ISTANBUL

The southern province of Mardin, renowned for its rich cultural allure and historical sites, saw a surge in both local and foreign tourists during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

With over 60 hotels boasting 22,000 beds reaching a 90 percent occupancy rate, and Midyat district welcoming 10,000 daily visitors, the region hosted a bustling atmosphere.

Turkish security forces have apprehended a terrorist operating as the leader of the so-called "northern Paris youth branch" of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization, upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport from France.

Turkish Airlines (THY) and Pegasus Airlines have canceled their flights to Iran, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon scheduled for late on April 13 and April 14 for security reasons in the wake of Iran's retaliatory missile strike against Israel.

The Kremlin has proposed resurrecting the abandoned 2022 peace deal between Russia and Ukraine as a basis for new negotiations. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that there has been no indication from Kyiv signaling readiness for such talks.

Calling themselves "stan countries," Central Asian countries are looking to boost their tourism industries. Kazakhstan, which welcomes tourists from Russia, China and India, is eyeing for Western travelers as well.

If you're looking for something different, uncustomary and lesser known countries in your travel plan for a holiday, have a go at Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

Türkiye's groundbreaking initiative, the Earthquake Early Warning System (EDİS), which uses advanced sensors placed on fault lines, is attracting a great deal of interest both domestically and internationally, with the potential for significant investment and adoption on the horizon.

Security forces carried out five-day operations targeting illegal migration, apprehending 1,117 irregular migrants during the Eid holiday across the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.

In a post on the social media platform X on April 12, Yerlikaya stated that the operations dubbed "Shield-19" also included inspections with mobile migration checkpoints.

Türkiye put the Eswatini agreement on its agenda as part of its strategy to develop economic relations with African countries, which was implemented in 2003.

Turkish police have seized the third largest haul of cocaine in the country's history, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on April 11 amid tightening crackdowns on organized crime rings.

Some 608 kilograms of cocaine, most of it in liquid form, were confiscated in an operation across three provinces, Yerlikaya posted on the social media platform X.

In a special promotional campaign offering visas for "digital nomads," the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has extended an invitation to foreign remote workers to ply their trade in Türkiye, spotlighting Istanbul and the Mediterranean district of Dalaman as prime locations of interest.