A man with suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, was arrested late Tuesday in the capital Ankara, according to security sources.

As part of an investigation conducted into the terror group, local police teams raided an address where a former squadron leader from Sanliurfa province was hiding.

After waiting awhile near his house, police teams arrested him when he went outside.

He was handed over to the Sanliurfa Police Department.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in which 251 people were martyred and 2,734 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary./aa

A joint security team in Uganda arrested four people Tuesday who are suspected of poisoning six lions in a well-known national park. 

The lions were killed in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kanungu District, located about 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of the nation’s capital Kampala.

Body parts of the lions, including their heads, legs and hearts, were taken by the poachers.

Last Friday, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) announced that suspected poachers had killed the lions and the authorities were hunting for them.

Kanungu Resident District Commissioner Hajji Shafque Ssekandi Sengooba confirmed the arrest of the four people following the recovery of lion heads in their compound.

"The joint security team has arrested four men suspected to have killed the six lions. The heads of the killed lions were found tied up on a mango tree in Kyenyabutongo village in Kihihi Sub County," he said.

The suspects were nabbed following a tipoff by a concerned resident.

The arrest comes hours after the management of the UWA put a bounty of 10 million Ugandan shillings (US$2,733) on the lion killers.

"A patriotic person reported to us about those who killed the lions and we arrested them. We condemn acts of killing wild animals in the game parks," said the UWA’s communications manager, Bashir Hangi./aa

A Turkish high school student in Eskisehir province has developed a modular robot dog with his science teacher's support. 

Halit Yildirim did not want to waste the coronavirus quarantine period, during which he could not attend school due to the restrictions. Instead, he focused on developing a robot dog.

He took part in various science competitions with the multi-functional modular robot dog, including those organized by the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) and Teknofest -- the country's annual science and aerospace festival -- and attracted the attention of many scientists.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Yildirim noted that his family's support played a role in his interest in modular toys growing into a passion for developing a modular robot.

"It took me six months to develop this robot dog. Not only did I design it along with all the parts, but I also developed the software allowing it to function," he said.

Detailing the functions of the robot dog, Yildirim said it could be customized according to the requirements of different industries, such as mining.

Hicret Koyuncu, Yildirim's high school science teacher, who helped him develop the dog, highlighted that the main difference between this and other robot dogs is modularity.

"Modularity allows it to be used by many different domains," she said./aa

The Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry unveiled the country's Economic Reform Action Plan on late Tuesday.

The action plan contains several measures under 10 main titles – including public finance, price stability, financial sector, current deficit, employment, corporate governance, investment incentives, easing internal trade, rivalry and market surveillance.

The ministry’s action plan covers detailed measures and a calendar.

All measures under the plan will be implemented until March 2023.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced details of the new economic reform package.

Public finance

Under the plan, expenditure discipline will be ensured, public debt management will be strengthened and taxational regulations will be simplified.

Investor-friendly predictability-booster steps will be taken and public procurement tenders will be reformed.

Public-private cooperation framework law will be enacted and reform for public economic enterprises will be made

Price stability


The country will found the Price Stability Committee as of June 2021 in line with the action plan.

An early warning system for preventing price fluctuations due to climate, diseases, and harvest will be set up.

Food loss and waste will be reduced.


Financial sector


Asset quality of the banking sector will be improved and the capacity of asset management companies will be strengthened as part of the plan.

The country will empower the non-interest financial system and corporate structure of the financial sector.

Current deficit

The structural current account deficit will be decreased.

Health Industries Presidency will be found to develop a competitive, innovative and strong health industry in the country as of December 2021.

The country will also establish a Software and Hardware Industries Presidency for boosting domestic capabilities in newly-emerging technologies, encouraging youth employment and gaining global competitive power as of December 2021.


Turkey will form a precious minerals and stones market under international standards. The country will support the green transition in the industry and increase the competitiveness of its exporters.

Employment


Employment incentives will be revised, employment financing convenience will be provided.

Steps for increasing the youth employment and quality of the labour force will be taken.

New generation working methods will be popularized and labour force transition to future jobs will be accelerated.

Corporate governance

The Financial Stability Committee will be established as of June 2021 to deepen markets and increasing savings.

The country will also form the Economic Coordination Committee as of June 2021. The committee will be chaired by Turkey’s vice president and ensure coordination and success of the country's Medium Term Program, Annual Program and Development Plan.

Institutional structures will be strengthened.


Investment incentives

A law to protect private sector investments will be enacted.

The state’s supports and incentive investment system will be reformed.

Easing domestic trade

The country will take steps to ease domestic trade and preventing unfair activities in the retail trade to provide a well-functioning and fair supply chain.

Amendments will be made in cooperatives to ensure a more transparent, effective and professional management structure.


Competitiveness

A bill will be prepared to regulate digital markets and ensure healthy competition.

Measures will be taken to prevent the restriction of the competition or the misuse of data stored on the digital platforms as well as to maintain a competitive and fair environment in digital markets.

Market surveillance

Independent Market Surveillance Institution will be formed for consolidating different mechanisms in the market.

The institution will prevent the market supply of products that do not meet the minimum safety conditions for human health, life and property safety, animal and plant health, environment and consumer./aa

 US President Joe Biden implored Congress on Tuesday to enact new gun control laws, including an assault rifle ban, after the US suffered its second mass shooting in as many weeks.

A shooting at a supermarket in Colorado on Monday left 10 victims dead, including a police officer who was the first to respond to a call of shots fired. 

Biden made particular mention of two bills that have cleared the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives earlier this month that seek to close loopholes in the US's background check system for firearms purchases. 

One bill seeks to end longstanding loopholes that allow people to buy firearms at gun shows and on the internet without first being subject to a background check, while another seeks to halt what is known as the "Charleston loophole."

It currently allows a gun sale to proceed if the check has not been completed within three business days. The time-frame envisioned by the bill increases the number to 10 days. 

The loophole’s name comes after Dylann Roof was able to buy a gun after the current time frame expired, ultimately using it to carry out a massacre at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 in which nine parishioners were killed.

Biden said the bills are "common sense steps that will save lives in the future," urging lawmakers in the Senate to quickly pass the legislation and send them to his desk to be signed into law.

"This is not, and should not be, a partisan issue. This is an American issue. It will save lives, American lives, and we have to act," said Biden. 

He also urged lawmakers to again ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines after a 10-year ban expired in 2004, saying the previous moratorium "brought down these mass killings. We should do it again."

Biden's plea comes after authorities in Colorado identified the suspect in Monday's grocery store shooting as 21-year-old Ahmad Alissa. He has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. 

Authorities have not established a motive in the shootings, and Biden said he would not opine on the matter as "a great deal remains unknown."

"Ten lives have been lost, and more families have been shattered by gun violence in the state of Colorado," Biden said. "Less than a week after the horrific murders of eight people, and the assault on the AAPI community in Georgia, while the flag was still flying half-staff for the tragedy another American city has been scarred by gun violence, and resulting trauma.”

Biden was referring to last week's shooting in the Atlanta, Georgia area that left eight dead, most of whom were from the Asian-American Pacific Islander community.

Flags at the White House had just been raised to full-staff for the first time in about a week before Biden ordered them returned to half-staff to commemorate this week's tragedy. 

Asked if the US president is considering taking executive action on gun control, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Biden is "considering a range of levers."

"The way he sees is that there are a number of levers that any president of the United States can use, and he as vice president was leading the effort on determining executive actions that could be taken on gun safety measures, it’s something that he has worked on, he’s passionate about, he feels personally connected to," she said./agencies

Ethiopia’s prime minister on Tuesday admitted that Eritrean troops have captured some border areas in the restive Tigray region.

At a parliamentary question and answer session, Abiy Ahmed said consultations are ongoing with the highest leadership of Eritrea on the issue, adding the Eritrean side has already expressed commitment to pull out once the areas are fully secured by Ethiopia.

Ethiopia mobilized its troops from border areas to the south in order to deal with the rebellious Tigray People's Liberation Front, creating a security vacuum, according to the argument presented by Eritrea for its forces having occupied the border areas.

Ethiopia and Eritrea made peace in 2018, ending decades of tensions and mistrust.

Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for extending an olive branch to Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki.

The two have been friends ever since and met several times. A road linking Ethiopia to the port of Assab in Eritrea has been constructed, opening up more opportunities for landlocked Ethiopia./aa

Cyberattacks in India jumped by almost 194% in 2020 to reach more than 1.15 million, a Home Ministry official said on Tuesday.

In a written statement, G Kishan Reddy, the minister of state for home affairs, told parliament that India had seen 394,499 cybersecurity incidents in 2019.

The Home Ministry cited data provided by India’s Computer Emergency Response Team, a national agency for responding to cybersecurity incidents.

"CERT-In [Computer Emergency Response Team-India] receives inputs from its situational awareness systems and threat intelligence sources about malware infections in networks of entities across sectors," the state minister said.

The government also said that they have taken measures to enhance the cybersecurity posture and prevent cyberattacks, which also includes issuing alerts and advisories regarding the latest cyber threats.

Cyber experts in India say the rise in cybersecurity incidents throughout 2020 has been a global trend in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The ensuing lockdown has made remote work the new normal, but leaves government as well as corporations more vulnerable to cyber intrusions by non-state as well as state actors in cyberspace looking to take advantage of the vulnerabilities inherent in this new model of economic organization," Gunjan Chawla, technology and national security program manager at National Law University in New Delhi, told Anadolu Agency.

Chawla said research at her institute has also revealed an upward trend "in the malicious cyber activity that has been an ongoing phenomenon for several years now."

Udbhav Tiwari, a public policy advisor at Mozilla Corporation, believes the proliferation of technology and the accompanying rapid digitization of society has not "necessarily kept pace with a corresponding increase in digital literacy and awareness."

"The knowledge of how to safely and securely utilize technology is an intrinsic part of digital literacy and the current gap on this front is likely one of the reasons why the cybersecurity incidents have increased," he said.

Tiwari added that a strong and independent data protection law is needed to improve the situation.

"Such a law will help create the right incentives (and deterrence) for companies or any other organization, including governments, to protect user data from privacy and security risks. Improving the resources available to agencies like CERT-In will also help in combating the issue holistically," he said.​​​​​​​

Chawla, for her part, said: "The first thing that the government needs to do is to stop dragging its feet in the release of the National Cyber Security Strategy. It was slated for release in 2020 but is nowhere in sight, reportedly awaiting clearance ‘at the highest levels’."/aa

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer has begun clinical trials on a coronavirus oral anti-viral drug, according to reports on Tuesday.

The phase one US trial of the drug, PF-07321332, is a type of medicine called protease inhibitors, which works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells.

"Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires both prevention via vaccine and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus," Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten said in a statement. "Given the way that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it appears likely that it will be critical to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic.”

After developing a two-dose vaccine with its German partner, BioNTech, the company is planning to develop mRNA technology on its own to make new vaccines for other viruses.

The mRNA technology allows pharmaceutical companies to consider the method used in other medical areas beyond vaccines, which is potentially in the billions of dollars in investment.

Coronavirus cases in March increased for the first time since January in the US -- the worst-hit country by the pandemic.

While the US has seen more than 543,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the number of cases in about a year has totaled almost 30 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Out of 156 million distributed doses of vaccines in the US, 126 million have been administered as of early Monday, but fewer than 45 million people, or 13.5% of the population, have received two doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention./aa

Ethiopia will strive to reduce its debt burden down to a manageable level, said Ethiopia’s prime minister in an apparent admission of the crippling impact of foreign debt on the national economy.

Taking questions from Ethiopian parliamentarians on Tuesday, Abiy Ahmed said: “The amount of [bilateral and multilateral] debt Ethiopia owed to foreign creditors is small compared to amounts owed by other African countries. But in terms of debt-to-GDP ratio, it is one of the highest.”

Last November, Fitch Ratings downgraded Ethiopia to CCC after the government announced that it was looking to make use of the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative.

Ethiopia, a Horn of Africa country, is said to have owed nearly $40 billion to foreign creditors.

According to Abiy, though being challenged by “locusts, floods and widespread conflict,” Ethiopia could make a turnaround of the debt distress situation in the next three years.

“In 2010, Ethiopia joined the list of high-debt distressed countries,” he said, adding that his administration launched wide-ranging activities to reverse the situation through expanding capital projects domestically and boosting exports.

According to Abiy, the Home-Grown Reform Agenda launched by his administration three years ago resulted in a reduction of 10% in the debt the country owed from 2018 to 2020.

“In 2018, the debt-to-GDP ratio amounted to 37.7%,” he said, adding that the figure was reduced in 2019 to 29.4% and further down to 26.8% in 2020.

“Another 10% reduction in the amount of debt in the coming three years would suffice to come out of the distressed situation,” he said.

“Ethiopia has been achieving a positive growth outlook over the past three years with 176.9 billion birr [$4.3 billion] GDP in 2018, which grew to 196.5 billion birr [$4.9 billion] in 2019 and 228.9 billion birr [$5.7 billion] in 2020,” he said.

While incomes kept growing, the amount of capital expenditures also kept going up, with 25 billion birr ($625 million) invested in 2018 that now stands at 34 billion birr ($850 million).

Capital expenditures in the road construction sector also doubled in the last three years, while in the healthcare sector they doubled from eight billion birr to 16 billion birr ($400 million) during the same period./agencies