Turkey's students protest against high unemployment

Despite rain and cold weather, about 50 college students gathered in Istanbul's city center of Taksim square at about 3 p.m. Saturday, waving banners. They planned to hold the protest until Sunday afternoon, calling on more young and unemployed people to join them.

"We learn what we should learn, but we can not get jobs. We worry about our future." Serdar Kiper, a 21-year-old student, told Xinhua.

High unemployment is one of major challenges to Turkey's government. Official figures showed the unemployment rate is 12 percent, while some observers suspect it to be as high as 30 percent.

With youth unemployment rate above the world average, the crisis in Turkey hits the youths more than it affects adults.

Turkey's unemployment rate is expected to reach 12 percent in 2011 and 11.7 percent in 2012 under the country's new medium-term economic program, which was published in the government's official gazette in October, 2011.