AEGEAN SEA

Two earthquakes struck Turkey off its Aegean Sea coast on Feb. 6, according to the country's disaster agency.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on its website that an initial magnitude 4.1 quake occurred at 7.09 p.m. local time (1609 GMT) off the Karaburun district of İzmir province, the country's third-largest city.

Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis signed a 9-million-euro package for the studies and construction work necessary for the complete restoration of the sides of the iconic Corinth Canal in southern Greece which are prone to landslides that have led to the frequent barring of ships from passing through on public safety grounds. A new state of emergency was declared only a few days ago.

Turkey's projection of military might in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and its months-long provocations against the sovereign rights of Greece and the Republic of Cyprus led both to the restart of exploratory talks between Athens and Ankara and to the "five-plus-United Nations" meeting between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities and the guarantor powers - Greece, Turkey an

Greek and Turkish officials are likely to meet again at the end of Feburary or in early March to revive efforts to resolve a maritime boundary dispute, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

The two NATO allies have been at odds over a number of decades-old issues including the extent of their continental shelves, overflights in the Aegean Sea and ethnically split Cyprus.

With the weather turning windy on the morning of Feb. 2, some surfers flocked to the public beach in Turkey's southwestern province of Muğla's Marmaris to indulge in watersports such as kiteboarding.

Turkey's third-largest city of İzmir has been battered by heavy rainfall once more since last week.

Torrential rains caused flash floods in the city with a population of around 4 million, blocking main roadways in downtown areas and surrounding districts.

Greek authorities on Friday said they will reimpose tougher lockdown restrictions in greater Athens after a January decline in infection rates was reversed this week.

Most retail stores will close in the capital Saturday, retaining pickup services only, after being allowed to reopen on Jan. 18.

Bad weather disrupted life in the western province of İzmir on Jan. 27, when sudden heavy rainfall and storm hit several districts, flooding houses and shops and knocking down trees.

The floods particularly battered the Karşıyaka district, where the waters of the Aegean Sea overflowed the shore and swept through the streets, submerging vehicles.

Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey.

Florence Parly, the French defense minister, is due in Athens to sign the agreement to deliver 12 used and six new aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in mid-2021.

ISTANBUL - Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in an announcement Wednesday that Greece's extension of its territorial waters from 6 to 12 miles does not regard the Aegean Sea and repeated the country's objections against such an extension in the Aegean.