Thursday, March 11 2010 11:41 GMT+2, Your time is

1- Turkey slams Israel settlement plan

Turkey on Thursday slammed Israel's decision to build new settlements in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, saying that it raised 'serious doubts' on the the country's commitment to peace.

2- Azerbaijan doubles gas sales to Russia

Azerbaijan has more than doubled its natural-gas exports to Russia, shipping up to 3 million cubic meters of gas per day to its northern neighbor.

3- Beckham dons anti-Glazer scarf on Man U homecoming

David Beckham earned his most rousing applause as he left the pitch at Old Trafford on Wednesday, simply for wearing a green and gold scarf

4- 28 Turks make it onto Forbes' billionaires list

More than doubling their number from 2009, 28 Turks have been included on U.S. financial magazine Forbes' list of billionaires for 2010.

5- 'Art brut' brings a fresh breath to exhibitions

Named “Anatomia Metamorphosis,” a new exhibition displays works by three “art brut,” or “outsider,” artists with different roots.

6- Trial begins over death of US activist in Gaza

The family of an American activist who was fatally crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza accused the Israeli military of whitewashing its investigation into the death Wednesday in opening a civil case against Israel.

REGIONSCAPE / EUPHRATES

11/03/2010 - HAIFA - The Associated Press

7- Swedish artist has no regrets over prophet drawing

The point of a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was to show that artistic freedom allows mockery of all religions, including the most sacred symbols of Islam, the Swedish artist who created it said Wednesday.

REGIONSCAPE / DANUBE

11/03/2010 - STOCKHOLM - The Associated Press

8- Turkish Press Scan March 11

These are some of the major headlines and their summaries in Turkish press on March 11, 2010.

TURKEY / NATIONAL

11/03/2010 -

9- 1 kuruş debt balloons to 500 liras with possible prison time

An Ankara man has been served a bailiff’s notice for a 1 Turkish Kuruş debt that has now ballooned to 504 liras with interest.

TURKEY / NATIONAL

10/03/2010 - ANKARA - Radikal

10- Ambassadors unite for climate change in Ankara

Twenty ambassadors who have served in Ankara come together and pose for a photography project to highlight the importance of climate change.

CULTURE

10/03/2010 - ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

11- Bodrum supports Greek membership for bay organization

The Bodrum representative of an international organization designed to protect coastal bays recently traveled to a Greek island to accept its application for membership.

TURKEY / NATIONAL

10/03/2010 - BODRUM - Hürriyet Daily News

12- Two odd bidders seek key Turkish defense contract

Western companies are the usual winners of major Turkish defense contracts, but now for the first time, two non-NATO members have a pretty good chance.

ECONOMIC REVIEW / NATIONAL

10/03/2010 - ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

13- Compromise on Cyprus necessary, Belgian ambassador says

Although it is unfair that Turkey’s EU accession process and the Cyprus issue have become linked, Belgium’s ambassador said their linkage made a solution necessary.

TURKEY / DIPLOMACY

10/03/2010 - Ankara-Hürriyet Daily News

14- Earthquake law is necessary for Istanbul, says mayor

Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş said Istanbul should be prepared for a 7.5 earthquake. Otherwise not only the city, but also the entire county would be devastated, daily Hürriyet reported Thursday.

TURKEY / NATIONAL

10/03/2010 - ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

15- Armenian protocol is strongest card in hand

April 24 is approaching and as every year we are watching the same movie again.

OPINION / MEHMET ALİ BİRAND

10/03/2010 -

16- Erdoğan’s test for Obama

Erdoğan keeps criticizing the U.S. for the approval of a genocide resolution in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

OPINION / MURAT YETKİN

10/03/2010 -

17- Stone throwing kids

For whatever reason, the AKP has suddenly become extremely conciliatory as it tries to pass new legislation on stone-throwing children with a parliamentary consensus.

OPINION / YUSUF KANLI

10/03/2010 -

18- Will the F keyboard solve all the problems?

The government has decided to support the Turkish F Keyboard against the international Q Keyboard.

OPINION / ERSU ABLAK

10/03/2010 -

19- A delayed article on violence against women

The statistics on violence against women in Turkey make for sober reflection, although things are starting to change, if only incrementally.

OPINION / SEDAT ERGİN

10/03/2010 -

20- From the Bosphorus: Straight - The case of Village Idiot vs. Prickly PM

While Brit Michael Dickinson's caricature of the Turkish PM on the body of a dog could be seen as tasteless, bringing him to trial for the cartoon was a supreme waste of time.