Voices Newspaper

25/09/2025

Eye, eye, AI

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has imposed a fine of approximately 20 million Turkish Lira on villas in Muğla that were rented without permits, following an AI-assisted inspection.

The inspections also cover the villa owners' fraudulent long-term contract methods.

According to a report by Kenan Gürbüz from Employers' World, the Ministry conducted inspections of villas operating without tourist rental permits in the Fethiye and Seydikemer districts of Muğla.

According to ministry data, approximately 8,000 residences in Muğla have received tourist rental permits, making it the province with the most permits in Türkiye.

During inspections, a total of 105 undocumented villas were identified in Fethiye and Seydikemer, resulting in a total fine of approximately 20 million Turkish Lira.

The initial illegal rental fine was 143,930 Turkish Lira. A second detection of the same villa resulted in a fine of 719,650 Turkish Lira per villa, and a third detection resulted in a fine of 1,439,300 Turkish Lira.

Some villa owners were found to have attempted to present their daily or weekly rentals as "long-term contracts exceeding 100 days" to evade inspections. Those who used this method were immediately fined 1,439,300 Turkish Lira.

The Ministry used artificial intelligence to detect forged documents. The scan in Fethiye reportedly took an average of 10 seconds, allowing for quick detection of illegal rental activities.

The Tourism Inspection Team, along with Gendarmerie and Police units, prevented unregistered activities in Fethiye and Seydikemer, contributing to the prevention of unfair competition in the tourism sector. Authorities reminded villa owners of their legal obligations and warned them not to operate without a tourism rental license.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of residences with permits rented for tourism purposes across Türkiye has approached 25,000, with Muğla, Fethiye and Seydikemer standing out as the regions where this process was most intense.

Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Muğla’daki izinsiz kiralanan villalara yapay zekâ destekli denetimle yaklaşık 20 milyon TL ceza kesti. Denetimler, villa sahiplerinin sahte uzun dönem sözleşme yöntemlerini de kapsıyor.

25/09/2025

Drunk Dundee duo down Dalaman flight

A drunk Scots thug caused a holiday flight to Dalaman, Turkiye, to be diverted to Germany after she acted aggressively and spat on a passenger.

Courtney Maich, 27, was being hauled off the plane by German police officers when she launched the "disgraceful and disgusting" assault on the mother of a child on board the Jet2 flight.

Maich and her partner Alannah O'Neill, 28, had taken off from Edinburgh Airport and were en route to Dalaman on their first ever trip on a plane when the pair began drinking their own alcohol.

The louts, both from Dundee, refused to stop shouting and swearing when repeatedly asked to by cabin crew and Maich was even handed a written warning by the captain about her behaviour.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the couple's behaviour forced the captain to divert to Cologne around 90 minutes after take off where Maich was escorted from the flight.

The court heard passengers were grounded for three hours before the plane was allowed to continue to its destination and a return flight to Edinburgh had to be cancelled to the following day.

Jet2 was then forced to pay out £27,370.53 to put passengers and staff up in a hotel overnight and the return flight eventually landed back in Edinburgh 16 hours late.

The court was told the airline has now served a civil action on both women in an attempt to recoup their losses. Fiscal depute Eilidh Gunn said Maich was asked to move as she was in the wrong seat but refused and became aggressive towards cabin crew shortly after take off at around 4pm on October 8 last year.

Gunn said: "German police then boarded the flight and in the process of removing Maich off the plane she spat at one of the passengers who was with her husband and seven-year-old son.

"The spit landed on her body, and she also shouted 'f*** you all' towards the passengers."

Mobile phone footage of Maich being arrested and escorted off the flight was widely posted on social media following the incident.

The pair appeared in the dock for sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to various offences last month.

Co-accused Natasha Gilligan, 49, from Dundee, had not guilty pleas accepted by the Crown and fourth accused Michaela Hawes, 35, from Dundee, has a non-appearance warrant out for her arrest.

Sheriff Peter Anderson said the couple's behaviour had "catastrophic consequences" for the other passengers and they had "ruined the start of a holiday for a large number of people"

The sheriff added: "All of this because you couldn't control your drink. This was utterly disgraceful conduct and cannot be allowed to happen again."

Maich and O'Neill were sentenced to a 12 month supervision order, carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and both will be tagged and have to stay at home between 8pm and 7am, Maich for four months and O'Neill for three.

Maich was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation for what the sheriff described as a "disgraceful and disgusting" assault on Ms Taylor.

Maich pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, acting aggressively and uttering threats of violence and offensive remarks to other passengers on the aircraft between Edinburgh and Cologne. She also admitted to assaulting a woman by spitting on her body.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the couple's behaviour forced the captain to divert to Cologne around 90 minutes after take off where Maich was escorted from the flight.

25/09/2025

UK police have launched a probe after furious families reported losing thousands on holidays - including those to Turkiye - which they claim were never booked.

Customers have accused Natasha MacDonald, also known as Cogley, of taking money for getaways that didn't exist. Families told the Daily Record that they had been left in tears over trips botched by the 46-year-old from Renfrew, who set up Travel with Taylormadetravel earlier this year.

One group say they are more than £8,000 out of pocket for a trip to Turkey which they had to rebook at their own cost as they try to reclaim the cash through their banks.

Another irate dad said his distraught daughter was locked in a battle to get the £2,000 she paid for a holiday to Turkey back. He said: "This has caught fire and we've just become aware of how many other people this involves. Every single day we're hearing from more people affected by this.

"She is receiving a lot of backlash. There are people going to her door. People are in tears. My daughter is in dispute with her. She was supposed to be going to Mexico but found out nothing was booked or going ahead.

"She was also supposed to be going to a family wedding in Turkey in October and has been let down with that. She's not had any contact from Natasha now. She's bumped basically. My daughter went to the police on Saturday after going to the bank.

"We're trying to retrieve my daughter's money back. We have successfully claimed one payment back but the other was done with a fast transfer payment and the bank are querying it. We had two successful holidays with Natasha so she had gained our trust and we were offered fantastic deals.

"People are now phoning the hotels that are supposed to be booked and the airlines and they're finding no bookings. People are being left heartbroken."

Police Scotland said enquiries were ongoing into a number of reports relating to "a possible fraud involving the sale of holiday bookings" as customers accuse a Renfrew travel agent.

25/09/2025

It has emerged that the new five-star Akra Hotel, being built in Didim and due to open April 2026, will be part of the TUI portfolio of hotels.

The 359-room resort, part of an ongoing investment from the Barut Group, aims to offer a sports-focused concept with luxury villas, spa and Turkish bath services, and tennis, padel, and pickleball courts.

Although still being built, TUI are already advertising it for the 2026 season - https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/turkey/bodrum-area/didim/hotels/akra-didim-resort-and-spa.html

For more details on the hotel - https://www.voicesnewspaper.com/2025/07/17/didims-new-five-star-hotel-takes-shape-for-2026-opening/

A new five-star hotel will bring additional luxury holiday choices when it opens to the public next year. Potentially opening in April 2026, the Akra Didim Hotel project will rise on a 278,214 square meter land area, at Fevzipaşa between Didim and Akbuk. Media reports suggest the main building of A...

25/09/2025

Plogging in Didim report – from Anne Baxter-Cooper.
Gorgeous day for our plog at Mesut this week, and I have to say it was the cleanest I have seen it in 7 years! Not much big stuff apart from a couple of tyres, but lots of cigarette ends.
It was nice to see ploggers who have been away all summer and who are back for Autumn. 23 of us in all, including our new member, Noyan & relatives of ploggers who are over for a holiday. We collected approximately 10 bags in all.....
Great work team!

22/09/2025

Action call against cigarette butts in Bodrum

The Missgibi 1 Bodrum group, which has attracted attention with its volunteer environmental activities and cleanups in Bodrum, organized an event to highlight the damage caused to the environment and human health by cigarette butts thrown on Bar Street (Cumhuriyet Avenue), Kale Avenue and Hilim Uran Square.

At the event, which was also supported by members of the Bodrum City Council and the Nature Sports Club, volunteers collected cigarette butts and placed them in empty canisters, drawing attention to the seriousness of pollution.

Various visuals created from cigarette butts also highlighted the seriousness of pollution. It was urged against the assumption that even a single cigarette butt is a small one, so what's the point?

It was emphasized that cigarette butts cause both visual and chemical damage to the environment. It was emphasized that butts discarded in storm drains, in particular, harm the environment and the sea.

At the end of the event, after painting the old paint cans, they were placed on Kumbahçe beach to be used as ashtrays for throwing cigarette butts on the beach.

22/09/2025

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced that the forest fire in Köyceğiz, Muğla has been brought under control.

He stated: “The fires in Köyceğiz, Muğla, and Yaylakonak, Alanya, Antalya, have been completely brought under control thanks to the relentless efforts of our air fleet, land vehicles, and forest heroes.

"Protecting our forests and protecting our future is a shared responsibility for all of us. Let’s avoid actions that could cause forest fires. We will continue to defend our Green Homeland selflessly.”

22/09/2025

From Bodrum Echo Community about tenants and landlords' rights
(Thanks to Mustafa Arıkök)

This Supreme Court (Yargıtay) decision is indeed precedent-setting because it clarifies a grey area in landlord–tenant relations in Türkiye. Key Points of the Ruling:

Tenant’s obligation continues: If a tenant leaves the rental property before the lease term ends, they are still responsible for paying rent and dues.

Until when? The tenant must pay until the property is re-rented under similar conditions. ➝ Example: If you move out in month 8 of a 12-month lease, but the landlord can only find a new tenant in month 11, you may owe rent for months 9–10.

3-month notice clause not valid for early departure: The Court clarified that a “3-month notice” clause only applies to terminations after the lease term expires, not when the tenant leaves early.

Landlord’s duty to mitigate loss: The landlord cannot just leave the apartment empty to collect rent. They must make a reasonable effort to rent it again under fair market conditions. Only the gap period is chargeable.

Legal Effect:
Sets a binding precedent: Lower courts will follow this interpretation.
Tenant risk: Leaving early without cause can become costly.
Landlord benefit: Stronger legal ground to claim unpaid rent until a new tenant is found.

22/09/2025

A man died when he fell from a roof in Didim over the weekend.

It appears the 54-year-old was trying to repair tarpaulin on the roof of his house, when he slipped, lost his balance, and fell several metres to the ground.

Bystanders alerted medical and police teams and the seriously injured man was taken to Didim State Hospital by ambulance, but despite doctors' best efforts, he could not be saved.

Authorities launched an investigation into the incident and warned citizens to pay attention to safety precautions when working on roofs and similar heights.

22/09/2025

Results from the weekend’s football in the TFF 3rd League, 4th Group

Söke 1970 is on the up. Playing at their temporary home in Didin while their stadium is built, Söke secured its first win of the season, defeating Eskişehir Anadolu Spor Aktiviteli A.Ş. 3-0.

Backed by, according to local media, a 1,000-strong crowd, Söke took the lead in the 8th minute, doubled it just before the break, and rounded off the performance when Rüştü Hanlı headed home in the 66th minute.

Söke, who have confirmed they will play at ‘home' in Didim for the first half of the season, rise to seventh in the table.

Meanwhile, Nazillispor disappointed its fans by losing 2-0 to Eskişehirspor in their away match. The Black and Whites who have failed to win in the season's first three weeks fell to 15th place with just one point.

22/09/2025

Well done to Aydin’s Muay Thai champion Nefise Delikurt who rocked up at the Bangkok ONE Champsionship and scored an amazing victory over her Chinese oppnnent in the atomweight category.

Nefise, who previously held the title of being the first and only Turkish female athlete to win in this organization, entered the ring at the Lumpinee Stadium to do battle with opponent Liu Yuer.

She was able to beat her on points in the tough match.

19/09/2025

Reminder: Didim Walking Football Club play every Monday, starting from 09.30 with team set up, warm up & kick off. All are welcome to join DWFC at the two astro turf pitches located at Aytepe Spor Tesisleri, Ege Road, close to the Meryem Ana Hotel.

Catch up on all their activities at https://www.facebook.com/DWFC2022