TURKEY-PRESS SCAN (2)

ANKARA (A.A) - 13.04.2011 - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on April 13, 2011. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VATAN
-----
KILICDAROGLU SAYS THEY MADE A REFORM IN PARTY
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said regarding criticisms on candidate MP list of CHP that they made a great reform in the party. Kilicdaroglu said that the list of candidate MPs mainly included youth and women. "I would like to thank our friends, who were not included in the list, for their assistance and efforts for the party," he said.

SNOW IN APRIL
When Turkey is getting prepared for spring, heavy snowfall paralyzed daily life and traffic in eastern and southeastern parts of the country. Schools were recessed due to heavy snow in eastern province of Erzurum. Many highways and roads were closed to traffic and cars got stuck on highways in the eastern part of the country. 16 people who were trapped under snow due to avalanche in Ovit Mountain in Erzurum, were rescued.

CUMHURIYET
----------
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR ASKS TURKEY FOR MEASURES AGAINST FRESH GAZA FLOTILLA 
Israeli Ambassador in Ankara Gabby Levy has reportedly urged the Turkish government to take measures to ward off another Gaza flotilla crisis, saying that international organizations including the Turkey-based IHH were planning to launch an attempt to break Israel's naval siege of Gaza by sending a fresh aid flotilla. Turkish Foreign Ministry has reportedly said "the IHH might not listen to our warnings."

RAID ON AL-QAEDA IN TURKEY
Police detained 52 people in simultaneous operations against suspected al-Qaeda cells in Istanbul and the eastern province of Van. Al-Qaeda's alleged leader in Turkey, Halis Bayancuk, was reported among the 42 people who were detained in Istanbul. The detainees also include a suspected senior operative in Van.

RADIKAL
-------
OPERATION AGAINST AL QAIDA BEFORE A TERRORIST ACT
Police raided 50 different places in Istanbul to fight against terrorist organization al Qaida. Police detained 40 people, including Halis Bayancuk, a top member of the organization responsible for Turkey. With an alias "Ebu Hanzala", Bayancuk is the son of Haci Bayancuk, one of top members of Hizbullah terrorist organization. Father Bayancuk was one of the plotters of the killing of Diyarbakir Police Chief Gaffar Okkan. It is said that the suspects had been preparing for a terrorist act in Turkey before they were caught.

THIEF STEALS, POSTMEN PAYS COSTS
6,500 branches of Turkey's Postal Service (PTT) are continuously robbed due to security weakness. PTT branches deal with around 160 million Turkish liras (TL) a month, and the money is debited on the staff of post offices. PTT is collecting back the money stolen without use of any weapons from the salaries of its own staff. The monthly salaries of PTT staff is around 1,600-1,900 TL, and the PTT is getting back the money stolen from its own staff in instalments.