Turkey's hospitalised President Gul tweets improvement

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul, hospitalised late on August 23 with an ear infection, on Thursday reassured his compatriots that he was recovering, in a message on Twitter. "Glory to Allah, my health is better," Gul, 61, said on the social networking site. He also published a picture of himself in pyjamas on his hospital bed reading his way through documents. "I continue to work, reading reports and books," he said. Gul, who has suffered ear problems repeatedly in the past, had been due on Thursday to receive a delegation to observe the anniversary of the day in 1922 that marked the end of Turkey's independence war with a victory over Greek occupation troops in Anatolia. The head of state was obliged to cut short a trip to Kyrgyzstan last week because of his ill health. He has also cancelled trips planned abroad, notably to Sweden and the United States, because flying can cause problems for weak eardrums. According to his doctors, Gul should be able to leave hospital next week.