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According to Time Out, 20.2 million tourists visited Istanbul in 2023. The data is provided by the Euromonitor International marketing company. The top three also included London with 18.8 million tourists and Dubai, which was visited by 16.8 million people. They are followed by Antalya, Paris, Hong Kong, Bangkok, New York, Cancun and Mecca.

The Tuyap Fair Convention and Congress Center is hosting the EMITT-2024 international tourism exhibition for the 27th time with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, TOBB, Turkish Airlines and Istanbul Municipality. The exhibition is an important business platform that provides new business and cooperation opportunities for both the Turkish and global tourism sectors. The exhibition will last until February 9th inclusive. The President of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation, Erkan Yagji, and the head of the Turkish Hoteliers Association, Muberr, made a presentation at the exhibition Eresin, who in their speech emphasized that it was time for Turkey to get rid of the image of a country where tourists come for cheap holidays. They suggested thinking not about the number of tourists, but about increasing the amount of income from tourism and focusing on markets China, India, Japan and Brazil.

Employees of the Middle East Technical University of Northern Cyprus (METU) have developed a tracking system for sea turtles that lay eggs on the beaches of the island. Drones equipped with artificial intelligence will scan the coast and warn volunteers about turtles that have come ashore to lay eggs. Volunteers, having received information from the UAV, will be able to protect the laying sites and take care of the hatched turtles.

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy reported on the record number of archaeological studies conducted in the country in 2023: "In 2023, we increased the number of archaeological studies to 720, which is an absolute world record. We plan to increase this figure to 750 in 2024 and to 800 in 2026. Over the next 4 years, the same amount of work will be done as in the last 60 years. The amount of funds allocated last year for various projects reached 1.1 billion liras. Speaking about the work of museums, the Minister announced the beginning of night museumification in tourist regions. To attract tourists, it is planned to extend the opening hours of museums in popular tourist locations until 12 a.m.

The Turkish Institute of Statistics TÜIK has published up-to-date data on the country's population. The population of Turkey was 85,372,377, which is 92,824 more than in 2022. The male population is 42.734.071 people, the female population is 42.638.306 people. The number of foreigners decreased by 253,293 people compared to the previous year and 1,570.543 foreigners currently live in the country. The share of the working-age population has reached 68.3%. The proportion of the population in the age group 0-14 years, defined as the child age group, decreased from 26.4 to 21.4%, and the proportion of the population aged 65 years and older increased from 7.1 to 10.2%. Population by province: Istanbul - 15,655,924 people Ankara - 5.803.482 people Izmir - 4,479,525 people Antalya - 2.696.249 people Mersin - 1,938,389 people Yalova - 304.780 people Gazipasha - 53.702 people The population of Alanya decreased from 364,180 in 2022 to 359,891 in 2023.

- Red light fare: 1.507 liras- Drunk driving (first time): 6.440 liras- Drunk driving (second time): 8.075 liras- Drunk driving (for the third time or more: 12.978 lire- Driving without a license: 12.978 lire- Non-use of the seat belt: 691 liras- Violation of the security lane: 6.440 liras- Transportation of passengers in excess of the permissible norm: 540 liras- Using a mobile phone while driving: 1.507 liras- Driving a car that has not passed the inspection: 1.507 liras- Drifting 32.234 liras- Parking in the disabled area: 1.383 lire- Incorrect parking: 691 liras- Malfunction of the lighting equipment: 691 liras- Lack of travel insurance: 691 liras- Wrong lane change: 1.507 liras- Violation of the following distance: 691 liras- Driving with an expired driver's license: 2.610 liras- Speeding by 10%-30%: 1.507 lire- Speeding by 30% - 50%: 3.136 liras- Exceeding the speed limit by more than 50%: 6,440 liras- Overtaking in prohibited areas: 1.507 lire

According to the Reuters news agency, Putin will visit Turkey on February 12. It is reported that the presidents of the countries will discuss energy issues, the issue of grain supplies from Ukraine, the situation in Syria and other economic issues. This will be the first trip of the Russian leader to a NATO member country since the start of the special operation in Ukraine.

Hatice Duzer from Gaziantep, was buried under the rubble during the earthquake last year. She survived despite her advanced age, a cerebral hemorrhage and a fractured hip. Yesterday, Hatice celebrated her 111th birthday. She had to celebrate her birthday in the hospital, as she is recovering from a recent pneumonia.

Today, all residents of Turkey remember the tragedy that occurred exactly one year ago, pay tribute to the memory of the dead and express support to the victims and their relatives. There is probably no such person in the country who would not be affected by this common disaster. According to official data alone, 53 thousand 237 people were killed and 107 thousand 213 people were injured as a result of the tragedy. In monetary terms, the damage is estimated at more than $103 billion, which is almost 10% of Turkey's GDP. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to build 650,000 new housing units within a year and now citizens are already receiving the keys to their new apartments. Thousands of non-governmental organizations and international community groups also provided comprehensive assistance. The anniversary of the earthquake in Kahramanmarash is a time for memories, sadness and hope at the same time. Despite the hardships, the society has demonstrated its strength and cohesion.. In addition to pain and loss, this anniversary also reminds us of the importance of preparing for natural disasters and unity in the struggle for common well-being. All schools in Hatay are closed today, and a minute of silence will be held in all schools in other provinces of Turkey.

The first female astronaut from the UAE, mechanical engineer Nura Al Matroushi, will complete her training course at NASA in March 2024. Since childhood, the girl dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Together with her colleague Mohammed Al Mulla, she will receive the right to participate in space missions, including flights to the ISS and missions of the Artemis lunar project. The training included survival courses, flight training, wearing spacesuits and preparing for a spacewalk. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center has begun work on an airlock module for the lunar station, strengthening its partnership with NASA. The module is planned to be completed by 2028. The aim of the Artemis program is to create a base on the Moon and simplify manned flights to Mars. The Emirates is clearly striving to become one of the key players in the space industry.

According to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (T rkiye Iş i Sendikaları Konfederasyonu) in January 2024, the hunger threshold in Turkey for a family of 4 people (two adults and two children) was 15,048.89 liras (496 dollars), the poverty threshold was 49,019.19 liras (1616 dollars), and the minimum subsistence level for a single/unmarried person - 19,630.40 liras (647 dollars).

According to the Global Firepower 2024 rating, Turkey is recognized as the strongest army among the countries of the Middle East.The rating is calculated on the basis of more than 50 different indicators, such as: the size of the army, the number of tanks, ships, aircraft and other military equipment, the level of financing of the military sphere, the country's transport infrastructure, etc. The factor of nuclear weapons is not taken into account in the index. 1 - Turkey2 - Iran3 - Egypt4 - Israel5 - Saudi Arabia6 - Iraq7 - UAE8 - Series9 - Qatar10 - Kuwait