Demography

Turkey's population hit 84.6 million as of end-2021, while the population growth rate significantly increased from 5.5 per thousand in 2020 to 12.7 per thousand in 2021, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on Feb. 4.

A voluntary, safe and honorable return of Syrian migrants to their homeland is at the center of Turkey's refugee policy, a Turkish official has said, informing that more than half a million Syrians have already settled in their own country as a result of Turkey's efforts.

2021 was a grim year for what are called "European values".

Omicron will not skip us, just as none of the other variants skipped us. So far no additional measures are needed, we have taken all the necessary ones. This was stated to bTV by the caretaker Minister of Health Stoycho Katsarov.

The Turkish Coast Guard has caught more than 21,400 irregular migrants in Turkey's seas between January and Dec. 6.

In the whole of last year, the Coast Guard intercepted nearly 14,000 people in 594 incidents of irregular migration.

From the start of this year until early December, 768 such incidents occurred, the Coast Guard said.

The Consular Section at U.S. Embassy in Sofia is pleased to announce the resumption of visa appointments for all categories of nonimmigrant visas on a limited basis. Beginning December 8, we will offer a limited number of appointments for visitor visas (B1, B1/B2, B2).

8.7 million people in the country are at risk of famine

Greece on Nov. 27 opened two more of its new "closed" migrant camps that have been criticized by rights groups for their restrictive measures.

"A new era is beginning," Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi said announcing the opening of the camps on the islands of Leros and Kos.

China and the U.S. have agreed to ease restrictions on each other's media workers amid a slight relaxation of tensions between the two sides.

The official China Daily newspaper on Wednesday said the agreement was reached ahead of Nov. 16's virtual summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Turkey on Nov. 11 reiterated its support for Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania amid a refugee flux on their borders with Belarus.