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2100 GMT: Hayrettin Ayoglu, a 75-year old Turkish citizen was killed by Syrian border soldiers’ fire while himself and the driver were approaching to cross the border. The driver didn’t stop and drove to Kilis province of Turkey. Ayoglu was not saved in Kilis Hospital. It is also reported that another car was targeted by Syrian soldiers in the evening but no one was hurt.<\/p>\n
2030 GMT: George Sabra, a spokesman for the opposition Syrian National Council, told a news conference in Istanbul said that they had already decided to arm the Free Syrian Army and added that some foreign governments were helping to send weapons.<\/p>\n
However, despite of these, Sabra called on Arab and Western governments to intervene militarily and to protect civilians through imposing a no-fly zone across all of Syria and establishing secured humanitarian corridors. Sabra continued:<\/p>\n
The Syrian National Council has taken concrete and practical decisions to arm Free Syrian Army that is established to protect the civilians. And we invite all colonels and other military officials in the Syrian army to take sides with the people of Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
1900 GMT: UN peace envoy Kofi Annan has arrived in Ankara, meeting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan before he sees Syrian opposition members on Tuesday. Annan said:<\/p>\n
There are grave and appalling reports of atrocities and abuses. The killing of civilians must stop now. The world has to send a clear and united message in this regard.<\/p>\n
This a very complex situation. We are going to press ahead for humanitarian access, for the killings of civilians to stop, and that get everybody to the table to work out a political solution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
1825 GMT: Ukranian FEMEN activist Inna Shevchenko said that Turkish police forced them to sign a paper they did not understand, kept talking in Turkish, and took activists to their cells by force.<\/p>\n
1810 GMT: \u00a0EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule’s spokesperson Peter Stano welcomed the release of four journalists and called on authorities to solve structural problems so freedom of speech, the right to freedom and security, and fair hearings into practice.<\/p>\n
1745 GMT: Diyarbakir’s Mayor Osman Baydemir, a member of the Peace and Democracy Party, said that Dersim, in Tunceli province in the eastern part of Turkey, shall not be characterised as Sunni. Instead, the area will be a part of the Alawite and Kurdish identity. He also added that Dersim would overcome these tough days.<\/p>\n
1620 GMT: Eleven workers were killed in their tents inn a fire in the middle of Istanbul. Because of insufficient preventive measures, workers had to stay in tents instead of prefabricated houses on the construction field of a shopping mall.<\/p>\n
The Confederation of Turkish Real Trade Unions (Hak-\u0130\u015f) President Mahmut Arslan called Sunday’s accident \u201ca shame\u201d and added: \u201cHaving workers live in tents in the middle of \u0130stanbul is normal for Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
1550 GMT: Four journalists detained on charges of involvement in the media wing of Ergenekon, a so-called underground network aimed at toppling the government, were released today.<\/p>\n
Nedim Sener, Ahmet Sik, Coskun Musluk and Sait Cakir were freed, but there are still six suspects of the Oda TV case held in prisons.<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ar\u0131nc welcomed the release of the journalists as a \u201cpositive development\u201d and said: \u201cWe should in fact question why the court didn\u2019t delivere this decision before.\u201d<\/p>\n
1330 GMT: Anatolia news agency reporter Samet Dogan entered a military camp of the Free Syria Army near the Turkish-Syrian border. A commander said that they had very little supplies and needed aid. He continued, “We protect our people by guns but we have nothing to prevent starvation.”<\/p>\n
1245 GMT: The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s Central Executive Commission gathered and issued a statement on yesterday’s 4+4+4 bill on the new education system. It said:<\/p>\n
On 11 March, in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, a heavy blow inflicted that will be remembered as a shame in Turkish democracy and our political history by despots of the ruling party. The opposition MPs were not taken in the room [parliament’s committee room], were not given right to speak and were forcefully prevented to participate in the voting. Our MPs were knocked and one of our MPs was kicked when he fell on the floor.<\/p>\n
Our society will be transformed into something with full of children workers, children brides, children mothers and poor families and those revengefuls of the ruling party will continue their exploitation. CHP will not give the future of our children to AKP’s mentality based on exploitation, revenge and hatred.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
1200 GMT: In response to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s earlier remarks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Emir Abdollahiyan said that their full support to the Assad regime is continuing.<\/p>\n
Davutoglu had reportedly stated in an interview, after his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Nakhichevan,\u00a0that Russia and Iran had gradually decreased their support to Syria.<\/p>\n
1145 GMT: National Education Minister Omer Dincer said that Kurdish language courses and religious courses on Alevi’s faith could be elective if we want Turkey to have more democracy.<\/p>\n
1120 GMT: Iraq’s Sunni Vice President, Tariq al-Hashemi who is wanted for arrest and is harboured\u00a0by Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq, said in an interview that Ankara should pressure Tehran against interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs:<\/p>\n
Turkey should convince\u00a0Iran\u00a0to leave Iraq alone and to not interfere in Iraq\u2019s internal affairs. No one is trying to make conditions more difficult for Iran, but it should be aware of Iraq\u2019s sovereignty and respect Iraq\u2019s dignity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
1100 GMT: Turkish bus companies that operate services between Turkey’s border province of Hatay and Syria’s Damascus and Aleppo said that roads would be closed due to a lack of security on Syrian roads and there would be no service.<\/p>\n