Yalova

The devastating impact of the 1999 Marmara earthquake was solemnly remembered on Aug. 17, as communities across Türkiye's northwestern provinces gathered to mark the 24th anniversary of the catastrophe.

The coastal parts of the Aegean and Mediterranean cities and Southeastern Anatolia are gearing up for a scorching heat during the Eid al-Adha holiday, as meteorologists predict temperatures to soar above seasonal norms.

The victims of the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the worst seismic disaster in the history of modern Türkiye, were remembered in the country's northwestern provinces on Aug. 17.

Turkey launched a massive cleanup campaign in 15 districts of seven provinces along the coast of the Marmara Sea on June 8 in an effort to eliminate the aggravating mucilage problem that has severely affected the marine ecosystem.

The amount of total exports from Turkey's 87 Technology Development Zones has reached $5.8 billion in 21 years, according to data by the Industry and Technology Ministry.

More than 6,500 companies, including 322 firms with foreign capital, have been operating in these zones as of the end of April, data showed.

Turkey marked the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the worst seismic disaster in the country's recent history that killed around 18,000 people and wounded 50,000, with various commemoration events organized across the Marmara region on Aug. 17.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has submitted complaints of voting irregularities in the March 31 elections for several districts in Istanbul, Ankara, Siirt, Adıyaman, Denizli, Zonguldak, Karabük, Bartın, Samsun, Erzurum and Yalova. 

Bulgarians abroad continue to vote in 371 voting sections in 70 countries.

Voting activity in Turkey is similar to that during the presidential elections in November 2016. 7,000 have voted in the regions of Bursa, Yalova, Kodzhaeli and Istanbul. This is the latest data on voting activity by 13:00 hrs, announced the Bulgarian General Consulate.

Eleven suspects were detained on Dec. 19 in Istanbul-based operations targeting alleged members of the Fethullah Terror Organization (FETÖ), headed by the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen. 

The municipality of Yalova has caused an uproar after cutting over 150 trees in the city center for the construction of an overpass Nov. 27.

The decision has sent the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which won the municipality in the March 30 local elections after a very tight race that included a vote recount, into soul-searching over its urban policies.