Murat Kurum

Türkiye needs to produce at least 800,000 houses each year to meet people's accommodation needs, but the number of construction permits granted for dwelling units remained at 262,000 in the first half of 2022.

In the face of the growing need for new houses, the government recently announced that it would launch two major projects soon.

As part of the rescue measures taken by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, flamingos in Lake Tuz are being provided with the necessary support to conserve and protect them, Environment Minister Murat Kurum claims.

"We are working day and night not to lose any baby flamingo," Kurum said on Aug. 19 in a tweet.

The government is planning to launch another housing project and use idle offices as residential units as part of its efforts to rein in rising home prices by boosting supplies.

The residential property market is on the government's radar, while excessive price movements are being closely watched, Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati has said.

A comprehensive study on the sharp increases in the real estate market has been launched, Nebati said. "We are doing and will continue to do what is necessary."

Türkiye has implemented the "catastrophe early warning system" for the first time amid the fight against the floods that devastated the northern provinces recently, the country's environment, urbanization and climate change minister has said.

Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has said that thanks to the precautions the ministry has taken, the water of Lake Salda has reached the level of being drinkable.

Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu, a Turkish Sufi sheikh and the leader of the influential İsmailağa Jamia of the Naqshbandi-Khalidiyya Tariqah, died on June 23 at the age of 93.

According to a statement by the tariqah, his funeral service will be held on June 24, in Istanbul's Fatih district where the movement is centered.

Authorities are working on a new regulation that would introduce a cap on rent increases, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has said.

"The limit in rent hikes will be based on the inflation rate, and this will be a temporary measure," Bozdağ told reporters in the Central Anatolian province of Yozgat.

As part of efforts to curb the increases in rent and home prices, the government plans to sell public lands in large cities to people who want to build houses, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has said.

The government is planning changes to the citizenship-for-home program by increasing the minimum amount required to be invested in properties by foreign nationals to obtain Turkish citizenship.