Back in prison : The lawyer and human rights activist was taken into police custody even before the legal paperwork had been completed and held until it was. Law needs changing : Yagmurdereli actually wanted to go to prison. He felt that to let him go free for whatever reason would be to postpone discussing the issue of freedom of thought. Priorities for freedom : Freedom of thought is a priority for a free and democratic Turkey. "A society must be able to debate its past and its future and open what

Top action: Olympique Lyon humbles mighty Inter; Strasbourg thrashes Liverpool; Atletico Madrid drubs PAOK; Schalke nips Anderlecht; Ajax edges Udinese, Bruges beats Bochum; Bilbao and Villa play to a 0-0 draw Reuters London- Olympique Lyon of France caused the biggest shock of the night in the UEFA Cup, becoming the first team to beat Inter Milan this season with a 2-1 away victory. Inter, unbeaten at the top of Serie A, fell behind to striker Ludovic Giuly's 22nd minute goal after the visitors

Admonition: 'If people want to avoid going in the tank (jail) for the night, they should not be soccer hooligans,' says Home Secretary Straw Reuters Paris- Britain warned soccer hooligans they should expect little help from their government if they fall foul of France's notoriously heavy-handed police during the 1998 World Cup. "I won't criticize the French police," British Home Secretary Jack Straw told reporters during a visit to Paris to co-ordinate police action ahead of the June 10-July

Mayor: 'UNESCO has never celebrated the founding anniversary of any empire' Turkish Daily News Ankara - The United Nations' Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) is not in favor of officially celebrating the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Ottoman Empire, the general director of the body, Federico Mayor, was quoted as saying on Tuesday by the Anatolia news agency. Turkey's request for an official celebration of the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Ottoman Empire will be

Opposition: rights groups say Tunis holds some 2,300 political prisoners Reuters Paris- France on Tuesday barred a demonstration by Tunisian opposition groups intended to coincide with a visit by President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to the French capital. Paris police chief Philippe Massoni issued an order stating that a pro-Tunisia protest was "seriously threatening to disturb public order." "A disturbance of public order during the Tunisian president's visit could be harmful to the

Resolute: Algiers government has rejected any foreign intervention in the crisis Reuters Paris- Algeria's rebel Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) urged the international community to put pressure on the Algiers government to open talks with Muslim fundamentalist rebels on ending five years of violence. The Germany-based FIS Executive Body Abroad, in a statement received in Paris, called upon "states, governments and official international organizations to try to convince the Algerian government to

Crossroads: Do or die for Galatasaray in Prague; Besiktas can do itself a power of good by beating IFK Goteborg Turkish Daily News Antalya- Turkey's representatives in the European Champions' League face very different prospects in tonight's action. With two defeats already against Borussia Dortmund and FC Parma, another one by Sparta Prague would leave Galatasaray almost without hope in Group A. On the other hand, in Group E victory for Besiktas over IFK Goteborg in Istanbul would leave it with

Embarrassment: Fergie has repeatedly expressed remorse over her behavior, but has continued to offend both the royals and British public Reuters London- Royal outcast the Duchess of York has written to Britain's Queen Elizabeth appealing for forgiveness for her past misdemeanors, the Sun newspaper said on Monday. The duchess, best known as Fergie after her maiden name Ferguson, wrote a "long and rambling and very emotional" letter to the queen in the week following Princess Diana's funeral

Invincible: US teams have a 100% record in the contest with seven wins over Europeans played over the last 10 years Reuters Paris- Michael Jordan maintained his 30-point a match average to help the Chicago Bulls trounce European titleholders Olympiakos 104-78 in the unofficial Basketball World Championship. The NBA champions led from the start with Jordan scoring 20 points in the first two quarters against the Greek side. American teams have a 100 percent record in thecontest with seven wins over

By Marcel Michelson / Reuters Paris - This Christmas shoppers can browse through what's on offer in the stores of London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Milan or any other European city without leaving home. With the e-Christmas initiative, people can shop for gifts and have them delivered to their loved ones anywhere in the world in time for the festivities. The electronic shopping service will be housed on a special Internet site (http://www.e-christmas.com) and is being sponsored by Microsoft Corp,

Reuters Paris - Rebels from Algeria's Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) killed a government militiaman in eastern Algeria, breaking a ceasefire which began earlier this month, an Algerian newspaper said on Saturday. Algeria's main Arabic daily Al Khabar reported that 10 AIS guerrillas shot and killed the militiaman at Tayelmane in the El Ansar area of Jijel, 240 km (150 miles) east of Algiers last Monday -- 13 days after the AIS declared a unilateral ceasefire. There was no independent confirmation of the

Penalized: Villeneuve was excluded from last Sunday's Japan GP race after being one of six drivers found guilty of ignoring yellow caution flags Reuters Paris- Title-chasing Jacques Villeneuve lost the two points he won for finishing fifth in the Japanese Grand Prix. The points deduction came when his Williams team withdrew its appeal against his exclusion from that race. Canadian Villeneuve is now certain of taking part in the decisive season-ending European Grand Prix at Jerez in southern Spain.

Elsewhere: Kluivert sent off after scoring late winner for Milan; Rayo sees red in Spain after four players are sent off Reuters Paris- Fabrizio Ravanelli scored on his home debut as Olympique Marseille beat French First Division Soccer League leaders Metz 2-0 while Bordeaux beat Guingamp 1-0 away to move into second place. French international central defender Laurent Blanc, Marseille's top scorer this season, took his tally to five when he headed his side into the lead from a corner in the 32nd

French President Jacques Chirac told PM Yilmaz that he would lobby vis-a-vis Germany for Turkey's further integration with the European Union and participation in the EU Conference France tells Turkey free circulation of workers and Turco-Greek ties should be solvedBy Nazlan Ertan / Turkish Daily News Paris - French President Jacques Chirac told visiting Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on Friday that France would continue lobbying vis-a-vis Germany for Turkey's full participation in the European Union, but

By Yasemin Dobra-Manco / Turkish Daily News Istanbul - The first ever conference on The Process of 200 Years of Modern Turkish Diplomacy, which was opened on October 15 by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen, and Prof. Halil Inalcik, concluded Friday after about 60 former foreign ministers, diplomats, foreign policy experts, professors, and experts on international relations presented their papers. Among the dozens of presentations, analysis of the following

Paris calls on Turkey and Greece to refrain from escalating tension in the regionBy Nazlan Ertan/ Turkish Daily News Paris - On the eve of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's visit to France, Paris confirmed its support for Turkey's participation in the European Conference, but added that Ankara also had to make an effort, particularly with regard to human rights and good neighborly relations. "We are very much in favor of anchoring Turkey to Europe, and it was during the French presidency that the

Speaks out: Cuts in working hours in the private sector should be negotiated, not imposed, Chirac indicates Reuters Paris-French President Jacques Chirac sided with critics of the left-wing government's jobs policy on Thursday, saying cuts in working hours in the private sector should be negotiated, not imposed. It was the second time that Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's ambitious employment strategy came under fire from a Gaullist president who has been forced to live with a government of the

Conflicting claims : Was Maurice Papon, as he claims, an active member of the Resistance during the Second World War, or was he, as claim the children of the victims, the all-too-eager collaborator of the Germans who occupied France? Proud : Despite fragile health and eighty-seven turbulent years ('This century, which I have the misfortune to live in, is marked by collective deaths,' he told the court) Papon gives the impression of being proud, almost to the point of insolenceBy Nazlan Ertan "I

By Lee Yanowitch / Reuters Paris - Yves Saint Laurent kicked off the Spring Summer ready-to-wear season on Monday, drawing on his inimitable classics in an abridged collection of 30 outfits presented in his plush couture salon. Without a crease out of place or a seam out of line, it was elegance incarnate. The veteran of French fashion unleashed the sailor outfits of his earlier years with pea coats, wide navy trousers on slim hips and creamy raw silk blouses, that were sometimes prim and girlish with

Reuters Paris- Belgian designer Dries Van Noten's take on spring fashion on Tuesday was dark, understated and mysterious, gleaned from the ethnic influences of China, India and Tibet. Van Noten's unique fashion vision, presented on the second day of the Spring-Summer ready-to-wear season, was one of contrasts -- richly embroidered sashes belting muddy workman's jackets, the seemingly haphazard wrapping of a rich silk pareo skirt dotted with bronze sequins. The collection's strength shone through in the