★ According to the Turkish daily Ekonomim, the Republican People's Party, Turkey's main opposition party, will send a delegation to the United States for President-elect Trump and his administration to improve "institutional relations" in 2025.

  During a talk with journalists, party chair Özgür Özel said, "The Republican People's Party is a party aspiring to be the government.

  "It was the first party in the last elections and the latest polls. Trump will probably spend one year of his term with (Mr. Erdoğan and his ruling party) and three years with us. Maximum, 1.5-2 years with (Erdoğan)," claiming there will be an early election in Turkey.

★ Turkey is pressing the United States to reconsider its support for Kurdish militants in Syria, according to comments by its leaders, including President Tayyip Erdoğan, who has again floated the possibility of a new cross-border offensive.

  "We are constantly reminding our American counterparts that they need to stop the cooperation they have with the terrorist organization in Syria," Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan told the Milliyet newspaper on November 11.

★ Voice of America had a news article titled "Can Trump's return to White House be an opportunity for enhancing US-Turkey ties?"

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory in the U. S elections.

  President Joe Biden has not hosted Mr. Erdoğan at the White House, though the two have met on the sidelines of international summits and spoken by phone.

  Speaking to journalists accompanying his return from visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, Mr. Erdoğan expressed his hope for improved U. S ties, adding that they need in-person meetings to achieve it and that Turkey needs to wait to see what the Trump cabinet will look like.

  The two leaders had a close personal relationship during Trump's first term in office. However, bilateral relations were marked by tough times during that administration.

  With Trump's January return to the White House, analysts told Voice of America that although there may be opportunities for more cooperation in some areas, they do not expect significant changes.

  The analysts Voice of America interviewed say efforts to end the war in Ukraine may be one area of cooperation.

  Read the full article >> here <<

★ In a live appearance on a Turkish news channel, Turkey's defense minister Yaşar Güler suggested that Israel may attack Turkey.

  Mr. Güler said that Israel is an aggressive nation that poses a direct threat to Turkey.

★ According to Turkey's Anatolian news agency, the Turkish Red Crescent has distributed over 3 million hot meals to Palestinians in Gaza.

  Dr. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz, the aid organization's president, said they serve 15 thousand hot meals daily. They cook the meals on wood fires due to the unavailability of electricity and gas.

★ On November 14, Mansur Yavaş, Ankara Metropolitan Mayor from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, disclosed that the municipality spent $30.1 million on 426 events held between 2019 and 2024 during his term.

  His announcement came after prosecutors launched investigations against the Republican People's Party''s Istanbul, Ankara metropolitan, and Beykoz District municipalities in Istanbul to determine whether spending on events caused "public harm."

  Yavaş reported that during the 2014-2019 period, under the previous ruling Justice and Development Party municipality administration, $32.9 million was spent on just 80 events.

  The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality shared similar data that compared their spending to the spending on events by the previous Justice and Development Party-led municipal administration.

★ The BRICS group of nations offered partner country status to Turkey, according to Turkey's Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, as Turkey continues its efforts to balance its Eastern and Western relations, reports the Turkish daily Duvar.

  In late October, NATO member Turkey voiced interest in joining the BRICS, a group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

  However, when Turkey applied for membership in late October, India vetoed its bid, citing Turkey's close relationship with its adversary Pakistan.

★ An Istanbul public prosecutor has ruled to drop charges against theologian Ebubekir Sifil and Imam Halil Konakcı for suggesting not practicing Islam was punishable by beating or death.

  The prosecutor said the remarks did not "incite the public to hatred."

★ Turkey's highest appeals court has awarded Hakan Buzhane, a former prisoner, 100,000 liras (2,900 dollars) for moral injury, accepting his complaint regarding the inhumane living conditions due to overcrowding at Istanbul's Silivri Prison.

  The Constitutional Court, Turkey's high appellate court, issued the precedent-setting decision on prison conditions.

★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar, the ruling Justice and Development Party withdrew the Agents of Influence Bill against so-called espionage activities a second time. However, Justice and Development Party officials said they would rework the bill and resubmit it to the Turkish parliament.

  The administration withdrew the bill first in 2023 upon the criticisms.

  Critics have stated that the authorities would use the bill to threaten "journalistic independence and freedom of expression" as the government did with the infamous "disinformation law."

  Civil society organizations also criticized the proposal, warning that authorities could misuse its vague definitions to target NGOs, which the government often labels as being influenced or controlled by Western interests.

★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar, in the January-September 2024 period, Turkish investments in foreign real estate increased by 14.7% compared to the same period last year, while foreign investments in real estate in Turkey decreased by 23.8% during the same period.

  As of the end of September, foreigners purchased 2.88 billion dollars of real estate in Turkey, while Turks' purchases abroad reached 1.98 billion dollars. On an annual basis, the net inflow in reciprocal real estate investments amounted to 900 million dollars.

  Read the details >> here <<

★ The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey reported that 7 million Turkish children in the 0-17 age group live in poverty, with 2 million of them experiencing deep poverty.

  The foundation study, which breaks down data by age groups, identified an upward trend in poverty rates among 0-2 year-old infants and 3-14 year-old children.

  In 2017, the infant poverty rate was 36.8%, rising to 41.4% by 2022.

  Similarly, over the same period, the poverty rate for all children increased from 40.8% to 43.8%.

★ After Mr. Trump included Elon Musk in his administration, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Turkey is open to collaborating with Mr. Musk on technological ventures if suitable opportunities for cooperation emerge.

  Mr. Musk is the Tesla CEO and is a major donor to Mr. Trump's election campaign.

  While visiting the U. S. last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked Mr. Musk to build a Tesla factory in Turkey, the country's communications directorate said on September 18.

★ According to press reports, the Croatian government will purchase six Bayraktar drones from Turkey. The cost will be around $95 million. The deal includes a two-year warranty, deployment of Turkish experts for two years in Croatia, and training for Croatian crew in Turkey.

  The Bayraktar drones made their name in the Ukraine-Russia war, where the Ukrainian forces used them effectively against the invading Russians.

★ The simpleflying.com website wrote that BOC Aviation, one of the world's largest aircraft lessors, announced it would lease six Airbus A321neos to Turkish Airlines. They will get these new planes in 2027.

  Turkish Airlines already has 66 A321neos and another 199 on order.

  Read the details >> here <<

★ Starting September 5, 2025, Icelandair will start four weekly flights from Reykjav�k to Istanbul.

  According to the Travel + Leisure magazine, Icelandair will target the U. S market.

  The airline uses a hub-and-spoke model in which all flights connect through Reykjavik before heading to other destinations, making a business out of connecting smaller U. S cities to Europe and beyond.

★ According to Turkey's Anatolia news agency, Istanbul will host the Tourism Investment Forum 2024.

  The event will bring together international investors, financial firms, hotel brands, innovators, and real estate developers.

  It will host 1000 participants representing nearly 10 trillion dollars in the global tourism echo system.

  The event will be on November 26 and 27.

★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar, opposition parties protested Mehmet Şimşek, Turkey's finance minister, during the parliamentary meeting on the 2025 budget.

  Holding an abacus, Tahsin Ocaklı, a Republican People's Party parliamentarian, said the ministry needed it to calculate inflation more accurately than TÜİK, the state statistical agency.

  For many months, the independent economists found the interest rate to be twice as high as the agency.

  Veli Ağbaba, another Republican People's Party parliamentarian, criticized Şimşek, saying, "We're first in Europe in food inflation, congratulations. Thanks to you, we are first in many areas�first in interest rates, first in inflation. Before transitioning to rational economics, inflation was 38 percent, now 48 percent. Congratulations."

  Mr. Şimşek says that he uses rational economics to around the economy.

  In his presentation of the ministry's budget, Mr. Şimşek said the disinflation process, which began in June, was ongoing.

  He noted that annual inflation dropped by 26.9 percentage points over the past five months to 48.6 percent.

  The independent economists calculated it as 89.8 percent.

★ According to Bianet, a Turkish online news site, the elusive Anatolian leopard has once again been captured on camera in Turkey by camera traps placed in the wild by the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and National Parks.

  İbrahim Yumaklı, Turkey's agriculture and forestry minister, shared a video of the Leopard, thought to be extinct.

  Throughout the world, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies leopards as endangered.

★ The international edition of the National published a review of the Shangri-La hotel in Istanbul and discussed access to sites of the megacity that visitors would like to visit.

  The article started with:

  "Symbolically and literally, Istanbul has long been known as a destination that brings together east and west. And it's a phrase also attached to the Shangri-La hotel brand. So, it is rather fitting that I'm checking into the Shangri-La Bosphorus for a long weekend exploring one of the world's most intriguing cities."

  The luxury hotel is in the European part of Istanbul.

★ The ANSA agency of Italy reported that on Saturday, at Istanbul's prestigious Atatürk Culture Center, Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem was staged under the baton of maestro Andrea Francesco Solinas and featuring the world-famous opera singer Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass), together with Evren Ekşi (soprano), Ezgi Karakaya (mezzo-soprano) and Aydın Ustuk (tenor). Maestro Paolo Villa conducted the choir.

  The Italian Embassy in Ankara and the Italian Cultural Institute in Istanbul, in collaboration with the city's State Opera and Ballet , presented the event.

★ Tufan Baltalar's new solo exhibition "Flow" is at Pilot Gallery, reports the ArtDog Istanbul magazine.

  The exhibition includes nearly one hundred new ceramic works by Baltalar.

  Through his interdisciplinary practice, Tufan Baltalar has built a world, and his current ceramic works continue this development, blending dreamlike elements with a realistic sensitivity.

  His works are a reflection of the relationship between humans and nature. He uses traditional techniques and modern landscape representations while working on his glazed ceramic works like busts, plates, and bowls.

  You can visit the exhibition through December 14.

★ In 2025, the Turkish pavilion at the upcoming 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will present "Grounded", reports the ArtDog magazine.

  Following an open call and a two-stage evaluation process, the project "Grounded" by Aslı Çavuşoğlu emerged as the chosen work among 48 submissions.

  "Grounded" offers an innovative exploration of soil as both a support system and a form of knowledge, aiming to inspire new possibilities for the future rooted in Turkish culture.

  The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts supports the Turkish Pavilion.

  The exhibition will run from May 10 to November 23, 2025.

★ The 28th edition of the International Ankara Jazz Festival, with the theme "Jazz Energy", will start November 20.

  The Jazz Association will organize this festival with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

  The festival will spread the jazz energy in different venues in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

  It will offer the people of Ankara 10 days full of art and music with concerts, talks, free exhibitions, and educational events.

  At the festival, there will be many musicians and bands from around the globe. The festival will include two educational programs and an exhibition. "Jazz Vocal Masterclass with Sibel Köse" and "Jazz Workshop with Jarrah Dhyan - Modern Jazz Composition Techniques."

  While visitors can visit the "Jazz Photographs" exhibition from the frame of photographer Aykut Uslutekin, there will also be an event with Digital Academy owner Melih Özbek, who has been the photography partner of the Ankara Jazz Festival for many years.

  You can view the program at www.cazdernegi.org.

  The festival will be through November 30.

★ Turkish artist Irmak Canevi's "Hop Through We Hop" exhibition is on at Sanatorium, reports the ArtDog magazine.

  The works explore the concept of permission through innovative sculptures and personal expression.

  At the heart of the exhibition is Canevi's intervention in the gallery space, where he creates a literal and symbolic opening in the wall--a window to view the world inside.

  The artist made the sculptures in Hop Through We Hop from unconventional materials such as vacuum-sealed candies and deconstructed paper coffee cups.

  The exhibition will be through December 21.

★ During the excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Eskipazar district of Karabük, Turkey, an amulet from the 5th century BCE depicting the Prophet Solomon spearing the devil on horseback surfaced.

  The inscription on the pendant reads: "Our Lord has overcome evil."

  The ancient city, which served as a settlement in the late Chalcolithic, Roman, and early Byzantine eras, is still undergoing excavation and restoration work under the direction of associate professor Ersin Çelikbaş from the Department of Archaeology at Karabük University's Faculty of Literature.

★ At Karahantepe, the 12,000-year-old archaeological site in southeastern Turkey, archaeologists discovered an area where the ancient people lit numerous fires and had ovens.

  The site and other hills around the area feature T-shaped obelisks. Dr. Necmi Karul, the head of the excavations, says that the number of obelisks uncovered at Karahantepe reached over 250.

  Among the finds is a central structure surrounded by attached units. Archeologists think the structures are communal places.

  The archaeologists and historians from 61 countries who were in the area to attend the World Neolithic Convention visited the site and expressed their amazement at the findings.

  German historian Dr. Herman Parzinger said the area is an unbelievable place.

  Japanese archaeologist Dr. Junzo Uchiyama said he was very excited when he saw the spectacular Karahantepe.

  During the convention, scholars presented 687 papers.