Çukurova

A second-century A.D. female statue and two frieze fragments with various depictions have come to light during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Olba, which is located in the Silifke district of the southern province of Mersin and once served as the center of the Olba Kingdom in the Hellenistic period.

Sweltering temperatures are straining the electric grids in the southern provinces of Adana and Mersin.

Energy consumption in those provinces hit record levels as people keep their air conditioners on almost 24 hours a day, while staff from utility companies are out in the field to ensure the power grids do not fail.

Yeni Adana, one of the country's oldest and prominent newspaper running for over a century and established just before the Turkish War of Independence, has ended its operations.

The ship "MSC Aurelia," where the earthquake survivors were settled in Iskenderun district of Hatay, has completed its mission, as a plaque of appreciation was given to Dumitru Rusu, the captain of the 906-bed Ro-Ro ship that left the port.

Some 400 shops have started to operate in the historical Uzun Çarşı, one of the symbols of the quake-hit southern province of Hatay, within the scope of efforts to return to normal life.

As the feats and fasts of the three religions have coincided in the same month for the first time in the last 36 years, Muslims, Christians and Jews have come together for the "Unity and Brotherhood Table" in the southern quake-hit province of Hatay, the city of civilizations and cultures for centuries.

Earthquake survivors are seen departing from the bus terminal in the southern province of Hatay, the city most harshly affected by the Feb. 6 quakes, to the coastal cities for to the Eid holiday.

Volunteer citizens who came to the city to help after the earthquakes as well as quake survivors filled the bus terminal to start their Eid holiday.

An Easter ceremony has been held among the debris of the Greek Orthodox Church in the southern province of Hatay, which suffered massive destruction in the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes.

With rains and thunderstorms expected to batter the country in the days ahead, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has declared a "yellow and orange alert" for 16 out of all 81 provinces, mostly in the east, while heavy rains will continue to pound Istanbul and its neighboring cities.

The historical Uzun Çarşı (Long Bazaar), one of the symbols of Hatay, has been in silence since the earthquakes on Feb. 6. The bazaar suffered great destruction and most of the workplaces were destroyed in the disaster. Now eight tradesmen opened their workplaces in the bazaar, hoping to return to good old days again.