Newstime24.org

Many of the stops along Istanbul’s Metrobus routes are not disabled-friendly, according to a social rights association that has filed a complaint against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

According to a law passed in 2005, all public structures built after that date had to be disabled-friendly, said Süleyman Akbulut, head of the Social Rights and Studies Association, or TOHAD. “We warned the municipality many times and they just ignored us,” he said.

Disabled to file complaint against Metrobus

The 41 kilometer Metrobus line has 32 stops and runs between Avcılar on the European side and Söğütlüçeşme on the Asian side of the city. While it has provided some relief to public transportation with its special Metrobus-only roads, there have been serious criticisms over the buses used. Phileas buses used on the route have been criticized for being too expensive and not strong enough for Istanbul’s population and roads.

Akbulut said the stations at İETT Camp, Küçükçekmece, Şirinevler, Bayrampaşa, Edirnekapı, Ayvansaray, Halıcıoğlu, Perpa, SSK Hospital, Çağlayan, Zincirlikuyu and the four new stations in Kadıköy were not disabled-friendly.

All their warnings to the municipality were dismissed with the reply: “We are on it. Our work is continuing,” said Akbulut. Read more…

Four soldiers were killed in the eastern province of Elazığ on Aug. 17 after a lieutenant gave one of the privates a hand grenade whose pin he had pulled out to punish him for sleeping during his night watch, the Taraf daily claimed yesterday.

The testimony of members of the army obtained by the daily reveal that the four soldiers died when an activated grenade given to them by Lt. Mehmet Tümer exploded. According to the records, Tümer wanted to punish Pvt. İbrahim Öztürk for falling asleep during his night watch. It had previously been claimed that the soldiers were killed when a hand grenade carried by one of the soldiers exploded accidentally as they were patrolling the rural area against the prospect of a terrorist attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Four other soldiers were injured in the blast. However, soldiers’ testimonies point to a totally different cause behind the deaths. Read more…

VISITORS: Avi Alkaş of Jones Lang Lasalle estimates some 4,000 visitors will visit Sapphire each weekend once the complex opens.

Sapphire Çarşı, a new shopping complex in the Sapphire skyscraper, is expected to become one of the main attractions in Istanbul, rivaling the old city’s historical monuments. The 300-meter building, which is expected to open in February 2010, will also host 180 residences and an upscale rooftop restaurant

A new shopping center focusing on Turkish design, patterns and traditions will open in Istanbul’s Sapphire skyscraper in February.

The mall will consist of some 134 shops in 30,500 square meters of rented retail space next to the metro station in the city’s 4.Levent district.

Nahit Kiler, chairman of Kiler Holding, which owns Sapphire, envisions the complex becoming one of the main attractions in Istanbul. The 300-meter-high building is the highest in Turkey and the second-highest in Europe. Its 236-meter scenic terrace, which will likely host an upscale restaurant and a nightclub, will be the first of its kind in Turkey. The total cost of the building is $250 million, excluding land, and it is being built to withstand earthquakes of at least magnitude 8. Read more…

There is a war between rich and poor

There is a war between rich and poor

As Leonard Cohen sang live to a lucky few Wednesday, a few unlucky fans battled to hear the Canadian crooner from beyond the walls of the concert hall and became living proof of the singer’s own words: “There is a war between the rich and poor.”

It was a group of fans that Leonard Cohen was not able to see: The free riders who could not afford the high ticket prices but still did not want to miss the Canadian artist’s first performance in Turkey. Read more…

Mothers Take..

Mothers take Kurdish matter into their own hands

Mothers of fallen soldiers and Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, militants met over the weekend in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır to send a message of peace, saying more bloodshed cannot resolve the Kurdish issue.

The meeting between the Ankara-based Emergency Rule Families of Martyrs and Gazis (veterns) Association and the Mesopotamia Families of Those Lost Support Association was held Saturday at the headquarters of the Southeast Journalists Association. Read more…

Michael Jackson

Officials probe Jackson’s doctors in pop star’s death
Investigators looking into the death of pop star Michael Jackson have seized new information to analyze as they narrow their focus in what could become a criminal investigation.
  Almost one month after the King of Pop died, federal and local agents on Wednesday raided the Houston clinic of Conrad Murray, the personal physician Jackson hired in May to look after him as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London.

Read more…