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Following the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a "emergency" in connection with the spread of the monkey pox virus (mpox), the Ministry of Health of Turkey issued a statement on this issue. The following statements were made: "In 2024 there was not one mpox case in Turkey. In our country there is no need for any restrictions or additional measures. The necessary research is conducted by our ministry, taking into account the opinion of the scientific council. Previously, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhan Gebreyesus announced that the WHO Emergency Committee had accepted a recommendation that the monkey pox virus was an extreme public health hazard of international concern. The Gebreiesus stated that the virus has the potential to spread in Africa and other regions. This year, the number of reported cases exceeded 14,000, and the mortality from this disease was 524 people, which is significantly higher than last year s figure. The virus is transmitted to humans from rodents, such as mice and proteins, or from infected humans. Contact with the virus-induced bodily discharge, use of clothing, sheets, towels and similar items contaminated by these discharges, as well as contact with body fluids are some of the most common causes of virus transmission. The first symptoms may appear 5-21 days after infection. The virus usually causes high temperature, head, back and muscle pain, swelling of the lymph nodes, fatigue, chills and blisters on the skin similar to chicken pox.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced another good news. The "Year of Pensioners" program will provide free umbrellas and sunbeds on public beaches for retirees. The ministry also signed a protocol with the Cinema Investors' Association to grant pensioners 30% discount on all screenings in cinemas. In addition, pensioners over 65 years old can visit municipal swimming pools free of charge. These benefits can be granted to foreign pensioners if they have a WFA and a pension certificate translated into Turkish.

In 2025, a significant increase is expected for the registration fee of IMEI foreign phones brought to Turkey from abroad. Tax experts estimate that the registration fee for IMEI, which is currently 31,692 lire ($944), will increase by 45% by 2024 to about 45,953 lire ($1370). 2022 - 2,732 lire2023 - 6,091 lira2023 - 20,000 lire2024 - 31,692 lire Please note that you can now use a phone imported from abroad without paying registration fee for up to 180 days: 120 days + two extensions of 30 days each via e-devlet.

The TÜİK Turkish Institute of Statistics has published real estate sales data for July. According to the report, 127,088 properties were sold in July, which is 16% more than in July 2023. Primary real estate sales increased by 28.9% and accounted for 32.1% (40,784 units) of total sales, secondary real estate sales rose by 10.8% and accounted for 67.9% (36,304 units) of total sales. The share of mortgage sales decreased by 20.9% and in total sales amounted to 9.0% (2,786 units) TOP 5 cities for real estate sales in July: Istanbul - 19,047 objectsAnkara - 11,364 objectsAntalya - 6,659 objects Izmir - 6,479 objectsMersin - 4.386 objects Sales to foreigners decreased by 16.1% and amounted to 1.8% of the total sales (2,350 units). Highest selling provinces are steel:

Along with the announcement of the results of the entrance examination YKS-2024, the number of students enrolled at Alaaddin Kekubat State University (ALKÜ) in Alanya was also known. According to the data, out of a quota of 3,508 seats, 3,440 seats were filled. Thus, the filling rate was 98.06%. With this figure, ALKÜ has become one of the most preferred universities, surpassing Turkey s average by 96%. Faculties with 100% occupancy: - Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Gazipasa, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture and Faculty of Tourism are 100% filled.

This was the statement made by Erol Ozvar, president of the Higher Education Council. Thus, there are almost no vacancies in the faculties of public universities. President of ÖSYM prof. Dr Bayram Ali Ersa: "Dear candidates, the results of the YKS-Awards have been announced. You can read them on the ÖSYM website https://sonuc.osym.gov.tr. University registration will be held from 19 to 23 August, and electronic registration will be held from 19 to 21 August. Follow the explanations about registration processes. I congratulate all students who have become students. You are our future".

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Erlikai has reported that foreigners entering Turkey will now be fingerprinted, as they already do in the US and Great Britain. The Minister also described a number of measures to be taken with regard to Syrian citizens: - The identity cards of those who have temporary protection status (usually Syrian citizens) will now be digital to avoid the possibility of forgery.- Social support and public services will be suspended for those Syrian citizens who do not confirm their addresses in the e-devlet system. The total number of Syrians who must confirm their address is 396,738. Citizens who have not registered within 14 days will be suspended from providing social services and state support. They will be given a final deadline of 60 days to confirm the address of residence, after which, if they do not meet the requirements, they will be officially recognized as illegal. Turkey has 4 million 437 thousand 329 foreigners registered. Of these, 3 million 103 thousand are Syrians. 1 million 109 thousand Syrians have a residence permit, and 224 thousand are under international protection. The annual government expenditure per person is 1,000 euros. In the past year, 132,288 Syrians have voluntarily returned to their country, and in the last five years, the number of voluntary returnees has been 687,706.

After the publication of unemployment data in Turkey in June, Finance and Treasury Minister Mehmet Shimshek commented on the situation: "The rise in the unemployment rate in June is a short-term negative effect of our rebalancing and disinflation program. In June, the monthly current account balance was positive and the annual deficit of $24.8 billion was realized. We expect the annual current account deficit to decline to about 2.2% of national income in the second quarter and below 2% in the third quarter. The quality of the labor market is as important as its quantity. In this context, we are focusing on structural reforms aimed at increasing productivity, strengthening human capital and digital transformation. We therefore expect the unemployment rate to decrease by the end of this year."

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) announced unemployment data for June 2024. The number of unemployed increased by 234 thousand people compared to the previous month and amounted to 3 million 305 thousand people. The unemployment rate rose by 0.7 points to 9.2%. The unemployment rate is estimated at 7.6% for men and 12.4% for women. The number of people employed decreased by 341 thousand compared to the previous month and amounted to 32 million 522 thousand people, while the employment rate fell by 0.6 points to 49.3%. The rate was 66.9% for men and 32.1% for women. The youth unemployment rate, covering the 15-24 age group, increased by 1.7 points compared to the previous month and stood at 17.6%. The unemployment rate in this age group was 14.8% for men and 23.2% for women. The average actual weekly working hours of employees increased by 0.1 hours compared to the previous month, reaching 44 hours.

The Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency has released data on deposits in banks. According to the BRSA (Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency), the list of provinces in Turkey with the largest number of residents in deposit accounts is as follows: 1.Istanbul - 6 trillion 837 billion 457 million 854 thousand liras 2. Ankara - 2 trillion 60 billion 520 million 141 thousand liras 3. Izmir - 848 billion 34 million 420 thousand liras 4. Antalya - 513 billion 842 million 573 thousand liras 5. Bursa - 442 billion 526 million 694 thousand lire . Kojaeli - 319 billion 80 million 233 thousand. liras 7.Adana - 236 billion 144 mln 441 thousand. liras 8. Mugla - 211 billion 376 million 926 thousand lire 9. Konya - 210 billion 878 million 525 thousand lire . Mersin - 209 billion 333 million 536 thousand liras

The online publication "OurWorldInData", based at Oxford University (UK), published a ranking of countries with the highest caloric diets. 184 countries were ranked by the number of calories consumed per day. Turkey ranked 5th in the list with 3,762 kilocalories consumed per day. Bahrain, which consumes 4,012 kcal, took first place, and the US, known for its large portions and obesity problem, took second place with 3,868 kcal. By the way, 4 out of 10 adult Bahrainis suffer from obesity, which is linked to sedentary lifestyle and increased consumption of fast food. It was also found that in 173 of the 184 countries surveyed, people consume more than 2,000 kcal per day, which is above the recommended average daily rate for both sexes. Bahrain - 4,012.45 kcalUSA - 3,868.28 kilocaloriesIreland - 3 850.50 kcalBelgium - 3,824.21 kcalTurkey - 3,762.08 kcalAustria - 3,738.94 kcalGermany - 3,647.81 kcalItaly - 3 620.56 kilopulsQatar - 3,609.15 kcalRomania - 3 599.76 kcalFrance - 3,581.54 kcalIsrael - 3,570.94 kcalCanada - 3,569.14 kcalPoland - 3 538.61 kcalAlgeria - 3 519.05 kcalLuxembourg - 3,497.30 kcalPortugal - 3,489.28 kcalNorway - 3,472.52 kilocaloriesMontenegro - 3,468.54 kcalNetherlands - 3,460.48 kcal

The President of the Union of Chambers of Trade and Crafts of Antalya (AESOB) and the Vice-President of TESK, Adikhan Dere, drew attention to the problem of shortage of professional workers in the region. Der announced that a series of meetings will be organized on the theme "Why do you need a vocational school" to increase the level of coverage of students and make them interested in receiving vocational education Derye, who met with representatives of the Ministry of Education and school directors, made proposals such as postponement of military service and other benefits for graduates of vocational schools. He also shared the idea of including introductory vocational training courses in the secondary school curriculum. Der stressed that students should be oriented towards working occupations: "This country needs professional workers who will play an important role in the economy of the country as well as doctors, engineers and teachers".