Visibility significantly dropped as the sky turned a mix of orange and red in the eastern provinces of Turkey late Sunday and on Monday due to lingering sandstorms from abroad. Dust hung heavily in the air over several provinces from Şırnak to Erzurum as Middle Eastern countries near Turkey's southeastern border grapple with sandstorms.

In Şırnak and Siirt, columns of dust hailing from Syria overshadowed daily life starting from late Sunday. In Şırnak, the Cudi and Gabar mountains overlooking the province almost disappeared as the dust settled. Though not as intense as it was in other countries gripped by the weather phenomenon, the dust blanketed every surface it could, with motorists experiencing particular trouble. In Siirt, authorities warned residents not to go out unless necessary as the dust also poses a public health risk, especially for people with chronic illnesses.

Since last month, Turkey has been affected by episodes of dust clouds hailing from North Africa, dealing a blow to air quality.

In Şanlıurfa, a province neighboring Syria, security forces stepped up patrols along the border as it almost disappeared amid the heavy dust, providing a veil to people trying to illegally cross into Turkey.

Along with the provinces on the border of Syria and Iraq, the dust moved further north of eastern Anatolia, reaching Erzurum, Tunceli and Kars, in the early hours of Monday. Air quality dramatically dropped in the cities while people struggled to stave off dust clouds by wearing masks.

On the other side of the border, Iraq closed public buildings and temporarily shut airports Monday as another sandstorm, the ninth since mid-April, hit the country, authorities said. The capital Baghdad was enveloped in a giant dust cloud that left usually traffic-choked streets largely deserted, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered all work to cease in public institutions, with the exception of health facilities and security agencies. He cited "poor climatic conditions and the arrival of violent sandstorms" in a statement issued by his office.

Iraq is ranked as one of the five most vulnerable nations to climate change and desertification. The Environment Ministry has warned that over the next two decades, Iraq could endure an average of 272 days of sandstorms per year, rising to above 300 by 2050.

Air traffic was suspended Monday at international airports in Baghdad, Irbil and Najaf, according to statements issued by each airport, before authorities announced later in the morning that flights were resuming at Baghdad and Irbil. The previous two sandstorms killed one person and sent nearly 10,000 people to hospital with respiratory problems.

The Middle East has always been battered by sandstorms, but they have become more frequent and intense in recent years. The trend has been associated with rising heat and water scarcity, overuse of river water, more dams, overgrazing and deforestation.

Oil-rich Iraq is known in Arabic as the land of the two rivers, in reference to the Tigris and Euphrates. Iraq's Environment Ministry has said the weather phenomenon could be addressed by increasing vegetation cover and planting trees that act as windbreaks./AFP

The Greek coast guard prevented almost 600 irregular migrants from crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey, a spokesperson said Monday.

Five sailboats and four dinghies had set off from the Turkish coasts early in the morning, the spokesperson said.

Human rights advocates and leading media outlets have frequently reported illegal pushbacks and other rights breaches by Greek authorities violating European Union and international law.

Besides seaborne pushbacks, Greek border forces are also accused of apprehending and forcibly expelling migrants who manage to cross into the country by land.

In February, at least 19 irregular migrants were found frozen to death near the Turkish-Greek border after being pushed back to Turkey by Greece.

Turkish officials criticized Athens for the inhumane and degrading treatment of irregular migrants, saying those who were found dead had been stripped of their clothes and shoes by the Greek border guards. Greece denied any involvement./agencies

BMW is exploring new energy investments, including solar, geothermal and hydrogen, to lower its dependence on natural gas, the carmaker's production chief told Reuters on Monday, warning an embargo on Russian gas would bring the industry to a standstill.

The carmaker, which relied on natural gas for 54% of its energy consumption in 2021, is examining where it can add solar panels to its plants and developing plans with local authorities to transport hydrogen to its plant in Leipzig, Germany.

"Hydrogen is very well-suited to lower or even fully compensate for gas demand," Milan Nedeljkovic said.

"Our industry accounts for around 37% of German natural gas consumption," he said when asked what would happen to BMW's plants in the event of a halt to gas deliveries from Russia. "Not just BMW but the entire sector would come to a standstill."

BMW's plans reflect wider preparations underway across German industry to shift away from Russian gas and come up with a system to ration available supplies in the event of a sudden halt to deliveries.

Beyond Germany, a new plant in Hungary's Debrecen, which BMW has said will be the world's first auto factory to run entirely without fossil fuels, will rely heavily on solar, Nedelkjovic said, adding that the carmaker was also looking into using geothermal energy.

Geothermal power is more stable than weather-dependent renewables but has not seen growth or investment comparable to wind or solar partly due to high upfront costs and complex licensing processes for drilling.

Asked about the potential of nuclear energy, which accounts for around half of Hungary's energy supply but is being phased out in Germany, Nedeljkovic said: "Nuclear energy can be a stabilizing factor, particularly in these volatile times. For our own production, we rely on regenerative energy sources."/Reuters

Awanted senior PKK terrorist in charge of the group’s activities in the Makhmour, Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah regions in northern Iraq has been killed in an operation coordinated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), reports said Monday.

The terrorist, identified as Mehmet Erdoğan, code-named “Ahmet Rubar,” was killed in the Makhmour camp in Mosul, Iraq, on May 21, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported.

He was a senior member of the command council in charge of armed and bomb attacks against Turkey.

He was also behind a series of attacks against Turkey during his time in the Hakurk and Avashin regions.

He joined the terrorist group in the 1990s and was the mastermind behind a series of terrorist attacks that killed security forces and civilians.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said one of the terrorists eliminated in northern Iraq on May 18 was Ayhan Inalhan, code-named “Mirza,” who was in the orange category of the Interior Ministry’s wanted list.

The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red being the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.

On a different note, another PKK terrorist surrendered to Turkish security forces following persuasion efforts in an operation coordinated by the Interior Ministry and the Gendarmerie General Command.

The terrorist had joined the PKK in 2015 and had carried out activities in Iraq and Iran.

The total number of terrorists who surrendered in 2022 has risen to 33 with the latest addition.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.

Security forces also carry out operations abroad where the terrorist organization poses a threat. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) regularly conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases from which to carry out attacks against Turkey.

In its more than 40-year terrorist 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 40,000 people, including women, children and infants./DS

Seven people have died after a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people caught fire on Monday, with seven passengers still missing, the coast guard said.

The ship caught fire just before reaching the port of Real in Quezon province, about 60 km east of the capital Manila. It had left Polilio Island at 5:00am local time (9.00pm GMT Sunday) and made a distress call at 6:30am.

Five women and two men had died, while 120 passengers had been rescued, with 23 of them treated for injuries, the coast guard said in a statement./agencies