Welcome to the last edition of Fethiye Times News of 2017.
From tomorrow we will be bringing you a series of Festive Fethiye Times articles.
For today, here is our pick of what is been going on in Fethiye and around Turkey over the last week.
News
Boat fire in Karagözler
Fire crews were called to the Fethiye boatyard in Karagözler on Friday when fire broke out on the “Amintas” daily boat.
The 20-meter-long “Amintas” sightseeing boat belonging to Selmut Laptan, had been taken to the boatyard for annual maintenance.
Boatyard employees saw the smoke and raised the alarm. It took the fire department an hour to put out the fire.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Source: SonDakika
Murder suspect arrested in Fethiye after evading capture for seven years
A man suspected of committing a murder in Istanbul seven years ago, was arrested in Fethiye on Friday.
The suspect, Coşkun Okur, was under investigation for selling arms from headquarters located in Foça Mahallesi. According to the information obtained, Police were carrying out fingerprint checks which identified that Okur’s true identity was that of Ünsal Okur (43), a suspect in a murder committed in Istanbul in 2010.
The suspect was arrested by Police and referred to the courts.
Source: SonDakika
UK Ambassador Richard Moore bids farewell to Turkey
The U.K. Ambassador to Ankara Richard Moore bid farewell to Turkey on Tuesday sharing an emotional video on Twitter.
“And so I am coming to the end of my Turkish adventure,” Moore said as he started the goodbye address in Turkish, titled ‘My farewell message to beautiful Turkey.’
Moore recalled how he first came to Turkey in 1989 as a Turkish language student. In 1990, Moore and his wife Maggie brought their 6-year-old son and settled in capital Ankara. Two years later Moore’s daughter was born in Istanbul.
He had been serving as British envoy to Ankara since January 2014. Stressing that he was sent to Turkey to further his country’s interests, Moore added that he tried to show sympathy and understanding to Turkey.
“I love Turkey and Turks. You can be proud and picky. I wish so many of you didn’t like conspiracy theories so much. But you are also fantastically warm and hospitable. And you are so resilient — these past four years have been really tough for Turkey. But you’ve come through it,” Moore said.
The diplomat also expressed belief that Turkey will be a “successful country,” adding that the UK will be its closest partner.
“Good luck, my beautiful Turkey. We will be back often to see you,” Moore concluded.
When the video seemed to be ending Moore came back to the frame and screamed “Siyah!” which means “black” in Turkish. During his stay, Moore became a dedicated fan of Istanbul giants Beşiktaş, who are nicknamed “Black Eagles.”
Click here to watch the video #MooreBidsFarewell
Turkish Coast Guard rescues 83 migrants stranded at sea
The Turkish Coast Guard Thursday rescued 68 migrants stranded on a small rocky islet in the Aegean Sea on Thursday.
The migrants, including women and children, were trying to reach the Greek Islands when the inflatable boat carrying them got stuck at the small islet near Dikili district of Izmir, according to a statement from the Turkish Coast Guard.
The coast guard teams airlifted four children, while the others were transferred to safety in boats.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.
In recent years, hundreds of thousands of people have made the short but perilous journey across the Aegean to reach northern and western Europe.
Many have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank. The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued thousands.
In March 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of some 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Since then, the number of refugees detained crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece has fallen 85 percent, according to the Turkish Coast Guard.
Passengers to use single card for intra-city transport across Turkey
Passengers will be able to use a single card for intra-city transport across Turkey, Transportation, Maritime and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Wednesday, as he commented on planned transportation projects.
The “Turkey Card” can be obtained from Turkey’s national post office (PTT) and those who own it will have the advantage of using intra-city transportation in all 81 provinces of the country with a single card.
“With the ‘Turkey Card’ you will be able to do the same things you are able to do with a credit card. In addition, we are making agreements with all municipalities, with Istanbul being priority. It will be able to be used on all public transportation vehicles, from buses to metros,” Arslan told daily Hürriyet, adding that the card would be available at over 4,600 PTT shops starting in 2018.
“You will no longer need to obtain separate cards when traveling to different provinces,” he also said, referring to the current transportation card practice.
There are currently different types of cards for each province and a passenger needs to obtain the card designed for their city in order to use public transportation.
Arslan also said the card would be valid at national parks, museums and on planes, adding that the ministry aims to make sure all financial operations can be carried out with a single card.
Source: Daily Sabah
Sport
Basketball
Fethiye Belediyespor won their away match against Mersin BŞB on Saturday. The final score was 72 – 75.
Fethiyespor
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor updates
Fethiyespor lost their away match against Bugsaş Spor yesterday. The final score was 0-3.
After yesterday’s result, Fethiyespor finished the first half of the season at 14th position on the league table.
The next league matches are:
There is a break in the football fixture until January when the next match will be on:
Sunday 21st January 2018 away against Hacettepe Spor. Kick off is at 12 noon. Please note the earlier kick off time.
Sundy 28th January 2018 at home against Pendikspor. Kick off is at 12 noon.
NB: Kick off times are subject to change.
For more information about Fethiyespor please visit Fethiyespor Yabancilar on Facebook.
Fethiyespor and the admin of Fethiyespor Yabancilar wish all readers of the Fethiye Times a Merry Christmas.
Turkish Money
Turkey hikes key interest rate; lira weakens
Turkey’s central bank raised a key interest rate for the first time since April on Thursday in a move to tame double-digit inflation and support the Turkish currency, but the tightening failed to meet market expectations, sending the lira down against the dollar.
The central bank raised the late-liquidity lending rate to 12.75% from 12.25%, thereby charging Turkish banks more if they need to borrow just before local markets close.
The Monetary Policy Committee in Ankara kept the one-week repo rate at 8%. It held the overnight lending rate at 9.25% and held the overnight borrowing rate at 7.25%.
After the central bank’s decision, Turkish lira weakened 2% against the dollar to trade at TRY3.8860 compared with 3.8305 before the announcement.
Source: Market Watch
Here are Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates:
The British Pound bought 5.14 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 5.14 TL.
The US Dollar bought 3.86 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 3.84 TL.
The Euro bought 4.53 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 4.25 TL.
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
The post Fethiye Times News – Week Ending 16 December 2017 appeared first on Fethiye Times.