T-VINE Issue 10, May/June 2018

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New Fenerbahçe chairman Ali Koç wins by a landslide 

One of Turkey’s wealthiest businessmen has been elected the new chairman of footballing giant Fenerbahçe. Ali Koç, who is part of the Koç dynasty, beat incumbent Aziz Yıldırım convincingly in a ballot of members at the Istanbul club yesterday. Yıldırım, who had been the head of Fenerbahçe since 1...

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Interest rate hike stabilises tumbling Turkish lira

After weeks of depreciation, the Turkish lira appears to have rallied back, closing at 4.66 against the US dollar on Monday. It follows Turkey’s central bank raising interest rates to try and prop up the embattled currency, which hit a record low of 4.9290 last week. Leading government officials als...

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Win tickets to see Karsu Plays Atlantic Records

  We have two pairs of tickets to give away to this Wednesday’s Karsu concert at Cadogan Hall, London. Step back in time as the talented singer and musician performs the iconic music of artists like Aretha Franlin, Cher, Ray Charles and The Rolling Stones, all signed by Ahmet Ertegün to Atla...

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Could June elections spell the end of AKP dominance?

  Recep Tayyip Erdoğan broke a pledge he made to the electorate by calling snap elections. On 24 June 2018, the country will head to the polls to decide Turkey’s new President and Parliamentarians, more than a year earlier than scheduled. The Turkish leader claims the early elections are...

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Galatasaray crowned Süper Lig champions of Turkey 

  There was jubilation for Istanbul club Galatasaray on Saturday night after beating İzmir side Göztepe 1-0 away from home to confirm their triumph in this year’s Süper Lig (Super League). It means the club has won the league title a record 21 times. Galatasaray is one of Turkey’s big foo...

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Only in Turkey: fan comes up with ingenious way to overcome stadium ban

  A committed football fan went to extraordinary lengths to see his local team play at the weekend. The unnamed Denizlispor supporter was seen watching the Turkish League 1 match between his club and Gaziantepspor up in a crane. According to Turkish daily Birgün, the supporter had receive...

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All aboard the Eastern Express to Kars, Turkey, and its stunning mishmash heritage

The Eastern Express rail service (or Doğu Ekspresi in Turkish) between the city of Kars on Turkey’s North Eastern border and the capital Ankara has grown increasingly popular among domestic tourists recently. Over the past year, young Turks have become enamoured by the overnight train, leaving it di...

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Halima Aden in Istanbul for launch of Raşit Bağzıbağlı x Modanisa’s Desert Dream collection

  The eagerly awaited Raşit Bağzıbağlı x Modanisa spring-summer collection went on sale on Monday 26th March. Turkey’s leading designer and Modanisa.com – the world’s biggest modest fashion e-retailer – celebrated their collaboration with a launch party in Istanbul. Jetting in especially...

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Pegasus Airlines records double-digit growth in 2017 

Turkey’s second biggest airline revealed strong financial and operating performances for last year. Low cost carrier Pegasus Airlines increased its passenger numbers by 15% in 2017 to nearly 28 million people, while simultaneously growing its turnover by 44% to TL 5.3 billion, while its annual net p...

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