HURRIYET
--TERRORIST HEAD DIES
Dursun Karatas, head of the DHKP-C terrorist organization, died in hospital in the Netherlands. Karatas had receiving treatment for cancer. His lawyer said the family was planning to bury Karatas in Turkey. "There is no obstacle to bury him in Turkey as he was a Turkish citizen. One of the family members will come to collect his body," the lawyer said.
--TURKEY'S LIONS, CANARIES TO FACE OPPONENTS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Turkey's Lions, Galatasaray, and Canaries, Fenerbahce, are set to take on their opponents in the first leg match of the third qualifying round of the European Champions League. Galatasaray will face Romania's Steaua Bucharest in a home game, and Fenerbahce will play against Serbia's Partizan in an away game.
MILLIYET
--SEND WORKER TO DEATH, PAY 20,000 YTL
Turkey harshly reacted against the use of workers instead of sandbags in testing of a life boat after an accident that killed three workers and injured 16 others. Experts said, "Only two trained staff are used to operate the boat in such tests and sandbags are placed in the other sections. However, 19 workers were used as test dummies. Most probably some of them did not know how to swim."
Those responsible for conducting the life boat test were found to be seriously negligent, but would pay a fine of just 20,000 YTL ($16,800), for causing the accident.
--KARATAS TO BE BURIED IN ISTANBUL
The body of the head of the DHKP-C terrorist organization, Dursun Karatas, who died in the Netherlands on Monday, will return to Turkey to be buried in Istanbul, his lawyer said and noted procedures were underway.
SABAH
--EXPERT WARNED, THEY DID NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY
Kerem Kiper, director of French Loydu company, who examined the ship after a life boat accident in Tuzla, said, "I can not describe it as an accident. The shipyard acted as if nothing would happen. We had warned them not to do the test with workers. Unmanned tests are applied in such cases in Europe."
Trade associations said using people as test dummies was murder.
--TURKEY MUST BE STRONG
President Abdullah Gul said Russia's halting of operations was positive and that Turkey attached importance to Georgia's territorial integrity.
Gul said, "Developments in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Georgia have proved that Turkey should always be strong and stable in its region. Turkey's role for peace will continue."
VATAN
--DTP TO JOIN IN ERGENEKON CASE
Democratic Society Party (DTP) is set to seek prosecution in what is publicly known as the Ergenekon case for unsolved murders in Turkey's southeastern region. The DTP has been contacting families of victims to have them intervene in the case. "Ergenekon has grown, got organized and targeted the government because of the Kurdish problem," DTP leader Ahmet Turk said.
--REGULAR PRICE HIKES ON HORIZON FOR NATURAL GAS
Turkey's energy regulatory authority is planning a new pricing system in natural gas distribution, with regularly quarterly price adjustments, as it is with electricity. Accordingly, increasing costs will bring regular price hikes in natural gas.
CUMHURIYET
--MARTYRIES LAID TO ETERNAL REST
Five of the nine soldiers who were martyred by the terrorist organization PKK in the eastern town of Kemah were laid to rest on Wednesday in their home towns after a ceremony held at a military hospital in Erzincan. "Down with the PKK," chanted crowds at the funeral ceremonies.
--MARITIME AUTHORITY TO PROBE LIFEBOAT KILLINGS IN TUZLA
Turkey's maritime authority is set to launch a probe into the deaths of three workers at a shipyard in Istanbul Tuzla region. Three workers were killed when a lifeboat they were in was capsized during a test on Monday. The shipyard owner admitted placing workers in the lifeboat instead of sandbags. One worker, who asked not to be identified, said the owner had threatened workers with the sack if they refused to board the lifeboat for testing.
RADIKAL
--THREE PEOPLE DEAD IN LIFEBOAT BUILT FOR USE IN EMERGENCY
A lifeboat rescued 12 people from freezing to death after they jumped from a sinking ship off the coast of the United States in 2002. Why did a lifeboat kill three people in Tuzla? Here is the grave claim: The lifeboat was purchased from China at a lower cost and it did not plunge into the water straight.
What all experts said is, "a lifeboat is tested with sandbags first, and later with people."
--GUL: GEORGIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IS IMPORTANT
President Abdullah Gul described the statement of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that they stopped military operations in Georgia, "as a positive development".
Gul said, "Turkey attaches importance to territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. It is very important that everybody should respect this."
YENI SAFAK
--TURKEY'S ECONOMY MORE RESILIENT, IMF SAYS
The IMF said that improvements in the public and private sectors in the past five years had strengthened Turkey's resistance against shocks, however foreign risks still continued. The IMF released a report following the conclusion of reviews and said ongoing foreign risks required close monitoring. The report also said macroeconomic developments had become less favorable since the last review in May 2007.
--GALATASARAY, FENERBAHCE TO TACKLE ROMANIAN, SERBIAN TEAMS IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Turkey's Galatasaray and Fenerbahce football teams will take on their opponents in the first leg match of the third qualifying round of the European Champions League. Galatasaray will play against Romania's Steaua Bucharest in Istanbul, and Fenerbahce will face Serbia's Partizan in an away game.
