"Dump & Release": Robots Start Cleaning Up Humans' Trash on Turkey's Med Coast

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Diken website, 12 August 2026)

Cleaning up humans' debris the old-fashioned way...

A project has been launched to prevent waste along the 640-kilometer 

coastline from Gazipaşa district to Kaş district, where tourists flock 

during the summer. Remote-controlled robots are being used to clean 

up waste left by the human visitors in the sea.

Ahmet Çetin, President of the Chamber of Maritime Commerce, said 

the following about the robots, which he called "garbage collectors":

"When the garbage collector robot detects any waste on the sea surface, 

it will go and collect it. It has a storage tank at the back where it will 

collect the waste.  Our robot only cleans the water surface. We will try 

to clean up all the waste that pollutes our seas, such as plastic bottles 

and packaging, with the help of the robot."

...now, let the robot do it!

Çetin also warned vacationers and sailors, saying, "Cleaning up a 

polluted sea is very difficult. I earnestly request all our members, 

sailors, and citizens to please NOT leave their garbage in the sea."

Meanwhile, in Bodrum, human divers cleaned the seabed in Bodrum -

a washing machine was found in the sea. 

Sort of like finding a sunken treasure...  (!)

Gazipaşa is just east of Alanya on the Med coast.

"Whoops! & Release": Man Wrongly Jailed For 10 Days Due to ID Number Mix-up, in Antalya

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Izmir'de Son Dakika website, 11 August 2026)

                           Same name, wrong number.

An incident reminiscent of Ferhan Şensoy's film "Pardon," shot years ago, 

occurred in Antalya. Ali Süslü, a real estate agent, was summoned to the 

police station due to a case of mistaken identity, based on the claim that 

he had a confirmed prison sentence against him. After the proceedings, 

Süslü was sent to court, and despite stating that he didn't know what his 

crime was, he was sent to prison. Süslü, who recently had surgery, 

explained that after spending 10 days in an L-Type Closed Prison, 

it was revealed that the person being processed was not him, and he was 

released. (!)

Süslü recounted the process, saying it all began with his summons to the 

police station. He stated that despite having recently undergone surgery, 

he complied with the police call and went to the station, where he learned 

that there was a prison sentence against him. Süslü added...

“A police officer called me and said, ‘You have a document to sign. Please 

come to the police station.’ Even though I had just had surgery, I went 

there. I asked what my crime was. Because he couldn’t see the details, 

he said, ‘You will appear in court.’ They took me from there to the 

courthouse and put me in detention,” he said.

Süslü stated that he had asked what his crime was before being sent to 

prison, saying, “I just had surgery, why are you holding me, what is my 

crime?” He added that he was told he had a finalized sentence and had 

to serve it. Süslü claimed that he was then taken to an L-Type Closed 

Prison and stayed there for 10 days.

Life imitates art...and not in a good way.

According to Süslü, the mistake was discovered during a psychological 

interview at the prison. He stated that he was taken to the psychologist 

on the ninth day, where a check of his identity information revealed that 

he was not the person being processed. Süslü described the incident a

s follows:

“The psychologist asked me questions and said, ‘Your crime is already 

clear.’ I replied, ‘I still don’t know what my crime is.’ When the 

psychologist opened the computer, he said, ‘Ali Süslü, yes, the name is 

mine, but the Turkish Republic identity numbers are not the same.’ 

They started laughing.”

Süslü stated that after the discrepancy in his identity information was 

noticed, he requested his release, but was told he couldn’t be released 

that same day. Süslü continued,

“They told me, ‘We apologize, we can’t release you, and there was a 

mistake, we apologize for that.’ They released me one day later.”

Of all the places one could stay in and enjoy Antalya...

Süslü stated that the incident not only deprived him of his freedom but 

also harmed his professional life and social circle, claiming that various 

rumors spread about him after his imprisonment. Süslü, who works in 

the real estate sector, said, “Rumors have spread that I served this 

sentence because I defrauded some clients. I can’t work anywhere right 

now. My contracts have also been cancelled.” Expressing that the events 

negatively affected him psychologically and economically, Süslü said, 

“My life has been turned upside down because of a mistake. For 10 days, 

I told the police, the gendarmerie, and the prison guards that I wasn’t 

there. Nobody cared.”

He filed a criminal complaint against the officials. Süslü, who claimed 

that he stated for 10 days that he was not the person being investigated, 

said that he received an apology after his release. Süslü stated,

“After serving my sentence, they released me from the hospital saying, 

‘Sorry, we apologize.’ It hurt me deeply to have spent 10 days in jail for 

a crime I didn’t know about. I was unjustly imprisoned for 10 days, and

 my reputation was ruined.”

Following these events, it was learned that Süslü filed a criminal 

complaint against the officials he claims made a mistake. Süslü is also 

preparing to file a compensation lawsuit for the injustice he suffered.

"Drano & Release": Clogged Sink Explodes When Chemicals Get Toxic, in Şanlıurfa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 August 2026)

             Everything...INCLUDING the kitchen sink.

In a chain supermarket operating in the Ahmet Yesevi neighborhood of 

Haliliye district in Şanlıurfa, a chemical used to unclog a sink drain 

exploded like a bomb.

According to the allegations, the market manager called a plumber to 

unclog the kitchen sink. Three plumbers who arrived at the scene poured 

a chemical drain cleaner into the drain and added hot water. At that 

moment, the chemical reacted and exploded like a bomb, injuring the 

three plumbers and three market employees. (!)

Sometimes, much too well...

Emergency services were called to assist the injured who had suffered 

burns on various parts of their bodies. AFAD (Disaster and Emergency 

Management Authority), fire department, police, and medical teams were 

dispatched to the scene. After receiving initial treatment, the injured were

transported by ambulance to hospitals in the city center for further 

treatment.

"Yeah, it's kind of a mess, but it'll do till the real mess gets here."

Following the explosion, AFAD teams inspecting the market determined, 

using a multirae device, that the toxic gas produced as a result of the 

reaction was far above normal levels. While the area was being ventilated 

by the teams, a large-scale investigation into the incident continues.

"Cluck & Release": A Couple of "Pigeons" Rob Stalled Car, But Dashcam Nabs Them, Near Adana

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 August 2026)

                       A pigeon looking for a pigeon.

On July 25th, on the Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep (TAG) Highway, İsmail Y.'s 

light commercial vehicle, traveling from Kahramanmaraş to Mersin, 

broke down approximately 3 kilometers after passing the toll booths.

Ismail Y. parked his car on the shoulder of the road, waiting for a 

mechanic to come to fix the problem. Meanwhile, Kemal Güvercin

(whose surname means "pigeon") driving his car on the highway, 

noticed the parked vehicle. He reversed and approached Ismail Y.'s car, 

opened the door, and took a bag containing 10 grams of gold, 22,000 

TL (about $460), 500 US dollars, a tablet, two pairs of sunglasses, and 

identification and credit cards. Kemal Güvercin then got into his car and 

drove away. The theft was captured on a dashcam. (!)

While Ismail Y. was still waiting at the same spot due to his car's problem, 

about ten minutes later, Kemal Güvercin's cousin, Sergin Güvercin, arrived. 

Using the same method, Sergin Güvercin approached and stopped in front 

of the broken-down car. At this point, Ismail Y. noticed Sergin Güvercin. 

According to the allegations; Sergin Güvercin, who introduced himself as 

a "public official," warned the vehicle owner, "There are many thieves 

around here, be careful."  (!) Sergin Güvercin then got into his vehicle and 

drove away from the area.

"Don't mind me, just feathering my nest."

After a while, İsmail Y. got into his car and noticed that his bag and other 

belongings were missing, so he reported it to the 112 Emergency Call 

Center. Police teams were dispatched to the area. After reviewing the 

footage from the car's camera, the teams identified the suspects.

As a result of the police investigation, Kemal Güvercin and Sergin 

Güvercin were apprehended at their addresses. It was determined that 

Kemal Güvercin was on leave from prison (!). Both Kemal Güvercin and 

Sergin Güvercin were taken to court and subsequently arrested.

When police arrived, Kemal clucked defiantly: 

"What took you so long?"

İsmail Y.'s bad luck: TAG highway on the pigeons' migration

route.

"Elevate & Release": House With Underpass, Vice Driveway, Built in Rize

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 August 2026)

                 These love birds have an unusual nest.

Unable to find flat land to build a house in Rize, Muhammet Dilmaç 

constructed a villa on 8-meter-high concrete columns erected along a 

road on a hillside. Describing the construction process of his unusual (!)

house, which is large enough for even concrete mixers to pass 

underneath, Dilmaç said, "Since we don't have large plots of land 

suitable for building houses in the Black Sea Region, we came up 

with this project."

Dilmaç, who lives in Büyükköy village in Çayeli district, resorted to 

this unusual method when he couldn't find a place to build a house due 

to the limited and rugged terrain in the region. 

To avoid blocking the road that passes through his land and not prevent 

his neighbors' trucks and construction vehicles from passing, Dilmaç 

erected six massive concrete columns, 7.5 meters high, and built a 4+1 

wooden villa on top of them. Dilmaç's house, under which even concrete

mixers can pass along besides trucks, attracts the attention of those who 

see it.

McDonald's thinking about adding a drive-through window.

Explaining that they came up with a practical solution to the land shortage, 

Dilmaç said, "Since we don't have a large plot of land to build houses on in 

the Black Sea region, we came up with this project. We started the 

foundations from below and continued upwards. The main reason for 

building the house so high is the location of my neighbor's house.  We 

raised the structure to 4 meters and 40 centimeters so that concrete mixers 

could easily pass underneath if my neighbor wanted to build a house there 

someday. Due to the slope of the land, the height of the 6 columns reaches 

7.5 meters.

"Recycle & Release": Woman Uses Others' ID Numbers to Feed Recyling Machine, While Citizens Rage Behind Her, in Bolu

türkçe links to original Turkish article(

(HaberTürk website,  14 July 2026)

"I have a multiple personality disorder so I got lots of ID's.",

she explained.

A dispute over a deposit' fee erupted among women in front of a 

recycling machine at a chain supermarket in Bolu. A woman, who 

was allegedly using the Turkish Republic identity numbers of others (!)

to throw bags full of bottles into the machine, was confronted by a 

citizen who exclaimed, "How can 10 people's Turkish Republic ID 

numbers be in this? We wrote to CİMER (Presidential Complaint

Center), we're waiting for a response!" The unusual incident was 

captured on a cell phone camera.

It occurred at a chain supermarket in the Karamanlı neighborhood. 

The Deposit Packaging (DOA) program, implemented by the Ministry 

of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, which provides a 

1 lira incentive for plastic, glass, and aluminum packaging starting July 1, 

2026, has been turned into a profit-making scheme by some citizens, 

leading to queue crises in front of the machines. (!)

A woman, who was throwing bags full bottles in kept the machine 

busy for hours. Another  citizen, who was waiting in line behind her, 

almost revolted against the situation.

"Instead of sleeping and waking up and coming here, you should come 

at 9 o'clock too!" The citizen, reacting to the woman who occupied the 

machine for a long time, complained, "You don't even give up a single 

turn.  I'm sitting across from you, it's very rude." 

A nationwide plague! Here in Maltepe, Istanbul, waiting for hours!

The woman at the machine, without batting an eyelid, responded, 

"Instead of sleeping and waking up and coming here, you should come at 

9 o'clock too," which further increased the tension.

As the argument escalated, the woman waiting in line claimed that the 

person operating the machine resorted to an unbelievable method to 

exceed the system's quota. The citizen alleged that the person was using 

other people's ID numbers, saying, "She's using someone else's ID number. 

10 people's ID numbers are involved in this. How does it stand legally? 

Imagine you melted down 500 of them. We explained it to you, we wrote

 to you, we're waiting. We're waiting for your response from CİMER.

We'll see what they do," he said.

The interesting 'deposit' dispute in the middle of the market was captured 

on a customer's cell phone camera while they were waiting in line.

"Rap & Release": Rapper Brandishes Rifle in Social Media Video, in Samsun

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 7 August 2026)

            Keskin's brain could use some sharpening.

Rapper Yüşa Keskin (whose surname means "sharp") and three other 

suspects, who were detained for using a weapon in a music video they 

shot in Samsun, were released on condition of judicial control.

Teams from the Canik District Police Department's Crime Prevention 

and Investigation Bureau started an investigation into Keskin's (25) 

social media posts, which were deemed to be related to "armed threat 

and intentionally endangering public safety."

Teams that raided the addresses identified in the district detained 

Keskin and D.U. (26), D.K. (26) and S.Ö. (21), who were seen with 

weapons in the clip.

Following the procedures at the police station, the suspects were 

referred to the courthouse and released on judicial control by the judge.

An unlicensed rifle was seized during the search of the addresses.

Keskin was released on condition he wear this t-shirt.