Fire kills dozens in Turkish mountain resort Kartalkaya

78 people died in a hotel fire in the Turkish ski resort of Kartalkaya in north-western Turkey. Celebrities and entire families were among the dead, and dozens were injured, BTA has reported. The fire in the multi-story hotel with a wooden façade in the popular resort broke out on the night of January 21, when there were 238 guests in the building. A national day of mourning was declared in Turkey because of the incident. There are detainees in the case, including the hotel owner, the deputy mayor of the province of Bolu and the deputy head of the local fire department.

The fire is believed to have broken out in the restaurant of the four-star hotel. There was no fire brigade in the resort. The first fire truck arrived 45 minutes after the flames broke out. The Hürriyet newspaper wrote that “a chain of negligence” was among the causes of the tragedy. According to witnesses, the fire and smoke alarm sensors did not work and the emergency stairs in the hotel did not meet standards.

Greece has started a battle against addiction to mobile phones among teenagers

More than 16,000 students have been expelled from schools in Greece over using mobile phones in class. The strict measure is a highlight of the Ministry of Education's policy for the current school year. Despite the students' apparent resistance to it, it will be strictly implemented, Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis said. For first offence, the student is removed from class for one day and his parents are informed about the incident. For a second offence, expulsion and transfer to another school follows, BNR correspondent Katya Peeva reported from Greece. There is a direct link between the use of mobile phones and the mental health of adolescents, psychologists say. Many students are addicted to their social contacts on the Internet. In addition, bullying is linked to the use of mobile phones, Pierrakakis said in a television interview for ANT1. Teachers claim that children concentrate and learn much more easily without their mobile phones.

However, the large number of expelled students calls into question the reasonableness of the introduced measure, Greek media outlet “Ta Nea” commented.

Calls for boycotting shops over record high prices in Croatia

A call for a boycott of shops in Croatia on January 24 was spread on social networks and as a message on mobile phones. The reason for this are the high prices, BTA has reported. According to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, in December 2024, inflation in Croatia accelerated to its highest level in the past 8 months. The call is also supported by two ministers from the government of Andrej Plenković. One is Branko Bačić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets. The other is the Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar, who personally at the end of 2024 called on citizens to sanction those traders who raise prices unreasonably.

The Plenković government is preparing a list of 50 "protected" products in order to ease the tension of the household budgets. Traders and manufacturers claim that among the reasons for the high prices is the fact that the country has one of the highest VAT rates in Europe - 25%.

According to Eurostat data for December 2024, Croatia is among the top three member states with the highest average annual inflation. It ranks third with 4.5% after Romania and Hungary. The average inflation in the EU is 2.4%.

Serbia with flying cars in 2027?

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced from the Swiss resort of Davos, where he was at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, that flying cars will be used in his country from 2027. Vučić spoke on the subject with representatives of American company Archer Aviation, Serbian news agency “Beta” reported. The president pointed out that this is one of the most famous companies dealing with flying cars and drones. “We have started negotiating the purchase of at least three such aircraft,” Vučić said.

He added that Serbia was also negotiating with “its Chinese friends,” who, according to him, have made significant progress in this area and have flying cars in several cities. The goal is to make the necessary regulatory changes by 2026, “so that we can drive flying cars in 2027.” Vučić pointed out that at the international specialized exhibition Expo-2027, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia wants to show that it is “the country that is modernizing the fastest and growing the fastest in Europe.”

Compiled by: Miglena Ivanova

Publication n English: Alexander Markov

Photos: AP, Diana Glasnova/BTA, Reuters, Unsplash