Ottoman Palace Became Mafia-Mussolini Casino

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 25 October 2015)


"Mussolini and the Casino"

Italian historian and philosopher Riccardo Mandelli has written
a book entitled "Al Casino con Mussolini" (Mussolini and the
Casino). The Mafia was at the head of the project and they got
support from Benito Mussolini, who became Prime Minister of
Italy in 1922.  The Mafia's first casino was in San Remo and it
continues in operation today.

Businessman Giuseppe Volpi and the Commerciale Italiana Bank,
which held a large portion of Ottoman debt, got together with
Masons from Salonika, Greece, and after the death of the last
Ottoman Sultan Vahideddin in May 1926 they decided to go forward
with the project.


             Yıldız Palace, on the left.

Within a short period of time, the casino group obtained permission
to operate from the young Turkish Republican government and they
turned the Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, which had been the home and
office of the Sultan for many years, into a casino. The opening
occurred on 26 September 1926.

The manager, Mario Serra, was eager to open up a dance hall,
tennis courts, a horse riding area and a golf club on the grounds
of Yıldız Palace and he even wanted to turn the nearby but ruined
Cirağan Palace into a hotel.


         Check your wallet at the door.


Turks were forbidden from entering the casino but this was
generally ignored and Istanbul society was losing fortunes each
evening at the roulette tables. Trainloads of casino patrons from
the Balkans added to Serra's income, reaching 1 million lira per
month.

However, in September 1927 an incident occurred that ruined
Serra's dreams and the Yıldız Casino.  A Turkish army officer
was denied permission to enter the casino. Shamed, the officer
committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.  Ankara, the
new Republic's capital, got word of the incident and closed the
casino down.


Conquerer of Ethiopia and Mafia casino-backer Mussolini.

Serra sued Turkey but lost and there were also two warrants for
his arrest in Italy at the time. Serra fled Istanbul and was caught
trying to enter Italy with a false identity.

For those wanting to learn more about the Yıldız Casino there are
plenty of related documents to be found in the Prime Minister's
Republic Archives.
 

           Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, at the blue dot.

Edita!: Don't Cry For Me, Business Class

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 25 October 2015)



         Edita!

What may be a first in the history of aviation scandals
occurred on the Vienna-Abu Dhabi flight of Fly MT Airlines.
The incident happened on the evening of Wednesday, 21
October.

Slovakian citizen Edita Kmetova was sitting in economy class
when her stomach began acting up and she went to the toilet.
The economy class toilet was occupied, though, so Edita wanted
to use the business class toilet instead.

However, the business class passengers objected to Edita using
their bathroom and the flight attendant would not admit Edita to
the business class toilet. Nevertheless, Edita's stomach distress
would not let up and she entered the business class toilet anyway.


The resemblance is uncanny...not to mention the trials and 
tribulations.

Emerging from the toilet, Edita was confronted by the flight
attendant and the captain (!), along with the business class patrons,
and an argument ensued. The pilot then handcuffed Edita (!!) and,
since the plane was in Turkish air space, he called Ankara air traffic
control to make an emergency landing.

The plane was directed to land at Erzurum in eastern Turkey, where
it was met by firefighters, ambulances and policemen.  Erzurum
airport's deputy director Abubekir Özcan met the crying and
handcuffed Edita and quickly freed her from the cuffs, turning her
over to the police.

Erzurum authorities determined that Edita had done nothing wrong
and directed the pilot to put her back on the plane. The pilot, though,
refused and took off once again without Edita.  Erzurum airport
pesonnel took care of Edita, who had no money on her nor any friends
or relatives in Turkey. After spending the night in the Sway Hotel
without charge, Edita was put on a plane to Istanbul and from there
to Abu Dhabi.

Slovakia's honorary consul Emir Bozkaya sent a letter to Erzurum
airport deputy director Özcan, thanking him and airport personnel
for the aid they extended to Edita.


                         Erzurum province

Birds Edition: Lonely Pelican, Polish Volunteer

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 24 October 2015)


                 When will I be free...

In Yalıkavak, Bodrum, workers at a hotel found a pelican
with an injured wing in the garden and immediately called
the animal protection authorities.  The bird was taken first
to the Torba Temporary Animal Shelter and from there to
the provincial center Muğla.

Once the pelican regains its health it will be returned to the
wild. In the meantime, though, the bird seems quite sad in
its room, standing on the tips of its webbed feet, continually
looking out the window. This scene brings to mind the poem
of Sabahattin Ali that goes "it's Spring outside, with people
touring around. The days pass like flowing water, but for me
they don't pass at all."




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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Anatolian News Agency, 23 October 2015)


Re-writing 'War and Peace' in between migrations.

Ten years ago tagging operations were begun through cooperation
between the Iğdır Forest and Water Directorate and the Northern
Nature Association at the bird sanctuary in Cıyrıklı village in Tuzluca
district of Iğdır province. Each migration season volunteers come to
the sanctuary to help. One of them is Poland's Tomasz Cofta, who has
worked contiually for ten years at the sanctuary on the Aras River.


                  Iğdır province