Welcome to our pick of last week’s news from Fethiye and around Türkiye.
Curated from various news sources.
NEWS
Armed attack on Santa Maria Church in Istanbul kills one person
Armed assailants have carried out an attack on an Italian church in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district during Sunday mass, claiming the life of one person, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.
The attack occurred at around 11:40 a.m. on Jan. 28 when two masked assailants shot and killed a person identified only as C.T., who was among those attending the service on Jan. 28 at the Santa Maria Church, Yerlikaya stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Condemning the attack, the minister noted that an investigation has been opened, and police teams have launched efforts to apprehend the attackers who fled the scene after the shooting.
Security footage ahead of the attack showed a pair of men wearing black snow masks with their hands in their pockets and one was seen wearing black sunglasses.
Local officials said that around 40 people attended the mass. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül told reporters at the scene that there were no injuries. The motive for the attack was also not immediately clear.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences during a phone call with the priest of the Italian church and other local officials.
Tragic bus accident kills 6, injures 33 in northern Türkiye
A tragic traffic accident occurred when an intercity passenger bus overturned, resulting in the loss of six lives and leaving 33 others injured, in the Taşköprü district of northern Türkiye’s Kastamonu on Friday.
Upon receiving the notification, emergency response teams, including health staff, gendarmerie, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) representatives and firefighting units were dispatched to the scene.
The injured were promptly transported to hospitals by ambulances.
Kastamonu Governor Meftun Dallı, who investigated the scene, told reporters that the bus was traveling from Istanbul to Sinop’s Ayancık district.
“I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wish a speedy recovery to the injured individuals,” the governor said.
27 people injured in the bus accident in Kastamonu, have since been discharged, and the treatment of 6 injured people, including 1 in intensive care, continues.
Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/turkiye/tragic-bus-accident-kills-6-wounds-33-in-northern-turkiye/news
Magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattles Aegean Sea in western Türkiye
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake, which was felt in Türkiye’s western Izmir and Manisa provinces, shook the Aegean region early Saturday, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which took place at a depth of 8.51 kilometers, was the Kuşadası Peninsula, AFAD said.
In a statement posted on X, Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban said the earthquake took place at 8:19 a.m. local time. He noted that no issues have been reported to the governor’s office.
Aydın Governor Yakup Canbolat also said no problems have been reported.
The Aegean region is an indented swathe of cities and towns where the eponymous sea cuts through the land that mountains face. Most settlements face countless islands, small and large, dotting the sea. The geography owes its current shape to earthquakes and shifts in tectonic plates. The wider region is located right in the center of the meeting point of three tectonic plates stretching to Africa, the Middle East and the Eurasian region. The Arabian and Eurasian plates collide to the east of the Aegean, in an area covering Izmir and other Turkish provinces. Their collision pushes the Anatolian plate further north toward the west, creating the potential for earthquakes.
The earthquake came after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Türkiye’s Malatya province on Thursday evening.
Türkiye hikes interest rate again to 45% after inflation nears 65%
Türkiye’s central bank on Thursday hiked its key interest rate by another 250 basis points to 45%.
The hike to the benchmark one-week repo rate was in line with economists’ expectations.
It comes amid an ongoing battle against double-digit inflation for Türkiye’s monetary policymakers, with the rate hike the latest step in that effort.
Inflation in Türkiye increased to 64.8% year-on-year in December, up from 62% in November, and the country’s currency, the lira, hit a new record low against the U.S. dollar earlier in January, breaking 30 to the greenback for the first time.
Analysts predict this will be the last hike for some time, especially with local elections approaching in March.
The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye itself signaled that this was likely the end of the tightening cycle, saying of its decision: “The monetary tightness required to establish the disinflation course is achieved … The current level of the policy rate will be maintained until there is a significant decline in the underlying trend of monthly inflation and until inflation expectations converge to the projected forecast range.”
The central bank’s move is the latest in a series of interest rate increases — now eight consecutive hikes since the May 2023 elections — that have been painful for Turks, as the country grapples with a dramatically weakened currency and skyrocketing living costs.
SPORT
Fethiyespor
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor update.
Match Results
Fethiyespor lost their home match against Kastamonupor on Saturday. The final score was 2-0.
Fethiyespor stay at 14th position on the league table.
League Matches
Wednesday 31st January at home against Iğdır FK. The kick-off time is at 14:00.
Sunday 4th February away against Somaspor. The kick-off time is at 14:00.
For more information about Fethiyespor please visit:
Join the Fethiyespor Yabancilar group on Facebook for more news and updates
You can also follow Fethiyespor on Twitter and Instagram
Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 38.55 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 38.36 TL.
The US Dollar bought 30.33 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 30.20 TL.
The Euro bought 32.95 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 32.96 TL.
Source: exchangerates.org.uk
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Source: Living Earth
