Denizbank, a Turkish lender largely owned by Europe’s Dexia, has agreed to sell its insurance operations in Turkey for 161.9 million euros to U.S.-based Metlife, a statement from the lender said Monday. According to the agreement on sales of 99.86 percent of stake, Denizbank branches will continue to sell Metlife’s individual retirement and life insurance policies for 15 years.

A statement by Koc Holding said on Wednesday that Turkey's Koc Holding Honorary Chairman Rahmi Koc would receive the award at a ceremony to be held this year.

British Embassy said in a statement that Rahmi Koc would be decorated with "Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" for his great contributions to Turkish-British relations.

An award-winning Turkish visual designer based in Los Angeles has helped increase American tourist numbers to his homeland by 30 percent thanks to a strategic advertising campaign.

“Bringing tourists to Turkey is not only possible by taking the photos of the Maiden’s Tower, Ephesus and Ölüdeniz and advertising them in Times Square and The New York Times,” visual designer Emrah Yücel recently told Anatolia news agency. “A strategy is necessary behind this activity; it is necessary to know American people. We pay attention to give the right message in right times.”

Yücel won a job tendered by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and began a poster campaign earlier this year that used visuals resembling Hollywood movie posters to increase the number of U.S. visitors to Turkey from 100,000 to 130,000 over the previous year, according to official ministry data.

The designer, who has worked in Hollywood for many years, said his promotion team attached great importance to Easter and Thanksgiving, which are very important to Americans, as well as April 23 Children’s Day.