Author: Belgin Naz

Within the scope of “2024 Türkiye-Hungary Year of Culture,” numerous cultural events, exhibitions and performances marking the essence of both cultures will take place in Turkish and Hungarian cities, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has said. “We aim to promote our cultural and artistic values in the most effective and impressive way with prestigious events of more than 800 cultural and artistic personalities in more than 30 venues in eight cities of Hungary,” Ersoy said during a meeting with Hungarian Ambassador Viktor Matis at the ministry on Nov. 20. Ersoy emphasized that Türkiye-Hungary relations have been progressing in an intense and friendly manner…

The trail process has begun against a manager of a private bank in Istanbul, who has been accused of defrauding 18 individuals, including famous football players, and faced a potential sentence of 216 years in jail. Seçil Erzan, the bank manager, stands accused of engaging in fraudulent activities involving 18 individuals, for an estimated sum of $25 million, among them prominent football players Arda Turan, Fernando Muslera, Emre Belözoğlu, Selçuk İnan and Emre Çolak. The alleged scheme involved the dissemination of misleading information, wherein Erzan claimed the existence of a dependable investment fund offering substantial returns, and further asserted the inclusion of notable figures such…

President Erdoğan had harsh words for Israel’s actions in Gaza on Tuesday, as he said he hoped for successful negotiations on the release of hostages and prisoners during his meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.  Erdoğan also stated that Türkiye’s foreign minister and intelligence chief were working with Qatari officials to negotiate releases. “We are engaged in constant talks and our expectation is to receive a positive result,” Erdogan said in a joint news conference with Algerian President Tebboune. Tebboune said as regional powers, he and Erdogan would continue to push to stop “the human tragedy resulting from the crimes perpetrated by the Zionist entity in Gaza.” Tebboune…

In an address to the virtual summit of the G20 leaders on Nov. 22, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has welcomed the deal between the two warring sides. “The announcement of a four-day humanitarian pause and the agreement on the exchange of hostages and detainees, albeit in a limited number, is a positive development. I hope this step will result in a permanent ceasefire, which is our main focus and we expect it to be established as soon as possible, ultimately leading to peace,” Erdoğan stated. Reiterating that recent events have once again shown in fact the only way to bring an end to such conflicts…

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Türkiye has initiated the ‘Adopt a Beach’ projectwith an aim to address the pressing issue of plastic waste in Türkiye’s seas and collect scientific data on marine pollution. Experts from WWF-Türkiye noted that 24,000 tons of plastic pollution enter the oceans surrounding Türkiye each year, emphasizing that plastic pollution is a severe threat not only to nature but also to human health. The ‘Adopt a Beach’ project is a pioneering concept that attempts to prevent plastic pollution by harnessing the power of the people, where volunteer teams would symbolically adopt a beach to combat plastic pollution in the…

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Türkiye on Sunday after visiting Jordan and Israel amid outrage over the latter’s international law violations in the Gaza Strip. Blinken met with Arab counterparts in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Saturday after visiting Israel the day before. But he left Israel empty-handed on Friday after urging its leaders to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. In Türkiye, Blinken would “underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel and the Gaza Strip,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Saturday. He would also discuss “our shared…

China prepared on Monday to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence. At the top of the invite list to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum is Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion threw his regime into international isolation. Leaders have begun to trickle into the Chinese capital for a gala event marking a decade of the BRI — a key project of President Xi Jinping to extend China’s global reach.…

Poppy cultivation and opium production have plunged 95 percent in Afghanistan since Taliban authorities banned the crop, according to a U.N. report published Sunday. Since returning to power in 2021, Taliban authorities have vowed to end illegal drug production in Afghanistan and in April 2022 banned the cultivation of the poppy plant, from which opium and heroin are made. The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that poppy cultivation has collapsed by an estimated 95 percent — from 233,000 hectares (575,755 acres) at the end of 2022 to 10,800 in 2023. Opium production has followed suit, plummeting from 6,200…

Türkiye’s top priority in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas is the urgent establishment of a ceasefire, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated. “For exactly 28 days, crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza… Innocent children are being brutally murdered. There is no excuse for this brutality,” Erdoğan declared in his address during the 10th summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Nov. 3. The president described the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza as a “human tragedy” and insisted that their priority is to swiftly establish a humanitarian ceasefire in the region. In addition, Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s…

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has confirmed that three inspectors have been deployed to investigate allegations of bribery and irregularities within an Istanbul courthouse. In a denunciation letter submitted to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor İsmail Uçar claimed that criminals — including drug traffickers, armed robbers and illegal betting operators — were being released in exchange for financial gain. Additionally, he alleged that decisions to block news access were being made in exchange for money. “The inspectors have not finished their report yet. We will see in this report whether the allegations mentioned are true,” Tunç told daily…