Eastern Mediterranean

Evangelos Savva, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss how Cyprus has moved from being viewed solely as a problem to becoming part of the solution to key regional challenges, and look at whether the country's growing regional relevance can help solve the Cyprus problem.

Cyprus and its emergence as a strategic partner and diplomatic link in the Mediterranean, as well as the issue the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island, was the main issue discussed in Washington, DC on Monday, in the context of the 5th Forum for Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, at the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

Analyzing data from air quality monitoring stations, Greenpeace Mediterranean has identified 20 regions with the highest air pollution in Türkiye, with the southeastern quake-hit province of Hatay's Iskenderun district ranking first.

The number of building permits issued in Cyprus in the first 11 months of 2023 dropped by almost 6% year-on-year, the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CyStat) reported on Friday, with the area and value registering annual gains, driven by the increased prices in construction materials, as well as increased interest in apartment blocks.

The Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) revealed on Thursday a significant uptick in motor vehicle registrations in Cyprus.

Total registrations of motor vehicles in Cyprus numbered 4,243 in January, compared to 3,128 in January 2023, recording an increase of 35.6%, according to data published by the CyStat.

Ankara has expressed its expectations for a fair and objective report on Cyprus from the U.N. special envoy, the diplomatic sources told Hurriyet Daily News.

The Antioch Greek Orthodox Church brought Christians together in Turkey's Antakya for centuries until last year, when an earthquake killed dozens of them and sent hundreds more fleeing.

Though it now lies in ruins, many pray it will again bring them back.

In the wake of the devastating earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, volunteers and inhabitants of affected provinces strive to mend both the emotional and tangible wounds inflicted by the deadly tremors.

HATAY, Turkey - "It felt like the world was turning upside down. Telling the story is not the same as experiencing it." Sixty-one-year-old Kanraman Karat vividly remembers this night last year when the earth shook violently in the middle of his slumbers, taking tens of thousands of lives and destroying hundreds of thousands of properties.

The strengthening works are ongoing uninterruptedly in Türkiye's prominent Hatay Archaeology Museum, which sustained damage during the deadly earthquakes that jolted the country's southeast in early February last year.