Author: Daily Sabah With AA

Some 28 plains across 19 provinces in Türkiye have been designated as “Large plain protection areas” to ensure their conservation and sustainable management. A Presidential Decree regarding the establishment of these areas was recently published in the Official Gazette, marking a significant step toward safeguarding Türkiye’s vital agricultural regions. The decision focuses on plains with high agricultural productivity that are facing rapid soil erosion, environmental degradation and land misuse, all of which threaten their long-term sustainability. These plains are now recognized as “large plain protection areas” to preserve their ecological and agricultural value. The decision also specifies that planned development…

Türkiye on Friday called for the international community to recognize and forge ties with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the 41st anniversary of its foundation. “The international community must form political, economic and diplomatic relations with the TRNC,” Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said as he marked the anniversary on the island by attending a special wreath-laying ceremony at the Atatürk Monument in the capital, Lefkoşa (Nicosia), alongside Ersin Tatar, president of the TRNC. Turkish and TRNC flags were unfurled in the capital and across Türkiye on Friday as people celebrated the TRNC’s foundation and paid tribute to…

Türkiye’s 2024 summer has officially been recorded as the hottest in the past 54 years, according to data from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS). The summer months of June, July, and August this year saw an average of 26.1 degrees Celsius (78.98 degrees Fahrenheit), a 2.1-degree Celsius increase from the long-term average of 24 degrees Celsius. Across the country, regional temperatures during the summer months were significantly higher than expected, with some areas experiencing near-record heatwaves. While certain regions, such as Dalaman, Antakya, and parts of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Southeastern Anatolia, reported temperatures closer to the seasonal average,…

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) provided equipment and material support, including professional wheelchairs, to the Gayrat and Vahdat Wheelchair Basketball Clubs in Tajikistan to strengthen their infrastructure. According to a written statement from TIKA, equipment and material support were delivered to the basketball clubs in the capital, Dushanbe. The Gayrat and Vahdat Wheelchair Basketball Clubs support individuals with disabilities and encourage youth participation in sports in Tajikistan. The clubs, which have faced difficulties due to limited resources, took an important step toward professionalization with the infrastructure support provided by TIKA. A friendly match was held to mark the…

The Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) provided copies of the Quran as part of its “Let My Gift Be the Quran” project in Senegal. A ceremony for the project was held at the Dakar Islamic Institute in the capital Dakar, attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Dakar Nur Sağman, the head of Integration of Islamic Affairs and Arabic Education Graduates Djim Drame, the Religious Affairs and Social Services Counselor of the Dakar Embassy Faruk Uslu, and Senegalese officials. In her speech, Ambassador Sağman highlighted the excellent status of Türkiye-Senegal relations across all fields, noting that collaboration, especially in social affairs, is growing…

Azerbaijan on Thursday slammed its archrival Armenia for “misleading” claims in their decades-old territorial disputes. Allegations by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about territorial claims in Azerbaijan’s Constitution “have no ground and are misleading the international community,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. Pashinyan on Wednesday said that the Azerbaijani Constitution lays claims to Armenian territory. “This allegation is a futile balancing act and an attempt to overlook/ignore the claims towards the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Aykhan Hajizada said on X. Hajizada said the Constitution of Azerbaijan does not contain any claim to lands of neighboring countries. But Armenia’s body…

Thirty gazelles from the endangered species “Gazella gazella” were released into the wild in Silopi, Şırnak, southeastern Türkiye, during a program held at the foothills of Mount Cudi in the Bestabelek hamlet of Üçağaç village. The animals were brought from the 75th Year Gazelle Breeding Station in Şanlıurfa. Şırnak Governor Birol Ekici attended the event, emphasizing the region’s rich habitat, which supports various wildlife, particularly in the Mount Cudi area. “We are here to release 30 gazelles at the foothills of Mount Cudi, entrusting these animals to the local people and our future generations,” said Ekici. Hakan Mumcuoğlu, regional director…

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has refurbished the metalworking workshop at Pionier Boys’ School, a vocational boarding school supporting children from low-income families in Namibia. According to a statement by TIKA, the initiative involved supplying the school with the necessary tools and metalworking machinery to enhance its vocational training program. The workshop upgrade aims to provide practical skills for students, helping them secure better job opportunities. The handover ceremony took place in the capital, Windhoek, on Tuesday and was attended by around 200 guests, including Türkiye’s Ambassador to Namibia Feral Çekerek Oruçkaptan, Khomas Regional Governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua, TIKA…

Sevgi and Selahattin Çağdaş, a couple who met at a dialysis center and married 17 years ago, are calling for increased organ donations to help save the lives of others waiting for transplants. Sevgi Çağdaş, who started dialysis as a child, first encountered Selahattin Çağdaş during a one-day trip to Fethiye, a coastal town in Muğla province, southwestern Türkiye. Both were receiving treatment at a local dialysis center. Two years later, the two crossed paths again at the same center, sparking a relationship that led to marriage. With the support of their doctors, they tied the knot and spent six…

The Ministry of National Education has unveiled the original portrait of the country’s founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, prominently featured on the first pages of textbooks and school walls, sparking significant interest among visitors. The exhibit, launched Sunday in honor of Atatürk Remembrance Day, is now open at Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum. According to the ministry, this watercolor portrait, based on a photograph of Atatürk, was created by painter Şeref Sonel using a colorization technique. Since its creation, the portrait has adorned classrooms and educational materials for decades, and visitors are now seeing its original version up close. The exhibition has…