ANKARA - These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on August 4th, 2008. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET
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GENERAL BASBUG BECOMES NEW GENERAL STAFF CHIEF
The names of the new commanders of Turkish Armed Forces were determined during the Supreme Military Council meeting.
Accordingly, former Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug became the new General Staff Chief, while former Gendarmery General Commander Gen. Isik Kosaner was assigned as the new Land Forces Commander. The Naval and Air Forces commanders are still on duty.

FIRE STILL COULD NOT BE EXTINGUISHED ON 4TH DAY
The forest fire in the Mediterranean province of Antalya reached the Koprulu Kanyon region near Beskonak town of the city yesterday. The citizens were alarmed till the morning, officials said.
A new fire started in Antalya's Manavgat region in the afternoon yesterday, while the fire at Olympos could be partially taken under control.
Governor of Antalya Alaaddin Yuksel said that those who lost their houses at the fire would be given 2,000 YTL, while citizens whose barns and warehouses burnt down would be given 1,000 YTL as a financial aid.

MILLIYET
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WHY DID 27 BABIES DIE IN HOSPITAL?
It was claimed that 27 newborns died of infection at Ankara's Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Maternity Hospital. While the hospital administration rejected the accusations, families of the babies said that there were 2-3 newborn infants in an incubator. Also, Health Workers' Labor Union said that 27 infants died between July 31st and August 2nd, and 42 babies died in the last one month. The labor union added that the delivery room was moved because of ongoing repairs in the hospital and the move caused spread of infection.

WAITING FOR FLAMES

The forest fire in Manavgat town of the popular Turkish resort province of Antalya could not be taken under control yet. Some village in the region are deprived of electricity and water. Residents in those villages are sitting in front of their houses and waiting for flames at nights. One person has died and another is missing in the blaze in Antalya province which was described as the worst forest fire faced by Turkey in recent years.

THREE DETAINED
Three people have been arrester for their alleged involvement in the collapse of the illegal dormitory building in central province of Konya in which 18 students were killed. The arrestees are the headmaster, his aide and owner of the dormitory.

SABAH
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A REPORT ON UGUR MUMCU
According to a document included in the 2,455-page indictment for the Ergenekon probe, Ugur Mumcu was assassinated while tracking down 100 thousand weapons which were sent to Iraq. The document was found in house of Veli Kucuk, one of the suspects of the probe. It says, "100 thousand weapons were sent from the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) to Talabani in Iraq under a secret state operation. Mumcu was tracking down those weapons. He received a phone call not to gamble his life. He was assassinated on January 24th. 25 days later, Gen. Esref Bitlis died in a helicopter crash."

SUNDAY TIMES: BASBUG IS AN ICE WARRIOR
British Sunday Times has described Gen. Ilker Basbug, new chief of the Turkish General Staff, as a commander who was called in military circles the "ice warrior" because he has a reputation for being calm and pragmatic.

VATAN
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NEW ERA IN TURKISH ARMY
There were no surprises at this year's Supreme Military Council meeting. Former Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug was assigned as the new General Staff Chief. Basbug will carry out such post till 2010 and he will be succeeded by Gen. Isik Kosaner, who became the new Land Forces Commander.
Basbug will take over the command from Gen. Yasar Buyukanit on August 30th.

FIRE UNDER CONTROL AFTER 72 HOURS
The forest fire at Antalya's Serik town stopped to spread when the wind lost its strength and the humidity level increased. While a major part of the fire at Kumluca region was taken under control, the fire at Manavgat continues.
A financial aid of 2,000 YTL would be given to those whose houses burnt down in the fire, officials said. The state will cover all the losses, they added.

CUMHURIYET
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A NEW PERIOD IN TURKISH ARMED FORCES
The new command echelon has been shaped during the Supreme Military Council (YAS) meetings. Land Forces Commander Gen. Ilker Basbug will replace General Staff Chief Gen. Yasar Buyukanit who will retire on August 30th. Gendarmerie Forces Commander Gen. Isik Kosaner will be the new commander of land forces while Gen. Atila Isik will command the gendarmerie forces.

A NEW FIRE EACH DAY
The forest fire which broke out in Manavgat town of the southern province of Antalya on July 31st, has spread to a large area. The fire which could not taken under control yet, engulfed nearly 4,000 hectares of woodland. Several villages were evacuated, one person died and another was missing. Millions of trees aged between 1 and 200 were burnt down to ashes.

RADIKAL
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HAYAL WAS A MEMBER OF BBP WHEN DINK WAS KILLED
It was revealed that when journalist-writer Hrant Dink was killed in an armed attack on January 19th, 2007, Yasin Hayal, the instigator of the killing, was still a member of the Grand Unity Party (BBP). Earlier, it was claimed that Hayal was expelled from political party in 2006 because of his "rowdy" behaviours.

27 NEWBORN INFANTS DIE IN A HOSPITAL IN 15 DAYS
Twenty-seven newborn infants have died in one of Turkey's biggest maternity hospitals in the last 17 days. Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Hospital in Ankara denied allegations that babies died of "hospital infection". The Health Workers' Labor Union (SES) said that the hospital management put them pressure not to give information to anyone about deaths of infants.

TURKIYE
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50 BLN USD FOR DEFENSE
Turkish Armed Forces will get stronger with new defense projects, most of of which will be domestic. The defense industry will carry out remarkable projects for the land, naval and air forces in the next 5 to 10 years. Most of the vehicles and equipment required by Turkish Armed Forces will be manufactured by Turkish firms within this framework.

OIL EXPLORATION ATTACK IN BLACK SEA
An estimated oil reserve of 10 billion barrels drew the attention of world's giant companies to Turkey's Black Sea region.
Renowned U.S. company Exxon offered to cooperate with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in drilling activities. TPAO is currently searching for oil at a 2,000 meter depth in Black Sea.

ZAMAN
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"TURKEY NARROWLY AVERTED AN INCALCULABLE DISASTER"
The New York Times, one of the leading dailies in the United States, has released an editorial titled "Democracy's Close Call in Turkey" about the closure case against the governing Justice & Development (AK) Party. "Turkey narrowly averted an incalculable disaster last week," the daily commented.

TEKIN'S ARCHIVES AFFIRM COUP DIARIES
Documents regarding conversations among some commanders have been found in a file in the house of Muzaffer Tekin, one of suspects of the Ergenekon probe. The sentences used in the conversations were exactly the same with those in the "coup diaries" that documented two coup attempts. The diaries kept by former commander of Naval Forces Admiral Ozden Ornek were not included in the indictment.

YENI SAFAK
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EXXON DESIRES TO PARTICIPE IN OIL EXPLORATION PROCESS IN BLACK SEA
Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) officials have declared that the U.S. Exxon Mobil Corporation was willing to search for oil in the Black Sea together with them. TPAO's deputy director general Yurdal Oztas said that he hoped the two companies would soon sign an agreement on the issue.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
The fire in the Mediterranean province of Antalya is threatening the residential areas. The citizens are trying hard to protect their houses and gardens from the fire.
The fire, which started 5 days ago and destroyed a pine forest area of 4,000 hectars so far, got stronger as the wind changed its direction yesterday. While the fire continues in Serik and Manavgat towns, the fire which recently started at Yenikoy region has the potential to spread.

(DO-UK-AÖ)