Geography of Asia

Chevron has reportedly started drilling a key appraisal well offshore Cyprus, a development mired in geopolitical controversy over the ethnically split island as well as neighbor relations.

According to Upstream, Chevron has started drilling a key appraisal well on its 4.5-trillion-cubic foot Aphrodite gas discovery, aimed at boosting certainty over a planned $3.6 billion project.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the second such capture by Tehran in under a week amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.

The state of emergency declared after the earthquakes in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş will end on May 9, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman for Election Affairs Ali İhsan Yavuz said on May 4 in a televised interview.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar expressed "hope" on Wednesday that "the Greeks will find the right path and come to the right place" during an interview where he proposed the joint exploitation of the natural wealth of the Aegean and the possibility of extending the moratorium between Greece and Turkey.

The Parliamentary Earthquake Commission has advised that cultural structures that are in danger of collapsing due to liquefication on their grounds should be moved via a wheeled platform.

The commission, which was established after the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in the southern part of the country, submitted its 935-page report to Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop last week.

The United States has returned some 80 ancient artifacts, including coins and limestone sculptures, to Cyprus, the Mediterranean island nation's Department of Antiquities said Tuesday.

Stanford University has offered an 18-year-old Turkish student a scholarship of approximately 10 million Turkish Liras ($500,000).

Efe Zaladin, who graduated from a private high school in the Central Anatolian province of Konya last year, discovered his interest in science as a child.

Trendyol, Türkiye's leading e-commerce platform, has signed a cooperation agreement with Azerbaijan's Pasha Holding.

Under the deal, Trendyol and Pasha Holding will set up a joint venture which will engage in on e-commerce activities in Azerbaijan.

The allegation that three hotels in Turkish Cyprus' Varosha city have been sold to a Turkish businessman by their Greek owners has sparked concerns in the Greek administration as the sale or transfer of real estate in the area opened to civilian visits three years ago after a 46-year hiatus is under the control of a commission.

A woman from quake-hit Hatay has formed an association called "We are here, Hatay" ("Buradayız Hatay" in Turkish) to encourage their relatives and neighbors to back to their hometown.

As the southern province of Hatay suffered the worst damage in the earthquakes on the night of Feb. 6, approximately 700,000 people migrated to other cities.