The ministry will firstly attend the 47th Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which will be held in Italy between March 23 and 26. A total of 1,300 publishers from 67 countries attended the fair in 2009. Following the fair in Italy, the ministry will take part in the Paris Book Fair, which will take place in France from March 26 to 31. The fair is one of the most important fairs in the Francophone world. Later in the year the ministry will send its representatives to the Tehran International Book Fair in May, the Moscow International Book Fair in September and the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
8 poisoned by gas leak
ANKARA A family of eight, including five children, was rushed to the hospital as a result of poisoning from a gas leak in Ankara’s Yenimahalle district on Thursday night. In the middle of the night one member of the family realized there was a gas leak in their apartment and sought help from their nearest neighbor, saying the family was in poor condition. The neighbor called the 112 emergency services hotline and ambulances rushed to the scene. The eight people were taken to the Gazi University Children’s Hospital and the Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment. The gas supply was cut in the building while officials determined whether there were leaks in any other flats. After the inspection, police gave the 11-story apartment building the all clear. The incident shocked the building’s residents.
Rainfall causes flooding in İstanbul
İSTANBUL After a few snowy days and freezing weather in İstanbul, the city was paralyzed with floods caused by heavy rainfall yesterday. Flash floods triggered by heavy rain wreaked havoc especially in western parts of the city. The high waters tied up traffic in the Büyükçekmece district, and in Kumburgaz a health center was damaged by flooding. Speaking to reporters, staff at the health center stated that the flood was not a surprise, saying that they had previously dealt with flooding problems. “Everything here is ruined. The vaccines and equipment in the center can no longer be used,” said Sabire Polat, a worker at the center. Firefighters arrived at the scene to help with the situation.
Two children drown in icy lake
TOKAT Two children drowned yesterday in the northern province of Tokat’s Zile district after the frozen lake they were walking on cracked. Gökhan Bütün, 15, and Burak Düzenli, 13, were walking on the frozen artificial lake near their village when the ice cracked, causing the two children to fall in and drown. When the children failed to return home, their families went to the lake to conduct a search that produced their dead bodies.
