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Post by juicyjude on Feb 3, 2006 21:58:51 GMT 1
It's the same in Side, so if you know a little Turkish it really does help ;D
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Post by The March Hare on Feb 4, 2006 20:59:09 GMT 1
Editör giriþ
Coastline to be extended
The extension of the coastline between the Waterworks and the Yakamoz restaurant, which was instigated last year will continue between the Yakamoz Restaurant and the 131st Branch Management of the Highways.
The second step for the extension will be undertaken by Yýl-San Tourism Mining Construction Import and Export, Ltd. which recieved the contract on the 5th of January on the basis of construct-operate-turnover.. During the second stage, an area of 33,554 square meters will be filled. Later there will be a combing of the sea, the construction of a quay with a wave breaker for small boats and offices for rent on the coastline, in line with the project... The total cost of the project is 6 million YTL. The contract was awarded to Yýl-San Co. against a guarantee of 300 thousand YTL on the 5th of January, 2006. After the completion of the project, the successful bidder will run the offices within its scope for 15 years, paying a rental of 30 thousand YTL to the Fethiye Municipality.
Speaking at the cermeony for the allocation of the area, Behçet Saatçý, the Mayor of Fethiye, made the following comments: “We have four major investment plans. These are the Debboy projects, waste disposal area, extension of our moring for ships and the extension of the coastline. We are now allocating the space for the work on the coastline on the basis of the contract awarded on the 5th of January. The best feature of the construct-operate-turn over model is that the faster the successful bidder completes the work, the more beneficial it will be for him. This project will enhance the beauty of Fethiye. I hope the project will be to the advantage of everyone.”
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Post by The March Hare on Feb 4, 2006 21:06:03 GMT 1
Editör giriþ
Ölüdeniz Water Contract awarded
The contract for the drinking water pipeline for the Ovacýk and Hisarönü districts of Ölüdeniz has been awarded.
The pipeline is planned to be completed within two years and will involve the installation of approximately 87 km of pipes, the construction of 3 new water tanks and the renovation of the present storage facilities.
Pursuant to the awarding of the contract, Keramettin Yýlmaz, the Mayor of Ölüdeniz, made the following comments: “As you know, last year we provided for 100 litres per second of pure water to the area . This year we are renovating the pipeline that was installed in our Ovacýk and Hisarönü districts previously. We are having new lines for other districts and areas our total pipeline is 87 km. Needless to say, we shall have valves in the pipeline in case of fire. We shall have new water tanks built as well. In other words, we shall have pure and healthy water resources in the Ölüdeniz area. In this way, we shall have a sanitary pipeline and prevent leakage from the installations. Furthermore, the road construction in our region is continuing at full speed and we are opening new roads. We are also having new sidewalks built. Our present premises of the municipality is insufficient for our work and we are about to complete the project for our new offices.”
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Post by jj on Feb 21, 2006 17:47:03 GMT 1
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has exceeded all expectations in the last five years recovering from a severe economic crisis, but persistent unemployment and widespread poverty cast a shadow on this stellar performance.
A large gap between haves and have-nots and problems of a socially polarized society such as increasing street crime in the big cities hang over the government.
The crisis erupted on Feb 19, 2001, when Turkey's president furiously tossed a copy of the constitution onto the table in a top-level security meeting.
The deputy prime minister threw it back with an angry retort and the 75-year old prime minister stormed out to tell journalists that the president insulted him, and declared a "serious crisis" in front of television cameras.
Panicky investors drained over $7 billion from central bank reserves, key lending rates went over 4,000 percent, causing devaluation of the lira and crushing a 3-year, $11 billion anti-inflation program with the International Monetary Fund.
Since then Turkey has transformed its economy by sharply lowering its debt load and cutting inflation. The transformation was crowned by the start of the European Union entry talks last October.
QUARTER OF TURKS POOR
However, problems remain.
Recently-announced official data showed that a quarter of all Turks live below the poverty line, and 1.29 percent suffer from actual hunger.
"Unfair income distribution is a problem as important as the current account deficit," said Demir Hayat Sigorta portfolio manager Cengiz Kilic.
"It is true that the purchasing power has risen, but this has not been divided equally among the people ... this is not a short-term problem but a long-term problem," he said.
The latest data on income distribution, for 2003, say that the richest 20 percent of the population take 48.2 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent get 6.0 percent.
Toughening competition from China in textiles and rising energy prices put pressure on Turkish wages in addition to IMF-backed tight fiscal discipline.
Official data show unemployment hovering around 10 percent, but most economists say they do not measure the true extent of joblessness in Turkey due to poor records.
High unemployment rates are normal because Turkey is still moving from an agriculture-based country to an economy focused on industry and services, some analysts said.
"It is not easy to lower unemployment as you have people migrating from the countryside and also have population growth," Fortis chief economist Haluk Burumcekci said.
In the last year 1.2 million new jobs were created in the non-farm sector, according to Burumcekci.
"I believe that we are on the right track. As long as growth is preserved, there will hope for the jobless," he said.
EXPORT STRATEGY NEEDED
Turkey has shown an exemplary success improving its macroeconomy but analysts say that was the easy part and making its companies more efficient to compete in an ever-globalizing world economy will be harder.
Textiles, a major source of foreign exchange for the Turkish economy, have been a catalyst for the country's development for decades and provided jobs for low-skilled people pouring into towns from the villages.
Now the Turkish textile sector is losing ground to China.
"Turkey must design its future growth strategy ... we need an export strategy," said Burumcekci.
Despite abolition of global textile quotas at the start of 2005, the world's biggest markets the United States and the European Union have taken temporary safeguard measures to limit Chinese shipments in certain categories, helping Turkish exporters.
But Burumcekci said further liberalization in textiles, white goods and electronics could make things even worse for Turkey.
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Post by The March Hare on Feb 21, 2006 20:55:21 GMT 1
The 1st International Öger Antalya Marathon will be held in Antalya on March 19, 2006. Besides professional runners, amateurs and disabled sportsmen are going to participate the marathon.
The start for all types of races will be at the Republic Square (Cumhuriyet Meydaný) and at Antalya Museum. The finish will be at the Atatürk Stadium.
Starting Time and Place
Hand biker: Antalya Museum at 07:45
Fun run: Antalya Museum at 08:30
Marathon and team marathon: Cumhuriyet Square at 08:00
Semi-marathon: Cumhuriyet Square at 09:30
Registration and Participation
For the qualification of the marathon all male or female participants must be born in 1988 or earlier and be trained sufficiently. For the half marathon all participants must be born in 1990 or earlier and equally trained for the race. The registration documents can be provided from the "Marathon Information and Application" desk at "Cam Piramit" on March 17 and 18, 2006 between 11:00 and 18:00 hours. Participation is done at own risk. It is strongly recommended to undergo a detailed medical examination by a sports physician.
Those who complete the marathon run will be awarded by Cup. Medals, participation document will be given to those who finish the team and semi-marathon runs. Food and refreshment on the course, medical care on the course and at the finish line, shower facilities at the stadium, are among the services to be provided. An entertainment program is scheduled at the Stadium after the finish of the marathons.
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Post by jj on Mar 28, 2006 6:38:40 GMT 1
Temperatures are expected to rise as of today across Turkey and the increase is likely to continue until the mid-week.
Rainfall is expected today in the east and west of the Mediterranean region, eastern part of the Black Sea region and eastern parts of the eastern and southeastern Anatolia. Other parts of the country will be sunny with partly cloudy skies.
Clouds will reappear on Wednesday and rainfall is expected all over Turkey on Thursday. Higher regions in the central parts of the eastern Black Sea region and northeastern parts of eastern Anatolia may witness sleet.
With spring arriving, temperatures in the Aegean tourist resorts of Muðla, Bodrum and Marmaris have been enjoying temperatures as high as 20 degrees. The new increase will push temperatures up in the region 2-4 degrees higher, local meteorology officials said.
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Post by jj on Mar 28, 2006 6:40:24 GMT 1
Turkey's unemployment rate has gone up from 6.5 percent in 2000 to 10.3 percent in 2005, official figures revealed.
The figures, announced by Labor and Social Security Minister Murat Baþesgioðlu, show that unemployment has been on a steady rise since 2000, when it stood at 6.5 percent. In 2001, the unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent and in 2002 it went up to 10.3 percent. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 10.5 percent. In 2004 and 2005, the figure went down to 10.3 percent in 2004.
Baþesgioðlu, responding to a formal question from opposition True Path Party (DYP) deputy Mehmet Eraslan, said factors such as the rate of increase in birth rates and a shift away from the agriculture sector due to industrialization should be given due consideration while the increase in unemployment is assessed.
Turkey's economic growth is also insufficient on its own to provide employment to the existing unemployed as well as to 700,000 youngsters who join the labor force every year, Baþesgioðlu said.
The minister also indicated that the number of people living below starvation and poverty lines has been stable in the past years.
Accordingly, some 926,000 people were living below the starvation line in 2002, while close to 18.5 million people, almost 27 percent of the entire population, remained below the poverty line.
In 2003, some 894,000 people were below the starvation line and 19.4 million people remained below the poverty line. The following year, the figures were 909,000 and 17.9 million respectively.
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 16:20:55 GMT 1
ANTALYA - The Second Turkey-Europe Tourism Summit will begin on Monday, April 24th in southern City of Antalya's Kemer town where the top 100 hotels of the world will be announced, said sources from the Europe-Turkey Tourism Business Council today.
In a statement made to the A.A correspondent, Chairman of the Europe-Turkey Tourism Business Council Huseyin Baraner indicated that representatives from 300 giant tourism groups and travel agencies will be in Kemer next month. The summit will be attended by approximately 1,000 Turkish hotel executives.
Baraner stressed that, upon a voting conducted by the Swiss Holiday Check organization, the top 100 hotels of the world will be announced in Kemer. ''There are 40 hotels from Turkey in this list of 100 top hotels,'' stated Baraner.
Baraner added that 8 out of every 10 European children wish to have a holiday in Turkey. ''Turkish tourism's future depend on the European children. The European children love Turkey,'' expressed Baraner.
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 16:21:26 GMT 1
ANKARA - Turkish Culture & Tourism Ministry has initiated a new ''Thermal Tourism Cities Project'' which aims to make Turkey one of the most important thermal tourism destinations of the world.
The Ministry set preferential regions regarding their geothermal potentials. Accordingly southern Aegean (Izmir, Manisa, Aydin, Denizli), Phrygia (Afyonkarahisar, Kutahya, Usak, Eskisehir, Ankara), southern Marmara (Canakkale, Balikesir, Yalova) and central Anatolia (Yozgat, Kirsehir, Nevsehir, Aksaray, Nigde) are the priority regions.
Officials said that Turkey is among the top 7 countries of the world in geothermal resources, while at the top in Europe.
The project aims to increase tourism income of Turkey and increase diversity in tourism.
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 16:21:59 GMT 1
TRABZON - There are many ski and winter resorts throughout Turkey thanks to its geographical position and conditions. Indeed, Turkey is an important winter tourism center. Parts of Turkey are mountainous, and many regions have cooler climate than the sunny Mediterranean.
The leading ski centers in Turkey are Uludag in northwestern Bolu city; Palandoken in eastern Erzurum city; Erciyes in central Kayseri city; Sarikamis in eastern Kars city; Kartalkaya in northwestern Bolu city; Saklikent in southern Antalya city and Ilgaz in northwestern Kastamonu city. But there are other less known ski centers like Bubi Mountain-Agri, Ankara-Elmadag, Bingol-Yolactý, Elazýg-Sivrice Hazarbaba, Erzincan-Bolkar, Gumushame-Zigana, Isparta-Davraz and Izmir-Odemis Bozdag.
While the number of ski centers increases, skiing clubs were active in more than 20 cities.
In Turkey under the normal winter conditions the height of the snow reaches 3 meters and natural beauty of the mountainous areas is stunning. These resorts offer great skiing facilities, good accommodation and great Turkish food, in a much quieter environment than many of their competitors in the world.
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 16:23:00 GMT 1
SIVAS - Tablets belonged to Hittite and Asurian trade colonies, and stone-relief of Hittite gods were unearthed during excavations in Kayalipinar ruins near Yildizeli town of central Turkish city of Sivas, sources told the A.A on Tuesday.
German Marburg University Department of Archaeology Chairman Prof. Dr. Andreas Muller Karpe headed this year's excavations in the ruins.
During the 50-day excavations, tablets belonged to Hittite and Asurian trade colonies, and stone-relief of Hittite gods were brought to light.
Ancient people of Asia Minor and Syria who flourished from 1600 to 1200 B.C., the Hittites, a nation of Indo-European connection, were supposed to have entered Cappadocia around 1800 B.C.
The Hittite empire, with its capital at Bogazkoy (also called as Hattusas), was the chief power and cultural force in Western Asia from 1400 to 1200 B.C.
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 16:23:34 GMT 1
ANTAKYA/ADANA - Antakya Archeology Museum in southern city of Hatay which is the second largest mosaic museum of the world draws great attention of visitors.
More than 34,000 artifacts are exhibited in the museum.
Antakya Archeology Museum Curator Faruk Kilic told A.A, ''in the aspect of mosaic artifacts, our museum is the second largest museum of the world behind Bardo Museum in Tunis.''
''Last year 14,000 foreign and 86,000 Turkish tourists visited the museum. In the first 9 months of this year, we have reached 100,000 visitors. This shows that the interest towards our museum increases every year,'' he added.
''Mosaics remaining from Rome's one of the biggest cities Antakya are exhibited in the museum. Excavations continue in the region to bring out more historical artifacts,'' said Kilic.
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Post by juicyjude on Apr 13, 2006 16:29:59 GMT 1
Thanks JJ for that  |
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Post by jj on Apr 13, 2006 17:04:35 GMT 1
Thanks JJ for that Your welcome |
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Post by jj on Apr 17, 2006 15:28:04 GMT 1
To make it to the top of Turkey's central bank, it is not enough to be a good secularist. Even your spouse must pass the headscarf test.
The acting governor, Erdem Basci, seemed poised to take the helm this week before being struck off the list, allegedly because his wife had taken to covering her head in public, a statement of Islamist sympathies.
She wears a scarf, but not the veil, and certainly nothing like the Afghan tribal burka.
Even this was too much for Turkish president Necdet Sezer, a fierce defender of the secular Ataturk tradition, and ever vigilant for signs of creeping Islamic influence over the ruling institutions.
He reportedly threatened to veto Mr Basci if the Islamic-rooted government now in power insisted in pushing forward his name, even though there is no written rule on dress for wives.
"How can you appoint someone based on what their spouses wear?" protested the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"This is discrimination. Those who discriminate against headscarves will be vilified in the future like those who discriminated against blacks in the past," he said.
In no mood to back down on principle, his likely choice now is Adnan Büyükdeniz, head of a Saudi-funded Islamic "non-usury" bank Albaraka Turk.
"He's an Islamist opposed to the liberal policies of the current government and the IMF," said Mehmet Altan, an economics professor at Istanbul university.
"His appointment would undermine confidence and destabilise the Turkish economy," he said.
The battle between Islamic and secular factions has rattled the markets, triggering further falls this week in the lira and a slide in bond prices.
The central banker has been the anchor of stability, bringing inflation down from almost 80pc five years ago to an expected 5.5pc in 2006.
Fears that the bank may now become an ideological football comes at a delicate moment, just as Turkey faces fallout from a banking crisis in Iceland, which has sent tremors through the Middle East, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
Investors have been scrambling to cash in profits in emerging markets, fearing that monetary tightening by the world's big central banks will choke off the liquidity that has fuelled the global asset boom.
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Post by The March Hare on Apr 17, 2006 20:03:18 GMT 1
Sunday is Mevlid Kandil
The five holy evenings on the Muslim calendar are called Kandil (Candle). The holy night Mevlid - the birth of Prophet Mohammad - is on Sunday April 9, 2006.
It is necessary to add that Turks have a personal way of following Islam. A great number of Muslim Turks will enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage, smoke cigarettes and make the most of the "good things in life", though taking care not to do these during religious occasions such as Ramazan (Ramadan) or the Kandil. This is, of course, an unofficial declaration on your researchers part. Ramazan is the holy month when for thirty days a good Muslim lets nothing pass his/her lips during daylight hours; no eating, drinking, smoking or even licking a postage stamp. Some restaurants and nightclubs are closed during the month of Ramazan.
Mosque festivals are called Kandil, which means Candle. It is so called because all the mosques are illuminated and those are the nights on which Muslims pray for forgiveness and wish to see the right way of things to be done according to their religion.
The story of Kandil
The five holy evenings on the Muslim calendar are called Kandil. During the Ottoman Empire Sultan Selim II of 16th century lit candles on the minarets of the mosques in order to announce these holy nights to the public. Since this calendar is calculated with the revolution of the moon around the earth the dates of the Kandils differ every year.
Mevlid Kandili - The birth of Prophet Mohammad (April 9, 2006)
Regaip Kandili – The beginning of the pregnancy of Prophet Mohammad’s mother (July 27, 2006)
Miraç Kandili – Prophet Mohammad’s rising to sky (August 20, 2006)
Berat Kandili – The forgiveness of the sins (September 7, 2006)
Kadir Gecesi – The Koran’s first appearance to Prophet Mohammad (October 19, 2006)
These nights Muslims usually worship and sing Mevlit, a poem written for the birth of Prophet Mohammad. Kandils were holy days when young members visited the older members of the family, however today the Kandil greetings are made with phone calls. Some restaurants serving alcoholic beverages may be closed at Kandils. Most of the pastry shops and bakery sell Kandil Simidi (special small crispy bread ring strewn with or without sesame seeds). In some apartments the neighbors hand out helva (a special Turkish dessert made of semolina or flour) or lokma tatlýsý (again a special Turkish dessert made of fried dough with syrup).
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Post by The March Hare on Apr 20, 2006 23:19:52 GMT 1
'Interest Rates to Fall After Reform'
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zaman.com
The Turkish parliament is passing reform packages in order to eliminate social security deficiencies, one of the largest black holes affecting the Turkish economy.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul announced that social security reforms will decrease Turkey’s “risk” premium in the international market brining interest rates down even more.
International credit rating agencies associate Turkey’s credit note increase with the country’s social security reform, allowing it to enter among those countries that have suitable environment for investment.
Speaking at the Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Minister Gul touched on economic developments as well.
In response to the criticisms about social security reforms, Gul told, in direct reference to the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), that they are even more “social democratic” than those who direct these criticisms
“We invest in Turkey’s future by enacting these laws. As a conservative party, we give importance to social policies more than a social democrat or a left-wing party. Turkey’s risk premium will automatically fall when the law is enacted, and we will pay less interest when we borrow money. Therefore, what we are doing is right. “
In the meantime, Parliament’s General Assembly has started discussions on the Social Insurances and General Healthcare Insurance bill as a basic law in the scope of the Social Security Reform, one of the main items of the economic program conducted with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
As part of the reform, the single roof draft became law last week.
The main opposition party CHP left parliament after the draft was opened to discussions.
CHP Istanbul Deputy, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who spoke on behalf of his party, told that CHP objected to law being discussed as a basic law since their right to speak was hindered. During a parliamentary group meeting speech, opposition leader Deniz Baykal defended that CHP spoiled the IMF’s game by not participating in the talks. Labor unions, reacting to the draft, organized demonstrations in protest.
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Post by The March Hare on Apr 24, 2006 17:44:58 GMT 1
Tourist Arrivals Decline in 1st Quarter
The number of tourists visiting Turkey in the first three months of this year dropped by 11.5 percent, according to the data released by the Turkish Institue of Statistics on Friday.
According to the institute’s data, the number of tourists travelling to Turkey decreased by 16.7 percent in March, bringing the figure for the first quarter of 2006 to 11.5 percent compared to the same period of the last year.
In the January-March period, 2.2 million tourists entered Turkey while the figure was 2.5 million during the corresponding period of 2005.
The bird flu outbreaks, the World Cup games to be held in Germany in the summer and the recent cartoon crisis have seen as key factors in the reduction of tourist arrivals in Turkey so far this year.
With a 16.7 percent decrease, the number of tourists dropped to 921,900 in March 2006.
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Post by The March Hare on Apr 24, 2006 17:47:13 GMT 1
Settlers at Patara await USA citizens
While it is still argued whether the 220th anniversary of the USA Constitution is to be celebrated at Patara or not, the villagers are already prepared to play host for the occasion.
Discussions are still under way about the issue of the Americans wishing to celebrate the 220th anniversary of the approval of the US Constitution in 2007 at the antique city of Patara.
The Patara village is caught between the archaeological site and the region under the auspices of the Special Environmental Protection. The development plan of the village has not been drawn up since 1992. Therefore, construction is banned in the village. The villagers state that they are pleased with the work of the excavation team and consider the Lycian Council building and the existence here of the oldest lighthouse in the world as “the future of Patara”. During the last 20 years none of the villagers were taken to court for smuggling of antique pieces, under the provisions of the Legislation on the Preservation of Cultural Wealth. This alone is indicative of the fact that the villagers believe in the significance of the excavations in the region.
It was suggested that the celebration of the 220th anniversary of the establishment of the US Constitution at Patara in 2007 would result in federated administrations in Turkey. On the basis of public reaction, it was argued that the celebration would result in bestowing Patara to the Americans as a present.
The villagers of Patara state that the celebrations in 2007 would be a great opportunity for Patara. The village chief, Arif Otlu, says, “The celebrations will bring the name of our village to the fore. As a result more tourists will visit our village. It is purported that the Americans will buy our village. We have not sold even an inch of our land and we do not intend to do so. However, we would like Americans to come here for the celebrations. We shall display Turkish hospitality for them.” There is not a single foreigner owning land at the Patara village. The village council and the villagers themselves have reached a mutual decision not to sell a single piece of land to the foreigners. Village Chief Otlu says, “As historical ruins are unearthed, it is not possible to build hotels, restaurants in the area. We believe that the argument is based on this.”
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Post by The March Hare on Apr 24, 2006 17:49:01 GMT 1
Fethiye Lighthouse to be opened for tourism
Throughout Turkey nine lighthouses, most of which are historical and are used to guide the ships at sea, are to be used for tourism purposes.
The nine lighthouses, including the one at Fethiye, will be rented out for three years each.
The General Management of Coast Security and Ship Salvage is preparing invitations for bids to have the land and buildings of nine lighthouses throughout Turkey allocated for use in the field of tourism. The operation of the lighthouses will be maintained by the general management, but the land and the buildings will be rented for a period of 3 years. The successful bidders will be allowed to reorganize the surroundings of the lighthouses for tourism purposes and, furthermore, improve the appearance of the lighthouses by painting them. In as much as the areas around these lighthouses vary in size, it is assumed that the operators will use these areas as cafes and sea-food restaurants generally. The lighthouses to be rented out and estimated rents per month are as follows:
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