Cyclone Batsirai killed at least 10 people and displaced nearly 48,000 when it struck Madagascar overnight, the national disaster management agency said Sunday.

The cyclone later weakened but not before wreaking havoc in the poor Indian Ocean island nation which is still reeling from a deadly tropical storm earlier this year.

Parts of the country were lashed with heavy rains and wind before the cyclone made landfall in Mananjary.

It uprooted trees, destroyed buildings and forced residents to weigh down flimsy corrugated iron roofs along its path, Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondents saw.

The rain will cause flooding across parts of the country, Madagascar's meteorological office said on Sunday.

Batsirai made landfall late Saturday as an "intense tropical cyclone," packing winds of 165 kilometers (102 miles) per hour, Faly Aritiana Fabien of the country's disaster management agency told AFP.

His colleague responsible for risk management, Paolo Emilio Raholinarivo, listed 10 dead, but gave no further details.

However the national meteorological office – which had warned of "significant and widespread damage" – said on Sunday that Batsirai had weakened.

The cyclone's average wind speed had almost halved to 80 kilometers per hour (kmh), while the strongest gusts had scaled back to 110 kmh from the 235 kmh recorded when it made landfall, Meteo Madagascar said.

Bodies exposed at cemetery

At a cemetery in the eastern town of Mahanoro, overlooking the sea, Marie Viviane Rasoanandrasana sat on the ground watching over the bodies of her husband, father-in-law and daughter.

The waves of the rising sea eroded the sandy hill which was part of a graveyard. Several graves were ripped open, exposing their bodies and some others.

"A few days ago the sea was far away, but this morning I was told the waves had washed away part of the cemetery," said the 54-year-old widow.

"Daily life is already very hard," she said, adding the family would be forced to rebury the remains in a temporary grave until they raise enough money for a "proper burial."

'City almost 95% destroyed'

"Mananjary is completely destroyed, no matter where you go everything is destroyed," said one resident named Faby. Another man, Fana, was certain "almost 95% of the city has been destroyed."

Inland in Antsirabe, 365 kilometers northwest of Mananjary, the storm uprooted large trees in the town's public park.

The Meteo-France weather service had earlier predicted Batsirai would pose a "very serious threat" to Madagascar, after passing Mauritius and drenching the French island of La Reunion with torrential rain.

Some 10,000 people on La Reunion were still without electricity on Sunday, three days after the tropical cyclone passed through the island, injuring 12 people on its path.

Ana affected at least 131,000 people across Madagascar in late January, with nearly 60 people killed, mostly in the capital Antananarivo.

Ana also hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, causing dozens of deaths.

The World Food Program (WFP), citing estimates from national authorities, said around 595,000 people could be directly affected by Batsirai, and 150,000 more might be displaced because of new landslides and flooding.

The storm poses a risk to at least 4.4 million people in total, the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies said.

The former French colony off Africa's southeastern coast is in the midst of a six-month rainy season that often results in casualties and widespread damage.

In 2018, the country suffered a double whammy with Cyclone Ava killing 51 people in January and tropical storm Eliakim leaving 20 people dead two months later.

And in March 2017, at least 78 people perished in Cyclone Enawo.

Global warming has increased the risk of flooding and tropical storms, as the atmosphere retains more water and rainfall patterns are disrupted.

Southern parts of Madagascar are reeling from the worst drought in four decades.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa told a summit of African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa on Sunday that the continent was "experiencing the worst impacts of phenomena associated with global warming such as droughts, floods and cyclones."

"Despite not being responsible for causing climate change, it is Africans who are bearing both the brunt and the cost," he said./FP

Shusha, the pearl of Karabakh, is regaining its former glory through restoration supported by many cultural events, Azerbaijani Culture Minister Anar Karimov told Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview

“Shusha is ours, Karabakh is ours, Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in 2020 while addressing his nation following the liberation of the key city of Shusha in the Karabakh region after 28 years of Armenian occupation. The liberation of the city, destroyed by Armenians during its nearly three-decade-long occupation, was celebrated by Azerbaijani citizens with great joy as the city symbolizes a part of their identity.

Shusha, known as the pearl of Karabakh, is one of the symbols of Azerbaijan’s history and culture. This historical capital, founded in 1752 by Karabakh Khan Panah Ali, has always been a touristic spot with its natural beauty, springs, pleasant weather and numerous historical monuments. But the city is also strategically important thanks to its geographical location dominating the region.

Following the liberation, the biggest aspiration of Azerbaijan became to reconstruct Shusha, the beating heart of Karabakh. While the Azerbaijani government immediately launched a master plan to rebuild the city, the biggest responsibility probably fell upon the country’s Culture Ministry. Therefore, we spoke with Azerbaijani Culture Minister Anar Karimov to learn more about the revitalization of Shusha.

Shusha, symbol of Azerbaijani identity

Noting that Shusha was historically always a center of Turkish and Islamic civilization, Karimov explained that Shusha has always been a very important city for Azerbaijani people as it symbolizes their culture, history and identity. According to the minister, one of the biggest reasons for Shusha’s importance is the fact that the city produced many prominent figures in Azerbaijani history. “Many significant writers, poets, musicians and even military commanders were from Shusha. Therefore, Azerbaijani citizens hold it very dear.”

Listing a few prominent figures from Shusha, Kermov offered details about the country's cultural heritage. The daughter of the Mehdigulu Khan, the last ruler of the Azerbaijani Karabakh Khanate, Khurshidbanu Natavan, was a prominent poet from this beautiful city. Natavan founded and sponsored the first literary societies in Shusha and across Azerbaijan. Among these societies, Majlis-i Uns ("the Society of Friends") was very popular and gathered poetic-intellectual forces of Karabakh of the time.

Shusha was also home to the founder of Azerbaijani classical music. Uzeyir Hajibeyov was a great composer who also composed the Azerbaijani national anthem. Explaining that Hajibeyov used a blend of national music and Western music, Karimov said that the artist combined the traditional folk music "mugham" with Western classical music, which became Azerbaijani classical music. The founder of the vocal art of Azerbaijan, Bulbul is also from Shusha. As a very famous opera singer, he performed in La Scala in Milan and in many other opera houses throughout his career.

“That is why when Shusha was occupied and became the subject of destruction, it was very difficult and painful to watch for Azerbaijani citizens,” Karimov said and added: “Moreover, Shusha has a very amazing but at the same time very tragic history. It became the subject of occupation and destruction three times. The first was in the middle of the 19th century, while the second and third ones were in the beginning of the 20th century and in the end of the 20th century, respectively. Shusha was also historically Azerbaijanis’ bastion of resilience for their identity and culture, which increases its importance for the locals.”

Reiterating that the liberation of Shusha after the 44-day struggle thanks to the Azerbaijani army and President Aliyev's efforts inspired joy and pride in the nation, Karimov said: “We believe that the dark days have been left behind, and we are embarking on a very important mission to reconstruct and to rehabilitate Shusha. The sacred mission of our ministry is to revitalize the cultural spirit in Shusha, which was absent due to the nearly 30-year occupation.”

Year of Shusha

With these aims, the ministry started an action plan to revive Shusha through various restoration and preservation works and to organize various events from cultural to scientific in the city. The minister said that this year will be filled with diverse activities in Shusha, and almost every month will feature new events to bring back the missing spirit of the city. All these events are being planned as part of the 2022 Year of Shusha, declared by President Aliyev as it is the 270th anniversary of the establishment of the city by the first Karabak khan, Panah Ali. Karimov said that the first capital of this khanate was Agdam, another city in Karabakh that was also destroyed. Deciding to build another city that would be difficult to access and would dominate the region, the khan chose a perfect place on the high roads and started the construction of Shusha in 1752.

The minister touched upon the importance of cultural activities in rebuilding the region, particularly Shusha. Describing the revival of Shusha as twofold, he likened the cultural renaissance to the “software” side and the physical reconstruction and restoration part to the “hardware” side.

So, on the software side, the wheel has begun to pick up speed. “Cultural activities already started last year,” the minister said. “We organized festivals, one of them (was) the Khari Bulbul Music Festival, which bears the name of the flower that is endemic to this region, and especially Shusha. Khari (corresponds to) the flower and Bulbul means nightingale, and if you look at this flower you see the shape of the nightingale. That’s why it’s called Khari Bulbul. It became the symbol of Shusha, and Karabakh in general.”

The Khari Bulbul international festival has been a staple of Shusha for decades or had been. “We have organized (this) festival since the Soviet times. It became very famous (in those) times, because it brought together many cultural and folk groups in Shusha to celebrate this event. Of course, after the occupation, this wonderful tradition was interrupted, and now immediately after the liberation we relaunched it,” the minister explained.

The festival took place in May last year, it set to be organized this year as well, bringing together “cultural groups not only from Azerbaijan but also from the Turkic speaking countries” for a splendid celebration.

Khari Bulbul is not the only enticing offer on the table for Shusha. “Along with (Khari Bulbul), we also organize other events, and one of them (was) ‘Poetic Days of Molla Panah Vagif,’” the minister said and touched upon Vagif, an iconic historical figure of Shusha. “Molla Panah Vagif was a prominent poet and thinker of the Karabakh Khanate, he was also an adviser. He was very famous with his poetic and philosophical views,” he said. “There was a mausoleum that was destroyed by the Armenian armed forces during the occupation,” the minister said and noted that the mausoleum was immediately restored by order of Aliyev following the liberation. After it was restored, the mausoleum once again became a center of culture as it has been hosting sessions of poetic meclis (gatherings) and will continue to do so throughout 2022.

The minister said that the activities in Shusha this year will be a continuation of last year’s events but that they plan to double the efforts. He added that the restoration in Shusha also carries great importance. “When it comes to the restoration work in the city, it is another dimension of our activities in the city,” he said. Explaining that they already started the restoration of three important mosques and historical buildings in the city, Karimov emphasized that importance has also been placed on the restoration of the Christian architectural structures in the city along with the Islamic heritage. “We have already begun the restoration of two churches in Shusha. This is very important for us to showcase that Azerbaijan is not discriminating against the monuments. On the contrary, we are restoring and rebuilding them. For us, showing that we respect different cultures and religions is significant, but we also want to show that we see all the heritage in Shusha as a part of our identity. We believe that cultural heritage is irrespective of its origin and religious affiliations."

“Right now, we are working on rebuilding and reconstructing the buildings, landmarks and monuments in Shusha. We hopefully will organize opening ceremonies for the mosques, churches and historical structures that we have restored in the near future. And the cultural activities that we will organize are a sort of 'software' that will accompany the 'hardware' works on the ground, that is the restoration projects,” he said.

Turkish support

The minister noted that they had received incredible support from Turkey and Turkic nations during the liberation, reconstruction and restoration phase of Shusha and Karabakh. “Turkic companies and Turkey in general first of all supported Azerbaijan during these 44 days of the liberation of our territories. Turkey provided political, moral and very important support to Azerbaijan in these difficult days. But moreover, it is also supporting Azerbaijan in the reconstruction works. Turkish companies are working in Azerbaijan. For instance, when it comes to the construction of the Fuzuli Airport and the roads, Turkish companies were among those who participated in this process. But also, when it comes to the reconstruction and rehabilitation and restoration works in Shusha, Turkish companies are also engaging in this process,” he said.

The minister detailed the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey. “Apart from that, Turkish President His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visited Shusha with President of Azerbaijan His Excellency Ilham Aliyev. They signed the Shusha Declaration. This is a very famous declaration that was signed symbolically in Shusha and Karabakh, which further strengthened our brotherly ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey. It was very important that it was signed in Shusha, and it sends very important messages to the entire world, that Azerbaijan and Turkey are not only brothers and supporters to each other, but they are also strategic allies. So, it goes beyond already traditional ties, it goes today to the strategic level of cooperation.”

Karimov furthermore emphasized that the country wants to draw more Turkish visitors to Azerbaijan. “That’s the reason why we also built the Fuzuli Airport very quickly in a short time. It is just a hundred kilometers away from Shusha and the newly constructed Victory Road, named to commemorate the path used by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the liberation of Shusha from Armenian occupation, is also there. We are also planning to start direct flights between Fuzuli Airport and Istanbul.”

With all its historical cultural significance and the revival projects it hosts, Shusha has also been nominated as the “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World” in 2023. Noting that many facilities are used to attract foreign visitors to Karabakh and Shusha and to show them why Shusha is so dear to Azerbaijan, Karimov said: “Shusha was historically always a center for Turkic and Islamic civilization, and it is unique in many ways. This is why President Aliyev brought forth the initiative to nominate Shusha as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2023. We will discuss it with the cultural ministries of other Turkic countries in a meeting to be held in Turkey’s Bursa, which is the capital of the Turkic world this year.”

The minister lastly talked about the collaboration between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the film industry. Explaining he paid his first overseas visit to Turkey after taking office and discussed many things with Turkish film producers during this visit, Karimov said Azerbaijan wants to benefit from Turkey’s experience in the film industry. Implying that the two countries are planning to produce films together, the minister also reiterated that Azerbaijan aspires to host the , which was launched in Istanbul last year and presented selected films from the vast Turkic world, in 2023 while celebrating Shusha as the cultural capital of the Turkic world./Daily Sabah

The Finland national ice hockey player was reportedly "not getting good food" and was under tremendous mental stress as he was continued to be kept in COVID-19 isolation after testing positive 18 days ago

The Finland men's ice hockey team coach accused China of ignoring one of his player's human rights on Sunday as complaints about COVID-19 isolation protocols grew at the Winter Games.

Finland head coach Jukka Jalonen said Marko Anttila, a ninth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2004 NHL draft, was "not getting good food" and under tremendous mental stress.

"We know that he's fully healthy and ready to go and that's why we think that China, for some reason, they won't respect his human rights and that's not a great situation," Jalonen said on a Zoom call with media.

Anttila was no longer infectious but continued to be kept in COVID-19 isolation after testing positive 18 days ago, according to the team doctor.

More than 350 Games participants, including dozens of athletes, have tested positive on arrival in the Chinese capital since Jan. 23. They can only leave special quarantine hotels once they are free of symptoms and test negative in two PCR tests 24 hours apart.

Several Games participants have complained about the isolation conditions, as well as the confusing procedures around being allowed to leave. Organizers said Sunday that they were trying to address complaints.

"We are in a process of addressing these problems," said Zhao Weidong, Beijing Games spokesperson, adding that they would now allow an athlete to order in food from the village.

On Saturday, Germany's team chief Dirk Schimmelpfennig called conditions for triple Olympic gold medalist Eric Frenzel and two other German athletes "unacceptable."

He demanded a complete overhaul including bigger and cleaner rooms, a working internet connection, sports equipment and better food.

Schimmelpfennig said Sunday that organizers had acted after being contacted by the team, the ski federation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"We have succeeded since yesterday in achieving a marked improvement in conditions for the athletes," he told reporters.

"Now the athletes have a satisfying framework of conditions. They have bigger rooms now, working wifi, an exercise bike in the room so we have appropriate and satisfying conditions in a very difficult situation for the athletes," he said.

Horror story

Polish short-track speed skater Natalia Maliszewska posted on Twitter that her Beijing Olympics had turned into a "horror" story after she tested positive on Jan. 30. She claimed she had received several positive and negative tests

Finally, on the day of the start (on Saturday) at 3:00 am, people pull me out of solitary ... That night was a horror.

"I slept with my clothes on because I was afraid that someone would take me to solitary in a moment again. I only looked a little through the curtains. With one eye, because I was afraid someone would see me."

Hours later, Maliszewska said she packed for the ice rink to take part in the 500 meters heats.

"And suddenly the news that they have made a mistake! That they shouldn't let me out of solitary confinement! That I am a threat after all! That I can't compete. I have to get back to the village asap."

Maliszewska's status at the Games was not immediately clear. A Polish Olympic Committee representative said he would clarify the situation later on Sunday.

Swedish journalist Philip Gadd, who was whisked off to isolation in an ambulance when he arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, described his confusion and fear in a diary he is writing for his newspaper.

"It was a really terrifying experience and it just felt like ... it didn't feel real. It felt like as if I was in a movie, a sci-fi movie or something," he told Reuters in a Zoom interview from his quarantine hotel./ REUTERS

An ancient church belonging to Turkey's Armenian community in southeastern Diyarbakır province is expected to undergo restoration, officials told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The Surp Sargis Armenian Church, built in the 16th century in the Alipasa neighborhood of Sur district, Diyarbakır province, has an area of 3,769 square meters.

Owned by the Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation, the church, whose upper structure was completely destroyed, is also known as the Paddy Church as it was used as a paddy factory for a long time.

An inscription, now in the Diyarbakır Archeology Museum, says the Christian place of worship was last repaired in 1840.

Cemil Koç, head of the Culture Ministry's Directorate of Surveying and Monuments in Diyarbakır, said the 16th-century building deteriorated over time due to a decline in congregations.

He said the premises was used as a warehouse by various public institutions in the past.

The official added that the "monumental" building has immense importance for Diyarbakır. "Measurements that will form the basis of the building survey and projects are being made. Material samples have also been taken, which will help in getting more information about the church's architectural style."

Ergün Ayık, the head of the foundation, said the building is one of the two surviving churches in Diyarbakır, and that they have begun the process to return it to its former condition./aa

The YPG/PKK terrorist group abducted two journalists working for a media outlet close to the pro-Kurdish National Council in Syria, local sources said Sunday.

The YPG/PKK terrorists raided the houses of Sabri Fahri and Baver Molla Ahmet in the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria overnight and took them to an unknown location, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

The two journalists work for ARK News outlet based in Irbil in northern Iraq.

According to the sources, the order to hold the two journalists was issued by Mahmut Ris, a commander in the PKK terrorist group in Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

On Saturday, the YPG/PKK terrorist group banned the Kurdish Rudaw TV in areas under its control in northeastern Syria.

The people living in Qamishli across Turkey’s southern Mardin province fear for their lives, as the wide tunnels pose a threat to the foundation of buildings housing residents, according to field correspondents.

The terrorists have put up tents to cover the tunnels, in order to prevent drones from capturing them.

Residents also struggle to safely walk on streets riddled with tunnels and criticize the Assad regime, which controls Qamishli, for failing to take action against the YPG.

The YPG has also been digging tunnels in al-Darbasiyah, al-Malikiyah and Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani, a tactic it copied from the Daesh terrorist group, to infiltrate Turkey and launch terrorist attacks.

Entrances to the tunnel network are located only 2 kilometers (around 1.25 miles) from the Turkish border.

The construction of the tunnel network has caused significant damage to the region’s infrastructure.

During its over 40-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants./aa

Turkey’s automotive industry exports, which have been the export champion of the Turkish economy for 16 consecutive years, decreased by 1.6% to $2.2 billion (TL 29.85 billion) in January, according to the data of the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OIB).

Despite the decline, the share of the sector, which still ranks first in the country’s exports, in total exports was 12.7%, data showed.

OIB Chairperson Baran Çelik said that in the first month of 2022, the world continued to face a wide array of problems such as the semiconductor chip crisis, raw material supply problems and increasing costs, and that “the largest product group was again the supply industry.”

He said while a decrease was experienced in the passenger car, bus, minibus and midibus exports, an increase was seen in auto supply industry sales.

“We recorded high increases of up to 40% in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Egypt,” he said.

Based on product group, supply industry exports increased by 7% to $951 million in January, while passenger car exports decreased by 21% to $654 million, and the exports of motor vehicles for transporting goods increased by 3% to $440 million and bus-minibus-midibus exports increased by 39% to $65 million.

While exports to Germany, the country to which the most exports are made in the auto supply industry, increased by 3% in January, a 12% increase was seen in exports to the U.S.

The auto supply industry raised its foreign sales to Russia, Poland, Slovenia and the Netherlands, which are also important markets, by 32%, 21%, 26% and 29%, respectively.

The product group’s exports to Morocco and Hungary, however, decreased 12% and 13%, respectively.

In January, passenger car exports decreased by 66% to France, which is one of the most important markets for this product group. Decreases were also experienced in sales to Italy by 53%, Sweden by 55% and Belgium by 41%.

Exports of passenger cars increased to the U.K. by 53%, Egypt by 30% and the U.S. by 259% in the same month.

While exports of motor vehicles for the transportation of goods increased by 30% to the U.K., which is the country to which the most exports are made in the product group, 45% of increase experienced in sales to Slovenia, 16% to Belgium, 19% to the U.S., 28% to France and 25% to Italy, a 22% decrease was seen in exports to Spain.

In the bus-minibus-midibus product group, there was a 9% increase in exports to France and a 48% rise to Italy.

Total exports of $325 million were recorded to Germany, which took the lion’s share, with an increase of 1% in January.

While $268 million worth of products were exported to the U.K., which is the second-largest market, with an increase of 34%, exports to France decreased by 40% to $182 million. Last month, exports increased by 25% to Slovenia, 41% to the U.S., 40% to Egypt, 37% to Russia, 26.5% to Romania, 23% to Italy and 23% to Sweden.

Exports to the European Union countries, the largest market based on the country group, dropped by 11% in January and became $1.39 billion. EU countries received a 62% share of exports./DS

German trains will completely give up diesel by 2040 and switch to biofuel as the leading alternative, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said Sunday.

"Our 3,000 diesel vehicles will be gradually transferred to running on alternative fuels from this year," Deutsche Bahn Chief Executive Richard Lutz said.

"In addition to the switch to 100% electricity, the gradual elimination of diesel by 2040 is one of our central ecological plans."

The group intends to rely on biofuels, among other things, which are to be produced from leftover and waste materials so that fuel production does not compete with food production.

When it comes to new vehicles, the firm said it would only buy hydrogen or battery-powered engines in the future.

The freight transport subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, DB Cargo, announced similar goals in mid-January, including the use of so-called dual-power locomotives.

These can switch between conventional diesel and modern electric drive and can thus be used both on electrified tracks and on secondary lines without overhead lines./aa

In the last two days, Turkish security forces killed 22 terrorists of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch, the YPG, in northern Syria.

The terrorists were targeted while preparing to carry out attacks in the Operation Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield zones, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter on Sunday.

The terrorists attempted to infiltrate the counterterrorism operation zones and opened harassing fire in areas of Turkey's Peace Spring and Olive Branch operations. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) eliminated them, the ministry also said on Twitter on Saturday.

No matter what anyone says, Turkey is determined to root out terrorist organizations that threaten the security, peace and stability of the country and the region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday.

The Turkish military carried out airstrikes targeting the PKK terrorist group's positions, including training camps, shelters and ammunition storage, in northern Iraq and parts of northern Syria, the Defense Ministry announced early Wednesday.

A Turkish Defense Ministry statement said the strikes hit targets in the Sinjar Mountains and in the Karacak region in northern Iraq, and the Derik region in northern Syria during a new aerial operation aimed to protect Turkey’s borders from terrorist threats.

Operation Winter Eagle targeted the PKK in northern Iraq and the YPG in Syria. The target locations included shelters, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots, bases and training camps, the ministry said.

The airstrikes are part of an ongoing Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against the PKK terrorists and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG. Turkish forces have carried out similar cross-border airstrikes in the past and routinely conduct military strikes against suspected PKK hideouts in the area.

Listed as a "terrorist" group by Turkey and its Western allies after a decadeslong insurgency against the Turkish state, the PKK has bases and training camps in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq and on the mountainous border with Turkey. The Sinjar Mountain range, home to Iraq's Yazidi minority, is an area controlled by different armed forces and armed groups where the PKK terrorists and their local allies operate.

Turkey also has a military presence in neighboring Syria, where it has seized swathes of territory in successive military operations since 2016.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terrorism corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women and children.

Turkish security forces also killed at least 47 terrorists within the country in January, the country's deputy interior minister said Friday./DS

Major automaker Ford will cut its North American vehicle production next week due to a semiconductor shortage, American media reported Saturday.

Ford plans to suspend production of vehicles, including the Ford Bronco, the popular F-150 pickup and the new electric Mustang Mach-E, at its manufacturing plants in Michigan, Illinois and Mexico, according to media reports, including CNBC.

Production will be slowed at other facilities in Missouri, Michigan and Kentucky, while overtime will be eliminated at Ford's Oakville, Ontario operations in Canada.

The changes come a day after the Detroit automaker warned a chip shortage would lead to a decline in vehicle volume in the current quarter.

The company has yet to respond to queries by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A shortage of semiconductors – essential components in new vehicles and primarily manufactured in Asia – has impacted automobile production since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, causing prices to spike and contributing to surging U.S. inflation.

President Joe Biden, keen to boost American auto manufacturing, wants to bring semiconductor chip production back to the U.S. and has held several events to promote massive domestic investments.

U.S. lawmakers, meanwhile, voted Friday to pass legislation aimed at jump-starting tens of billions of dollars in such research and manufacturing, countering China's growing influence and easing a global shortage of computer chips.

In late January, high-tech giant Intel announced it would begin construction late this year of two semiconductor factories in Ohio, with the aim of producing chips by 2025. Biden called the $20 billion investment "historic."

Ford returned to profitability in 2021, and on Thursday reported a net profit of $17.9 billion. But the manufacturer remains troubled by supply chain problems, and on Friday, Ford shares slumped 9.7% on Wall Street./FP

A correspondent for Greece’s state news agency AMNA was found dead in Cairo, the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

In a statement, it said Nikolaou Katsika, who also worked for Greek public broadcaster ERT, was found dead on Saturday.

Expressing condolences to the victim's family, the ministry said the Greek consulate in Egypt is in contact with Egyptian authorities.

Further information on circumstances surrounding the journalist’s death was not provided./aa