These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on January 8, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HURRIYET (LIBERAL)
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TURKEY WARNS SAUDI ARABIA HAVING TALIBAN MENTALITY
Ankara warned King Fahd of Saudi Arabia who demolished Ottoman-era al-Ajyad Castle in Mecca to build a business and hotel complex like Taliban regime had torn down 1,000-year-old Buddha statues. Meanwhile, Turkish Democracy Foundation applied to the United States Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and complaint about Saudi officials.

DIESEL OIL TRANSPORT FROM NORTHERN IRAQ RESUMES
Diesel oil transport from Northern Iraq resumed. The transport of diesel oil on trucks from northern part of Iraq to Turkey via the Habur Border Gate near Silopi township of southeastern province of Sirnak had stopped on September 18, 2001. There will be daily 100-truck transport from Northern Iraq.

MILLIYET (LIBERAL)
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23 THOUSAND BANK PERSONNEL LOSE THEIR JOBS IN 2001
According to data given by the Turkish Banks Union, number of bank personnel decreased 16 percent to 147 thousand 201 in 2001. A total of 23 thousand 200 bank staff lost their jobs in 2001. Meanwhile, number of banks decreased from 79 to 68 in the January-September period of 2001.

TURKEY MAKES 925 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT IN 38 YEARS
Turkey made 924.6 billion U.S. dollars of investment between 1963 and 2000. Turkey allocated only 22.9 percent of its national income for making investments.

SABAH (LIBERAL)
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SHOWMAN GOKCEK
Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek who has been selling the most expensive natural gas of Turkey, distorted the facts and made a show at yesterday's natural gas meeting between Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Ceken and mayors of five provinces. He left the meeting earlier by claiming that he would make his own decrease in price of natural gas. However, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cakan used his authority and decreased price of natural gas from 441 thousand 712 Turkish liras (TL) to 348 thousand 678 TL in Ankara.

A MEANINGFUL PRESENT TO U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit included Religious Affairs Head Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz in his entourage during his visit to the United States. Yilmaz will give a copy of Muslim's holy book Koran to U.S. President George W. Bush as a present. Yilmaz said that he aimed at drawing attention to peaceful teachings of the Koran.

YILMAZ: ''PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT DOES NOT HAVE ANY HEALTH PROBLEM''
State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, the leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP), said that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit did not have any health problem preventing him from fulfilling his mission.

CUMHURIYET (LEFT)
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THREE SUSPECTS IN UMUT CASE SENTENCED TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Ankara State Security Court (DGM) no: 2 announced its verdict about the case on ''Umut'' (Hope) operation which was launched to find murderers of journalist-writer Ugur Mumcu, and later covered 22 incidents, including assasinations of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kislali, Prof. Muammer Aksoy and Dr. Bahriye Ucok. Ferhan Ozmen who killed Aksoy, sent bomb-package to Ucok and was involved in assassination of Mumcu; Necdet Yuksel who planted the bomb in Mumcu's automobile; and Rustu Aytufan who planted the bomb in Kislali's automobile; were sentenced to capital punishment. Punishment of suspect Arif Tari was postponed in accordance of Conditional Release from Prison and Postponement of Punishments Law.

OPERATION SWORDFISH
Upon denouncement of the State Inspection Board, an operation was launched in four provinces. Erdin Ari, the former director general of the Emlak Bankasi, and 29 other people were detained in the operation. They were interrogated about 323 million U.S. dollars of bank loans given illegally to 134 firms between 1988 and 2000.

RADIKAL (LEFT)
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SEVERE WINTER CONDITIONS CLAIM FIVE LIVES
Severe winter conditions claimed five lives. Ridvan Iltutmus, 70, Osman Ulag, 58, Hasan Aksu, 50, Zeynep Balkan, 83, and Turan Bedel, 71, froze to death. Meanwhile, continuing heavy snowfall and stormy winds have been hampering efforts to re-open roads in many provinces.

TREASURY TO SELL 140-DAY AND 238-DAY BONDS
Treasury Undersecretariat will auction 140-day and 238-day bonds today. Treasury Undersecretariat said that value date of both the 140-day and 238-day bonds is January 9, 2001. It said the maturity of 140-day bonds is May 29, 2002, and maturity of 238-day bonds is September 4, 2002. Meanwhile, Treasury will repay 170 million U.S. dollars in external debt, and 3 quadrillion 43 trillion Turkish lira (TL) in domestic debt this week.

TURKIYE (RIGHT)
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NATURAL GAS MEETING RESULTS IN FAILURE
Meeting between Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan and mayors of some provinces to decrease price of natural gas resulted in failure. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry did not give up 18 percent added value tax in natural gas. Meanwhile, Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek held a press conference after leaving the meeting earlier, and said, ''the Ministry did not give up 18 percent added value tax. Pipeline Transportation Inc. (BOTAS) officials are totally ignorant. I told Energy and Natural Resources Minister Cakan that they I would do my own decrease in price of natural gas. I will announce the new price on Tuesday.''

DOGRU APPOINTED IN PLACE OF CAY
Resat Dogru, a deputy of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has been appointed in place of Abdulhaluk Mehmet Cay. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer approved the decree about appointment of Dogru as the State Minister. Cay was dismissed from his post by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on December 24, 2001 upon a wish of State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the MHP.

SCHOOLS RECESSED THROUGHOUT TURKEY
Heavy snowfall and stormy winds have been continuing to paralyze daily life and traffic throughout Turkey. Primary and secondary schools have been recessed in many provinces including Istanbul and Ankara.

ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)
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27 DETAINEEES RELEASED IN OPERATION AGAINST EMLAKBANK
A total of 27 people who had been detained on charges of giving illegal bank loans to a number of companies from the Emlak Bankasi that was merged with the Ziraat Bankasi, were released.

ALTHOUGH FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY WARNS, SAUDIS DEMOLISH OTTOMAN HERITAGE
Although the Foreign Ministry warned Saudi Arabia to protect the Ottoman heritage in this country, Saudi officials did not keep their promises and demolished Ottoman-era al-Ajyad Castle in Mecca to build a business and hotel complex. Meanwhile, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia released an order to tear down decorative columns of the Prophet Mohammad Mosque.