Turkey is Resuming Flights to and from India

Turkey is all set to resume international flights to four countries, including India, from August 1, the country's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu announced in a written statement this week. The other countries are  Russia, Kuwait and South Africa. In the pipeline are plans to restart flight operations with Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Kenya and Uzbekistan.

International flight operations in Turkey were suspended on July 11. Now the country is planning to boost the number of international flights to more than 40 countries.

Till date, Turkey has recorded around 2,29,000 COVID-19 positive cases and 5,659 deaths. However, health officials say the recovery rate is higher than infection rates.

The country was in the news recently because of the government's decision to turn Hagia Sophia (which became a museum in 1934) into a mosque.

The decision was announced by Turkey&rsquos President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a top Turkish court annulled the site's current status. Hagia Sophia, which has retained the status of a museum since 1934 and is a UNESCO world heritage site, was first built in the 6th century as a cathedral.

Read Hagia Sophia's Roman and Ottoman Legacy