Hilken Doğaç Boran

Two years after Turkey’s stray-animal regulation took effect, authorities say most stray dogs have been collected and that shelters and natural habitats are improving public safety and animal welfare. Animal-rights advocates and activists, however, report overcrowding, inadequate treatment, deaths during collection and shelter neglect, citing alleged inconsistencies between official collection, capacity and mortality figures in places including Ankara and Kars. Municipal officials deny abuse and say their own facilities provide suitable care. The report highlights the gap between the government’s goal of collecting all stray animals by the end of the year and the 2028 deadline for municipalities to expand facilities, while interviewees propose adoption, sterilization, tighter oversight and restrictions on animal sales as possible solutions.

Village teachers in Turkey often manage teaching, administration and nearly every other aspect of school life, particularly in combined-grade schools serving sparsely populated rural areas. Teachers and experts describe challenges including isolation, limited infrastructure, transportation difficulties, seasonal agricultural work and student absenteeism, while also highlighting the advantages of small schools and close relationships with families. Examples from Şanlıurfa, Kilis and Aydın show teachers improving facilities, introducing robotics and mentoring students, with particular emphasis on girls’ continued education. Education advocates argue that keeping village schools open supports rural development and community continuity, while the Education Ministry has considered transporting teachers to villages instead of transporting students to central schools.

The Treaty of Lausanne, signed on 24 July 1923, internationally recognized modern Turkey's sovereignty, abolished the Ottoman capitulations and established key borders and minority provisions. The article explains that unresolved issues included the Straits, later settled by the 1936 Montreux Convention, and Mosul, which Turkey ceded to Iraq under the 1926 Ankara Treaty. Historians find no evidence of secret clauses restricting Turkey's use of natural resources, describing such claims as conspiracy theories. The treaty contains no expiration date; treaties defining borders and national status are generally understood to be indefinite. Earlier proposals by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to update the treaty did not lead to negotiations.