News

Antalya hosts the 18th International Sand Sculpture Festival. This year's theme is "Space Adventures". 25 sculptors from 10 countries used more than 10 thousand tons of sand to create unusual sculptures on a given theme. Preparations for the festival lasted almost two months. This year, 200 thousand people are expected to visit the event.Those wishing to take beautiful pictures against the background of huge sand astronauts, rockets and other exhibits, are expected at the beach Lara area Muratpasha from 09:00 to 23:00. The visitors are also offered an opportunity to look at the planets and stars through powerful telescopes installed in a special area.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports will build a youth sports center in Mahmutlar. Details of the project have already been agreed and approved by all authorities. The tender for the youth center will be held on June 15, 2023, after which the construction will begin. According to the mayor of Alanya Adem Murat Yujel the new center in addition to the gyms will also have conference halls, training rooms and more.

The Migration Department of Northern Cyprus Ministry of Interior has announced that from 29.05.2023, all applications for residence permits, citizenship, etc., will be accepted through an online service https://icisleri.gov.ct.tr/. There you will also be able to view information on arrears, fines and taxes, as well as print the necessary certificates.

On June 16, 17 and 18 the Riverside Hotel in Girna invites parents with children to visit the Lunapark for free. The lunapark features a Ferris wheel, various carousels, playgrounds and a mini-train.

We have already written about the unprecedented number of women MPs in the new parliament. Hafize Gae Erkan, with whom the new finance minister of Turkey has already held a meeting, is likely to occupy another important post. Hafize Gae Erkan headed Goldman Sachs, Tiffany Co. for many years. Ercan headed the American First Republic Bank after the nationalization and increased its assets tenfold.

The city of Alanya has announced the opening of a new public school in Avsallar. New spacious classrooms equipped with comfortable desks and air conditioning are waiting for the new students. The mayor of Alanya Adem Murat Yujel thanked the workers and all those who helped build the school, including Yeray Erdem, chairman of the Alanya Chamber of Commerce, who bought 15 air conditioners for the new school.The name of the new school is Avsallar 100.Yıl Cumhuriyet Ortaokulu (100th Anniversary of the Republic High School).

The Women's Health Center in Mersin, in cooperation with the municipality and the health department, has begun providing free psychologist consultations for women and adolescents. Through the Psychologist Support Program, visitors can receive individual and family counseling on issues such as anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

On July 1 the fee for the passage of ships through the straits of Turkey will be increased by more than 8.3%. Since the signing of the Montreux Convention regulating navigation in the Straits in 1936, the amount of fees has been calculated on the basis of gold francs, the exchange rate of which is set by Istanbul. According to the new changes, the tariff (gold franc) will increase from $4.08 to $4.42. It is expected that the annual income of the country, received from the passage of ships through the straits, will amount to $ 900 million.

After being sworn in, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers. Erdogan almost completely renewed its composition. The only ministers who remained in their positions were Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Health Minister Fahrettin Ko a. Erdogan also replaced the Vice President of Turkey, appointing Cevdet Yilmaz to this position. Since 2020, Yılmaz has chaired the budget committee of the Turkish parliament. Given the difficult economic situation in the country, Mehmet Şimşek was offered the post of finance minister. Previously, he already held this position from 2009 to 2015. Experts expect him to follow the traditional rules of economic and financial policy. Simshek is considered one of the most experienced economists in Turkey.

The Turkish economy showed a strengthening in the first quarter of this year, surpassing experts' expectations. According to TurkStat, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter to 4.0% year-on-year. These figures exceeded expectations of analysts, who predicted growth of 3.0%. The main driver of growth in the Turkish economy was consumer demand, which grew by 16.2%.

Kick-boxing athletes from Akdeniz Municipality of Mersin participated in the 8th WAKO World Kick-boxing Championship, which took place in Istanbul from May 17 to 21. Four athletes of the sports club of Akdeniz Municipality took prizes. Hilal Sonay won first place in the weight category up to 52 kg, Hatip Emlek took first place in the weight category up to 54 kg, and Mohammed Tashkin and Yaser Gunesh took third place in their weight categories.

Turkey has always been for Russians one of the most popular directions to buy property, but in the spring of this year their activity has decreased. In April the number of properties acquired by Russians in Turkey was 817, which is 30% less than in March, and 29% less than in April 2022. Real estate buyers have started to follow the elections in Turkey more closely because of statements made by the candidates regarding a possible ban on selling real estate to foreigners. However, after the victory of Erdogan in the presidential election, Russian citizens have returned to buying real estate in Turkey . Russian demand for real estate in the country grew by 20-50% just a week. Especially active have become buyers with high budgets who want to get a Turkish passport in exchange for investment. The number of requests to purchase real estate in Turkey rose by 50% for just a week after the presidential election. This growth was the result of pent-up demand. The number of new applications increased by 20% in a week. "Company managers notice that buyers who had previously suspended their search are again interested in viewing properties," said Mikhail Bulanov, executive director of the Tranio service.