Author: Daily Sabah With AA

First lady Emine Erdoğan welcomed Jeannette Kagame, the wife of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, during her official visit to Türkiye on Jan. 24 in Ankara. The two leaders’ spouses visited the African Cultural House and the Presidential Library. Erdoğan was greeted at the African Cultural House by Zeliha Sağlam, chairperson of the African Handicrafts and Cultural House Association, along with African graduate students studying at universities in Ankara. She welcomed Jeannette Kagame at the venue and guided her on a tour of the cultural house. The leaders’ spouses examined African handicrafts and received information about the cultural house and the…

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas praised Türkiye as an important actor in cooperation on regional issues and a strategic partner for the bloc ahead of her visit to Türkiye this Friday. “It’s high time to visit Türkiye and I will do it really in the first part of my mandate. We have many issues. In addition to regional security, we can discuss cooperation in different areas such as energy, for example,” she told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview. Kallas is expected to hold high-level talks with Turkish officials on regional foreign policy issues, steps in defense and security,…

Istanbul ranked first globally in hours lost to traffic congestion last year, followed by New York, Chicago, London and Mexico City. According to information compiled from the “2024 Global Traffic Scorecard” report published by INRIX, a U.S.-based global software and data firm, the report analyzed transportation data and trends from 946 urban areas worldwide. The findings aim to provide road authorities, transportation planners, engineers, policymakers and the public with tools to monitor and measure traffic in their regions. The report highlights that while road travel drives demand due to the movement of people, goods and services, congestion occurs when demand…

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will bring Türkiye’s first “Climate Law Proposal,” which aims to establish a legal framework for combating climate change, to the agenda of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). AK Party members of Parliament, led by Group Chairman Abdullah Güler, are preparing the country’s first climate law proposal. Once the work is completed, the proposal will be submitted to the TBMM presidency and discussed in the General Assembly. Once accepted, Türkiye’s first climate law will come into force, providing the legal foundation for the fight against climate change. The proposed law will include the…

Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray wasted a two-goal lead and settled for a 3-3 draw against Dynamo Kyiv at home on Tuesday during UEFA Europa League matchday seven. Galatasaray’s Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring with a header in the sixth minute. Abdülkerim Bardakcı doubled the lead with a stunning long-range finish in the 22nd minute at Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex. Dynamo Kyiv narrowed the gap to 2-1 when Vladyslav Vanat converted a close-range effort in the 44th minute. In the 50th minute, Barış Alper Yılmaz got a second yellow card and was sent off, but the decision was…

Since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the nationwide expansion of the Family and Youth Fund in an event last week, a total of 17,192 couples have applied for support. The Family and Youth Fund, established by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, aims to support and strengthen the institution of family, protect young people from social risks, and assist in their development. Erdoğan stated, “We are expanding the interest-free loan support we provide to young couples across all 81 provinces of our country.” Since the announcement, couples from across Türkiye, especially from Istanbul, Şanlıurfa and Ankara, have applied for…

Since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the nationwide expansion of the Family and Youth Fund in an event last week, a total of 17,192 couples have applied for support. The Family and Youth Fund, established by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, aims to support and strengthen the institution of family, protect young people from social risks, and assist in their development. Erdoğan stated, “We are expanding the interest-free loan support we provide to young couples across all 81 provinces of our country.” Since the announcement, couples from across Türkiye, especially from Istanbul, Şanlıurfa and Ankara, have applied for…

The U.S.-backed YPG terrorist group, the Syrian wing of the PKK, still poses a threat in Syria’s northeast after the fall of the Baathist regime, which widely tolerated their presence. Attacks by the group near Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River are endangering the lives of tens of thousands of civilians. Since Dec. 20 last year, PKK/YPG terrorists have targeted areas around the dam, located in the Manbij district of Aleppo governorate. Their long-range assaults with heavy weaponry have displaced around 50,000 civilians in 10 villages on the dam’s western bank. The indiscriminate shelling has forced thousands of residents to…

The Türkiye-Sweden Security Mechanism will meet on Tuesday in the capital Ankara with the participation of both countries’ foreign ministers and a focus on fighting terrorism. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer will participate in the meeting, according to diplomatic sources. Fidan will convey to Sweden Türkiye’s expectation on further steps against the PKK/YPG and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and ending the financing and propaganda activities of the organizations. Türkiye will also convey its concern on rising far-right, racism and anti-Islam sentiment in Europe and…

Inspired by a heart-wrenching moment four years ago, Turkish artist Naci Barışan has created 1,000 intricately designed wooden birdhouses for public spaces, hoping to spread compassion and beauty. Barışan, who works as a cultural and arts coordinator at Türkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, was moved to action after witnessing a bird freeze to death in the courtyard of Ankara University’s Faculty of Medicine Hospital. “That moment stayed with me,” he said. “It inspired me to bring something good into the world.” Since then, Barışan has hung his birdhouses in hospitals, nursing homes, parks, prisons and mosques. Each structure features Ottoman…