A written statement issued by the General Directorate of Meteorology said many parts of Turkey will be hit by powerful storms, particularly Thrace, northwestern Turkey and the Central Anatolia region. Turkey’s northwestern provinces, including Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ and Çanakkale, saw rain on Monday, with temperatures dropping two to four degrees in Thrace. On Monday morning, 10 centimeters of snow fell on the Malkara and Hayranbolu districts of Tekirdağ, causing disruptions in daily life. Heavy rain was expected last night in the Çatalca and Silivri districts of İstanbul. Strong storms affected Ankara, Eskişehir, Kırıkkale, Çankırı, Yozgat, Kırşehir, Nevşehir, Kayseri, Niğde and Sivas on Monday, starting in the morning. Fog is forecast this morning for the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır and Kahramanmaraş, and snow is expected today in Çorum, Amasya, Gümüşhane and Bayburt. Meteorologists also warned that strong storms are expected in the area between Bodrum and Kaş until tomorrow.
Court sentences pop star to write out lines
BODRUM A Turkish pop star has been sentenced to write out Turkey’s lengthy national anthem along with a five page critique of it after a court found her guilty of casting ethnic slurs at a concert. Seven businessmen from the primarily Kurdish city of Diyarbakır, in the impoverished southeast which has been troubled for years by separatist violence, took pop star Demet Akalın to court over comments she said were an attempt to liven up her audience. “What? Are you all from Diyarbakır? Did you come from the mountains? I don’t understand where you people can be from all of you sitting there staring like morons,” she allegedly said at a concert in the Aegean resort city of Bodrum in 2008. A court found her guilty of breaking a law banning public insults based on regional differences, social class or sexuality. But media said on Sunday that Akalın liked the idea and that she had memorized the national anthem in her school years.
Firefighters control blaze at İstanbul airport
İSTANBUL A fire that broke out on Sunday night in an electricity generation unit at İstanbul Atatürk Airport was extinguished without any casualties, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department chief Ali Karaoğlu said on Monday. The fire caused panic at the airport, and a total of 80 firefighters from the Bakırköy, Yeşilköy, Kocasinan, Fatih, Seyrantepe, Bağcılar and Avcılar districts of İstanbul were involved in fighting the blaze alongside airport-based emergency teams. A number of ambulances were called to the scene in case of emergencies but no casualties were reported. Scheduled flights were unaffected by the fire. Additional firefighters from throughout İstanbul were mobilized to control the fire as quickly as possible, Karaoğlu said. Fire department officials are carrying out an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
2 die from carbon monoxide poisoning in Niğde
NİĞDE An elderly couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Niğde on Sunday night after a coal heater in their bedroom malfunctioned. According to news reports, neighbors were unable to reach Muharrem Aktaş (91) and his wife, Sevim (64), Monday morning and entered the home, where they found the couple’s bodies and immediately notified police. Initial investigations at the home indicate that the couple was poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from a heater in the room. The bodies have been taken to the Niğde State Hospital morgue for autopsies.
Balıkesir mine explosion death toll rises to 15
DURSUNBEY With the death of İsmail Yaren (34) yesterday, the number of miners who have died as a result of an explosion in Balıkesir’s Dursunbey district late last month has risen to 15. According to reports, the worker had been taken to the Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Teaching and Research Hospital for treatment, but died despite the efforts of medical staff. His family plans to have his funeral services in Dursunbey’s Taşkesiği village.
