Geography of Asia

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades will address the nation at 7pm on Wednesday for the third time since the Cyprus coronavirus outbreak, with the address expected to announce the extension of current measures until the end of April, but may also include additional measures.

Some hotels could gradually start opening in June, though with health protocols that remain to be determined, the head of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) estimated on Tuesday.

Turkey's economy will catch up with its sustainable trend of growth next year, a Fitch Ratings' sovereign team director said on April 6. 

Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 4.5% in 2021 after struggling this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Douglas Winslow told Anadolu Agency.

Fitch Ratings announced on Friday that it has affirmed Cyprus' credit rating at "BBB" but has revised its outlook to stable.
Fitch said that the revision of Cyprus' outlook reflects the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic on the country's economy and on its sovereign fiscal position.

Consumer prices in Turkey went up 11.86 percent in March compared to the same month last year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on March 3.

The annual inflation rate in March was down from 12.37 percent the previous month, according to TÜİK.

The highest price rise last month was seen in alcoholic beverages and tobacco, surging 40.19 percent on a yearly basis.

Twitter said on April 2 it shut down thousands of accounts linked to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, several of which were involved in a smear campaign critical of Turkey and the Turkish government.

Cyprus extended a ban on commercial air links with 28 countries for another two weeks on Thursday to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Two overseas Cypriot students are challenging a ban on incoming flights from 28 countries imposed by the government in Nicosia on March 21 in response to the coronavirus epidemic, as they try to get back home, Cyprus media reported on Thursday.

Turkey's tourism season is expected to postpone until after-May period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's culture and tourism minister said on April 2. 

"Hopefully, we will see that tourism activities will start again during the Ramadan Feast," Mehmet Nuri Ersoy noted.
Eid ul-Fitr, or Ramadan Feast, will be celebrated at the end of this May in 2020.

The United States believes Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security was directly involved in the killing of an Iranian dissident last November in Turkey, a senior administration official told Reuters on April 1.

Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was shot dead on an Istanbul street on Nov. 14, 2019.