Today in Turkish Press

ANKARA (A.A) - 11.05.2011 - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on May 11, 2011. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET
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OPERATION WITH GAS GRENADES IN ISTANBUL
46 people, including three members of music band Yorum, were detained in an operation staged with gas grenades on DHKP-C (The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front) in Istanbul. Ali Araci and Caner Bozkurt from Yorum were released with the directives of prosecutor.

THEY BURN 92.6 BLN USD ASSURANCE
Tender of Ankara natural gas network was cancelled as a Turkish joint venture of Mehmet Emin Karamehmet and Mehmet Kazanci did not pay 1.2 billion USD until Monday, the payment deadline. The two partners burned 92.6 billion USD of assurance. Now eyes turned to tenders for Istanbul's Bogazici Elektrik Dagitim, Turkey's largest power grid, and Istanbul Anadolu Yakasi Elektrik Dagitim, another power grid on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Karamehmet and Kazanci offered the highest bid for these tenders. The payment deadline of these two tenders is May 31.
   
MILLIYET
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WE HAVE FALLEN OFF
"Yuksek Sadakat", a band representing Turkey in the Eurovision song contest, was disappointed at semi finals of the 56th Eurovision Song Contest. The group could not take the ticket for the finals of the contest that will take place in Germany on May 14 with its song "Live It Up".

VISIT FROM CANKAYA TO RAKEL
State Inspection Board Delegation, associated with President Abdullah Gul, had a very long meeting with Rakel Dink, wife of Hrant Dink, and took notes from her demands.
President Gul said he was very embarrassed when European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sentenced Turkey as it did not prevent Dink assassination and did not investigate the murder in details. Gul gave directives to State Inspection Board and the delegation met with Rakel Dink and her lawyer two weeks ago. Dink told all the problems they had experienced starting before the murder.
The delegation later gave information to Gul about the meeting. A new legal process may start if State Inspection Board decides that investigation against civil servants was not carried out in line with the laws. 

SABAH
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TURKEY CAPITAL GAS GRID SELL OFF CANCELLED
Turkey's privatization authority on Tuesday said it had scraped off a deal to sell 80 percent of the shares in Baskent Dogalgaz, the state-owned gas grid in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The deal was cancelled when it fell through after the highest-bidders, Mehmet Emin Karamehmet and Mehmet Kazanci, had failed to pay 1,104 million U.S. dollars before a deadline to complete the agreement. The privatization authority seized a down payment of 107.2 million U.S. dollars as revenue to the Turkish Treasury.

INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE INDUSTRY FAIR OPENS IN ISTANBUL
IDEF 2011, the International Defense Industry Fair, opened on Monday in Istanbul. The event saw the penning of an agreement for the manufacture of Turkey's first fully indigenous tank. The tank is named Altay, which would feature a radar system  that could detect enemy and friendly forces.

VATAN
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SHOCK IN EUROVISION: WE ARE ELIMINATED
The band "Yuksek Sadakat" (High Fidelity), which represented Turkey in the 56th Eurovision Song Contest, was eliminated in the semi-final. Yuksek Sadakat appeared at stage in Dusseldorf Arena on the fifth rank, and performed their song "Live It Up" (Hayatini Yasa) in English. However, jury and public votes were not enough to carry our band to top ten.

TURKEY PASSES EU IN 3G
Vodafone Turkey Executive Board Chairperson Serpil Timuray said, "as of today, 3G subscription reached 31 percent penetration." Timuray said, "if we consider the European Union's average as 30 percent, Turkey recorded a really fast growth in 3G in the last two years. Mobile internet use also rose 25 percent."

CUMHURIYET
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HEAVY RAIN FALL RISKS FURTHER COLLAPSE IN TURKEY CYANIDE CONTAINMENT POOL
Expected heavy rain fall for the next three days could cause fresh damage to the walls of a cyanide containment pool in Turkey's western province of Kutahya, experts warned. Cyanide-laced water might spill into the nearby Porsuk River and then to the Black Sea if the fourth and the last intact wall of the 21 million ton pool collapses .

TURKEY'S LATE DIVA AWARDED WITH FRENCH PRIX
Turkey's late operatic diva Leyla Gencer was awarded with Orphée d’Or de l’Académie Lyrique Française, or "the Golden Orpheus" for her lifetime achievements. Internationally- acclaimed Turkish classical pianist Idil Biret received Gencer's prize.

RADIKAL
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93 MILLION DOLLARS BURNED
Turkish joint venture of Mehmet Emin Karamehmet and Mehmet Kazanci who got tender of Baskent Natural Gas network for 1.2 billion USD could not find money till the end of the payment deadline. 93 million USD of Karamehmet and Kazanci burned.
Tenders for Bogazici and Anadolu Side electricity will also be cancelled in case the two could not find three billion USD till May 31.

THE MEDDLER REVEALED TO BE THE COMPUTER
Student Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) gave its defense in the case filed to cancel passage to high school examination.
According to the intervening lawyer's claims, OSYM told the court that encoding occurred because of improper computer program. However, OSYM head earlier said intervention of humanbeings to computers caused encoding.

TURKIYE
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STRIKING STATEMENT FROM AHMADINAJAD TO DAILY TURKIYE
Commenting on the riots in the region, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "nations should be able to gain their rights. Syria will solve its problem with its state and the people."
Speaking about the nuclear crisis which the world wondered, Ahmadinejad said, "we are ready for contact. I wrote the letter. I will send it to European Union (EU). The address will again be Istanbul."

DEFENSE FOR PEACE
President Abdullah Gul opened "IDEF'11" Defence Industry Fair which attracted worldwide interest. Gul said Turkey's foreign policy was within the scope of peace and noted, "defense industry is indispensable not for preparation to war but to prevent wars."

ZAMAN
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HE SHAKES THE WORLD WITH HIS TECHNIC
A new star was born in the World Taekwondo Championship which took place in South Korea. Servet Tazegul of Turkey defeated his Iranian rival in the final, and won gold medal. The young taekwondo player was also selected the most valuable sportsman of the championship.

FIRST VOTE FOR AK PARTY
Turkish electors, who are registered in Electoral Rolls Abroad, began to cast their votes at customs gates as of yesterday for the general elections in Turkey on June 12. The first vote was cast by Turkish businessman Halid Aydin who was coming from Lebanon at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. Aydin's choice was Justice & Development (AK) Party.

YENI SAFAK
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TURKEY'S FIRST INDIGENOUS TANK AT DEFENSE FAIR
Turkey's first indigenous tank, Altay, made its maiden public appearance Tuesday at IDEF 2011, the 10th International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul. The tank is manufactured by Turkish automotive company Otokar.

TURKISH THINK TANK PROPOSES REFORM OF TOP COURT, SECURITY COUNCIL
Institute of Strategic Thinking, a Turkish think tank, is set to release a draft constitution on Wednesday, which had been written after its sixth workshop. The draft constitution includes provisions amending the structure of Turkey's Constitutional Court and the National Security Council.