ZAMAN
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FINANCIAL CRISIS IN DUBAI WILL NOT AFFECT TURKEY DIRECTLY
The debt crisis in Dubai led to sharp declines in stock markets of the United Arab Emirates. Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said that the financial crisis in Dubai would not affect Turkey directly.
TURKEY SENDS AID TO 131 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE
Turkey sent humanitarian aid to 131 countries in 2008. The assistance was sent by the Turkish International Cooperation Agency (TIKA) and was worth 1.5 billion USD. Most of the aid was sent to African and Asian countries. The majority of the aid was health and education related.
YENİ ŞAFAK
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COLONEL VARIMLI HAD KNOWN DANGEROUS THINGS
Retired Gen. Sener Eruygur, a suspect of the Ergenekon case, made striking expressions in the third indictment of the Ergenekon case. Eruygur said retired Colonel Belgütay Varımlı, who died after jumping from the 9th floor, told him about the corruptions within Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
Eruygur said, "Belgütay said a general had 50 million USD abroad and a colonel had 52 apartments. He also said Erdal Sener had 535 thousand USD and that he bought a house in Zirvekent site with the money of the state."
GENDARMERY BECOMES CIVILIAN
An amendment will be made to general public order. Authorities will be transferred to police and gendarmery will be linked to Interior Ministry.
The 200,000-member Security Organization will be responsible for public order. Gendarmery organization, which has 300,000 personnel, will become civilian within 5 years.
TÜRKİYE
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WE HAVE INTEREST IN ALL CORNERS OF WORLD, DAVUTOĞLU
In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that NATO membership and EU negotiations process were Turkey's strategic priorities. "However, they do not imply that Turkey should ignore the Middle East, Asia and Africa," Davutoğlu stressed.
DIRECTION SHOULD BE SERBIA
Daily TURKIYE wrote that Turkish businessmen should leave aside all pre-conceived notions on Serbia and travel to this country to do business. Serbia has signed agreements whereby many highway, airport and industrial zone construction projects will be assigned to Turkish companies without a tender. These projects are worth seven billion USD.
HÜRRİYET
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HEAVY PENALTIES FOR TELEPHONE TAPPING, JUSTICE MINISTER
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin told the daily Hürriyet that penalties for telephone tapping would soon increase. Ergin said that a new legal arrangement would be made whereby prosecutors could take immediate action when the telephones of Turkish citizens had been tapped. The prosecutors would not have to wait for official complaints by citizens in order to investigate cases of telephone tapping.
FIRST ARMENIAN TO ASSUME POST IN GOVERNMENT
His name is Leo Suren Halepli. He has passed a written examination of the Secretariat General for the European Union and may begin working as an expert if he also passes the verbal examination. Halepli would be the first ever Turkish citizen of Armenian descent to be employed by the Turkish government if he passes the verbal examination. A law adopted in 1926 makes it impossible for non-Muslims to be employed by the Turkish government.
MİLLİYET
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ASK ME ABOUT 33 PRIVATES
Justice & Development (AK) Party Deputy Chairman Huseyin Celik correlated killing of 33 privates in southeastern province of Bingol in 1993 with Ergenekon and it caused a debate. Retired Gen. Necati Ozgen, the then commander of Gendarmery Regional Command, commenting on the hinted issue, said, "these are nonsense. I have the tactical responsibility. I am ready to answer all of those questions."
Telling about the sorrowful incident, Gen. Ozgen said, "there was no cease-fire of the PKK, and military operations were underway. That convoy was waylaid on May 24 and 33 soldiers were martyred. We besieged the group that attacked those privates. Severe clashes erupted. 34 terrorists were killed. 25 security personnel were rescued. Daglitepe brigade killed 55 terrorists. Officers that had negligence in transfer of privates were tried by the court."
20 TURKISH CITIZENS PASS AWAY IN HAJJ
The number of Turkish hajjis who lost their lives in Saudi Arabia has risen to 20. Most of the hajjis lost their lives because of heart attack.
A total of 2 million and 520 thousand people are in Saudi Arabia for hajj. Those who died of swine flu in Saudi Arabia is 5.
SABAH
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STORM OF ANGER
The world reacted to the ban in Switzerland on minarets. The Vatican said it was a blow on religious freedoms.
The world still experiences the shock of the minaret ban in Switzerland that was decided with referendum.
French Foreign Minister Kouchner said "the ban is an expression of intolerance."
Turkish Culture Minister Ertugrul Günay said Switzerland could not internalize Europe. "There can be primitive practises."
PKK PROVOCATION BECOMES FURIOUS
PKK supporters created trouble in Mersin, Kocaeli, Siirt, Hakkari and İstanbul again on Monday. The military post in southern province of Mersin, where a molotov cocktail was hurled, for the second time became the target of activists.
A NEST OF TRAGEDY
The torture scandal at 80th Year Rehabilitation Center for Disabled People in Bakirkoy district in İstanbul was revealed with the images taken by a cleaning worker through his mobile phone.
The images which show the disabled people were beaten by chairs and batons and washed by waterspout after their clothes were taken off, created shock. It was also determined that lighted cigarettes were put off on some patients while they were sleeping.
The inspector investigating the incidents prepared a 17-page report. Forensic medicine approved the torture. Cases were opened against the 6 care workers of a private company seeking prison terms up to 8 years for sufferings of each patient.
VATAN
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BÖLÜKBAŞI MAKES ARGUMENT ABOUT MAKHMOUR CAMP
Deputy Chairman of opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Deniz Bölükbaşı, has made an interesting argument about the Makhmour refugee camp. Bölükbaşı argued that PKK terrorists from Qandil will move to Makhmour camp and enter Turkey from Makhmour as ordinary civilian citizens.
GOVERNMENT EXPECTS 91 BILLION LIRAS FROM SPECIAL CONSUMPTION TAXES IN 4 YEARS
The government expects an income of 91.2 billion liras (approx. 61.6 billion USD) from special consumption taxes on oil and natural gas in the past four years. The special consumption taxes are expected to go up by 1.5 fold when compared to the year 2006.
RADİKAL
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CRITICAL WEEK IN CYPRUS
Cyprus will be discussed in the United States on December 7 and in the European Union (EU) in December 10-11. Ankara works on the matter.
President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) talked to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Talat will talk to the Turkish president and prime minister today.
Chief Negotiator for the EU talks Egemen Bagis will take the pulse in Sweden, the EU Rotating President, this week.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will talk to U.S. President Barack Obama on December 7.
There is EU summit on December 10-11. Erdogan is expected to seek for support to enter the way of solution till the end of March.
H1N1 TO PEAK IN FEBRUARY
Prof. Gaye Usluer, a member of the Science Committee of the Health Ministry said, "swine flu which claimed 7,000 lives in the world will hit the top in February."
Health Ministry said death toll had risen to 195 from swine flu.
Many schools were closed in different regions of Turkey because of swine flu. Hospitals are full of children infected with influenza. Children are protected by masks.
Benzer Haberler 
National
