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Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli shared information on honey production in the country on his social media page. Here are the main facts shared by Yumakly: - We are the second largest honey producer in the world- Due to its geographical location and biodiversity, Turkey accounts for 75% of the world's honey plant flora- Turkey produces 90% of all pine honey in the world- Since 2003, 1 billion liras have been spent to support beekeeping- In 2023, 115 thousand tons of honey were produced, and the number of hives reached 9.2 million- 29 varieties of honey with geographical indication have been registered in Turkey, and 27 varieties are awaiting registration at the application stage- The provinces producing the largest amount of honey are Ordu, Izmir, Mugla, Mersin and Adana

Minister of Finance and Treasury Shimshek has unveiled a package of measures that will be taken to save money in the public sector and will be in effect for 3 years. The measures are aimed at more efficient use of state resources and combating inflation. At the moment, the package includes the following items:- prohibition on the purchase of vehicles- prohibition on the use of foreign-made vehicles- prohibition on the purchase, construction and rental of buildings and premises- tightening control over already concluded lease agreements and termination of contracts, if necessary- hiring of employees in the public sector will be carried out in accordance with the number of employees who have retired (i.e., how many employees have retired, so many new employees will be hired to replace those who have left)- limitation of the amount of remuneration received by civil servants who are members of the Board of Directors- introduction of full digitization of document flow and reporting, including digitization of archives- saving energy resources and switching to "green" energy- Representation and promotion allowances will be reduced by 25 %- with the exception of international meetings and national holidays, the organization of foreign trips, receptions, dinners, etc. is prohibited.- Prohibition on giving gifts- funds for the purchase of goods and services will be reduced by 10%, and for investments - by 15%. "The savings measures apply to the entire public sector. All civil servants, without exception, must comply with them. Monitoring, auditing and reporting will be carried out. Administrative sanctions and fines will be applied," Mehmet Shimshek said and added that the list of measures will be supplemented over time.

The police at Istanbul airport suspected two Israeli citizens flying from Dubai and decided to check the baby carriage in which the passengers were carrying the child. During the inspection, it was found that bags were hidden under the baby carriage. Opening the bags, the police found 73 gold bars weighing 1 kilogram each, which were intended for smuggling to Turkey. The gold was seized by the police, M.K. and A.K. were detained by the police. While A.K. was released by the judicial authorities on condition of judicial control, another passenger M.K. was arrested and sent to prison.

The coordinator of the search and rescue group, Erdogan Budak, spoke about the work of rescue drones on the beaches of Antalya: "It takes an average of 1.5-2 minutes for a rescuer to reach a drowning person. With the help of a drone, we can get to the scene in just 8-9 seconds, so the chances of rescue are significantly increased." Last year, the work of rescue drones was tested on the beaches of Kemer. This season, drones will be used on other beaches of the Antalya coast. By the way, during the accident on the cable car in Antalya, "Cankuş" drones were also used, which delivered water to people stuck on the cable car and transmitted radio stations to search and rescue teams.

Usually, twins are older or younger than each other by just a few minutes. However, in Turkey, the difference between twin sisters was as much as 11 years! The fact is that the mother of the twins gave birth to them 11 years apart with the help of an IVF procedure. In 2013, Muzeyen Ozturk gave birth to a daughter, Eda. After 11 years, the family decided to have a second child. As a result, in February 2024, their daughter Neva, the twin of 11-year-old Food, was born once. Professor Dr. Ebru Ozturk, who conducted the pregnancy of Muzeyen Ozturk, commented on the birth of Neva: "In 2011, our patient had the right to transfer two embryos, but we planned the transfer of one embryo because the couple did not want twins. Thus, the second embryo was planted only in 2023. And now we can see both twin sisters together."

President of the Executive Committee of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Spyros Kapralos: "The EOC is pleased to approve Istanbul's candidacy to host the 2027 European Games. This is great news for both European athletes and the city. Istanbul and Turkey have long been good friends of international sports. We know that this will be an ideal place for the best athletes in Europe who will be able to prove themselves in 2027." The European Games have been held every four years since 2015. These are international competitions among athletes in Europe. The Games with the participation of athletes from about 50 countries have already been held in Azerbaijan (2015), Belarus (2019) and Poland (2023). Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu: "We feel proud that the 2027 European Games will be held in Turkey, in our city." Imamoglu also wants to ensure that the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Istanbul.

On May 8, 2024, the airline introduced new rules for carrying hand luggage. Starting from this date, one piece of luggage with dimensions up to 40x30x20 cm can be carried free of charge in hand luggage. Passengers who bought tickets before May 8, 2024, can carry hand luggage according to the old rules. For an additional fee of $ 15, passengers can carry hand luggage up to 55x40x25cm in size and weighing up to 10 kg.

As summer approaches, European newspapers publish lists of the best places to relax. In the Travel section of the British newspaper Guardian, a list of the "10 best seaside cities in Europe" was published. "We have chosen quiet and unspoilt places where you can sunbathe, swim, snorkel or just take a nap," reads the foreword of the Guardian article. In this list, the resort of Akyaka took the second place, and Gelturkbukyu - the third. Both resorts are located in Mugla province: Akyaka - in the Ula district, Gelturkbukyu - in Bodrum. At the same time, the publication compares Gelturkbukyu with the famous Saint-Tropez resort in France, and calls Akyaku the most picturesque "slow" city in Turkey.

According to a new decree published in the Official Gazette, 7 thousand foreign patients will be able to use free medical services in public hospitals in Turkey every year. According to a document published in the Official Gazette dated May 11, 2024 and registered under number 8438, as a result of changes made to the presidential decree "On determining persons who will use certain goods and services produced by state institutions and organizations for free or at a discount," foreign patients will be able to use medical services without any the burden of expenses. Excerpt from the article:" Annually, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the permission of the Ministry of Health, no more than 7 thousand foreign patients can arrive in our country, provided that their treatment will be carried out in medical institutions belonging to the Ministry of Health and in state university hospitals. Within this area, the costs of medicines for outpatient patients are covered by the Ministry of Health on the basis of the communique on the introduction of healthcare or government prices, and the costs of medical devices, orthoses and medical equipment are covered by the Ministry of Health on the basis of purchase prices in accordance with the criteria of the communique on the introduction of healthcare."

Seven state-owned banks in Turkey have decided to merge their ATMs. Thus, customers of these banks will now be able to easily perform all transactions using a single ATM without fees. The project, called Turkey's ATM Centre (TAM), will reduce ATM costs and simplify banking operations. At the first stage of TAM, 5,600 ATMs were combined. The number is expected to reach 19,000. Which banks' customers will be able to use a single ATM? Ziraat BankVakıfBankHalkbankZiraat ParticipationVakıf ParticipationEmlak ParticipationPTT Minister of Finance and Treasury Mehmet Shimshek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TBB Alpaslan Cakar, CEO of Bileşim AŞ Murat Hakseven and many others attended the launch ceremony of the TAM project, held at the headquarters of VakıfBank in the financial center of Istanbul. It is reported that in the future other banks will be able to join the single ATM system.

In honor of the opening of the new Istanbul - Edinburgh (Scotland) route, Pegasus Airlines offers to purchase tickets starting from 1 euro in the period from 10 to 16 May. The number of promotional tickets is 2500 pcs. After the end of the promotion, tickets will be put up for sale at a price of 49.99 euros excluding taxes. Pegasus Airlines has announced the expansion of its flight network from Sabiha Gokcen, one of the most important airports in Istanbul, to Edinburgh, the historical and cultural capital of Scotland. Onur Dedekeylu, senior manager of Pegasus Airlines, stated that the company continues to add new international routes to increase its contribution to the Turkish tourism sector: "With the onset of the summer season, we are pleased to connect Istanbul and Edinburgh with a new flight, and we are very pleased that we can offer this service to our customers at very attractive prices." Flights to the Scottish capital will be operated twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays from Istanbul airport. Sabihi Gokcen. Departure from Istanbul will be at 11.40, from Edinburgh at 15.30. The first flight will be performed on June 27.

A fine of 1 million 935 thousand 705 liras was issued to five violators who illegally collected orchid bulbs (Salep soğanı) in the Turkish province of Adıyaman! About 30 species of Salep soğanı native to nature are endemic and endangered. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), it is prohibited to collect salep bulbs in nature.