points in the history of the Turkish War of Independence, as only after these events did the Greek government ask Britain to mediate a ceasefire between Greece and the young Turkish state. The districts of Karahanlý and Ulubey in Uþak and the district of Dursunbey in Balýkesir also celebrate their liberation days today. All these districts had been under Greek occupation for about two years when they were liberated in 1922. By Kerim Balcý

06:00 America's Funniest Home Videos 06:30 Third Rock From The Sun 07:00 King of The Hill 07:30 The Game 08:00 Carpoolers 08:30 The Office 09:00 In Case of Emergency 09:30 War At Home 10:00 Will & Grace 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Everybody Hates Chris 11:30 Everybody Hates Chris 12:00 America's Funniest Home Videos 12:30 Third Rock From The Sun 13:00 King of The Hill 13:30 The Game 14:00 Carpoolers 14:30 The Office 15:00 In Case of Emergency 15:30 War At Home 16:00 Will & Grace 16:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:00 Everybody Hates Chris 17:30 Everybody Hates Chris 18:00 America's Funniest Home Videos 18:30 Third Rock From The Sun 19:00 King of The Hill 19:30 The Game 20:00 Carpoolers 20:30 The Office 21:00 Will & Grace 21:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 22:00 Everybody Hates Chris 22:30 Everybody Hates Chris 23:00 Weeds 23:30 Chappelle's Show 00:00 Carpoolers 00:30 The Office

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ÝSTANBUL: Levent Cinebonus Kanyon: 11:00 13:30 16:15 19:00 21:45 Fri/Sat:24:30 Altunizade Capitol Specum 14: 11:45 14:15 16:45 19:30 22:00 Fri/Sat:23:30 Þaþkýnbakkal Megaplex M&S: 11:15 13:45 16:15 18:45 21:15 ANKARA: Cinebonus Bilkent: 11:00 13:40 16:20 19:00 21:40 Fri/Sat:24:00 Kýzýlay Büyülü Fener: 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:00 21:30 Cinebonus Panora: 11:00 13:30 16:15 19:00 21:45 Fri/Sat:23:30

Today is celebrated as Independence Day in Transnistria, a breakaway republic within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova, with the official status of an autonomous territory. Transnistria declared its independence on Sept. 2, 1990. It was not recognized internationally but functions like an independent state with its own government, parliament, military, police, constitution and flag, as well as a national anthem, a coat of arms and a postal system. Today is the liberation day of the Turkish city of Eskiþehir. The city was liberated on this day in 1922 after more than a year of Greek occupation. Liberation came

EASY

‘Garfield’s Fun Fest’

CLOSING THE RING

Today is Vietnam's National Day. This was originally an independence day commemorating the proclamation of independence following Japanese surrender on this day in 1945. It is now a celebration of Ho Chi Minh's declaration of freedom for Vietnam and a memorial day for Ho Chi Minh. Today is V-J Day. V-J refers to the World War II victory over Japan that was officially ratified on this day in 1945. The Japanese surrender to the Allies occurred aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japan's initial, informal agreement of surrender was announced by US President Harry Truman and was celebrated in the US on Aug. 14, 1945.

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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:

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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

Japanese PM resigns to avoid ‘political vacuum'

Spanair crash victim's body repatriated to Turkey The body of a Turkish citizen who died in a plane crash in the Spanish capital of Madrid on Aug. 20 has been returned to Turkey for burial. Spanish authorities completed identification of Mustafa Erdil 10 days after the crash and handed over his remains and his belongings to his son Gün Alp, who rushed to Spain after the crash. Meanwhile, Erdil's relatives criticized Spanish authorities for the delay in his identification. Earlier Spanish authorities had said it took so long because his body was burned beyond recognition. It was revealed later that the burns to Erdil's body were not severe and that the body was in an identifiable condition. Fifty-four-year-old Mustafa Erdil, deputy chairman of the Ship Recyclers Association of Turkey (GGDSD), was returning from a business trip to Madrid when the crash occurred. He will be laid to rest in the western province of Manisa. A total of 154 people were killed after a Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands crashed while trying to take off from Madrid. It was Spain's most deadly air disaster in more than 20 years. Ýzmir Today's Zaman with wires

Soldiers killed in Bingöl laid to rest Funeral services were held yesterday for four Turkish soldiers who were killed after outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists launched a rocket attack on a military base in the eastern province of Van early on Sunday. Pvt. Yaþar Kaya was buried in his hometown of Hatay; Pvt. Serkan Özbakýr was buried in Ýstanbul; Pvt. Salim Güneþ was buried in his hometown of Ordu, while Pvt. Bülent Bayram was buried in his hometown in the eastern province of Van. The soldiers' families, senior military and administrative officials, as well as citizens, attended the funerals. Analysts say the PKK, weakened by Turkey's military attacks on its hideouts in northern Iraq, have stepped up attacks on civilian and military targets. The PKK launched its bloody war against the Turkish state in 1984 with the aim of creating an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. Turkey, like the European Union and the US, considers the group a terrorist organization. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

22 al-Qaeda suspects appear in court Some 22 individuals with suspected links to Islamic militant group al-Qaeda who were detained in simultaneous operations across Ýstanbul last Friday were ordered to appear in court yesterday. The suspects were sent to the courthouse in the Beþiktaþ district after they were interrogated at the Ýstanbul police counterterrorism department. The suspects are believed to have been trained in Afghanistan and planning to carry out attacks. No more details have been provided by the police. Islamist militants have carried out bomb attacks in Turkey in the past. In 2003 al-Qaeda militants killed more than 60 people in a series of bombings in Ýstanbul. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

MEHMET YAMAN

contýnued from page 1 Most of them, excited by both the first day of school and the news cameras surrounding them, went to their classes together with teachers and parents. "My mother will cone in the afternoon to pick me up," said Ceyda, one of the students. Aleyna, sitting next to her, did not want to be asked any questions by reporters and showed it by covering her ears with her hands. Yaðmur told the press that he already knew how to count and would learn how to write in school. The new students will attend orientation programs at their schools from Sept. 1-5 and participate in several activities under the supervision of their teachers that are designed to help them adapt to their new environments. During this week the first graders will get to know their teachers, their schools and their new friends. The students will also be taught about how to travel to and from school safely. To ease the transition process, parents will be allowed to visit school from time to time and will be provided with information by the school guidance and counseling services. For older students, the 2008/09 school year begins Sept. 8. The year will see 10.87 million primary school students, 3.245 million high school students and 600,000 teachers. This year, the first semester will end on Jan. 23, 2009. Winter break will run from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6, and the spring semester will begin on Feb. 9 and end on June 12.

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Japan's chronically unpopular prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, suddenly announced his resignation after less than a year in office Monday, throwing the world's second-largest economy into political confusion. Fukuda, in a hastily arranged evening news conference, said he was stepping down to avoid a "political vacuum" as the deeply troubled government heads into a special parliamentary session later in the month. The 72-year-old leader made the announcement just days after unveiling 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) in fresh spending to shore up the flagging economy. Inflation has spiked to its highest in nearly 11 years, hurting consumer spending. "I felt that we must particularly stress the importance of the economy," Fukuda said in the nationally televised address. "If it will help even a little bit to make the parliamentary session go smoother, I decided that it might be better for someone other than me to be in the lead." Fukuda, whose father also served as prime minister, has suffered from chronically low support ratings as he presided over a parliament split between the ruling party and the opposition. One poll published Monday showed his support rating at 29 percent, down sharply over the past month. Fukuda recently installed his most apparent successor, former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, as secretary-general of the ruling party. Aso has kept a low profile during nearly all of Fukuda's term and could be seen as offering a fresh start for the party. The move perpetuates the political uncertainty that has plagued Japan since the popular Junichiro Koizumi left the premiership two years ago. Koizumi's hand-picked successor, Shinzo Abe, lasted a year in office, resigning in September 2007 for health reasons. Fukuda, considered a steady elder who would lend stability to the office, ended up lasting about the same time as his predecessor. Fukuda did not specify when the resignation would take effect, but presumably he will stay in office until the ruling Liberal Democratic Party can select a new leader to put before parliament for a vote. Tokyo AP

TODAY’S ZAMAN 17

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The Greater Ýzmir Municipality has distributed bottled water to students who started school yesterday in areas where finding clean water has been a problem.

Clean water problem in Ýzmir The Ýzmir Metropolitan Municipality distributed bottled water to students who started school yesterday in areas where finding clean water has been a problem. The municipality supplied water to 215 schools, enough to last for a week. Officials said clean water would be available by the time the school year starts for all students next Monday. Many parents had been worried that their children would consume water that contains high levels of arsenic, so school administrators submitted a request to the mayor's office that water be distributed to schools. Some parents gave bottled water to their children from home. The residents of Ýzmir, Turkey's third-largest metropolitan city, have dual concerns about drinking water after Ýzmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoðlu recently declared that the water levels of the Tahtalý Dam, a primary water source for Ýzmir, have decreased considerably and that the city had started to supply residents with water from the Göksu and Sarýkýz wells --

ÝSTANBUL embraces Human Race

The Ýstanbul edition of the Human Race -- the world's biggest daylong event, sponsored by Nike and held in 25 locations around the world -- took place yesterday in Ýstanbul. State Minister Murat Baþesgioðlu started the race on the Asian side of the Bosporus Bridge in Beylerbeyi, and about 10,000 runners participated in the 10-kilometer run, which ended in Kuruçeþme on the European side. In addition to Baþesgioðlu, State Minister Mehmet Þimþek and his wife, Annalisa Lucia Þimþek, also participated in the event. The minister ran for several kilometers before giving up. Another prominent attendee was Elvan Abeylegesse, who won two silver medals for Turkey at the Olympics in Beijing. There were also five runners with disabilities. Abeylegesse said she was happy to take part in the meaningful event and that she aimed to win gold medals at European and other international competitions.

which were previously closed due to high arsenic levels. In June, representatives of the Ministry of Health took samples from 50 points in the city's water system for analysis. After the analysis was completed it was revealed that the tap water in Ýzmir was not safe for drinking or cooking. The rate of arsenic was high, especially in Menemen, Halkapýnar and northern Ýzmir. Meanwhile, Kocaoðlu said they had begun purifying the water coming from the city's Göksu and Sarýkýz wells. Health officials noted that Turkey had decreased the maximum limit for arsenic in tap water from 50 milligrams per liter to 10 milligrams per liter in 2005 and gave three years to all municipalities to decrease their arsenic levels to 10 milligrams per liter that year. The Health Ministry stated that arsenic reaches toxicity levels in the human body only after it is consumed for a number of years and the rate of cancer patients is very high in societies that consume water with high levels of arsenic over a long period. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman with wires

MUSTAFA KÝRAZLI

01.09.2008

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When asked if she would be able to outpace Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, she responded, "One day, I'll do it." The Human Race, supported by the United Nations under the Alliance of Civilizations project, was held also in such prominent world cities as Los Angeles, New York, London, Madrid, Paris and Sao Paulo. The race in Ýstanbul was supported by the Youth and Sports General Directorate and the Turkish Athletics Federation. The Bosporus Bridge was closed to traffic between 7:50 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., along with Barbaros Boulevard, Beþiktaþ Square and the Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy and Kuruþçeþme areas. In the race, where no top winners are selected, participants found a good opportunity to cross the Bosporus Bridge on a pleasant summer evening, wearing red Tshirts distributed by Nike. At the end of the race Kenan Doðulu gave a concert at the Turkcell Kuruçeþme Arena. There was a fireworks show before the concert. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Agriculture Ministry speeds up EU harmonization efforts ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Mehmet Mehdi Eker has announced that his ministry will take speedy steps to harmonize Turkish agricultural legislation with that of the EU within the framework of the Third National Program, which maps the EU-required reforms. During a recent meeting with a group of journalists on the amendments to be made to Turkish legislation in 2009 as part of the Third National Program, he said laws on food hygiene, water products, bio-security, veterinary services, food and fodder would all come into force in the new legislative year. Eker also noted that structural changes would be made to the ministry's organization and it would be

responsible not only for agricultural production but also for the food sector, as is the setup in EU countries. Eker said agricultural and food product sanitation would be given importance in the new period and that a law would be enacted vis-à-vis the supervision of food safety, plant health and veterinary services. The ministry will also increase measures to prevent the sale of food in the streets, he noted. As part of a "food safety" campaign to be launched by the ministry in October, politicians and celebrities will be asked to participate in short promotional films. The ministry will hold symposiums, post billboard announcements, shoot short features and print food safety logos to increase aware-

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ness of food safety among citizens. As part of the campaign, messages such as, "Safe food is that which received permission from the ministry," "safe food is packaged and has a tag" and "safe food complies with the rules of preservation and sales" will be given. Slogans such as "Do the best for yourself, consume safe food," "Now it is time for safe food," "Let's consume safe food" and "Safe food is a healthy generation" will be used. The Religious Affairs Directorate will also join the ministry's efforts and give sermons to citizens about food safety at the Friday prayers.

74 agricultural fertilizers to be banned Eker also said that 74 agricultural fertilizers banned in EU countries due to their carcinogenic

effects will be banned in Turkey. He said the sale of these fertilizers would be restricted to persons with special training, like pharmacists. In a recent meeting, the National Security Council (MGK) advised the ministry provide for the sale of fertilizers by licensed sellers on the grounds that some fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate, are used by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to make bombs.

Hygienic standards for kokoreç Eker denied allegations that kokoreç -- a popular snack made of grilled lamb intestines -- would be banned as parts of efforts to harmonize with the EU legislation. Hygienic standards will be set for the preparation of kokoreç.

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SPORTS

Jimmie Johnson eases to third victory of season Double reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson recorded a third win of the season with an easy victory in the Pepsi 500 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Sunday. Johnson led for 227 of the 250 laps on the two-mile oval track, taking the race for the second straight year with a dominating performance. Greg Biffle finished second. LA, Reuters

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

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The Riazor jinx returned to haunt Real Madrid and the champions fell 2-1 away to Deportivo Coruna in their Primera Liga opener on Sunday, while Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were stunned 1-0 away to promoted Numancia. Real have not won in La Coruna since 1991, and were soon trailing when home striker Mista, who had already hit the bar, rose to head in from a free kick in the 27th minute. Visiting full back Marcelo hit the bar with a cross-cum-shot just before the interval but two minutes after the restart Ruud van Nistelrooy pounced to volley home a deflected shot. Parity lasted all of four minutes until Alberto Lopo headed Depor back in front from a corner, and Bernd Schuster, who had left the unsettled Robinho in Madrid, was unable to engineer a fightback. Madrid Reuters

Novak Djokovic

Federer, Djokovic and Andy Roddick surge at US Open Roger Federer looked every bit a champion and stayed perfect at the US Open. Andy Roddick showed shades of winning form, too, on Sunday. No longer No. 1, Federer beat Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 and breezed into the round of 16. Third-seeded Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, reached the fourth round with a tougher-than-expected victory over 30th-seeded Serb Marin Cilic and will next meet No. 15 Tommy Robredo of Spain for a quarterfinals berth. Eighth-seeded Roddick, the last man to win the Open before Federer, beat No. 31 Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (4). Roddick will play No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez for a spot in the quarterfinals. Gonzalez, at 28 the oldest man left, beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1. New York AP

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All is not well at

GALATASARAY

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Real and Barca bite the dust in league openers

The biggest problem with Galatasaray is procrastination. Put another way, the Ýstanbul club tries to drive the car from the back seat and therefore does not take prompt action when urgency knocks at the door

OKAN UDO BASSEY ÝSTANBUL

Defending champion Galatasaray has returned to Ýstanbul with a single point following its lackluster 0-0 away draw Sunday night with Kayserispor in week two of the 2008-09 Turkcell Super League at Kayseri's Atatürk Stadium. This result should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the Galatasaray Lions very closely. The biggest problem with Galatasaray is procrastination. Put another way, the Ýstanbul club tries to drive the car from the back seat and therefore does not take prompt action when urgency knocks at the door. The Lions had serious problems with scoring goals during their pre-season training camp in Germany, where they couldn't beat anybody -- including obscure teams in the German amateur leagues. That was the time they should have acquired at least two top strikers because veteran striker Hakan Þükür had retired and, more importantly, because they were scheduled to play in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round. But they decided to purchase Aussie Harry Kewell, who is naturally a winger and attacking midfielder, and present him as their new "goal machine." No wonder the Lions failed to qualify for the Champions League proper, thereby missing out on the millions of euros up for grabs in this elite European competition. The funny thing though is that immediately after Galatasaray's elimination from the Champions League last Wednesday, the management rushed to purchase Czech forward Milan Baros in a three-year deal. Logic says you should sign good players to help you qualify or play in the Champions League, not after being ousted from the lucrative competition. Prevention is cheaper than the cure -- that's

exactly what Galatasaray fails to understand. Back to Sunday's match in Kayseri, there is really much to write about it because most of the action in the dull game was concentrated in midfield. The only points to note are that Italian goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis, signed on a seasonlong loan from the Primera Liga's Sevilla, debuted for Galatasaray and played for the entire 90 minutes. That de Sanctis, hired as a first-choice keeper, was fielded only after Galatasaray's elimination from the Champions League also defies logic. Baros also debuted on Sunday, coming in as a substitute for lethargic Ümit Karan in the 73rd minute. But there was virtually nothing the Czech lad, who is yet to get acclimatized to the team's game plan and tactics, could do. Furthermore three Galatasaray regular starters -Shabani Nonda, Hasan Þaþ and Sabri Sarýoðlu -were not in the team's line-up on Sunday due to various injuries they suffered this season, which is only two weeks old. To compound matters Barýþ Özberk joined the long injury list when he was stretchered off the pitch in the 12th minute of the Kayseri match. Soccer is a very physical game, no doubt about it. But the way Galatasaray players get injured so easily may be because they do not train or eat well - or a combination of both. The Lions need a good coach to overcome these problems. But looking at the credentials of German Michael Skibbe, it would be mere delusion to describe him as such. Skibbe, commenting on the Sunday's match, sufficed with saying, "We look ahead with optimism and hope to do better in future matches." Kayserispor coach Tolunay Kafkas sounded a little more philosophical. "We have not been beaten in the two [league] matches so far, though we have not beaten anyone either," he said, adding, "We are on the right track, I presume."

In what has become a common occurrence at Galatasaray, captain Ümit Karan lies on his back in a dejected mood after a heartrending scoreless draw with Kayserispor Sunday night.

Bursaspor players celebrate their deserved victory over Gençlerbirliði.

Bursaspor Green Crocs top league leading pack The Bursaspor Green Crocs are in an unusual first place in the Turkcell Super League after shutting out visiting Ankara side Gençlerbirliði 2-0 in their thrilling game at Bursa's Atatürk Stadium on Sunday, with second half goals by striker Sercan Yýldýrým in the 58th and 80th minutes. The result means Bursaspor, like the Trabzon Black Sea Storm, has scored four goals, conceded one and garnered six maximum points in two outings. The Crocs subdued Hacettepe 2-1 in their opening match in Ankara the weekend before last. Sunday's loser, Gençler, has one meager point after holding newcomer Kocaelispor to a 1-1 draw at home in week one. The Ýstanbul soccer aristocrats -Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beþiktaþ -have monopolized the Turkish league for

decades and that trend is not likely to change anytime soon. Every blessed season an Anatolian pretender pops up, only to fade away like the morning dew as the season progresses. Last season the pretender to the crown was Sivasspor and the season before last it was Vestel Manisaspor. Yet like all previous pretenders, Sivas and Vestel could not stay the course. No one in their right state of mind expects the Crocs to stay at the top when the season ends; in other words, no one expects Bursa to win the league championship this season. However the Crocs have every right to celebrate what they have accomplished so far. Even Bursa coach Samet Aybaba, speaking at a post-match conference, carefully avoided the championship issue. "It's too early to talk about the league title now," he stated. "But we had said before the season started that you will see a different Bursaspor with its battling youngsters. That's what you are seeing right now," he added. Give praise where praise is due, that's our policy. The Bursa Green Crocs are at the top now and therefore deserve all praise. In other Super League action on Sunday, Denizlispor beat pointless Antalyaspor 3-2, while newcomer Eskiþehirspor and Hacettepe shared the spoils after a 0-0 draw. Okan Udo Bassey Ýstabul

FC Cologne’s Ümit Özat gets cardiology test

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Ümit Özat, the captain of the FC Cologne soccer team who was taken to a hospital in Karlsruhe after his collapse on the field, underwent several cardiology tests at a clinic of Cologne University on Sunday. The test results were not made public and Özat spent the night in the clinic. Meanwhile, Özat's family has arrived in Germany and it was reported that Özat's family was taken by a friend of Özat from Dusseldorf airport to the clinic. Christoph Daum, the coach of FC Cologne, canceled his vacation in Mallorca, Spain, due to Özat's hospitalization. "We canceled our vacation. My husband wanted to stay and support Ümit," Angelika Daum, the wife of Daum, said. Daum wanted to monitor Özat's health closely and see him attend training sessions this week. Ýstanbul/Cologne Today’s Zaman

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'Sopranos' star Gandolfini weds in Hawaii "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini married his lover in Hawaii over the weekend, People magazine said. The 46-year-old actor tied the knot with Deborah Lin, 40, during a 20-minute church ceremony in her hometown of Honolulu, People said, attributing its report to an unidentified guest. Los Angeles, Reuters

China plans to beat its own record for the world's fastest train service when a new link between Beijing and Shanghai opens by 2012, a state newspaper reported on Monday. The domestically developed train would run at 380 kph (236 mph), slicing five or more hours off the current journey to just four hours, the official China Daily quoted Zhang Shuguang, the Ministry of Railways' deputy chief engineer, as saying. China already claims the record for the fastest train

service in the world, for the Beijing-Tianjin line, though there are trains in France which have higher operational speeds. "We have mastered core technologies in terms of manufacturing high-speed trains and made innovative achievements in the process," he said. "It is possible that we can start to manufacture 380-kph trains in two years' time, and put them into service on the BeijingShanghai high-speed railway," Zhang added. That line was expected to open in 2012, one year

ahead of schedule, the newspaper said. The new trains would also provide a stiff challenge to airlines, which put on dozens of 1-1/2-hour flights between the two cities a day. China has invested billions of dollars upgrading its rail network, rolling out sleek new trains and extending the line even as far as the remote Tibetan capital of Lhasa. A new express line from Beijing to its neighboring city of Tianjin which opened last month in time for the Olympics reaches top speeds of 350 kmp. Beijing Reuters

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Chýna plans to beat own fastest traýn servýce record

AP

WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

With the help of Kyle Held of the Humane Society of Missouri, Mary McCrey puts her dog diva into a carrier.

No pets left behind in New Orleans mass evacuation Authorities evacuating residents from New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Gustav are making amends with four-legged friends after thousands of pets perished in Hurricane Katrina three years ago. Animal welfare groups tried to make sure that evacuees had their pets with them, while shelters away from the Gulf Coast accommodated animals this time around. Many owners stayed in the city during the catastrophic 2005 hurricane because they could not take their pets to shelters and could not bear to leave without them. "This city has been hit so badly, they've lost so much, and the last thing they have to hold on to is their animal," said Laura Bergerol, a volunteer with Animal Rescue New Orleans. The group stacked up boxes for residents who planned to carry their small pets with them as part of an evacuation on buses and trains through the Union Passenger terminal. Pet owners stood in line to register their furry friends. Then they were given a machine readable band to tag on to their pet, in case they became separated. Among the horrors of Katrina three years ago were dead dogs bobbing in the drowned streets of the city, 80 percent of which was flooded. Dog owner Julian Coleman lined up to register his feisty Rottweiler-German shepherd puppy Ali. "I didn't want to just leave him to get hurt, like so many did in Katrina," Coleman said as Ali jumped up. "It makes me feel a little safer having him with me." Evacuee Sylvania Moore was anxious about being separated from her mother, but relieved to be able to take her shitsu, Buddy, with her. "He gets to ride the bus with us, which is good," said Moore, clutching Buddy in her arms outside the Amtrak terminal. "It's a relief that we didn't have to leave him behind." New Orleans Reuters

Modesto man tries to amputate own arm Police say a man tried to cut off his own arm at a restaurant in Modesto, Calif., because he thought he had injected air into a vein while shooting cocaine and feared he would die unless he took drastic action. Authorities say 33-year-old Michael Lasiter rushed into the Denny's restaurant over the weekend and started stabbing himself in one arm with a butter knife he grabbed from a table. They say that when that knife didn't work Lasiter took a butcher knife from the kitchen and dug it into his arm. Police Sgt. Brian Findlen says Lasiter told officers he thought he needed to amputate his arm to keep himself from dying from the cocaine injection. Lasiter was taken to a hospital for treatment of severe cuts. Modesto, Calif. AP

Man says dead shark found in Lake Michigan There's no telling what might turn up in Lake Michigan. Rich Fasi of Traverse City says he found a dead 2-foot shark in the water while fishing on West Grand Traverse Bay last week. The saltwater fish was a juvenile blacktip shark, said Mark Tonello, a fisheries biologist from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Tonello said someone might have caught the shark off the Atlantic Coast and kept it on ice while bringing it to northern Michigan. Another possibility is that the dead shark was dumped by someone who had kept it as a pet, Tonello said. Traverse City, Mich AP

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