Turkey

Hundreds of athletes participated in the swimming marathon for friendship, peace and solidarity from the Greek island Kastellorizo to the Turkish resort town Kaş; the iniziative took place within the 27th International Lycia-Kaş Culture and Art Festival

At a meeting in Cairo, Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, welcomed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran; The four countries described the agreement as a key step toward de-escalation and regional stability

Taxi passengers in Istanbul can now submit complaints, report lost items and share feedback through a new WhatsApp-based service launched by the Istanbul Taxi Drivers Chamber, part of broader efforts to improve service quality and customer satisfaction

47 Turkish universities have been included in this year’s “world’s best universities” ranking by the Center for World University, which evaluated 21.291 universities from 95 countries identifying the top 2.000 institutions worldwide

Torrential rains have caused rivers in the Havza district, Samsun, Black Sea coast, to overflow, with waters rushing down streets carrying vehicles and debris, inundating buildings, with at least 12 people hospitalized

Rising temperatures in Istanbul have led to an increase in sightings of pine processionary caterpillars in forested areas, with experts warning that the insects can trigger allergic reactions in both humans and pets

Social media companies have reportedly agreed that Turkish citizens will have to verify their identities to create and use social media accounts, a move to end anonymity that critics of the government say it could made things more difficult for dissent

A European higher education accreditation agency will review İstanbul University’s business faculty over the controversial annulment of diplomas of 28 graduates, including jailed İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu, President Erdogan's main political rival

A new legislation imposing time, location and security restrictions on meetings between lawyers and detainees held on terrorism and organized crime charges is reportedly being drafted following cases where leaders kept issuing instructions from prison

Adana Mayor and eight other local politicians from the main opposition Republican People’s Party were released from prison; Karalar called for the release of other opposition mayors, including Istanbul's mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish defense authorities said that there is no evidence of a mass influx of Iranians crossing the border despite a government crackdown on protesters in the neighboring country