Author: Daily Sabah With AA

Approximately 1,300 of the nearly 13,000 citizens who applied for the “On-Site Transformation Project” “Yerinde Dönüşüm Projesi” in Gaziantep, southeastern Türkiye, one of the cities affected by the Feb. 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, have moved into their new homes. The On-Site Transformation Project, established by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change to help earthquake victims in 11 affected provinces return to their homes, saw about 13,000 applications in Gaziantep. In Gaziantep, 1,300 citizens whose projects were approved have now moved into their newly constructed homes. Hakan Şimşek, the provincial director of the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry,…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told lawmakers Thursday that applications for Schengen visas from Turkish citizens have risen sharply by 36% this year. Yet, the rejection rate has also grown, presenting an ongoing challenge for those seeking to travel to the European Union. Speaking to the Parliamentary Plan and Budget Commission in the capital of Ankara, Fidan addressed the country’s foreign ministry’s budget for 2025 and responded to concerns raised by legislators about the growing frustrations surrounding visa denials. He noted that while the number of applications has surged, the rate of rejections has increased by 0.4 percentage points. Fidan explained…

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that more than 700 PKK terrorists were eliminated or captured alive from January to October in more than 40,500 operations in the country. Yerlikaya said at the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly that terrorists were eliminated or captured in operations conducted in rural and urban areas. Yerlikaya reported that 4,177 operations were conducted against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1, with 935 people arrested and 655 detained in 1,205 operations against the terrorist group Daesh. “In the first 10 months of this year, 92 terrorist…

Belarusian twin sisters Valentino and Mariao Ivankova, who were reported missing in Aladağlar in central Türkiye on Nov. 19, were found Wednesday evening in good health. After beginning their climb from Sokullupınar to Kızılkaya’s peak, the Ivankova sisters lost contact. They were located four days later in the Taşev area of Hacer Forests in the Ulupınar neighborhood of Yahyalı, Kayseri, and were taken to Yahyalı State Hospital for precautionary medical care. Following examinations, the mountain-climbing sisters’ health was found to be in good condition, and they were discharged. Before leaving the hospital, the Belarusian twin sisters took a souvenir photo…

Scientists at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) have developed software that uses artificial intelligence to identify errors made by foreigners in Turkish. Under the leadership of professor Gülşen Eryiğit, head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering at İTÜ, and the Natural Language Processing Research Group, a project has been launched to detect and correct Turkish language errors made by foreigners using artificial intelligence. Software powered by artificial intelligence that identifies the Turkish language usage errors of foreigners was developed by Eryiğit and her team. Eryiğit told Anadolu Agency (AA) that many researchers from various fields are involved in…

Severe and frustrating traffic congestion was experienced on the morning of Nov. 20 on several main roads and thoroughfares in Istanbul, particularly during peak hours for public transportation. Residents heading to work or school in the morning caused significant crowding at public transportation stops and on the roads. On the Asian side, heavy traffic was observed in both directions on the D-100 highway between Kartal and Kadıköy, easing after the Eurasia Tunnel. On the TEM highway, westbound traffic starting from Samandıra thinned out in places but extended to the July 15 Martyrs Bridge. Congestion was also noted on roads leading…

Experts stated that Türkiye has set important and realistic targets in critical areas such as emission reduction, renewable energy, agriculture and waste management with its Long-Term Climate Roadmap. Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum presented Türkiye’s vision for combating climate change at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Baku. Kurum shared that 72% of this year’s emissions in Türkiye come from energy, 13% from agriculture and 3% from the waste sector. He also mentioned plans to increase the share of renewable energy in primary…

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) has begun investigating the increasing malfunctions of escalators and elevators in the city’s rail system. The Inspection Board has officially requested information and documents from IBB’s Rail Systems Department regarding these issues. The IBB responded to the public’s continuous complaints about the non-functioning escalators and elevators in the rail system. Following approval from the IBB Presidency, an investigation has been initiated to determine the causes of these malfunctions. As part of the investigation, two inspectors have been assigned by the Inspection Board, and an official request for information and documents has been sent to the…

Italian experts have stated that the situation of Turkish students who, despite being accepted into universities in Italy, have been unable to obtain visas and thus cannot travel to the country must be seriously addressed. The aftermath of last week’s press release made by students and their families, who were accepted into various programs at Italian universities but couldn’t travel due to visa issues, continues to resonate. The protest was held in front of the Italian Consulate General in Istanbul, where frustration with the situation was expressed. The Italy-Türkiye Friendship Association members supported the protest by displaying a banner at…

Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea coastal city of Aktau has been named the “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2025.” According to a statement from the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information, the 41st Permanent Council Meeting of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY) was held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. During the meeting, which reviewed TÜRKSOY’s activities for the coming year, it was decided to award the title “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2025” to Aktau, Kazakhstan. Thus, Turkmenistan’s city of Anev, which held the title of “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2024” last year, passed the…