Edremit

Last week, I was at the Olive Oil Tasting Festival in Edremit, where we sampled various olive oils and even tried goat milk olive oil ice cream made by the Italian "ice cream philosopher," Marco Radicioni. Marco is a hero who is carrying gastronomy forward.

Türkiye's olive producers, who faced significant challenges last year with low yield and olive oil prices surpassing 300 Turkish Liras ($9), are optimistic about the upcoming season.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) forecasts a remarkable 90.8 percent increase in olive production.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has started using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) technology for mapping, creating libraries, and obtaining registration certificates for Türkiye's geographically indicated products, including olive oil, honey and hazelnut.

As part of the "Van Sea Swimming Festival," organized by the Van Municipality to promote Lake Van and to boost tourism, professional swimmers have swum in Nemrut Crater Lake, Türkiye's largest crater lake.

An urban couple, who left Istanbul with their 7-year-old son and settled in a village in the northwestern province of Balıkesir, has been advised to have a minimum monthly earning of 10,000 Turkish Liras ($557) to get a taste of a village life.

Pruning workers in the Aegean province of Balıkesir's Edremit district challenge the height on the top of trees that are 40 meters tall so that young saplings can receive the sun.

Workers, also known as 'squirrel man' among the people, started to work in line with the rejuvenation of the vegetation project in the world-famous Kaz Mountains conducted by authorities.

Wildfires in two spots has broken out in Balıkesir's Kazdağları mountain range- also known as Ida mountains- on Aug. 23.

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The General Directorate of Forestry sent firefighting teams along with three planes and nine helicopters to the area to put out the fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

At least 23 people were killed and 28 others injured in two separate accidents on Aug. 8 in western Turkey involving
passenger buses, officials said.

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Eight people died and 11 others were injured in Izmir province when a passenger bus veered off an embankment and plunged to the ground in Kemalpaşa district, Izmir Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger said on Twitter.

A passenger bus overturned in western Turkey on Aug. 8, killing at least 15 and injuring 17, according to emergency responders.

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The bus went out of control and overturned on the Balıkesir Highway while heading to the western province of Balıkesir's Edremit district.

The 17 wounded passengers were rushed to nearby hospitals.

A passenger bus overturned in western Turkey early on Aug. 8, killing at least 15 and wounding 18, according to emergency responders.

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The bus went out of control and overturned on the Balıkesir Highway while heading to Edremit in the western Balıkesir province.

The 18 wounded passengers were rushed to nearby hospitals.