CABINET DISCUSSES DRAFT JUDICIAL REFORM STRATEGY

The Cabinet yesterday discussed a draft judicial reform strategy prepared by the Justice Ministry, said Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Cicek said, "The Justice Ministry worked on the issue and submitted the draft to the government today," adding that top judicial bodies, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, Defense Ministry, Turkish Bar Association, and law schools all had input into the draft. Cicek said the reform strategy was important for Turkey, in part because of many issues related to its European Union accession. He listed the goals of the strategy as strengthening judicial independence and impartiality, boosting its efficiency and effectiveness, raising the quality of judicial competence and management, boosting confidence in the justice system, facilitating access to justice, and promoting alternatives for solving disputes. There are 18 laws to ensure harmonization with the EU. Cicek also said the strategy essentially aims to restructure the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors under broad-based representation guided by the principles of impartiality, objectivity and transparency. /Turkiye/

YILDIZ: "AS A MAJOR ENERGY HUB IN THE REGION, TURKEY CAN HELP ENSURE EUROPE'S ENERGY SECURITY"

With the Nabucco and South Stream projects, Turkey has become an important part of the solution to Europe's supply security problem in natural gas, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz told Al Jazeera television over the weekend. Yidiz said that recently signed energy agreements between Turkey and Russia have strengthened Turkey's geostrategic importance. As Europe's natural gas needs continually rise, Turkey can provide a secure energy supply to the continent through its participation in the Nabucco and South Stream projects, Yildiz said, adding that the two projects aren't rivals, but complements. On Iraq, Yildiz said the country had entered a stabilization and normalization process prompted in part by energy matters, citing the start of northern Iraqi oil exports through Turkey's Kirkuk Yumurtalik pipeline in June, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently expressing his country's readiness to be a supplier country under the Nabucco project. Yildiz also cited the Iraqi government's green light for the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to explore for oil in northern Iraq, adding that problems with this venture would be solved by Baghdad's passage of a hydrocarbon law. /Hurriyet Daily News/

FM DAVUTOGLU TO ATTEND EU MEETING NEXT MONTH

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to visit to Stockholm early next month to attend an informal European Union foreign ministers meeting under Sweden's term presidency. The foreign ministers from candidate countries Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey will also attend the second day of the so-called Gymnich meeting. Davutoglu is expected to have meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting. /Today's Zaman/

IZMIR FAIR TO SPOTLIGHT COMMUNICATION

The theme of the 78th Izmir International Fair will be Communication Technologies and Telecommunication, Izmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu announced yesterday. Kocaoglu told a press conference that companies from 15 different product groups from 52 countries would attend this year's fair. Kocaoglu said that they would start a new exhibit at this year's festival, and reserve a part of the fair area for boat, yacht and sea technologies. The fair will start on Friday at the Izmir Kulturpark International Fair Center and last through Sept. 6. /Hurriyet Daily News/

TURKEY TO BUILD PROTON-ACCELERATOR FACILITY

A proton-accelerator facility will be built in Turkey to do scientific research similar to that undertaken at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, in Switzerland. The Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI) will lead the process of building the facility and will begin receiving proposals for the construction next month. The facility, to be built at the Nuclear Research and Training Center of the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) in Ankara, is expected to become operational within two years. Radioisotopes used in the diagnosis of many diseases, including cancer, will be produced at the facility, which will also produce radiopharmaceutical isotopes used as a therapeutic substance. To date Turkey has imported both types of isotopes from various countries, but TAEK aims to eventually export from the new facility. Devices to be used in the facility's laboratories, which cost approximately 11.6 million euros, will begin to be delivered next year. /Hurriyet Daily News/

KYRGYZ UNIVERSITY HOSTING OTTOMAN SYMPOSIUM

An international symposium on the Ottoman Empire's impact in Central Asia is set to be held next week at Bishkek's Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University along with an exhibit. The symposium is being held in cooperation with the International Committee of Pre-Ottoman and Ottoman Studies (CIEPO). Some 100 scientists from Turkey, the US, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, South Korea and Japan will present papers at the symposium. /Today's Zaman/

TURKEY, INDIA SET TO START CONSTRUCTION SECTOR PARTNERSHIP

A top official from the Turkish-Indian Business Council said yesterday that Turkey and India would start a remarkable partnership in the construction sector in the coming months. Erdal Alkis, vice chair of the Turkish-Indian Business Council of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), told a group of Indian businessmen in Istanbul that by-year's end, the two countries would sign separate construction sector deals worth $1 billion and $7 billion. Alkis said the agreements would kick start a remarkable bilateral partnership. Alkis also said that the council works to improve commercial, cultural and social ties between Turkey and India. "Our goal for the next 5 years is to bring 500,000 Indian tourists to Turkey, to reach a trade volume of $30 billion, and to provide for 1 million visas being issued to citizens of both countries," Alkis said. /Sabah/

TURKEY SEES RISING TOURIST NUMBERS IN JAN-JULY

The number of tourists visiting Turkey in the first seven months of the year rose 1.1 percent year-on-year, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said yesterday. Some 14.9 million tourists visited Turkey from January to July. Some 4.34 million tourists visited Turkey in July alone, a 6.23 percent increase year-on-year. Antalya received the highest number of tourists in January-July with 4.47 million, followed by Istanbul with 4.18 million. Mugla saw 1.45 million tourists, while 689,000 visited the northwestern province of Edirne and 637,000 entered Turkey via Artvin. Germany sent the highest number of tourists to Turkey, with 2.46 million, while Russia followed with 1.47 million. Britain sent 1.27 million tourists to Turkey, and 767,000 came from Bulgaria. /Today's Zaman/

FAMOUS TV, MOVIE DIRECTOR CAKMAKLI DIES AT 72

Director, producer and scriptwriter Yücel Cakmakli, who directed classic Turkish TV series including "Küçük Ağa" (The Little Agha) and "Bir Adam Yaratmak" (To Create a Man), died yesterday at Istanbul University's Medical School, where he was undergoing treatment. Cakmakli, also known as Turkey's "national director" since he led a movement to address Turkey's national issues and make movies based on classic Turkish literary works, last year received the Order of Merit award from Parliament and was recognized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry for his contributions to Turkish culture. In a statement, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Cakmakli would always be remembered with respect and admiration, praising his deep, unique impact on Turkish cinema. Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay also highlighted Cakmakli's importance for Turkish movies. /Today's Zaman/

70 DOMESTIC MOVIES TO DEBUT OVER NEXT 10 MONTHS

After recent box office success and awards at international film festivals, Turkish films are now preparing to break new records: Over the next 10 months, 70 Turkish films are set to open - the highest number ever to debut in a season. Copyrights and Cinema General Director Abdurrahman Celik said that the 10 top-grossing films in the country over the last 10 months were all Turkish. "This is unbelievable in terms of box-office success. This was never the case before, and it is very heartening," he said. Celik predicted that the upcoming films would shatter records. "About 70 films will open between September and June of next year," he said. "This will be a Turkish record. We will see how successful they are at the box office; I hope we'll see good results." On a new law meant to boost foreign investment in movie production, Celik described it as a major step in dealing with the sector's problems. "Lowering value-added tax rates will be a relief to foreign investors," he added. "But this alone won't solve the problem. In addition, some retroactive incentives should be implemented. If this can be done, four or five major films could be shot in Turkey every year." He stressed that this could make Turkey one of Hollywood's top movie location countries within five years. /Today's Zaman/