Four children between 6 and 12 years old said to have thrown stones at a police vehicle were allegedly beaten and taken into custody. When people protested against the arrests, the police intervened with water cannons and tear gas.

Kışanak from the Peace and Democracy Party reiterated the proposal of 26 sovereign regions. Assoc. Prof. Dr Aktar said that the request suits the EU Regional Policy and that it could be a useful step on the way to a solution of the Kurdish question.

According to the "Education Monitoring Report" by the Education Reform Initiative, 50 percent of Turkish girls aged 15-19 do not go to school. About 360,000 high school students dropped out of school in 2008/2009. Regional differences and the family background play important roles.

The 11th Chamber of the Court of Appeals decided to merge the cases against Erzincan Public Chief Prosecutor Cihaner at the Erzurum 2nd High Criminal Court and at the Court of Appeals respectively. The prosecutor of the Court of Appeals demanded the release of all detained defendants of both cases. The court accepted the request.

USA citizen Norma Cox was repeatedly expelled from Turkey in the 1980s because she was seen as a "danger to the national security". The European Court of Human Rights decreed that the entry ban interfered with the right to freedom of expression and convicted Turkey.

Greek and Turkish left-wing parties Synaspismos and ÖDP called for gradually reducing the defence budget and re-allocate sources to economic, social and ecological development. Labour parties EEK and DİP demand to dispense military bases in Turkey and Greece.

Deniz Baykal, chair of the centre-left Republican People's Party, resigned on Monday. Regarding an intimate video published in the internet last week, Baykal said, "This is not a matter of a tape. This is a conspiracy. I am not the only target of this complot; it is also aimed at the CHP".

The constitutional reform package was approved by the parliament by 336 to 72 votes, two clauses were dropped. The package will be subject to a referendum once it will have been approved by President Gül.

Amendments of the articles related to penalties for civil servants, military jurisdiction and the reorganization of the supervision of judges and prosecutors and the Constitutional Court have passed through the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 5 May.

The article that should make it more difficult to shut down a political party was dropped from the constitutional reform package. With 327 votes it did not pass the threshold of 330 votes, though the ruling AK Party held a total of 335 votes.

An Istanbul High Criminal Court has accepted the indictment on the "Action Plan against Reactionary Forces". The first hearing is on 28 June.

The Chamber of Architects warns that a third Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul would also affect Thrace and the Southern Marmara region negatively.

The Turkish Parliament passed another three amendments of the constitutional reform package on 27April. Amendments regarding the Supreme Board of Prosecutors and Judges were accepted and provisional article 15 on the prosecution of putchists from 1980 was lifted.

The Gendarmerie General Command appointed new commanders to a total of 40 provinces including the posts of detained colonels Kayseri Provincial Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Temizöz and Eskişehir Provincial Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Gençoglu.

Primary school teacher F.N. was suspended after she had kicked a six-year-old student in class. The teachers' union demands a thorough investigation of the general situation at the school in southern Turkey and emphasized that the resignation of one or two people is not enough.

The Dikili Criminal Court of First Instance acquitted Mayor Özgüven and municipality officials of charges of misconduct of office. The mayor and his colleagues stood trial because people in the district had not been charged for the consumption of 10 tons of water.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Ankara today. With Prime Minister Erdoğan she discussed EU accession talks and Turkish-German relations. Merkel also touched the topic of armament in Turkey and Greece. On Tuesday, she will continue her two-day visit in Istanbul.

The Parliamentary Constitutional Commission accepted political propaganda to be made in other languages than Turkish for the Elections Law. The proposal to decrease the election threshold to three percent was rejected. Children shall be prosecuted at juvenile courts only.

Colonel Karadağ, detained defendant of the Ergenekon case, gave his statement in the "Sledgehammer" investigation. The Istanbul court declined the appeals of the 33 detained retired and active military officers for their release.

An earthquake of 6.0 on the Richter scale rocked the region of the south-eastern province of Elazığ with its epicentre in the Karakoçan County in the early morning hours of 8 March. Latest numbers speak of 57 casualties and more than 60 injured.