News

The tender for the Antalya-Alanya highway project, the construction of which will be supervised by the General Directorate of Roads (KGM) of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (UDH), has been finalized. The tender, worth 76.7 billion liras, went to Limak Construction. Limak Construction Group is the 181st largest construction company in the world according to Engineering News Record's ranking. According to the same magazine's 2022 ranking, it is the 67th largest construction company in the world.

Real estate investment expert Mustafa Hakan Ozelmacıklı named the time when housing sales, which have recently declined, will begin to grow again. He cited rising global inflation and rising interest rates as reasons for the decline in sales. Mustafa Hakan Ozelmacıklı said home sales will rise again in the second quarter of 2024 due to the expectation of lower inflation and lower interest rates on deposits.

The General Directorate of Land Registry and Registration (TKGM) has changed the regulations for determining the expert valuation of real estate. Now, it is necessary to indicate the value of the object in the act of expert evaluation of housing under construction, corresponding to the actual work performed at the time of drawing up the act. Previously, it was possible to specify the value of the object in advance, assuming how much the object will cost at the time of completion of construction. Thus, in order to indicate the maximum possible amount in the act of expert evaluation, you will have to wait until the end of construction of the house.

Russians again became leaders among foreign investors in the real estate market in Turkey. According to the report of the Turkish National Institute of Statistics, Russian citizens purchased 637 apartments in November 2023. They are followed by citizens of Iran (234 objects), citizens of Ukraine (128) and Kazakhstan (117).

According to a decision published in the Official Gazette of Turkey, the euro exchange rate in the pricing of medicines has been updated. The calculated euro exchange rate applied in pricing of medicines has been increased by 25% from 14 liras to 17.55 liras. Accordingly, the prices of all medicines will be increased by 25%.The decision will enter into force from December 25, 2023.

Turkish Airlines, Turkey's flagship carrier, recently announced a partnership with Hollywood actress Margot Robbie. The famous actress will become the face of the airline, promoting a new route to Australia. Ahmet Bolat, chairman of Turkish Airlines, officially announced the partnership.

An ordinance has been published regarding changes in the citizenship application procedure. From January 1, 2024, the personal presence of the applicant and his/her spouse will be required when applying for citizenship. Previously, personal presence was only required when taking fingerprints to apply for an investor's residence permit. From January 1, the investor and his/her spouse will also have to be present in person when applying for citizenship, where fingerprints will be taken again and biometric photos will be taken.

Culinary publication TasteAtlas has published a list of "100 best dishes of the world" and "100 worst dishes of the world". The ranking is based on the average ratings given by almost 400 thousand users. It is noteworthy that Turkish cuisine was featured in both lists. In the "100 best dishes of the world" got:20th place - Cağ kebabı (Erzurum province kebab)37th place - İskender kebab (d ner with pita bread, sauce and yogurt, Bursa)

The number of private companies registered in the business center of Abu Dhabi has grown more than 100 times since 2016, reaching 5,000, Bloomberg reports. The emirate is becoming a center of attraction for owners of large fortunes thanks to guarantees of asset protection, privacy and low taxes. Only 46 firms operated in the zone in the mid-2010s, according to M/HQ, an asset management consultancy. Registering in Abu Dhabi opens up the prospect for investors to obtain residency permits in the UAE and establish ties with local influential families. Business and government relations expert Sam Blatteis notes that the region's stability, proximity to the capital and strong asset protection make Abu Dhabi an attractive alternative to other financial centers. Among the companies that have opened "subsidiaries" in the Abu Dhabi zone are the organizations of Ray Dalio, founder of the largest hedge fund, Changpeng Zhao, former head of Binance, and Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin.

According to the news portal Havasosyalmedya, Çukurova Airport, which will have a capacity of 9 million passengers per year in the first phase, will begin operations on Monday, January 15, 2024. The official opening will take place with the participation of President Erdogan. The first tender for the construction of Cukurova Airport was held in 2011 and the foundation was laid in 2013. The 10-year work has been completed. Cukurova Airport, which has an area of about 8 million m2, has a runway of 3,500 meters long and 75 meters wide. Favori Airports owns the rights to build and operate the airport, which is expected to employ 2,000 people upon completion. The international code of Ciucurova Airport is registered as COV. The port has 48 parking lots for airplanes.

World famous manager Mani Nordin arrived in Istanbul the other day as a special guest. According to Takvim news channel, it has been reported that Nordin has been in talks for some time, making arrangements for Rihanna's visit to Istanbul in February 2024. The last time Rihanna visited Turkey was 10 years ago. The singer, who performed at the Besiktas Stadium, gave a great concert attended by thousands of people. Looking forward to Rihanna's new visit to Turkey!

After the heavy rainfall in Istanbul, the occupancy rate of dams has started to increase. According to ISKI data, the occupancy rate of Istanbul's dams has increased from 25.47% to 39.62% in the past 14 days. At Alibeyk y Dam, the occupancy rate, which previously fell to 10%, has now increased to 50.89%. The largest increase occurred at Elmala Dam, where the occupancy rate was 88.38%.