After the two previous ballots did not afford him the necessary majority, Abdullah Gül has been elected president in the third round. He will take over from Sezer at 7.30 pm this evening.

After Abdullah Gül fell short of winning enough votes in the second ballot of the presidential elections on Friday, he will have to wait for the third round on Tuesday, where he is likely to win.

Following pressure by Turkey and Israel, the US-based Anti-Defamation League has retracted its recognition of the "Armenian genocide" and has instead called on Turkish-Armenian cooperation to resolve the controversy.

Turkey has been one of the countries worst affected by the current financial crisis in the USA. Economists Ercan and Tören predict the success of capitalists and a weakening of labour movements.

Trade union Egitim-Sen has pointed to the dismissal of two lecturers as the culmination of rights violations at Mugla University. Other lecturers involved in democratic movements have also been punished.

Assistant Professor Caliskan points out that the AKP and the army are not so different in essence. He does not predict a big crisis, but rather a rapprochement. As the AKP moves to the political centre, the left will either disappear or have to redefine itself.

In a press briefing following his controversial comments on Kurds, Alevis and Armenians in Anatolia, historian Yusuf Halacoglu has refused to heed calls for his resignation. He argues that his comments were misunderstood.

On 18 August, Yusuf Halacoglu, president of the Turkish History Foundation (TTK) had made controversial comments on the ethnic make-up of Turkey at a symposium in Kayseri. Associations have called for his resignation.

Prime Minister Erdogan has suggested that those unable to accept Abdullah Gül as president if he gets elected "should go". CHP chairperson Baykal has said relations with Cankaya will be kept to a minimum.

The two men held for attempting to hijack an Atlas Jet plane heading from Northern Cyprus to Istanbul on Saturday, 18 August, are being questioned.

The Turkish Parliament today voted in the first round of the presidential elections which had been postponed after the boycott in April. Ruling AKP's candidate Gül failed to secure a two-thirds majority and expected to win in the third round.

Chief of General Staff Yasar Büyükanit has vowed to stay silent on the presidential elections, the first ballot of which is due this afternoon. Prof. Mithat Sancar has intepreted this silence as a deliberate change in tactics.

On the anniversary of the 1999 earthquake in the Marmara Sea region, it is clear that Istanbul is not prepared for a future earthquake, predicted to take place within the next thirty years.

After 22 years, columnist Emin Cölasan has been dismissed from the Hürriyet newspaper. Journalist associations have protested against the dismissal. Altayli: “They have wanted to fire him for four years.”

CHP vice chairperson Özyürek has stated that the CHP will not enter parliament for the presidential elections. Should Gül become president, they would not join receptions at the residence or trips abroad. The AKP is trying to take revenge.

A survey of people in the streets of Karaköy and Tophane, in central Istanbul, showed that there were mixed feelings about Güls candidacy. Those that welcomed it did not fear for the laicism of Turkey. Others spoke longingly of military intervention.

Despite the CHPs strong reaction towards Güls announcement of his renewed candidacy, academics Tosun and Baskaya have interpreted recent developments as a kind of compromise between AKP and the state, the army and the bureaucratic guardian elite.

Abdullah Gül has formally applied to the parliament presidency for his candidacy. In a press statement he said that he would obey the principle of neutrality and protect the basic elements of the constitution: I will keep the promises I made.

Yakup Önal of the local newspaper in Sarköy, Tekirdag, is still on trial for insulting the AKP mayor and two members of the municipality council. There are six cases open and up to 21 years imprisonment are demanded by the plaintiffs.

A little village on the Aegean coast is witnessing the foundation of the worlds first Mathematics Village. Organised by the Nesin Foundation of deceased writer Aziz Nesin, the project has attracted international attention.