Turkish Press Review

ISTANBUL

 The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Monday's newspapers focus on extreme weather which caused the deaths of nine people across Turkey at the weekend.

"Nine victims in heavy storm," is SABAH’s headline, reporting that the country was shaken by one of the strongest storms of recent years.

According to the daily, the storm – which particularly caused damage in Istanbul, Balikesir, Canakkale and Bursa provinces – also triggered carbon-monoxide heater poisoning in some Anatolian provinces.

MILLIYET runs with the headline: "Lodos devastates." The paper said lodos – a strong south-westerly wind in the Aegean and Marmara regions – killed nine people, including a driver in Bursa, a 50-year-old man in Balikesir and an 84-year-old farmer in Canakkale.

It adds that over 300 homes and 100 cars were damaged.

Due to the strong winds, domestic and international flights as well sea crossings were cancelled. Turkish Airlines announced on Sunday that it had cancelled 65 domestic flights and 59 international flights due to the bad weather conditions.

In Istanbul, sea buses, fast ferries and car ferry services were cancelled due to the weather conditions.

In other news, Turkish papers gave front-page coverage to reactions to a video showing the apparent execution of a second Japanese hostage by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The video, which first appeared on Saturday, appears to show a militant with a British accent beheading journalist Kenji Goto who was captured by the group in late October and had been held with fellow Japanese prisoner Haruna Yukawa, who was killed last week.

Goto had reportedly travelled to Syria to help release Yukawa after he was seized in August.

HABERTURK quotes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to journalists after the release of the video as saying: "They will pay the price."

The daily reported that both Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the terrorist group.

"Japan is shocked," says YENI SAFAK, referring to the video. The paper quotes Abe as saying: "I will never forgive these terrorists."

Abe also said: “Japan will not give in to terrorism and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Middle East…”

ISIL has killed hundreds of captives, mainly Syrian and Iraqi soldiers, during its sweep across the two countries and has celebrated its mass killings in graphic videos.

The group also beheaded five U.S. and British hostages, posting the executions online. It still holds British journalist John Cantlie and a 26-year-old American female aid worker.