Türkiye

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Tom Barrack, a prominent businessman, as the next U.S. ambassador to Türkiye.

"I am pleased to announce that Tom Barrack will serve as our next Ambassador to Türkiye," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Cultural expenditures in Türkiye surged by 84.7 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, surpassing 276 billion Turkish Liras ($7.9 billion), with approximately 64 percent of the spending undertaken by the state, according to official data.

Denmark's Glyptotek art museum announced on Nov. 26 that it will return the bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus to Türkiye, after showcasing it for over 50 years.

The statue, which originates from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, was illegally excavated in the 1960s and subsequently sold to Denmark's Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 1970.

Türkiye has achieved a significant 35 percent reduction in pesticide residue rates over the past years, according to Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı.

Addressing public concerns about food safety, Yumaklı confronted allegations that agricultural products rejected for export due to pesticide residues were being sold in the domestic market.

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has said the possibility of the United States selling F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye could be on the table again.

"When the Americans saw that we could produce the [indigenous] Kaan aircraft, their thoughts changed a little. They state that they can give F-35s," Güler said in remarks to lawmakers on Nov. 26.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia is giving serious consideration to Türkiye's proposal for organizing peace talks with Ukraine and reviving the grain export agreement.

Istanbul hosted the Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Business Forum on Sunday, bringing together business leaders from both countries to strengthen economic collaboration.

The Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Business Forum, organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK), saw high-level officials from both countries painting a rosy picture of future collaborations.

Turkish government officials are careful in their public statements regarding the results of the U.S. presidential elections to avoid leaving room for misinterpretations from Washington and to prevent possible shadows on their relations with the new president, whoever that may be.

A shift to colder, rainier weather is expected across most parts of Türkiye this weekend, as the recent warm spell gives way to a November cooldown, according to the latest weekly report from meteorologists.

Türkiye's foreign trade deficit narrowed by 31.1 percent on a yearly basis to $60.43 billion this January-September, according to official new figures.

The country's exports totaled $191.75 billion in the nine-month period, up 2.6 percent, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Oct. 31.