Turkish press review

Several dailies reported on debates about the draft law for the “4+4+4 education system” which led to a quarrel in the Parliamentary Committee on Education. The voting on the draft took place as several parliamentarians were kicking and hitting each other. Twenty-one articles of the draft were adopted in 25 minutes. The committee has only been able to adopt six articles in the past six days. When Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies asked members of the press to leave the hall, Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies objected and a fight broke out among the deputies. As the fight continued, the committee chairman called for the vote and 21 articles were adopted in 25 minutes.

Another topic that received much coverage was the 14th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, which Turkey hosted. A total of 180 countries broadcast the championships live on TV and tickets were sold out. The championship was a great promotion for İstanbul and Turkey. The presidents and representatives of athletic federations from 172 countries thanked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for organizing such a successful event. A record-high number of athletes, 683, participated in the championship.

Many Turkish newspapers also reported on a fire that broke out among tents where construction workers were staying in İstanbul's Esenyurt district. Eleven construction workers were killed. It was reported that the cause of the blaze was most likely an electrical fire. Many of the workers, who were sleeping in the tents, died due to smoke inhalation.