"Tea & Release": Picknickers' Samovar Briefly "Sparks" Forest Fire, in Soma

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 June 2025)

 

          Usually it's a BBQ grill, this time a samovar...

In Soma district of Manisa province the day before yesterday

at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a fire broke out in a wooded

area.  Soma Forest Service firefighters responded quickly to 

prevent the fire from spreading. 

It turned out that a family picnicking in the area had lit a 

samovar to make tea and sparks jumped from the samovar

to the dry grass.  The culprit was identified as Neriman A.,who

was arrested and sentenced to house arrest (!) by the court. 

Neriman hanım making the best of it.

"Sing & Release": Alatürka "Singin' in the Rain" Staged in Samsun (Without Delilah)

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 June 2025)

                         A wet Irishman in Samsun

The Turkish State Opera and Ballet General Directorate (DOB)

has staged the Hollywood classic musical "Singin' in the Rain" 

in Turkey for the first time.  The 3-hour play, adapted from the 

movie, included Gene Kelly's famous dance scene, in which he

revolved around a lamp post amid falling rain.  

Bilal Doğan played Kelly's role in the production staged in 

Samsun, where the technical team built a second stage atop 

the main one, complete with drainage for the rain scene.  

The choreography for the play, which was directed and translated

into Turkish by Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu, was created by Yunus 

Emre Örgüt, with Kıvanç Tepe handling adaptation of the musical

scores.  Costumes were designed by Gülnur Çağlayan Tuluk., 

lighting arranged by Oğuz Murat Yılmaz and video design by

Murat Turgut.  In addition to Bilal Doğan, the lead actors 

included Leyla Ceren Koç, Umut Yavuz and Ulaş Kocatürk.

Where's Delilah?!

"Beat & Release": Is Nothing Sacred! Barbeque Pit Found in Ancient Church on Forbidden Promontory, in Alanya

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 23 June 2025)

Sometimes you just want a private BBQ spot for yourself.

The historic structures on Cilvarda Point, a rocky bit of land 

that juts out 400 meters into the Mediterranean Sea  from the 

peninsula at Alanya in Antalya province, create lovely 

silhouettes that enhance the town's beauty.   

Cilvarda Point, which is closed to visitors, is called "darphane" 

(mint) by the populace and there is a church and a monastery 

made with hewn stones that date back to the 11th century A.D 

on the promontory. 

However (!),  some people have jumped the fence around the

Alanya Fortress to make the arduous trek through the Cilvarda

Point's rugged terrain and left debris behind them, including

the remnants of a "mangal" (barbeque pit) made inside the 

church (!). 

"Beat & Release": Wife and Her Lover, Husband's Brother, Killed Husband With Rat Poison, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 22 June 2025)

                    "To your health, dear husband."

In Esenyurt, Istanbul, on 28 April 2024, Halime Çevik (29) 

came home from shopping to find her husband Eyüp Çevik

(37) lying on the floor.  The young woman called the police

and medics arriving at the house  pronounced her husband

dead. 

However (!), police characterized the death as "suspicious"

and sent Eyüp Çevik's body to the police forensic lab. 

Meahwhile, Halime hanım went with her husband's brother

Hüseyin Çevik and her two children to Mardin.  

But Hüseyin bey had a crisis of conscience and confessed to

killing his brother with rat poison (!) owing to his affair with

Halime hanım.  He said he bought the rat poison and gave

it to Halime hanım to put in Eyüp bey's food.  Halime hanım,

though, denied the accusation, but both she and Hüseyin bey

were jailed. 

A decision was handed down in the court at Bakırköy, Istanbul,

such that Halime hanım was given a "life sentence", reduced 

from a "severe life sentence" - "in consideration of the effect

on her social life" (!).  Hüseyin bey was sentenced to 16 years

and 8 months for "assisting a murder".  

Lives to bite another day...

"Beat & Release": Punching Incident on Train Gets Complicated as Teenager Shoots at "Blue Shirt" Participant Two Weeks Later, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 20 June 2025)

"Blue-shirt" Aktan being arrested at Marmaray Maltepe 

station on 30 May.

In Maltepe, Istanbul, on 16 June at about 9 o'clock at night,

Y.B.D. (17) fired two shots at Cihan D. who was walking 

along the street.  Cihan D. was uninjured and police quickly

arrested Y.B.D., who had an unlicensed revolver and ten

9 mm bullets on him. 

In his statement to police, Y.B:D. "explained" that he lives in

Bahçelievler district (far from Maltepe) and has links to the 

notorious Dalton Gang and that one Doğancan had sent him to 

a café to obtain the gun from someone he did not know personally.  

Police found messages from known Dalton Gang members on 

Y.B.D.'s phone. 

Dur, far left, punched Eroğlu, white shirt.with kids.

Then Aktan, blue shirt, punched Eroğlu, too. Got it?

It turned out that the attack was intended against İbrahim

Aktan, who was taken into custody 15 days ago along with

Ekrem Dur for punching Deniz Eroğlu  (46), who was on the 

Marmaray train at the Maltepe station with his two children.

The footage of the incident spread widely on social media

and Aktan was identified by his "blue shirt" (!). 

Y.B.D. said that he shot Cihan D. because he resembled

Aktan, based on the footage he'd seen on social media. 

Have gun, will travel.

"Beat & Release": Killer of Fabled "Nasreddin Hoca" Confesses on Live TV Program

türkçe links to original Turkish article.

(Sözcü Newspaper, 18 June 2025)

                                 Reality TV at its worst.

Mehmet Tural (2), who dressed like Nasreddin Hoca and

roamed around Konya's Akşehir district for years, had not

been heard from for a while.   His mother's cry for help 

was answered on a TV program (!). 

The would-be Nasreddin Hoca met Gülşen Dal on social

media and sent her a marriage proposal, along with 200,000

TL and 160,000 TL-worth of gold.  Subsequently, Tural

appealed to Kenan Yılmaz, who passed himself off as an

intelligence agent, to try to get his money back.  

Yılmaz could not find Gülşen hanım, though, and this

prompted an argument between him and Tural.  Later,

on a live TV program Yılmaz "explained" that " I said to

him 'Uncle Mehmet, I couldn't find the woman nor her 

home. Other than the photograph of her you sent me, I

know nothing about her."

Continuing on the live TV program, Yılmaz said that

"He thought I'd brought the woman with me, but he got

angry when he saw she hadn't come.  He pulled a gun

on me and marched me to a desolate place.  I tried to 

get the gun from him and it fired, hitting him either in the

head or the shoulder.  I didn't fire the gun.  It was a high

place, with a stream passing by."

After his live TV confession, police took Yılmaz into

custody and a search of the scene of the incident yielded

a human skull and bones.(!)

"Beat & Release": Angel of Death Visits Balcony in Batman, Balloon in Aksaray

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet 16 June 2025)

      Batman was on a coffee break and did not respond. 

While ceramic tiles were being placed on a first-floor balcony

that had been added to the Yel family's 3-story house in 

Atbağı village of Batman province's Beşiri district, the 

balcony collapsed on top of nine people having a meal below

it (!).  

Rescuers responding to the collapse found the dead bodies

of Fırat Tarhan (27), Mücahit Top (18) and Faris Yel (12). 

İ.H.Y. (24), V.K.Y. (15), Raman Yel (19), A.V.Y. (12) and 

A.Y. (50) were taken to hospitals for treatment of their

injuries, along with a Syrian named Halis.  

Raman Yel, however, succumbed to his injuries and died at

the hospital. The conditions of two others are said to be critical. 

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

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 16 June 2025)

                                     No-air balloon. 

Yesterday morning a sightseeing balloon went airborne at about

5 o'clock in the Ihlara Valley area of Aksaray Güzelyurt in 

Cappadocia but the balloon crash-landed two hours later 

because of a sudden change in the wind.  

Pilot Hüseyin Türk's foot got caught in a rope and he was 

dragged underneath the balloon's basket and died.  19

Indonesian tourists riding in the basket were slightly injured

and returned to Nevşehir, where they are staying in a hotel.

At about the same time, another balloon carrying Indian 

tourists made a hard landing because of the wind and 12

tourists were slightly injured. 

I'd turn back if I were you...