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"The Evolution School," a two-day workshop organized by a university club and a local doctors' chamber, was held at a social hall of tradesmen after the club's university refused to hold the event. 

Turkish coast guards rescued 69 Afghan refugees off the coast of western Izmir province Dec. 21, local official sources said.

The refugees were rescued while they were trying to go to the Greek island of Chios.

Meanwhile, the bodies of two people, including a three-and-a-half year old child and a 17-year-old girl, were found off the coast of Çe?me in ?zmir province.

Some 71 migrants seeking to cross to the Greek island of Lesbos, as well as nine suspected organizers, were captured in the Ayvac?k district of the Aegean province of Çanakkale on Dec. 20.

Police tracked three minibuses and a van before stopping the vehicles carrying dozens who had fled their home countries.

Operations at Gersan R-Zao, a Turkish power-distribution equipment maker's Russian subsidiary, have been halted for 60 days after it failed an environmental inspection, the company said in a written statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on late Dec. 18. 

Two young people were killed in a traffic accident in the southern province of Antalya on Dec. 20 when a pickup ran over them as they were taking a selfie on the road.

The military has imposed a curfew in 11 additional neighborhoods in the Nusaybin district of southeastern Mardin province, increasing the total number of curfew-imposed neighborhoods to 15. 

The Nusaybin District Governor's Office released a written statement explaining the curfew, which was imposed to reinstitute "peace and security," will be enforced until further notice. 

European benchmark Brent crude slid to an 11-year low on Dec. 21 as oil prices resumed their slide in an oversupplied global market facing the prospect of renewed US exports.

In the morning, Brent crude for February delivery was down 59 cents at $36.29.

U.S. pricing standard West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for January delivery was 36 cents lower at $34.37.

The Azerbaijani Central Bank devalued its currency by almost 50 percent on Dec. 21 due to global economic weakness and falling oil prices, according to a statement issued by the bank.

The Central Bank decided to devalue the manat by 47.63 percent to 1.55 manats per dollar and 1.68 manats per euro, which corresponds to a devaluation of 47.88 percent, said the statement.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Dec. 19 that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Bashiqa training camp near Mosul would "continue."

In the same statement it said the problem arose between the Turkish and Iraqi governments over the Turkish troops there because of a communications mistake regarding the deployment of reinforcements to the camp earlier in the month.

Police camera footage of an incident in which a Turkish woman was shot and killed during an operation at her family's home has been included in the file of a case opened into special operation police officer Y.M.

Dilek Do?an was shot at her home in Sar?yer on Oct. 18 during a police raid, succumbing to her injuries on Oct. 25.