Turkey has continued to outperform its emerging-market peers in the first quarter of the year. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has made sure factories keep operating, fuelling an economic surge. And as Paolo Montecillo reports, the easing of social distancing restrictions is improving the outlook for the rest of the year. For more, we spoke to Erhan Aslanoglu in Istanbul. He's an economics professor at Piri Reis University.

#TurkeyEconomy #GDP #Manufacturing

Every man, woman and child in Gaza has been affected by the latest escalation in conflict which was the most destructive since the war in 2014. Hundreds of people lost their lives, their businesses, and much of the agricultural land where thousands of families live and work. Now, as they begin to rebuild, residents are coming to terms with the devastating long-term effects of the Israeli siege. Nizar Sadawi reports.

#Gaza #AgriculturalInfrastructure #IsraelSiege

The US state of Ohio has paid out its first million-dollar prize in its Vax-a-Million inoculation drive. It's one of several state and county initiatives trying to coax US residents to get a coronavirus shot. The schemes are working on some, but winning over the fervently vaccine hesitant, will take more than a lottery ticket.

#USvaccination #Pandemic #Inoculation

A 1952 Chevy Impala with original interior and accessory headlight shades is the kind of ride that would make many a collector's mouth water. But in Cuba, it's your standard mode of transport. When economic sanctions were introduced almost 60 years ago, Cuba's vehicles were frozen in time. The cars are charming to look at, but local mechanics have to pull out all the stops to keep the old classics on the road. Motheo Khoaripe reports.

#Cuba #ClassicChevy #Sanctions

Women are often forced to balance professional work with extensive duties in the home. In more conservative societies, the domestic workload can fall particularly heavily at the feet of women. But one co-op in India is trying to level the playing field, and give the fairer sex a taste of being in charge. Miranda Lin explains.

#India #WomenEmpowerment #LijjatPapad

It's one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, and after a long break, the cast of Friends is back together for a hotly anticipated reunion special. It finished almost two decades ago, but the series is still a huge earner, raking in millions for each of its stars and billions for studio Warner Bros. And as Floyd Cush reports, it's a key asset in the war for streaming subscriptions.

#HBOMax #Friends #TelevisionSitcom

The summer holiday season is beginning in many parts of the northern hemisphere. After more than a year of coronavirus restrictions, Turkey is preparing to welcome visitors under a 'safe tourism programme'. Selen Eshenchay has more from the resort town of Bodrum.

#Turkey Tourism #Pandemic

Environmental groups have secured two landmark victories against some of the world's largest oil firms. On Wednesday, a Dutch court ordered Shell to drastically reduce its carbon emissions over the next decade. And activists in the US have won seats on the board of Texan oil giant Exxon Mobil, which will put pressure on the company to increase investments in renewable energy. Claudia Wyatt reports. For more on this, we spoke to Donald Pols who is Director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands. He explained how this court decision may inspire further attempts to combat climate change.

#RenewableEnergy #Shell #ExxonMobil

In a rare move, wildlife conservationists in Zimbabwe have successfully relocated six orphaned elephants back to the wild. It's an important step in protecting Africa's dwindling elephant population. Shoaib Hasan has the story.

#Zimbabwe #Wildlife #Conservation

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a volcanic eruption killed at least 32 people and left thousands homeless. Crucial infrastructure has been damaged, disrupting aid deliveries to one of the most food-insecure places in Africa. As Floyd Cush reports, thousands of Congolese continue to flee as tremors rock the area.

Chris Ocamringa gave us the latest from from Kinshasa...

#DRCVolcano #Goma #HumanitarianCrisis