Latest news with #Akin
The Star
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Centuries-old oil wrestling festival once again draws crowds in Turkiye
Young wrestlers competing during the annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling championship in Edirne. — KHALIL HAMRA/AP With wrestlers taking to the field to the beat of drums echoing through Turkiye's northwestern border city of Edirne, the centuries-old oil wrestling festival once again draws enthusiastic crowds and celebrates a rich cultural legacy. The week-long 664th edition of the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival took place recently, culminating in the crowning of this year's baspehlivan – the top titleholder in traditional oil wrestling. The baspehlivan title represents the pinnacle of strength and skill, as well as the deep honour and respect central to Turkish oil wrestling's heritage. Listed by Unesco as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, the festival traces its roots to 1361, when Ottoman commander Sultan Murad ordered a wrestling match in honour of 40 warriors following the conquest of Edirne. Since then, it has evolved into a cherished summer tradition, deeply woven into Turkiye's cultural fabric. A young wrestler getting doused in oil during the festival. This year, around 800 wrestlers from across Turkiye attended the festival, competing in 14 weight categories at Edirne's historic Sarayici arena. Some wrestling enthusiasts who travelled to Edirne for the event had to camp around the iconic Selimiye Mosque after the city's hotels reached full capacity. 'I came all the way from Kayseri, a central Anatolian province, just to witness this tradition firsthand,' said Metin Eren, a wrestling fan who pitched a tent near the mosque. 'Finding a hotel was impossible, but it doesn't matter – being here and watching the matches up close is worth everything.' Ayla Kaya, a vendor selling traditional snacks near the wrestling grounds, said that the Kirkpinar festival draws large crowds to Edirne, making it the busiest time of year for her business. 'I take great pride in sharing local flavours with visitors from all over Turkiye and even beyond,' she said. The sporting event is not only a showcase of strength and tradition but also a symbol of unity, cultural pride, and growing international appeal, according to Edirne's first female mayor, Filiz Gencan Akin. 'Kirkpinar is more than just a competition. It's a living tradition that carries the soul of our heritage,' Akin said. 'We've prepared for this event for an entire year,' she added. 'We upgraded the stadium, created a dedicated gastronomy area, and set up a special marketplace to highlight Edirne's rich cultural and culinary offerings.' As this year's event concluded, Akin shared that the municipality will begin reviewing areas for improvement ahead of next year's edition. 'We're developing international promotion strategies so that more people around the world can discover Edirne and this unique tradition,' she said. – Xinhua
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'The life we built has been destroyed': Heartbroken family-of-five left homeless after 'stranger burnt down £64k canal boat because he wrongly believed they had torched his boat'
A devastated family-of-five fears their 'life has been destroyed' after an intruder allegedly broke into their houseboat and set it alight in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity. For the last six years, Tess, 35, and her husband Akin, 33, have painstakingly turned their canal boat from an empty shell into a comfortable family home. They always viewed 'October' - named after the month in which their first child Asa, five, was born - as more than just a floating residence. Aside from the cosy internal living area, the 60ft boat was built to be a sustainable home, with solar power panels, a water filtration system and its very own roof garden, which was known for its lush array of tomatoes, strawberries, aubergines, cucumbers and potatoes. There were also many other reasons the boat held such a special place in their hearts - for it was here on board October that the couple's two youngest children Myra-Rae, 3 and Zephaniah, aged four months, were born. But cherished memories might be all the family have left to hold onto after their houseboat, docked in Hackney Wick, east London, was set alight by an individual unknown to the family in the early hours of Saturday, May 24. Thankfully, Tess and the children were away camping at the time, while Akin had gone out for the evening with friends. But when he returned, fire crews were already at the scene battling to put out the ferocious flames. In that moment, Akin, who works as a digital health consultant, believed it could be 'the end of everything' - and was left helplessly watching from the bridge as October was consumed by flames. Before and after: The family had lovingly restored the boat from a shell into a 'beautiful' home - but now they fear they might not be able to return A Met Police officer told the family afterwards they may have simply been unfortunate victims of 'mistaken identity' in a possible tit for tat boat-burning incident. Now effectively homeless, the family has had to resort to staying for a few days at a time with friends after Hackney Council revealed there was no emergency housing anywhere in London. As a single income family-of-five they say a mortgage is simply out of their reach, while the cost to restore the boat to its former glory could prove far too high. Adding to their woes, they bought October in 2019 as an unfitted boat for £64,000 and spent the next six years transforming it into their 'beautiful' family home. But they did not get it reassessed by their insurance before the boat was set ablaze - meaning they stand to only get a payout for its original value as an empty vessel and not what it could have been worth before the fire. Determined to help them return to the life they one knew, friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe appeal to ease their financial burden, but the couple admit the tragedy could spell the end of their canal boating days. Speaking to MailOnline, Tess explained how she and Akin first began living on canal boats nine years ago. 'The lifestyle we have enjoyed with the children has been wonderful because you can be in London, but you're also in nature. 'You've got the marshes and the ducks on the water. There's a really nice boating community and we've met many other families with young children.' But that almost idyllic existence was brought to an abrupt halt over the last Bank Holiday weekend. Recalling the events of that night, Akin said he was walking home after an evening out with friends when he could see an array of emergency lights in the distance and 'a massive deal going on'. He said: 'A fireman stopped me and said: "Well, you can't come through here." But then I told him I live on a boat, so he walked me up to the bridge, pointed and said, "Is it that boat there?" 'That's when I saw my home was on fire. There were firefighters and police cars everywhere. 'In that moment I just thought it was the end of everything. I couldn't imagine anything surviving from what I could see - not much did. 'But it was also this feeling of we built that. It's not like we rented the boat. That was everything we had built over the last almost 10 years. 'It just felt unbelievable to think everything was gone.' Among the items destroyed forever were those steeped in sentimental value, including a teddy bear their eldest, Asa, has slept with since he was a baby. Tess said: 'I lost my great-grandmother's jewellery box, which she had given to me and I was really close to her. So that was upsetting. 'There was also a quilt, which is an old family thing, and also another quilt that my mum made for my son when he was born, and lots of things like that.' Meanwhile Akin has lost many of his prized personal effects. 'I've been DJing since I was 16 to pay my way through university - now all my DJ equipment has gone and my record collection has melted,' he said. 'All my musical instruments, the piano, my guitars, they were destroyed as well. 'I enjoyed collecting sneakers since I was 20, and those have all been burnt up. 'We hardly have anything of our own anymore.' In the aftermath of the incident, the couple say returning to the fire-ravaged wreck has left them traumatised as they began to process what had happened. 'The first time I went back I was in shock. Just the devastation was incredible. 'Everything was gone, it was full of water and there was broken glass everywhere. 'I had to go in again when the insurance surveyor came and looked at it, and I found that much harder. I came out shaking that time,' said Tess. Asa added: 'I couldn't recognise my own home. Part of me thought we had been broken into and robbed, but the forensics guy started pointing out computers, phones, water bottles. I didn't recognise anything because it had all melted.' For now, the family are trying to come to terms with the loss of their home as they decide what their next steps will be. While they have been offered emergency housing, it would have meant having to move miles outside of London and away from friends, school and work. 'The first thing my three-year-old asked when I told her about the fire was "has my nursery burnt down as well?", recalled Tess. 'I couldn't take the children away from everything they know. 'They've lost their home. I can't have them lose everything else all at the same time. 'So I was desperate to keep them at their school and in the community. 'Moving away would also mean that Akin and I wouldn't have any support or help, and it just seemed completely overwhelming. 'But it's hard for us, because every week we are having to find someone else who can host us. We understand that no one can put up a family-of-five indefinitely.' Akin continued: 'The insurance money might pay for rent for two or three years, but it's not enough for a mortgage. That's the real shock of the whole thing. We don't really know how to restart. 'People have discussed rebuilding the boat, but a couple of professionals we spoke to said the interiors could be very toxic, and we're not sure we could afford to get it rebuilt and refitted. 'Our friends and the boating community have been just overwhelmingly supportive and kind. 'We're just trying to see what our way forward will be.' A 34-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He is due to appear at Wood Green Crown Court next week.
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Two Left-Handed Relievers Mets Should Target to Complete Dominant Bullpen
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. This year may finally be the one that sees the New York Mets get back to the World Series for the first time since 2015. New York came ever so close last season before falling in six games in the NLCS to the eventual World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The offseason addition of Juan Soto mixed with excellent pitching has the Mets off to a 45-24 start, good for the best record in the National League. There are, however, still improvements that could be made. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Reed Garrett #75 of the New York Mets warms up in the bullpen during play against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on June... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Reed Garrett #75 of the New York Mets warms up in the bullpen during play against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on June 05, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. MoreNew York currently boasts the second-best bullpen ERA in MLB at 2.89, making it hard to think that there are improvements that can be made to that staff. One thing the Mets are lacking is a dominant reliever from the left side. The bullpen is right-handed heavy, so here are two possible trade targets for New York to go after to balance the bullpen. Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox If the Red Sox continue to struggle, Chapman's one-year contract makes him an easy trade target, and the Mets have all the assets to get Chapman in the blue and orange. Chapman is having an excellent season in the Boston bullpen to the tune of a 1.59 ERA, 12 saves and 39 strikeouts in 31 appearances and 28 1/3 innings. His average fastball velocity sits at 99.2 mph, good for the 99th percentile. The addition of Chapman to the back end of the bullpen with Ryan Stanek and Edwin Diaz could be viewed as one of the best and hardest-throwing bullpen trios in the league. Aroldis Chapman fires one in at 102 MPH to close out a @RedSox win! 🔥 (MLB x @Snapdragon) — MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025 Keegin Akin, Baltimore Orioles Akin is a name that is going under the radar when discussing trade candidates from the Orioles, but it seems like he could be one of the more likely moveable pieces. Nabbing a left-hander with a sub-3.00 ERA at the trade deadline would be like finding gold, and for the Mets, Akin would not cost nearly as much as Chapman would. Akin is the exact opposite of Chapman in the velocity department, as his average fastball velocity is just 90.2 mph, putting him in the 37th percentile. His best weapon, though, is his filthy changeup. Hitters are 0-for-24 with eight strikeouts this season against Akin's changeup and have a .095 expected batting average against the pitch. That addition, paired with the high-velocity arms of Stanek and Diaz, would be an excellent mix and a great addition for the Mets. More MLB: Brewers Sensational Pitching Prospect Has Bizarre, Mind-Blowing MLB Debut
New Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Cinema Without Borders: Childhood in times of conflict—Amrum
Be it Short Sharp Shock, The Edge of Heaven, Soul Kitchen or In the Fade, Fatih Akin, the prolific German filmmaker of Turkish descent, is best known for films that explore immigrant lives. With his latest, Amrum, he ventures into the new zone of period drama. A moving documentation of what it is like growing up in a beautiful place—Amrum Island in Germany—but at a treacherous point in history—towards the end of World War II, it nonetheless engages with the contemporary issues of identity and belonging and rings an obviously discernible political bell. What is of the times comes with a timelessness attached. Political indoctrination of the young, after all, is as much a thing of the past as it is of the present and the future. The story is told from one such child's perspective. The protagonist, 12-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), is a man in the body of a boy, whose life is not about fun and games but arduous jobs—working on the farm, fishing, hunting for rabbits and being the bait in the dangerous chase for killing a seal—all to help his mother Hille (Laura Tonke) bring food to the table for the family. Will the end of the war, the death of Hitler and a return to peace change things for them? Or will normalcy still remain a distant dream? What is normal anyhow what with the pregnant Hille mourning the fall of Hitler and Nanning, brought up in the midst of Nazis, unable to let go of the 'Hail Hitler' salutation even while encountering an increase in animosity for those with his political inclination. The unlikely clincher in this momentous time is the family secret that Nanning unwittingly unearths, which further ruptures his already broken reality. The film, which is co-written by Akin with Hark Bohm, is based on Bohm's own childhood memories of Amrum. It had its world premiere at the official Cannes Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival marking Akin's fifth selection at the event. Akin changes course stylistically. Unlike his signature lush and vigorous narratives, things get quieter and centred, simple and subdued. The lilting quality of the frames and the rhythmic flow of story-telling is offset by the weightiness and intensity at the heart of the tale.
Bloomberg
03-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Former Trump Trade Official: Not Optimistic About US-EU Deal
"The President is turning up the heat to try to get the EU to come to the table," says Kelly Ann Shaw, Partner at Akin and former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs. Nevertheless, she argues, "countries like India, Japan, South Korea will be first, before we see anything with the EU." Shaw speaks to Anna Edwards and Lizzy Burden on 'Bloomberg: The Opening Trade'. (Source: Bloomberg)
