| GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON FEB 26 |
26. Feb 2009|18:52 |
These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in the Turkish press on Feb. 26, 2009.
HURRIYET
-- TURKISH AIRLINER CRASHES, KILLS NINE
A Turkish passenger plane crashed while attempting to land at Amsterdam's main airport, killing nine and injuring 84. The Turkish Airlines (THY) Boeing 737-800 with 127 passengers and 7 crew members slammed on a muddy field 1,800 meters short of a runway at the Schiphol Airport, splitting into three parts with the tail section sustaining the greatest damage. Several passengers walked off the plane unhurt. Six passengers, two pilots and a cabin crew member were killed. Six of the injured were in critical condition.
-- DUTCH PREMIER TELEPHONES TURKISH COUNTERPART OVER PLANE CRASH
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende telephoned his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a THY plane crashed on approach at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. "Keep your hearts in peace. I am personally seeing to the incident. We are doing everything necessary," Balkanende told Erdogan.
MILLIYET
-- THY PLANE CRASHES WHEN LANDING AT AMSTERDAM
Boeing 737-800 type aircraft of THY carrying 127 passengers and 7 crew members took off from Istanbul at 8:22 a.m. on Wednesday. The plane started to descend at 11:31 towards Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for landing. The plane hit the ground short of a runway at Schiphol Airport. Nine people died and 84 others were injured in the crash.
-- SPECIAL UNIT HEAD COMMITS SUICIDE
Behcet Oktay, the head of the National Police Department's Special Operations Unit, committed suicide in capital city Ankara at his birthday. Oktay, 52, shot himself in the head in his car in Ankara. Oktay's name was mentioned in the ongoing investigation into a clandestine organization known as Ergenekon. A memorial ceremony was held for Oktay at the National Security General Directorate, which was attended by a number of high-ranking state officials.
SABAH
-- THREE SUSPICIONS RELATED TO THY AIRCRAFT CRASH
There are three suspicions related to the THY aircraft crash. The first suspicion is that the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed. The second suspicion is that the engines of the plane stopped during the flight. The third suspicion is that the captain pilot was training his assistants and one of the assistants failed to land the airplane correctly.
-- REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OFFER LOANS WITH ZERO PERCENT INTEREST
In an attempt to attract potential customers, most Turkish real estate companies are now providing loans with 'zero' interest rate. Depending on the amount of the down payment, companies offer loans with zero percent interest rate that could be paid back in any period from 12 months to 120 months.
VATAN
-- CRASHED IN FIVE SECONDS
A Turkish Airlines (THY) passenger jet (Boeing 737-800) enroute Amsterdam from Istanbul crashed three kms before the Schiphol airport. A disaster took place in a matter of seconds in the jet which started descending for landing at 11:30 a.m. The jet which suddenly lost altitude tried once more to ascend. The giant jet headed for a field near a highway and crashed. 9 people three of whom were crew members lost their lives and 84 people were injured, 6 of whom are in critical condition.
-- MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS CHIEF
Holder of Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Courage, Behcet Oktay, who served as the Chief of Special Operations in the Police Department for 13 years, ate dinner with his friends at a restaurant in Ankara before visiting one of his relatives. Oktay's car got stock in snow shortly after leaving his relative's house. Oktay who got mad said "these things always happen to me" and shot himself in the head. Police Chief Oguz Koksal said "such an end coming as a result of a depression did not befit a hero."
CUMHURIYET
-- U.S. CRITICIZES TURKEY'S RULING AKP
The Human Rights 2008 report prepared by the United States has criticized Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The report made public by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the AK Party is trying to put pressure on both the judiciary and media. "Freedoms in Turkey are getting curtailed while torture is on the rise," the U.S. report said.
-- INDUSTRIALISTS HAVE LOW MORALE
At a time of global financial crisis, the morale of Turkish industrialists is very low. 68 percent of all industrialists in Turkey reduced the amount of production in the past three months. 72 percent of all Turkish industrialists stated that the amount of orders they received in the past declined when compared to the same term last year. 52 percent of all Turkish industrialists said that the cost of production increased in the past three months.
RADIKAL
-- NINE KILLED IN THY PLANE CRASH IN NETHERLANDS
Boeing 737-800 type aircraft of THY carrying 127 passengers and 7 crew members hit the ground short of a runway at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The plane broke into three pieces. Nine people died in the crash. Turkish authorities said that three of those who died in the crash were pilots. Six of 84 injured people are in serious condition.
-- DENIZBANK 2008 NET PROFIT 342 MLN TL
Turkey's Denizbank, a subsidiary of Belgian-French financial services group Dexia, said that the bank's net profit became 342 million TL ($201 mln) in 2008. The bank said its equity capital grew 50 percent to 3 billion TL in 2008 when compared to the previous year.
YENI SAFAK
-- BIG MYSTERY
Behcet Oktay, who was the Chief of Special Operations in the Police Department for 13 years, ate dinner with two of his retired colleagues Nuster Ince and Mehmet Yasak at a restaurant in Ankara the night before. Oktay who listened a few times to a song by Ahmet Kaya titled, "I will shoot my self in the head and depart" left the restaurant late at night. Behcet who left his friends went to visit his lover Nergis K. at her place, but she did not let him in. Oktay who was divorced, got stock in snow with his car while going to his lodging before visiting one of his relatives. Oktay's car was stock in snow shortly after leaving his relative's house. Oktay who got mad shot himself in the head.
-- TOUGH DECISON IN COCKPIT
A THY jet got out of control while landing at Amsterdam. Three heroic pilots landed the jet into a field and prevented the crash from turning into a worse disaster, at the cost of their own lives. The pilot who started landing for Schiphol airport, realised the failure due to an unknown cause and asked permission for emergency landing. Captain Pilot Hasan Tahsin Arisan who thought that the jet he hardly controlled would hit the runway and explode made a tough decision. The pilot which steered the jet to a field 500 meters away from the runway, managed to crash land the jet though one of the engines fell apart and the tires were torn. The jet broke and split into three parts with the impact of the crash. 9 people three of whom were crew members lost their lives and 84 people were wounded 31 of whom were badly hurt. |
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