Ankara - A prosecutor in Ankara on Friday opened an investigation into whether an online campaign by a number of Turkish intellectuals in which they personally apologize for the First World War killings of Armenian constitutes "insulting the Turkish people," the Anadolu news agency reported.

The investigation will look into the "We apologize" campaign and whether it violates Turkey's notorious Article 301, which stipulates imprisonment for those found guilty of "insulting Turkishness".

Ankara- Police in Ankara on Friday seized a small arsenal of weapons buried in the grounds of a former anti-terrorism unit chief who was arrested on Wednesday and suspected of involvement in a possible coup plot, Turkish media reported

Using metal detectors and wearing forensic white uniforms, police scoured the grounds just outside the home of former Special Operations Unit head Ibrahim Sahin, discovering hand grenades, plastic explosives, heavy weapons and various types of ammunition.

Cologne, Germany  - Turks living in Cologne, Germany, are forming an association to restore decency to the Rhein city's carnival, an annual festival of parties and parades with its roots in Christianity.

"We absolutely want to be part of the fun, but we want to adapt it a bit to our own way of life," said Katharina Starke, spokeswoman for the Turkish Carnival Association of Germany, ahead of the group's launch Thursday.

Ankara - Around 40 people were taken into custody Wednesday in the latest wave of arrests connected to a shadowy nationalist gang that prosecutors claim was conspiring to overthrow Turkey's moderate Islamic government, Turkish media reported.

Those taken into custody on Wednesday included retired generals, former police officers, academics and journalists who are suspected of being connected to the so-called Ergenekon gang which allegedly had links to various murders in the past.

Istanbul - Turkey would be willing to provide troops for a peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

According to a report in the daily Sabah newspaper, the Turkish government is pushing for an international peacekeeping force to supervise a new ceasefire agreement.

In Ankara's view, such forces would also monitor the network of some 200 tunnels beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border which are being used to smuggle weapons, as well as goods and food products, into the Gaza Strip.

Ankara - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday repeated calls for Israel to put an immediate halt to its attacks in the Gaza Strip and also made a veiled criticism of the United States, describing the "multiple standard" of those who have failed to condemn the attacks.

In a hard hitting speech to parliamentary colleagues, Erdogan repeated Turkey's condemnation of Israel's military actions describing the operations as an "humanitarian disgrace" and a "stain on history's page."