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Turkey has a special attitude towards cats. For example, in Istanbul, they are considered almost sacred animals. City residents feed the fluffy creatures and never kick them out of stores or cafes. This is confirmed by thousands of videos on social networks shared by users who have visited Istanbul and live in this "cat" metropolis.

There have been many cases of fraud and complaints about poor service delivery in recent years. Often the cause of such cases is people who are presented as official services, but in fact do not have the necessary permits to carry out such activities. In order to prevent the provision of illegal services, the Ministry of Commerce has established a website www.servis.gov.tr. Now citizens, who are tired of companies that place ads and therefore occupy the first places in the rankings, do not need to spend time on checking them and doubt the quality of services provided. Consumers can access the authorized services through www.servis.gov.tr within the framework of the project "Information Service System (SERBIS)" established by the Ministry of Commerce. Semir Kuseyri, a member of the board of directors of the Turkish Household Equipment Manufacturers Association (TÜRKBESD), said that for home appliance manufacturers, customer satisfaction after-sales service has always been their top priority, and noted that consumers are victimized by people who are supposedly official services. " It is important that the equipment in our homes, especially household appliances, are repaired by official service. Because poor repair, broken equipment or high fees for it is the first thing consumers complain about," he said.

Abdullah Ozhygyt, the head of the district of Yenishir in Mersin, laid the foundation stone for a new cultural complex "Emine-Khalil Aydemir". At the groundbreaking ceremony, the mayor also announced that construction of a new primary school and another cultural complex had begun: "This week we are starting three important projects in our area. Today we lay the foundation of our cultural complex, and immediately after that, with the support of our business patrons, we will lay the foundation of the elementary school and the complex consisting of the city s great library, toy museum and children s library. These facilities will be the most outstanding buildings in our city. It is a great honor for us."

In connection with the detection of West Nile fever in six citizens of Turkey, the Ministry of Health issued a statement on this subject: - West Nile virus infection has been present in our country since 2010. This year it was found in 6 people. These patients are being monitored and treated. -West Nile fever is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito. The disease is usually seasonal and occurs during the summer and early autumn. The disease does not pass directly from person to person. - Necessary studies are conducted by our ministry. Information on current developments will be made available to the public in a timely manner - The virus, like all other viruses, poses the greatest danger to the elderly and those with chronic diseases. - The main approach to preventing the disease is mosquito bite protection. For this reason, citizens travelling to regions where the disease is prevalent should follow the travel instructions issued by the ministry. - 80% of people infected with the virus have no symptoms, while about 20% of patients experience fever, headache, muscle pain, rash, weakness, loss of appetite, swelling of lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting. The recovery period of patients is about 1 week. - Citizens can find out about countries at risk of WNV infection at the travel health centres or by calling the 444 77 34 hotline. Today, the West Nile Fever natural hotspots are registered in more than 90 countries across Africa, America, Europe and Asia. Some doctors claim that this virus is hypothetically more dangerous than the mpox virus.

Specific criteria have been established to identify areas that will become new provinces. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) has defined these criteria and completed research on areas. The most important criterion for the area to become a province will be population. An area may apply for provincial status if: - population of the area more than 100 thousand people- It is more than 30 km from the centre of another province- self-sufficient and not economically dependent on another province- well-developed transport, social and medical systems TurkStat also identified areas that are ideally defined: - Silyri district in IstanbulChorlu district in TekirdagBandhmir district in BalykesirInegel district in BursaSomah district in Manisa- The Aliaga district of IzmirLuleburgaz district in KyrclaryGebbe district in KojaeliBafra district in SamsunErelly district in Zonguldak Alanya also meets all the criteria required to obtain provincial status. However, the final decision will be made by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and may not match the data reported in TurkStat. By the way, the last time the province was granted the status of Duzce region in 1999, becoming the 81st province of Turkey. No formal decision has since been made to transfer any area to the province.

According to the data of the Istanbul Culture and Tourism Administration, in the first half of the year, 8 million 562 thousand 167 people visited the metropolis. This is 8% more than the same period last year, and shows an increase in the number of tourists by 658,629 people. In June 2024 alone, Istanbul welcomed 1 million 638 thousand 399 foreign tourists, which is 1% more than last June. The predominant mode of arrival - air flights Most tourists used air transport: in June, 1 million 582 thousand 662 people arrived in Istanbul by plane. Among the airports, the most popular is the new airport of Istanbul, through which passed 73.39% of all tourists (1 million 161,581 people). Sabiha Geckos International Airport served 419,617 people, and Atat rk Airport received 1,464 passengers. The sea trip was chosen by 55,737 people. The most popular seaports were Karakoy (48,380 people) and Tuzla (1728 people). National composition of tourists The leaders among foreign tourists visiting Istanbul in June were Russians - 171,633 people. Following them are the citizens of the USA (112,966 people), Germany (102,559 people), Iran (96,418 people) and Saudi Arabia (85,448 people). Russians made up 10.48% of the total number of tourists in June, while Americans - 6.89%, Germans - 6.26%, Iranians - 5.88%. In total, for the first six months of 2024, Istanbul received tourists from 195 countries.

The international gastronomic festival "Food Fest Antalya" will be held from 6 to 8 September in Antalya. The festival, organized by the Municipality of Antalya, will be attended by both famous chefs, Michelin stars and budding stars. The meeting was attended by the head of the city municipality Muhittin Bojek, the president of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TUROFED) Erkan Yagji and the director of content "Food Fest Antalya" G kmen Szesen. According to tradition, the guests of the festival will be presented with gastronomic workshops, seminars and, of course, different tasting of local and foreign dishes and drinks. 🚩September 6-8 Karaalioğlu Parkı

Turkey s central bank has maintained the key rate at 50% for the fifth time in a row, the highest level since 2002. This decision, predicted by economists, is aimed at slowing inflation, which in July 2024 stood at 61.8%, compared to 71.6% in June of the same year. The central bank plans to reduce inflation to 38% by the end of 2024, continuing to pursue a tight monetary policy until a sustained price decline is achieved. The central bank stresses that the current rate will remain in place until inflation risks are reduced to a sustainable level and inflation approaches target levels. It is worth noting that the rate was last raised in March 2024 from 45% to the current 50%. Amid continued economic pressure, Turkey s external debt reached a record $500 billion, 44.7% of the country s GDP.

About six thousand cultural events are planned to be held as part of the "Cultural Path of Turkey" festival. Some of the activities have already taken place in Shanlyurfa, Bursa, Samsun, Trabzon, Vane and Neghehirah. Other provinces of the country are just getting ready to take the relay of the festival: Erzurum - 17-25 AugustChanakkala - 31 August-8 SeptemberGazantep - 14-22 SeptemberAnkara - 21-29 SeptemberIstanbul - 28 September - 6 OctoberDiyarbakir - 12-20 OctoberIzmir - 26 October - 3 NovemberAntalya - 2 - 10 November The full program of the festival and venues can be found on https://kulturyolufestivali.com/en-us/events The festival, organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in cooperation with the European Association of Festivals (EFA), aims to popularize the tourist potential of Turkey and acquaint viewers with the traditions and cultural values of the country.

The Chinese company "Ganfeng", one of the largest lithium producers in the world, will create a 5 GW research center with an investment of $500 million. The company has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Turkish battery production company Yiğit Ak . In addition to meeting the production needs of Turkey, the plant will also export products to the European market. Through this cooperation, Turkey will expand its presence in the world market, especially in the field of production of lithium-ion battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, energy storage systems, battery management systems, Power management systems and lithium-ion battery recycling. The enterprise will not be limited to production alone, but also will have a research institute specialized in new technologies. This institute will work on advanced lithium battery technologies. In addition, the institute will develop important projects for leading technologies of the industry. According to analysts, the global lithium-ion battery market will grow by 15.70% in the period 2023-2030. The new facility and research institute will enable Turkey to increase its energy storage capacity and enhance its competitiveness in the global market.

In a survey of more than 96,000 respondents in 46 countries, one of the world s largest international news agencies published a ranking of countries by the degree of trust they place in news sources. Turkey ranked 6th on this criterion with 35%. Overall, the 35% rate corresponds to the global average of citizens' confidence in news in the media. Finland is in first place, with 69% of its citizens trusting news. What news sources are used by citizens of Turkey? 70% - Internet sites56% - television45% - social networks19% - Print Media with the highest public trust: Now TV News (Fox) - 60%S zcu - 53%NTV News and Halk TV - 52% Media with the least trust of citizens: To Have - 48%ATV - 45%Sabah - 40%

Turkey has introduced new rules for property owners regarding mandatory electronic verification of identity in real estate transactions at the land registry. EKDS system, implemented throughout the country, greatly simplifies the process of identifying owners. Citizens are now required to use new ID cards with the chip, inserting them into special POS devices that compare biometric data with the database. Mustafa Ozelmajikli, representative of the General Directorate for Population, reported that the system has been successfully tested and is already functioning throughout Turkey. EKDS compares fingerprint data and photos stored on the chip with information in the MERNIS system, which helps to prevent fraud and document forgery. Ismail Ozkan, president of the Association of Real Estate Marketing and Sales Specialists, noted that electronic identity verification has become mandatory for all real estate transactions. If the identity cannot be verified through the system, the ownership transfer process will not be completed. Ozcan also added that citizens are encouraged to get new chip ID cards as soon as possible to ensure security and speed up the process of document processing. The old certificates are still usable, but it is important to update the documents during the transition period. Owners will be sent SMS notifications with information about new requirements. In case of chip damage, you will need to contact the CEGS for a temporary identification. Correct. This change does not apply to foreigners who own real estate in Turkey and do not have a Turkish identity card.