Welcome to our pick of last week’s news from Fethiye and around Türkiye.
Curated from various news sources.
NEWS
Muğla Metropolitan Municipality carries out stream cleaning in Marmaris
Muğla Metropolitan Municipality is carrying out cleaning work on 1400 metres of stream in Marmaris to take precautions against floods and environmental pollution.
Muğla Metropolitan Municipality MUSKİ General Directorate made a statement saying, “We are carrying out stream cleaning in our districts before the tourism season starts. Cleaning work was carried out in the streams in Marmaris to prevent bad odor, visual pollution and mosquito formation. Our teams completed 1400 metres of stream cleaning so far, with 1100 metres more to be cleaned in Marmaris.
Source: https://www.muglagazetesi.com.tr/marmariste-1400-metrelik-dere-temizligi-yapildi-159693h.htm
Pamukkale breaks daily visitor record
Some 18,500 visitors flocked to Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, setting a new one-day visitor record at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the western province of Denizli.
The figure on April 11 surpassed the previous record of 16,500 visitors in a single day, set back in 2019 for the region known as “white paradise.”
Gazi Murat Şen, a representative of the local tourism sector, stated that the region would continue to break records, especially with the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s new project aimed at attracting visitors by illuminating historical sites at night.
He noted that the region welcomed 2.2 million visitors last year, adding that it is expected to host a total of 3 million visitors this year.
“Some even had to turn back due to the congestion at the gates during this holiday period. According to data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Pamukkale Hierapolis Archaeological Site ranks first among paid archaeological sites visited in Türkiye,” he said.
Famous worldwide for its mineral-rich healing waters and pristine white travertine terraces, Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.
Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pamukkale-breaks-daily-visitor-record-192633
Body of another worker recovered at landslide-hit Erzican mine
Search teams have recovered the lifeless body of another miner more than two months after a landslide at a gold mine in the eastern province of Erzincan, with efforts ongoing for the other seven workers trapped underground.
Authorities on April 19 identified the worker whose body was retrieved from beneath the soil as Adnan Keklik, a married father of two.
Nine workers were buried under the soil in the landslide that occurred on Feb. 13 at the gold mine site in the İliç district as a mass of soil with a volume of 10 million cubic meters shifted in the incident. Teams first recovered the body of Uğur Yıldız on April 5, after they found a white pickup truck at the site of the mine.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary commission has been established to investigate the incident and implement preventive measures for similar accidents in the future. The names of the members elected to the commission were published in the Official Gazette on April 19.
The media widely covered a series of negligence that led to the deadly disaster at the mine operated by U.S.-based SSR Mining and producing gold since December 2010 through Anagold Mining. The soil that slid during the disaster was a cyanide-containing waste generated in the process of extracting gold, adding that the primary cause of the accident was the excessive accumulation of material in the waste storage area and delayed precautions against cracks formed due to capacity overflow in the area.
In the investigation launched in connection with the disaster, the court arrested six individuals, including a Canadian representative of the company.
Inflated prices spark nationwide restaurant boycott calls
Thousands of people issued a call to boycott restaurants and cafes over the weekend, accusing business owners of exploiting economic issues and inflation as an excuse to set exorbitant prices.
The boycott plea resonated widely among the public, with several prominent figures lending their support.
The hashtag “Boycott Overpriced Meals” has been trending on social media, urging people not to visit cafes and restaurants on April 20-21.
Much of the social media activism throughout the week was fueled by examples circulating in the press and on social media, such as photos of inflated bills and the juxtaposition of food prices in Istanbul with those of foreign cities.
Many news outlets reported that citizens characterize the inflated prices at restaurants and cafes as “pretextual and opportunistic,” extending beyond economic woes attributed to inflation. Reports also noted that customers face smaller portion sizes and lower quality despite rising prices.
While a bakery selling a single cookie for 110 Turkish Liras sparked outrage, a large number of people are also lamenting paying up to 300 liras for a single meal portion, attributing the issue to profiteering by businesses.
Ramazan Bingöl, the head of Türkiye’s largest restaurant association, acknowledged the validity of the public’s decision to boycott, noting that despite the high exchange rate, prices have become expensive even for foreign tourists.
“I know my industry will crucify me, but is the public justified in boycotting? Yes, they are. I agree, it’s expensive. I was in Baku last week. I saw their prices. The same service in Türkiye is more expensive,” Bingöl told daily Hürriyet.
“Tourists are also very unhappy with this situation. At this point, tourism might suffer. Are there those among us who are wrong and opportunistic? Yes. Unfortunately, the service sector is the number one factor driving inflation.”
However, Bingöl emphasized that while there are business owners exploiting economic problems to impose exorbitant prices, increasing costs of meat, milk, energy and the minimum wage are also contributing to the issue.
Bingöl stated that he plans to hold a meeting with some ministers and members of the parliament in the upcoming period to find a common solution that both customers and businesses can agree upon.
Economist İris Cibre, who initiated the boycott call, told daily Hürriyet that price tags are increasing “faster than inflation.”
Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/inflated-prices-spark-nationwide-restaurant-boycott-calls-192662
Several quakes shake country over two days
After the earthquakes in the Central Anatolian province of Yozgat and the northern province of Tokat on April 18, the country has been shaken by a 4.5-magnitude earthquake in the western province of İzmir and aftershocks in Tokat, including a 5.6-magnitude tremor.
Two tremors struck Yozgat and Tokat provinces April 18, rattling residents and drawing attention to the seismic vulnerability of the area. The first tremor, registering at 4.8 magnitude, hit Yozgat at 1:06 a.m., followed by a 4.1 magnitude quake 02:35 a.m. in Tokat.
Professor Dr. Süleyman Pampal, an earthquake expert, cautioned that these events could signal activity on secondary faults, potentially leading to more significant earthquakes. His warning proved prescient when a 5.6 magnitude quake struck Tokat at 6:11 p.m. on the same day, damaging hundreds of structures. After this earthquake, 35 more earthquakes were recorded, the largest with a 4.4 magnitude.
As Türkiye was grappling with the consequences of these earthquakes, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at a depth of 7-kilometers in İzmir’s Seferihisar district on April 19.
Deputy Interior Minister Münir Karaloğlu has provided an update on the earthquakes in Tokat and Yozgat and said, “In Tokat, there are damages in three districts, 30 villages, 191 houses, 84 barns, seven mosques and a bakery, but no collapse. And we have preliminary damage assessments on 94 houses, four mosques and three barns in one district, seven villages in Yozgat.”
The North Anatolian Fault Line (NAF), spanning 1,500 kilometers and 50 kilometers wide, poses a constant threat to Tokat and neighboring provinces. Pampal emphasized the interconnectedness of secondary faults with the NAF, underscoring their potential to trigger earthquakes ranging from 5 to 6 magnitudes.
Source: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/several-quakes-shake-country-over-two-days-192657
SPORT
Fethiyespor
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor update.
Match Results
Fethiyespor lost their away match against Arnavutköy Belediye Spor Kulübü on Sunday. The final score was 2-0.
Fethiyespor stay at 10th position on the league table.
League Matches
Sunday 28th April at home against Etimesgut Belediye Spor. The kick-off time is at 15:00.
This is the last home game of the season.
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Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 40.18 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 40.31 TL.
The US Dollar bought 32.48 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 32.36 TL.
The Euro bought 34.65 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 34.49 TL.
Source: exchangerates.org.uk
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Source: Living Earth
