Tag: turkey

Turkish football leagues halted after club president punches referee | Football News

Ankaragucu’s Faruk Koca entered the field and hit referee Halil Meler in the face after the Super Lig match against Rizespor ended in a late 1-1 draw.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended all leagues on a “night of shame” for the nation’s football after Ankaragucu’s president Faruk Koca punched the referee in the face at the end of their Super Lig home match against Rizespor.

Koca entered the field and hit referee Halil Umut Meler when the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Eryaman Stadium on Monday, footage from state broadcaster TRT showed.

Ankaragucu fans invaded the pitch after the game and Meler was also kicked when he fell, though it was unclear who his assailants were. Meler eventually made it to the dressing room with the help of the police.

“The Turkish Football Federation has decided to suspend all matches in all leagues indefinitely,” the federation posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The related club, the club chairman, club officials and all those guilty of attacking referee Umut Meler will be punished in the strongest terms possible.”

A detention order has been issued for Koca, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on X, adding that two people have already been detained as part of a judicial investigation into the incident.

“Turkish football has been punched shamefully tonight. Everyone involved in this incident will pay the price,” TFF Chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi said, according to TRT.

Referee Halil Umut Meler lies on the ground after being attacked at the end of the match [Abdurrahman Antakyali/Depo Photo via Reuters]

‘Despicable attack’

According to Turkish media, both Meler and Koca were subsequently taken to hospital, with Koca under guard and expected to be detained following treatment.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted in Turkish media condemning the attack as the TFF swiftly announced the suspension.

“By the decision of the TFF Board of Directors, matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely.”

The TFF blamed the “despicable attack” on a years-long toxic culture towards referees that it said had been fostered by many players and club officials.

President Erdogan said in a statement: “I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler after the MKE Ankaragucu-Caykur Rizespor match played this evening, and I wish him a speedy recovery.

“Sports means peace and brotherhood. Sports are incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports.”

A FIFA referee since 2017, 37-year-old Meler took charge of Lazio’s Champions League group game with Celtic on November 28.

Referees in Turkey are often criticised by club managers and presidents for their decisions but are rarely the target of violent attacks.

Ankaragucu are 11th in the standings on 18 points, three places below Rizespor on 22 points after 15 matches.

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UK’s David Cameron scolds Scottish leader Humza Yousaf over Erdogan meeting | Gaza News

Cameron says a meeting between Scotland’s Hamza Yousaf and Turkish leader on the sidelines of COP28 breached protocol because a UK official was not present.

Britain’s foreign secretary has warned he could withdraw cooperation with Scottish ministers if they hold future foreign meetings without United Kingdom representation after Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf met Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

David Cameron issued the threat after Yousaf met Erdogan on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai to discuss the Gaza war.

Cameron, in a letter to the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) government, said the meeting breached protocol because a UK government representative was not also present.

A spokesperson for Yousaf said a UK official had been extended an invite, but could not make the visit.

Yousaf said the meeting did not broach any topics that had not already been discussed and called Cameron “petty” for issuing the rebuke.

Cameron wrote in his letter that, should there be future protocol breaches, he would pull foreign office support from Scottish ministerial meetings overseas.

“We will also need to consider the presence of Scottish government offices in UK government posts,” Cameron added.

While the UK government oversees the kingdom’s foreign affairs to ensure it presents a united front, Scotland is free to independently engage on international issues within designated policy areas. Still, questions of diplomatic protocol have sometimes sparked contention.

Yousaf has been highly critical of the UK government’s full support of Israel and its military invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The divide grew when the Scottish leader’s in-laws were trapped in Gaza for about a month before being evacuated and returning to Scotland. The British government’s reluctance to meet or discuss the matter with Yousaf at the time was heavily criticised in Scotland.

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Somali president’s son flees Turkey after fatal Istanbul accident: Reports | News

Turkish media say Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud crashed into and killed a motorcycle courier before leaving country.

The Somali president’s son allegedly killed a motorcycle courier in a traffic accident in Istanbul’s Fatih district, according to Turkish media reports, which said he fled the country after the incident.

Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the son of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, crashed into Yunus Emre Gocer with the car he was driving on November 30, the reports said on Saturday, quoting the official police report.

National daily Hurriyet reported that Gocer was thrown into the air by the impact and was seriously injured. Paramedics who arrived at the scene took him to hospital. But Gocer, a father of two, died on December 6.

The police report on the accident stipulated that the motorcycle rider did not violate any traffic rules. The car driver was found to be primarily at fault.

Police released Mohamud without any bail conditions after preliminary investigations into the accident, said daily newspaper Cumhuriyet.

Arrest warrant issued

The prosecution issued an international arrest warrant for the president’s son on Friday, days after he left the country, the reports said, adding that the suspect’s exit from Turkey was on record and he could not be reached by the authorities.

Police went to the suspect’s home only to find “he had been gone since December 2”, broadcaster A Haber reported.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu criticised the authorities for allowing the suspect to leave the country.

“He [Gocer] was taken from this life due to an accident caused by the son of the President of Somalia,” Imamoglu posted on X.

“We said we would follow the legal process, but the suspect left Turkey with his hands free. The pain of the victim’s family increased even more,” the mayor said.

“The mentality that turns a blind eye and allows this escape, unfortunately, is too weak to defend the rights of its own citizens in its own country,” he added.

There was no immediate response from either the Somali president or his office.

Turkey has steadily increased its footprint in Somalia in the past decade and is the Horn of Africa nation’s leading economic partner, notably in the construction, education and health sectors.

Ankara has been a significant source of aid to Somalia following a famine in 2011. Turkish engineers have helped to build infrastructure in Somalia, businesses have invested in the country and Turkish officers have trained Somali soldiers as part of efforts to build up the country’s army.

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Turkey Joins China, India in Marking CBDC Milestones on Wider Scale Before 2022 Wraps Up

The year 2022, while not having been positively eventful for the crypto sector, did emerge as a milestone year for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Turkey has become the latest member of the CBDC club, that has touched a significant point in its CBDC trials. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT), that started its CBDC trials earlier this year, has completed its first phase before the year of 2022 ends. Turkey’s CBDC is named the Digital Turkish Lira.

For now, Turkey has been conducting closed circuit pilot tests of its CBDC. In the first three months of 2023, the CBRT plans to take this CBDC trial to select banks and fintech companies, which will continue till the end of next year.

“Studies on the legal aspects of the Digital Turkish Lira demonstrate that digital identification is of critical importance for the project. Therefore, studies on the economic and legal framework of the Digital Turkish Lira as well as its technological requirements will be prioritised throughout 2023,” the Turkish central bank said in an official statement.

Built on the blockchain, the CBDC of any nation is just a digital representation of its fiat currency. As opposed to traditional digital transactions, blockchain networks record all transactions with more transparency while keeping them shut to being altered or changed. CBDC transactions could prevent cases of financial frauds.

This year, a bunch of nations expanded their roots into the CBDC sector.

India, for instance, marked some crucial landmarks in its CBDC trials. Earlier this month, India’s digital rupee CBDC, officially stepped into its retail trial period in four cities — New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar in partnership with the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, and IDFC.

The RBI, that is overseeing the digital rupee trials, is testing the CBDC with select merchants and customers for day-to-day retail purchases.

The official roll out of India’s CBDC could see the light of the day sometime in 2023.

China also, that launched its e-CNY CBDC for broader trials this year, has begun to push its adoption among the masses.

This week, the Chinese authorities introduced a feature for existing CBDC users to let them send financial gifts to their friends and family as ‘red packets’. Considered as a symbol of ‘good luck’, the ‘red packets’ — also called the ‘Hongbao’ — are used for presenting people with money as a gesture of luck around festivals in the Asian nation.

Kazakhstan and Pakistan are looking to facilitate the gradual roll out their respective CBDCs around 2025.

Japan and South Korea also are moving forward with its CBDC pilots.

Meanwhile, some countries have already released their CBDCs in full force this year.

Nigeria, for instance, launched its CBDC named the eNaira earlier this year. In a bid to promote the use of this CBDC, the Nigerian government has banned weekly ATM withdrawals over $225 (roughly Rs. 18,565) and daily ATM withdrawal at $45 (roughly Rs. 3,710) in the African nation.

Jamaica also released its Jam-Dex CBDC for commercial uses.

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At least 15 migrants dead after two boats sink off Greece

At least 15 people have died after two boats carrying migrants sank in Greek waters, and rescuers were looking for dozens still missing, authorities said early Thursday. The coast guard said 15 bodies had been recovered near the eastern island of Lesbos after a dinghy carrying about 40 people sank. Five people were rescued and three had been located on a rocky outcrop near the site of the sinking. A second rescue effort was launched several hundred miles to the west, near the island of Kythira, where a sailboat carrying about 100 migrants sank late Wednesday.

Officials said 30 people had been rescued after that boat hit rocks off the village port of Diakofti on the east of the island. Winds in the area were up to 45 mph.

“We could see the boat smashing against the rocks and people climbing up those rocks to try and save themselves. It was an unbelievable sight,” Martha Stathaki, a local resident told The Associated Press. “All the residents here went down to the harbor to try and help.”

Fire service rescuers lowered ropes to help migrants climb up cliffs on the seafront. Local officials said a school in the area would be opened to provide shelter for the rescued. Navy divers were also expected to arrive Thursday.

First responders had to lower ropes down a cliff to rescue the survivors.
AP
Officials said a nearby school may be used as a shelter, once the rescue attempts are finished.
AP

Most migrants reaching Greece travel from neighboring Turkey, but smugglers have changed routes in recent months in an effort to avoid heavily patrolled waters around Greek islands near the Turkish coastline.

Kythira is some 250 miles west of Turkey and on a route often used by smugglers to bypass Greece and head directly to Italy.

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