Constantinople

After moving in from Turkey's northwestern Thrace region, cold weather coming from the Balkans finally arrived in Istanbul on the weekend, which coincided with a curfew imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Feb. 14 midnight, much of the city was covered in white as the Asian districts of the 16-million metropolis were last to receive heavy snowfall.

Snowfall on Feb. 14 began in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. (DHA Photo)

Turkey's population hits 83.6 million as of the end of 2020, while the population growth rate nosedived from 13.9 per thousand in 2019 to just 5.5 per thousand in 2020, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on Feb. 4.

Some 459,000 were added to the country's population in 2020, according to TÜİK's Address-Based Population Registration System (ABPRS).

Alexander Alexakis, professor of Byzantine philology at the University of Ioannina, will be speaking in the Byzantine Dialogues online lecture series organized by the American School of Classical Studies on February 2, starting at 7 p.m. Greek time.

If 2020 had been coronavirus-free, it would have been difficult to envision a Donald Trump defeat or to see the global economy operating under strict statist control fueled by printed money. These are only two developments that are bound to cause a kind of lasting change that has not yet been fully realized.

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) has condemned the US State Department's decision to agree to Turkey's request for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which imposes import restrictions on cultural goods originating prior to 1924 or the establishment of the Turkish Republic.

Heavy rains and snow have battered Turkey's east, the Mediterranean and west coasts, disrupting daily life, particularly in Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service has warned the residents of Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts, eastern provinces, Istanbul and the capital Ankara for rainy weather conditions.

Located in the metropolis of Istanbul, Turkey's National Palaces Painting Museum is waiting for visitors after its reopening following restoration works. (DHA Photo)

Turkey's sixth mall library, which will host literary and artistic events, music performances and work-shops, has recently opened in Istanbul's Sultangazi district. Vega Istanbul AVM Library covers an area of 258 square meters with 5,000 works.

The Cultural Heritage Preservation Board has approved a structural strengthening plan for the Basilica Cistern presented by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality 66 days ago, according to daily Milliyet.

"When the formal decision is delivered to us, we will start the renovation process in the Basilica Cistern," said Mahir Polat, secretary-general of the municipality.