"Kickbox & Release": Drivers Square Off With Kung-fu Moves in Traffic Dispute, in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 31 January 2026)

                     Everybody was kung-fu fighting!

At Acemler in Bursa's Nilüfer district, two drivers involved in a 

traffic dispute went after each other as if acting in a Far Eastern

kung-fu film (!).  The scene was captured by the helmet camera of

a motor courier who intervened to separate the combatants, neither

of whom filed a police complaint against the other. 

Bruce Lee would have approved...

"Drop But No Release": Desperate Effort to Retrieve Fallen Snowboard, at Mount Erciyes

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 30 January 2026)

                That must be one special snowboard!

A.C. was riding on a chair-lift at the Erciyes ski resort in Kayseri 

when he dropped his snowboard.  Anxious to retrieve his

snowboard, A.C. hung from the chair-lift, intending to drop down

and retrieve it.

However (!), A.C.'s jacket got tangled on the chair-lift's undercarriage

so he was left hanging from there. Subsequently, he untangled his 

jacket and dropped safely onto a cushion put in place by the resort's

ground crew.  A.C. is said to be in good condition. (no word on the

fate of the snowboard.)

"Leap & Release": Young Turkish Lovers Imitate Romeo and Juliet, in Istanbul's Verona

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 29 January 2026)

                                     They fell in love.

In Istanbul's Ümraniye district, two young lovers leapt in panic 

from a window, in fear of the girl's family's wrath.  The young

man had come to the girl's home, scaled the wall and perched

on a window frame.  

The scene attracted a neighbor's attention and was captured on a

cellphone video. After the two lovers fell to the ground, the girl's older 

brother expressed regret over the turn of events, screaming "Please 

don't die. Nothing will happen to you!"

Life imitates art, again

Turkey's Verona.

"Beat & Release": Cop Shoots Other Cop Who Married His Ex-wife, in Bilecik

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 January 2026)

             "Don't Enter! Police!" - sign didn't work.

In Bilecik, the suspect police officer, S.Y., was taken to the 

courthouse after being processed as part of the investigation 

conducted by the Gendarmerie.  S.Y. was arrested by the court on 

charges of  "attempted murder." of his ex-wife's new husband

H.Ç., also a policeman (!). 

In Bahçelievler neighborhood, on Uzun Street, police officer S.Y., 

who works at the Kütahya Provincial Police Department, shot and 

wounded H.Ç., a police officer working at the Mersin Provincial 

Police Department and the new husband (!) of S.Y.'s ex-wife, in the 

leg last night.

H.Ç. was taken to Bilecik Training and Research Hospital, while

S.Y. was taken into custody. 

"Beat & Release": Murder Victim's Relative Overcome With Grief on Café Roof, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 18 January 2026)

     Gunshot to the head. Yes, a rather suspicious death...

Murat Atlı (45) was found shot in the head at a cafe in Sarıyer. Relatives 

of Atlı, who was married and a father of three, rushed to the scene upon 

hearing the news of his death. One of the relatives, overcome with grief 

and unable to see the body, climbed onto the roof of the cafe.  The 

distraught individual, in tears, was eventually persuaded to come down 

by police officers. Police have launched an investigation into the 

suspicious (!) death.

The incident occurred on Sunday, January 4th, around 2:30 PM in 

İstinye. According to the information received, Atlı arrived at a cafe 

on the waterfront in the afternoon. Shortly afterwards, gunshots were 

heard coming from the cafe, and citizens rushed to the scene.

Citizens who saw Atlı lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to 

the head notified the medical teams, who arrived at the scene and 

determined that Atlı had died. Following this, police teams launched 

an investigation into the incident. While crime scene investigation 

teams and the public prosecutor were conducting their work, Atlı's

relatives arrived at the scene.

Relatives who rushed to the scene wanted to see Atlı's body. However, 

since the shop's shutters were closed, one of them climbed onto the

roof. Upon seeing Atlı's body, he suffered a nervous breakdown

on the roof. The police teams managed to calm him down with 

difficulty, and then he was brought down from the roof. After the 

examination, Atlı's body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute 

morgue, and the police launched an investigation into the suspicious 

death.

"Tour & Release": Turkish Billionaire Kİlled While on Safari, in Ethiopia

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 14 January 2026) 

            Angel of Death visits the middle of nowhere.

The bodies of businessmen Erdoğan Akbulak (68), the owner of 

Silkar Madencilik (mining) in Turkey, and Cengizhan Güngör, 

who lost their lives in an armed attack during a tourist trip in Ethiopia, 

have been brought back to Türkiye. 

After the autopsy procedures were completed at the Forensic 

Medicine Institute, the bodies of Akbulak and Güngör were 

received by their families and business associates. Akbulak's 

business associate, Murat Türkoğlu, said, "They set out to see the Omo 

Valley. While moving from their accommodation to another location, 

they came under fire from two vehicles. Their first vehicle managed to 

escape, but unfortunately, Cengizhan Bey, Erdoğan Bey, and the driver

in the second vehicle were caught in the crossfire and died. Later, 

we were only able to bring them here today with the great help of the 

embassy."

Murat Türkoğlu, a colleague of Erdoğan Akbulak, who lost his life in 

the attack, said, "We worked together. On Thursday, January 8, 2026, 

he and a group of four friends set off for a purely tourist trip to see the 

Omo Valley. The incident occurred on Monday, January 12. While 

moving from one place to another, they came under fire from two 

vehicles. The first vehicle managed to escape, but unfortunately, 

Cengizhan Bey, Erdoğan Bey, and the driver in the second vehicle 

were caught in the crossfire and died. 

"AI & Release": Robot's Creator Found Dead in His Home (Hmmmm), in Ankara

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 January 2026)

      The late welder, with prime suspect, in happier days.

In Ankara's Polatlı district, relatives of welder Hikmet Köpük (47),

who lived alone with the robot he created (!), reported him as missing 

to police when they didn't hear from him for a while.  Upon entering 

Köpük's house, police found his dead body, which was then taken to

the police forensic lab for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

"Beat & Release...Stress": "Anger House" Provides an Outlet for Inner Tensions, in Diyarbakır

türkçe links to orignal Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 12 January 2026)

 There's no end to the benefits of the common baseball bat.

In Diyarbakır, Hamza Durmaz has transformed his anger problem

into a business opportunity by opening "Öfke Evi" (Anger House), 

where people can come to relieve pent-up stress and anger by 

smashing things like old TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, 

guitars (!) or whatever else they happen to find. 

Hamza bey seen here before he opened "Anger House".

Durmaz related that "most of my customers are couples, who have

problems at work or are fed up with traffic snarls."  They act out their

stress-relief in soundproof rooms that are monitored by cameras,

wear protective clothing and use baseball bats for the smashing. 

            "Öfke" even sounds like an angry word.

However (!), psychologist Hayriye Müjde Erçetin cautioned that 

"anger houses can provide temporary stress-relief  but not a long-term

solution for someone with anger-management problems."

Stressful neighborhood anyway...

"Beat & Release": Parents Killed by Their Sons, in Istanbul and Tokat

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 January 2026)

He's a "momma's boy" after all. Better late than never (!?).

In Istanbul's Sancaktepe district, Nuriye Dilmaç's father and sister 

filed a missing person report with the police, who investigated and

learned that Nuriye hanım's son and husband had killed her (!). 

Son Eren Dilmaç confessed to the murder of his mother and said

that he had gone to the dumping ground where he and his father

had buried her each month "to pay his respects to her memory" (!). 

He added that he planned to purchase the burial site and make a

grave for Nuriye hanım there. 

In total, 9 suspects were taken into custody in connection with

Nuriye hanım's death by smothering, and six of them were jailed. 

****************************************************

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 January 2025)

                         "Everybody out of the pool!"

In Topçam village of Tokat provonce, an argument erupted between

Zihni Cankurtaran (79), who had recently returned to Tokat after

living in Greece, and his son Mustafa Cankurtaran over the sale

of property belonging to Zihni bey.  

As the father-son argument escalated, Mustafa bey pummeled his

father to death with an axe (!) and then buried the body in a storeroom

adjacent to a pool, covering it with lime to hide the stench.  The

murder came to light when Zihni bey's daughter could not reach her

father and reported him as missing to the police. 

"Slide & Release": Real Sleds Replace Plastic Bags for Students in Snowy Sivas

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 10 January 2026)

 

         Nothing better than a real sled on the slopes.

Wooden sleds were gifted to children who were sliding down the 

snowy slopes on plastic bags and ceramic basins after the snowfall in

Sivas.  Handmade wooden sleds, provided with the contributions of 

the Sivas Tourism Association, were gifted to the students by 

Governor Yılmaz Şimşek in Beypınar village, which is connected to 

the center of Sivas.

After images of children from Beypınar Village Primary and Secondary 

School, which provides transportation for students from Başıbüyük, 

Onbaşı, and Kızılca villages, sliding down slopes using plastic bags 

and ceramic basins were shared on social media, the Sivas Tourism 

Association initiated a project.

With the support of the Governorship, a company in the city prepared 

handmade wooden sleds for the 72 children at the schools.  Sivas 

Governor Şimşek, together with the Association President Hakan Bakar, 

visited the village school and distributed the sleds to the students.

In a statement to journalists, Şimşek said that the children were very 

conscientious and their teachers were very dedicated, resulting in great 

achievements and trophies.  Therefore, he stated that they wanted to 

reward them, saying, "We gave them each a sled."

"Work & Release": Teacher Had Students Clean Her Home During School Hours, in Izmir

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 January 2026)

    "Hands-on" learning - life is not just lived from books!

In Izmir's Bornova district, D.T., a Turkish Language and Literature 

teacher at a Vocational Training Center, is alleged to have taken six 

16-year-old female students to her home to clean (!), without the 

knowledge of the school administration or their parents, during 

class hours. Following complaints from the parents, the Provincial 

Directorate of National Education has launched an administrative 

investigation into D.T.

Teacher D.T. allegedly took Ş.A., E.K., D.D., A.Y., E.N.K., and N.K., 

out of school during class on November 4, 2025, and brought them 

to her home to do cleaning.  

The "Delta Theta" sorority convenes.

In a complaint filed with the Izmir Provincial Directorate of National 

Education by parents, it was stated that some photographs allegedly 

taken at the teacher's home showed cigarettes and alcohol bottles in 

the presence of students, posing a risk to the children's safety. 

It was also noted that students walked from the Bayraklı TOKİ area 

to the City Hospital after work, and then returned home using public 

transportation on their own. Following the parents' complaint, the 

Provincial Directorate of National Education initiated an administrative 

investigation against the teacher.

"Fine & Release": Tractor That Never Left an Isparta Village Fined for Speed and Toll Violations, in Istanbul (!)

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(CNN Türk website, 8 January 2026)

                               "Formula One" tractor.

Emine Tüzün (67), who lives in the Eğirdir district of Isparta, has 

received multiple fines from Istanbul for the license plate of her 

tractor, which she never took out of her village (!). Emine hanım, 

who had the previous fines cancelled as a result of her appeals,  

recently received another fine notice. She said (in exasperation!)

that she would change the license plate as soon as possible.

Emine hanım, a mother of 11 children (!) living in Gökçehüyük 

village in Eğirdir district, is facing trouble because of the license 

plate of her tractor. In 2021, she received nine fines for allegedly 

passing through Istanbul's highways and bridges without paying tolls. 

These fines were served in 2022, and after appealing, the fines were

cancelled. In May 2024, she received another notification for a 690 

lira fine for exceeding the speed limit on the Istanbul Northern Ring 

Road. She appealed this as well. After reviewing camera footage, 

the fine was determined to have been issued in error and was 

cancelled by court order.

The real culprit. The resemblance is uncanny. Easy mistake.

However (!), Emine hanım recently received a notification from the 

Istanbul 5th Enforcement Office regarding her tractor's license plate, 

this time alleging a debt of 735 lira in toll fees and 1019 lira in late 

payment interest for illegal crossings on bridges and highways 

in 2025. 

She related that: "I received a payment order for my tractor, which 

has the same license plate as a luxury car with an Azerbaijani 

registration, and is registered in my name, for allegedly crossing 

the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Northern Ring Road without

paying. I am being asked to pay the debt, which amounts to 1019 lira 

including late payment interest, or to declare my assets within 10 days. 

I am shocked. We have appealed again to CİMER (the Presidential 

Communication Center) and the relevant institutions. Let's see what 

the result will be."

Radar trap love for a faraway tractor.

Emine hanım added that she received the first payment notice in 2022 

and appealed, proving that the vehicle allegedly involved in the illegal 

crossing was not a tractor: "After we appealed, the camera recordings 

were reviewed, and it was determined that the violator was a car with 

Azerbaijani license plates. The Ministry apologized for this mistake 

and said the fine was canceled."

Emine hanım also noted that the same license plate received a speeding 

ticket from the Istanbul Traffic Control Branch Directorate in May 2024, 

saying, "We appealed this fine as well. A year later, the Istanbul 

Anatolian 3rd Magistrates' Court canceled the fine on the grounds that 

it was issued in error. Just when we thought we were free, the 

enforcement office issued a payment order for the collection of another 

debt."

Fed up with the fines and the experiences she's had coming from Istanbul, 

about 600 kilometers away from her village (!), said she will change her 

tractor's license plate as soon as possible by making the necessary 

applications and wants to stop receiving fine notices. Emine hanım said, 

"We were shocked that a tractor that never leaves the village and only 

works in the fields was fined as if it were driving around in a city like

Istanbul. Imagining the tractor being caught by radar seemed a bit 

far-fetched to me. Because the maximum speed for tractors is 40 

kilometers per hour. I don't even want to think that there are traffic 

police officers who don't know this."

The little tractor that could...but didn't.

"(No) Brake & Release": Out-of-Control Truck Waylays Two Tourists, Killing One, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 January 2026)

                                   Accidental tourists.

In Istanbul's Beykoz district yesterday at about 3 o'clock in the 

afternoon, the driver of a truck loaded with wood lost control of

his vehicle as it descended a hill, hit a parked car and then two

tourists, Wiebe Wermer and İllaria Carroza, walking on the

sidewalk. (!)

Police and medics rushed to the scene but found driver Emet 

Tüfenk squished to death inside his truck.  Tourist Wermer (28)

also died, and Carroza (27) is receiving treatment at a hospital. 

"Inherit & Release": Endless Lawsuit Over Priceless Properties Dogged by Wanna-be Heirs, in Antalya

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 6 January 2026)

     Lawyer Yılmaz wishing he'd become a truck driver.

The fake heirs of Arap Süleyman and Hacı Bekirzade Mehmet Ağa, 

two main heirs of billions of dollars of land in Antalya, are affecting 

the case that has been going on for about 70 years. Necati Yılmaz, 

one of the lawyers of the case, said, "Anyone who finds the name 

'Süleyman' in his family comes to this file." (!)

In the 67-year-old case regarding lands worth billions of dollars in 

the city, registered in the name of Arap Süleyman, Hacı Bekirzade 

Mehmet Ağa and the Treasury, there is a problem of fake heirs and 

their involvement in the cases. In this area of ​​2 million 400 thousand 

square meters; Tourism Practice Hotel, Antalya Training and Research 

Hospital, Falez and Rixos hotels, Glass Pyramid Park, AKM, Atatürk 

Culture Park, Glass Pyramid Fair and Congress Center, Antalya 

Tennis Specialization Club, fuel station, Antalyaspor Facilities, 

Corendon Stadium, Antalya Courthouse, Antalya Sports Hall, 

around 10 thousand residences in numerous sites, Meltem Market 

Place, facilities, schools, parks, the Regional Land Registry 

Directorate, mosques, parking lots, cooperatives and many other 

structures.

Lawyer Necati Yılmaz, who has been following the case for more 

than 20 years on behalf of Hacı Bekirzade Mehmet Ağa and some 

of the heirs of Arap Süleyman, pointed out that there are hundreds 

of people who appear to be parties in this file. Yılmaz said, "They say, 

'We are the heirs of Arab Süleyman', but they have no idea how 

they became heirs. Anyone who finds the name 'Süleyman' in their 

family comes to this file. The courts are also at fault. They decided 

to accept the primary intervention requests regarding these requests, 

without examining them or fulfilling the relevant procedural 

measures. A lot of people seem to be actually involved in the file, 

but they do not even know how they actually became heirs."

"It's mine!"...

Stating that it was decided to reject the request of the person who 

claimed to be the heir of Hacı Bekirzade Mehmet Ağa in the case, 

Necati Yılmaz said, "Actually, he is not yet a party in the case. 

In other words, it is not possible for him to make a request before 

a decision is made regarding his request for intervention, that is, 

without gaining the title of 'party'. The court made such a decision 

by mistake." 

"In other words, although there was no need to make 

a decision and there was no need to make any decision, it decided 

to reject it. They also used this and the file is again in the 

Regional Court of Justice. However, "The Regional Court of 

Justice has already made a decision 3 months ago. What is the 

point of sending the same decision there again? The purpose here 

is to drag the file out somehow. Various people are trying to take 

advantage of this," he said.

Giving the example of H.Y., who intervened in the case with 

assertions that he was the heir of Arap Süleyman's daughter 

Hava and was tried for the crime of forgery of documents, Yılmaz 

said, "The person called H.Y. came and made demands 

in exchange for withdrawing these cases. But of course, it is not 

just about H.Y. withdrawing his demand. There are hundreds of 

people. There is a group of people. For example, they claim that 

they are the heirs of Süleyman Ağa's granddaughter Zeynep." 

"There are those who claim that Zeynep's date of birth is 1877. 

The date of birth of the people they claim to be Zeynep's 

daughter and son in their family is 1872. In other words, they 

claim that they are children born before their mother (!). But the 

courts accept the requests for intervention without sufficient 

examination."

Necati Yılmaz stated that adding such people to the file as 

interveners made the case difficult and continued as follows:

"The more parties there are, the more difficult it is. Everyone 

has the right to appeal. A lot of people, whether interested or not, 

have such rights. You are granting these rights illegally. That's

why the case drags on. A lot of people die between the two 

hearings (!). They have to participate in the cases. The court is

trying to include the inheritance certificates of people we do not 

know whether they are really heirs or not, and their children 

and their children in the case. These are the situations that 

make these cases drag on."

In this case, in which the heirs of 'Süleyman Ağa', who was 

mentioned in a similar incident in Serik district because of the 

name 'Süleyman', also intervened and caused chaos, sacks full 

of documents were created in 67 years. Lawyer Necati Yılmaz, 

one of the names who has been the lawyer of the case for a long 

time, also stated that there are bags of documents related to this 

case that has been going on since 1958 and the cases filed 

within the scope of the subject.

Generation gap.

"Beat & (No) Release": Driver Who Beat Up Snowball-throwing Teenagers Jailed, in Diyarbakır

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 5 January 2026)

Thanks to social media, Y.T. didn't have a snowball's

chance in hell of getting away with it. 

Teenagers M.F.O. (15), B.D. (15) and İ.H.E. (12) were throwing

snowballs at cars from an overpass in the Bağcılar neighborhood

in Diyarbakır city.  Taking exception to the snowball attack, 

minibus driver Y.T., whose vehicle was hit, pursued the teenagers

and beat them up. 

The altercation on the overpass was captured on video by another

driver, spread on social media and resulted in the capture of Y.T.

by police, who put him in jail.  The teenagers are said to be in good

condition. 

"Fleece & Release": Car Dealer to the Stars Absconds, Amid Fraud Charges, in Kadıköy

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 4 January 2026)

       If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.

Police conducted a raid on a luxury car dealership that caters to 

football players, famous singers and other wealthy people in

Istanbul's Kadıköy district, only to find that owner Şahin Çolak

had fled the country amid accusations of an 11 million TL (about

$256,000) fraud. 

In any case, the fancy cars at Çolak's "S Class Oto Galeri" on 

Bağdat Boulevard were seized by the police and taken to a 

police parking lot to deterimine rightful ownership.  Efforts to

track down Çolak are continuing. 

"Bowl & Release": Vintage Bocce Team From Van Old Folks Home Heading to Turkey's Championship

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 3 January 2026)

                           A win is standing back up.

A bocce team formed from residents of a nursing home in Edremit 

district of Van aims to win first place in this year's Turkish 

championship.  The Edremit Nursing Home Bocce Team, formed 

with the participation of nursing home residents, competed in the 

"60+ Adults Bocce Tournament" this year, winning 6 out of 8 

matches against teams from Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, and Ağrı.

The four-person team, aged between 61 and 76, finished first in 

their group and qualified for the Turkish championship to be held 

in Antalya.  The team, which trains three days a week in the nursing 

home's training hall under the supervision of sociologist and team 

coach Ferit Kadaş, aims to win first place in the Turkish 

championship.

It's all about strategy...

Ekrem Koçak, a 70-year-old bocce team player, told an AA reporter 

that he first encountered bocce at the nursing home.  Stating that he 

had previously participated in tournaments, Koçak said, "I had gone 

to Antalya for a tournament before. I came in third there. We 

participated in the competitions again this year. We are traveling to 

Antalya. We eliminated our opponents in the group stage. Our goal in 

the championship is to be on the podium, finishing first or second. 

We want to return with our heads held high."

New Yorkers eager to meet Edremit in the Olympics this year.

Cemil Selman, 61, who said he played bocce for the first time at the 

nursing home, said, "I learned bocce here thanks to the people at the 

nursing home. We eliminated our opponents in the group stage and 

came here. I am very excited to go to Antalya. Hopefully, we will be 

champions there."

76-year-old Şaban Şabanoğlu, who said he had recently moved to the

nursing home, stated, "We started playing bocce with our friends here. 

We have a great time together. When we go to competitions, we also 

get the opportunity to visit the historical sites of those places. We are 

very excited to go to Antalya. We are going there to win."