Japanese loan helps Istanbul bridges

Japan has agreed to loan $90m to Turkey to strengthen bridges and viaducts in Istanbul that were hit by two earthquakes in 1999.

Turkish Treasury officials said the money would be used to reinforce the Bosphorus and Fatih bridges, which link Asia and Europe, as well as the Golden Horn bridges and nearby viaducts.

More than 17,000 people were killed three years ago by earthquakes which caused immense structural damage to northwestern Turkey.

The country's largest city, Istanbul, continues to suffer from small tremors.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service