Author: Aslan Cem

Ege University’s Natural History Museum in the western province of İzmir hosts 20,000 visitors annually, giving them the opportunity to browse through its six rich galleries showcasing fossils, rocks and various ancient samples. Giving detailed information about the museum’s collection to local media, Professor Dr. Kerim Çiçek, director of the Natural History Application and Research Center (UAM), stated that numerous fossil materials of creatures who once lived in the country, especially fossils belonging to horse, elephant and rhinoceros, are exhibited in the Natural History Museum. “In addition, there are different species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals such as mollusks, sea urchins, arthropods, marine and…

Turkish Cypriot authorities have announced the continuation of road construction plans aimed at linking the ethnically mixed Pyla village in the buffer zone with the mainland, following a recent altercation with United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping forces in the region. Turkish Cyprus’s Foreign Ministry released a written statement affirming that the peacekeeping forces again dispatched personnel to the area but refrained from interference with the ongoing construction. The announcement comes in the wake of a recent confrontation between Turkish Cypriot forces and U.N. peacekeepers, where the latter obstructed road construction efforts in the village of Pyla, located within the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone. Authorities in Turkish…

The formation of a government in Greece with a comfortable majority in parliament will strengthen the country’s economic stability, help the implementation of reforms and see Greece’s sovereign bonds return to investment grade very soon, benefitting the national economy further, analysts told Xinhua. The center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has returned to power after the June 25 general election for four more years. It has a majority of eight deputies in parliament, the same as four years earlier when it first got elected. The market’s immediate reaction was positive — the main index of the Greek stock market…

The death toll has risen to 59 following the capsizing of a fishing boat carrying refugees and migrants off southwestern Greece, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Wednesday, citing local authorities. A total of 104 passengers have been rescued, while a search and rescue operation was underway to locate a yet unclear number of missing, according to the report. The incident happened in international waters, 47 nautical miles off the coast of Pylos town during nighttime between Tuesday and Wednesday, and survivors told authorities the fishing boat had sailed off from Tobruk in Libya and was heading for Italy, ERT…

A boat carrying refugees and migrants sank in southwestern Greece, resulting in 32 deaths, according to Greek national news agency AMNA on Wednesday. One hundred and four passengers have been rescued, while a search and rescue operation was underway to locate a yet unclear number of missing, said the report. According to an e-mailed press release by the Hellenic Coast Guard, none of the passengers had life jackets on. The incident happened off the coast of Pylos town. Survivors told authorities the fishing boat had sailed from Libya for Italy, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported. Greece has been at the…

Three people died and 12 went missing after a boat carrying an unknown number of refugees and migrants capsized off Mykonos island in the Aegean Sea, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Friday. Two people have been rescued as a total of 17 people were reported on board, said ERT, citing Hellenic Coast Guard sources, adding that a search and rescue operation was underway. Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx since 2015 and hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea in the past eight years.

Chinese and Greek officials and business representatives explored ways of boosting bilateral cooperation on shipping and trade during an investment event held at Piraeus port on Tuesday. The event was organized by Shanghai’s Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang Special Area at the premises of Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA), a member of China’s COSCO Shipping group. As the economic powerhouse of China, Shanghai has always been an ideal destination for foreign investment, said Chen Jinshan, a member of the Standing Committee of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee. “I hope that representatives of public and private sectors can deepen their dialogue and…

Greece has evacuated over 50 of its citizens and their family members from the Sudanese capital Khartoum amid military clashes, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday. The first group of evacuees has now arrived in Athens. Greece will continue its efforts to repatriate all Greek nationals and their family members, he said before meeting some of the evacuees at the Ministry. Approximately 80 Greek citizens and their family members remain in Khartoum, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister responsible for Greeks Abroad, Andreas Katsaniotis, on Tuesday welcomed the first 17 people to arrive…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments and civil society to work together to ensure cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid between Türkiye and Syria and within Syria itself. The WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, called the earthquakes “the worst natural disaster” in the region in a century, and emphasized the importance of all parties cooperating on aid delivery. “The needs are huge, increasing by the hour. Some 26 million people across both countries need humanitarian assistance,” said Kluge during a press conference on Tuesday. Turkey has suffered cataclysmic casualties, Kluge underlined, with more than 31,000 deaths and…

The Bangladeshi government has declared one- day state mourning Thursday for the deaths in earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The Bangladeshi Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification in this regard Wednesday. The national flag will be hoisted at half-mast atop office buildings of all government, semi-government, autonomous organizations, educational institutions and Bangladeshi missions abroad. Special prayers will also be offered at different religious institutions.