Welcome to our pick of last week’s news from Fethiye and around Türkiye.
Curated from various news sources.
NEWS
Fethiye, Seydikemer, and Muğla to attend Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Fair
The 27th Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Fair EMITT will take place at Istanbul TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center between 6-9 February.
EMITT will be attended by Fethiye Municipality, Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry FTSO and stakeholders in the field of tourism to promote Fethiye, Seydikemer, and Muğla.
The stands can be found in Hall 7; Fethiye stand numbered 7352, Seydikemer stand numbered 7232, and Muğla stand numbered 7571.
Visitors are invited to attend a cocktail party at the Fethiye stand on Wednesday, February 7, at 14.30.
Source: https://ayyildizgundem.com/2024/02/01/fethiye-emitt-fuarinda-tanitilacak/
Murder of taxi driver in Izmir sparks public outrage
A taxi driver in Izmir has fallen victim to a murder committed by an assailant who had deceitfully posed as a customer, triggering widespread public outrage and sparked protests among his colleagues.
A 19-year-old assailant identified as Delil Aysal hailed the taxi driven by Oğuz Erge, instructing him to navigate through various neighborhoods around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 31.
Prior to leaving the vehicle, the perpetrator fired three shots at Erge and stole his phone and earphones before fleeing the scene.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, late on Feb. 1, announced Erge’s demise at the hospital where he received treatment. Simultaneously, the police apprehended the assailant, along with the weapon used in the crime.
Footage from the taxi’s surveillance camera revealed Erge explaining to the assailant that, under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t accept customers at that hour as he was en route home. Still, due to the cold weather, he hesitated to leave the individual outside.
The assailant, concealing his identity with a medical mask and a hood, departed the vehicle, uttering the words to Erge, “You shouldn’t trust some people.”
Commenting on the widely circulated video recording, Koca expressed profound sorrow, emphasizing its disturbing nature in terms of “responding to kindness with brutality.”
A large number of social media users condemned the incident, while taxi drivers, highlighting the lack of personal safety during work, protested the situation.
In the initial statement to the police, the attacker denied boarding the taxi with the intention of robbery and assault, asserting that the incident occurred “spontaneously.”
Erge’s body was brought to the İzmir Forensic Medicine Institute morgue by a convoy of around 250 taxi drivers. Taxi drivers participating in the convoy reacted to the murder of their colleague Erge with applause.
Erge’s colleagues told Daily Hürriyet that he was a very benevolent person and that he provided free service to numerous victims following the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/murder-of-taxi-driver-in-izmir-sparks-public-outrage-190321
Türkiye on track to become Europe’s top coal burner in 2024
Türkiye is on track to surpass Germany as Europe’s largest coal-fired electricity generator in 2024 as high inflation causes power producers to cut purchases of expensive natural gas and boost the use of cheaper coal in electricity generation.
Türkiye generated a record 117.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity from coal which yielded a record 118 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and related gases in 2023, data from environmental think tank Ember shows.
That generation tally compared to 117.9 TWh by Europe’s largest coal-fired electricity generator, Germany, and handily exceeded the 97 TWh by generated in Europe’s most coal-reliant power system, Poland.
Both Germany and Poland recorded steep annual decreases in coal generation in 2023, and have pledged further reductions in coal use alongside rapid increases in renewable energy deployment for electricity generation going forward.
In contrast, 2023 marked the second straight annual climb in Türkiye’s coal-fired electricity output, and Turkish power producers look set to continue favouring cheap coal over other forms of electricity generation as the country grapples with one of the highest inflation rates in the world.
For power producers that are heavily reliant on fuel imports for electricity generation, the combination of rapidly rising interest rates and a weakening currency forced a slowdown in the purchases of natural gas, especially of high-priced liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Read the full article here: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/turkey-track-become-europes-top-coal-burner-2024-2024-01-30/
Turkish hunger threshold reaches above 15,000 liras in first month of 2024
The monthly food expenditure amount that a family of four living in the capital Ankara should make in order to have a healthy and balanced diet (hunger threshold) increased to 15,048 Turkish liras ($494), according to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions’ (Türk-İş) research for January 2024.
The total amount of food expenditures and other compulsory monthly expenditures for clothing, housing (rent, electricity, water, fuel), transport, education, health, and similar needs (poverty threshold) increased to 49,019 liras ($1615).
The cost of living of a single employee increased to 19,630 liras ($647) per month.
According to the survey of Türk-İş, food prices rose by 4.27 percent on a monthly basis and 69.76 percent on an annual basis in January. The report indicated that there was an increase of 32 liras in average fish prices, whereas milk, yoghurt and cheese prices did not change.
A minimum wage worker earns 17,002 liras ($560) as of 2024 after a 49% increase from the last year’s figure.
Turkey’s official statistical authority, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), reported the annual inflation rate as 64.77 percent for 2023 while the independent inflation group ENAG put the figure at 127.21 percent.
Microplastics found in mussels in Bosphorus Strait
A study has shown that a large portion of mussels retrieved from the Bosphorus in Istanbul contain microplastics.
During research conducted at Istanbul Aydın University, microplastics were found in 73 percent of 30 different mussel samples taken from the Sarıyer region of the Bosphorus.
Experts warned that due to the situation caused by environmental factors and sea pollution, it is essential to pay attention to the consumption of mussels, which are also one of the famous street delicacies, at reliable points and, if possible, to prefer products from the seas less affected by industrial pollution.
“Microplastics can contaminate food from many different sources. First of all, the environment where the mussels are produced and the seawater must be clean. It needs to be obtained from clean waters. As our sea pollution increases, the mussels obtained from here can of course contain high amounts of microplastics,” said Dr. Ayla Ünver Alçay, the deputy director of the Food Application and Research Center at Istanbul Aydın University.
While making suggestions to consumers, Alçay said, “They should ask the origin of the mussels. A study conducted by another researcher in the past years on mussels taken from Istanbul, İzmir, Muğla and Adana showed a high level of contamination in mussels from Istanbul and lowest in samples taken from Muğla.”
“The cleanliness of the water and the sea from which the mussels are obtained is very important. We can say that contamination may be higher in mussels from the Marmara Sea,” she concluded.
Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/microplastics-found-in-mussels-in-bosphorus-strait-study-190344
Ship collision in Istanbul strait leaves damage, no casualties
A cargo ship and a passenger ship collided in the Istanbul Strait on Friday, damaging both ships but resulting in no casualties, said officials familiar with the matter.
The Kevalay Queen, a Ro-Ro/passenger ship spanning 147 meters (482 feet), and the cargo ship Captain Adam 1, with a length of 103 meters (338 feet), collided off Yenikapı, on the European side of the Turkish metropolis.
There was no information available on how many passengers were on the Kevalay Queen, but reportedly no one was hurt.
Following the incident, the Turkish Coastal Safety Directorate dispatched a swift rescue boat to the scene.
Both ships were damaged, but inspections of the ships found no environmental pollution had resulted.
The ships were anchored at the Ahırkapı Anchorage Area, on the southern coast of the European side of Istanbul.
SPORT
Fethiyespor
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor update.
Team Update
Fethiyespor signed an agreement with defender Aziz Aksoy from Çaykur Rizespor.
Match Results
Fethiyespor lost their home match against Iğdır FK on Wednesday. The final score was 1-3
Fethiyespor drew their away match against Somaspor on Sunday. The final score was 1-1
Fethiyespor stay in 14th position on the league table.
League Matches
Sunday 11th February at home against Menemen FK. The kick-off time is at 14:00.
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Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 38.53 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 38.55 TL.
The US Dollar bought 30.50 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 30.33 TL.
The Euro bought 32.96 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 32.95 TL.
Source: exchangerates.org.uk
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Source: Living Earth
