Water

As sanctions imposed on Moscow amid the war in Ukraine hits its aviation sector, Russia is now preparing to launch cruise ship tours to Türkiye this month.

The Astoria Grande cruise ship will hold tours from the Russian city of Sochi in the Black Sea to Istanbul starting mid-July.

In the next 20 years, Türkiye will move out of the list of the "water-stressed" countries and join the group of nations classified as "water-poor" countries, according to the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN), a member of the World Water Council continuing its activities under the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

At least 3,000 dolphins have fallen victim to Russia's military operations against Ukraine in the northern part of the Black Sea. Prof. Ivan Rusev, head of the "Research" department at the National Natural Park "Tuzlovsky limani" in Ukraine, claims this in his post on Facebook.

The mayor of Milan on June 25 announced the northern Italian city's fountains would be switched off as part of water restrictions imposed due to a drought.

Beppe Sala announced the measures the day after the wider Lombardy region declared a state of emergency to last until Sept. 30, directing mayors to curtail non-essential water use.

Turkish and Russian top diplomats, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Sergey Lavrov will discuss the modalities of a secure corridor to be established through the Black Sea for the shipment of nearly 20 million tons of grain to world markets to avoid a major global food crisis.

"Between 700 and 800 soldiers from Italy will arrive in Bulgaria to participate in the NATO Multinational Battle Group on our territory." This was announced by Bulgaria's Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov in an interview with the Bulgarian National Television.

The great dynamics of the Greek professional yacht license, which is threatened with "abolition" by the draft law of the Ministry of Shipping under discussion in Parliament, according to market participants, is highlighted by the comparison of data related to two international yacht exhibitions held next week in Barcelona and Nafplio.

The Turkish army is continuing to stay vigilant against the naval mines in the Black Sea, the defense minister has said, stressing that marine traffic through the Bosporus is not affected by the drifting sea mines and runs as usual.

The average seawater temperature in the Black Sea has risen from 8.1 degrees Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius as a result of global warming, an expert has said.

A tanker ship passes through the Bosporus at Istanbul. Photo: Pixabay/Murat Soyluoglu

"We are calling for the air space, Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits to be closed. We have conveyed our demand to the Turkish side. At the same time, we want sanctions imposed on the Russian side," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said in Ankara.