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Freeing the Marmara Sea of mucilage does not mean the sea has been saved, as there is still more that needs to be done, the head of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) has said.

The use of fertilizers and pesticides in the fields surrounding the sea should be stopped, and fishing in the Marmara Sea must be banned, according to Hasan Mandal.

Ljubljana – Slovenia’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 6.9% in April, up 1.5 percentage points from March and level with the rate in February, driven by higher prices of petroleum products and food, data from the Statistics Office shows.

The danger of mucilage, which invaded and heavily affected the marine ecosystem of the Marmara Sea last summer, may return, as blocks of a new form of sea snot have started to appear off the coasts of Istanbul, a Turkish expert has warned.

A rare rough ruby dubbed one of the world's biggest has gone on display for the first time ahead of an auction in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.

The 8,400-carat stone, nicknamed Burj Alhamal and weighing 2.8 kilograms, was mined in Tanzania and made its debut at a Dubai hotel on Friday as part of SJ Gold and Diamond's Callisto collection.

Muhtars (local heads) of many Anatolian villages come to Istanbul as seasonal workers to collect paper waste at the time of the year when they cannot earn a living with farming, according to a report by an agency affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolis Municipality.

The Istanbul Planning Agency's report showed that some 18 tons of domestic waste are collected daily in the metropolis.

Marine mucilage, a thick layer of glop that invaded Turkey's Marmara Sea last year, has reappeared off Istanbul's Maltepe coasts, while experts noted that the natural phenomenon may affect the region this summer again.

One of the largest opals in the world was sold for $125,000 at auction in Alaska on Feb. 20.

The opal, dubbed the "Americus Australis," weighs more than 11,800 carats and is one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence, according to the auction house Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals. It also has a long history.

"The Enigma," the world's largest known cut diamond at 555 carats, went under the hammer in London on Feb. 9 for 3.16 million British pounds ($4.3 million, 3.8 million euros) having recently gone on display for the first time.

The rare black, or carbanado, diamond is believed to have been created when a meteorite or an asteroid hit Earth more than 2.6 billion years ago.

According to the findings of an investigation by BIRN and the Centre for Investigative Journalist Montenegro, CIN-CG, waste from other municipalities was disposed of at Mislov Do for years, in violation of the lease agreement, while municipal waste has been mixed with food, animal and chemical waste.

Hanging halfway up an ancient oak tree, peering into a small, dark hole in its enormous trunk abuzz with bees, Filipe Salbany can barely contain himself.

"Amazing - the queen's laying!" the 55-year-old shouts down, as he dangles around 15 meters (just under 50 feet) above the grounds of Blenheim Estate, secured by ropes and a harness.