Fear, uncertainty and grief year after Turkiye’s quake

A year later, hundreds of thousands remain displaced in Turkiye. Many of the quake-prone country wait in fear for the next big shake. (Reuters)
A year later, hundreds of thousands remain displaced in Turkiye. Many of the quake-prone country wait in fear for the next big shake. (Reuters)
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Updated 28 January 2024
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Fear, uncertainty and grief year after Turkiye’s quake

Fear, uncertainty and grief year after Turkiye’s quake
  • Eleven months later, the construction of 307,000 housing units has been launched, of which 46,000 have been delivered, according to environment and urbanization ministry data

ISTANBUL: Over 65 nightmarish seconds of the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 6, 2023, the ground swallowed swaths of entire cities across Turkiye’s southeast, resulting in more than 50,000 deaths.
The initial 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the ground as far away as Egypt.
Bridges collapsed, roads and airport tarmacs cracked, and millions of lives across 11 Turkish provinces were upturned by the time the rest of the country woke up, stunned.
A year later, hundreds of thousands remain displaced, many of them living in container cities, while the rest of the quake-prone country wait in fear for the next big shake.
“I had 3,700 registered voters. Only 1,300 are left,” said Ali Karatosun, a mukhtar (village chief) in Kahramanmaras province, not far from the epicenter of Turkiye’s worst disaster of modern times.
More than 850,000 buildings crumbled in the initial quake and the thousands of aftershocks that followed, including a 7.5-magnitude one that afternoon.
In the Syrian border province of Hatay, where the ancient city of Antioch — now called Antakya — formed the cradle of Muslim and Christian civilizations, just 250,000 of the original 1.7 million inhabitants remain.
“Our Hatay is gone. Completely gone,” said Mevlude Aydin, 41, who lost her daughter, husband and a dozen relatives.
The disaster put enormous political pressure on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faced reelection later that year.
Responding to criticism that rescuers were too slow to react, leaving many initial survivors trapped under rubble in the freezing cold, the veteran leader promised to build 650,000 housing units within a year.
Eleven months later, the construction of 307,000 housing units has been launched, of which 46,000 have been delivered, according to Environment and Urbanization Ministry data.
In the meantime, families that chose to stay in the disaster zone and were unable to find accommodation have been housed in metal container homes the size of small studios. The containers have access to free running water and power, offering safety and warmth. But families have few surviving possessions and their immediate prospects are unclear.
The Hatay region lost the same number of buildings in seconds as it usually takes a decade to build, an Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkiye report found.

In Adiyaman province, at the opposite end of the quake zone, 40 percent of the buildings collapsed.

“The earthquake will create a financing need of approximately $150 billion over a five-year period,” the foundation said in a comprehensive report.

“The cost of reconstruction and rehabilitation will have a significant and long-term negative impact on the Turkish economy.”

The affected region was already under intense economic strain, being home to half of the 3.7 million refugees who fled civil war in neighboring Syria.

“No money. No jobs. We are far from returning to normal,” said Kadir Yenicel, a 70-year-old in Kahramanmaras, echoing the worries of many across the disaster zone. “People don’t know what to do.”

The instant collapse of so many buildings in one of the world’s most earthquake-prone regions points to the greed of unscrupulous property developers and corruption among bureaucrats who signed off on unsafe building projects, experts say.

In two of the more egregious examples, nearly all 22 buildings in one high-rise complex collapsed in Kahramanmaras, claiming 1,400 lives, and hundreds more died when their

luxurious Renaissance residence crumbled in Antakya.

The handful of wilful negligence cases opened so far have avoided prosecuting officials, focusing on contracts instead.

Meanwhile, Turkiye is no better prepared for another earthquake than it was one year ago, experts say.

“There is still much to be done,” said Mihat Kadioglu, a disaster management professor at Istanbul Technical University.

“Measures should go beyond mere band-aid solutions, and require a real and more fundamental reform.”

While it caused temporary panic, particularly in quake-prone cities such as Istanbul, the disaster “did not lead to a change in behavior among the public or officials,” Kadioglu said.

And even if safety standards are better enforced, buildings could still fall if erected without proper soil studies or on dangerous terrain such as riverbeds, as was the case in Kahramanmaras, he said.

Dilfuroz Sahin, who heads the town planning chamber in southeastern Diyarbakir, struck a more optimistic tone, saying officials were updating their seismic maps and conducting “stricter, more numerous inspections.”

Zihni Tekin, an engineering consultant, strongly disagreed, expressing disappointment that Erdogan overcame the quake to secure re-election last May.

Turkiye’s problems cannot be solved by “completely corrupt and ignorant people,” he said, referring to Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted AKP party.


At least nine die, six missing as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

Updated 17 sec ago
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At least nine die, six missing as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

At least nine die, six missing as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
The coast guard has so far rescued 27 people
The boat had been carrying at least 42 people when it sank

TUNIS: Tunisia’s coast guard has recovered the bodies of nine migrants while six others are still missing after their boat sank off the Tunisian coast, a judicial official said on Thursday, in the latest migrant boat disaster in the Mediterranean.
The coast guard has so far rescued 27 people who were on the boat when it broke down and took on water due to bad weather. According to survivors’ testimonies, the boat had been carrying at least 42 people when it sank.
Judge Farid Ben Jha told Reuters that a search was underway for at least six migrants who had been on the boat when it sank off the coast of Chebba.
All the migrants on the boat were from sub-Saharan African countries.
Tunisia is grappling with an unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as the major departure point for both Tunisians and people from elsewhere in Africa seeking a better life in Europe.

Pope meets Palestinian leader Abbas at the Vatican

Pope meets Palestinian leader Abbas at the Vatican
Updated 12 December 2024
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Pope meets Palestinian leader Abbas at the Vatican

Pope meets Palestinian leader Abbas at the Vatican
  • The pair, who have previously met several times, discussed peace efforts during a private half-hour audience according to the Vatican
  • Abbas then met the Holy See’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Vatican’s equivalent of a foreign minister, Paul Richard Gallagher

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, who has recently intensified criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, on Thursday received Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, with whom he discussed the “serious” humanitarian situation.
The pair, who have previously met several times, discussed peace efforts during a private half-hour audience according to the Vatican, which released images of them smiling together.
Abbas then met the Holy See’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Vatican’s equivalent of a foreign minister, Paul Richard Gallagher.
The discussions focused on the Church’s assistance in “the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the hoped-for ceasefire, release of all hostages, and “achieving the two-state solution only through dialogue and diplomacy,” a Vatican statement said.
The meeting comes a few days after the release of a photo showing Pope Francis praying in front of a nativity scene at the Vatican, where the baby Jesus’s manger is covered with a black and white keffiyeh scarf, the symbol of Palestinian resistance.
The photo prompted a protest from the Israeli embassy to the Holy See, which asked for the keffiyeh to be removed, diplomatic and Vatican sources told AFP.
Francis has called for peace since Hamas’s unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza.
In recent weeks he has hardened his remarks against the Israeli offensive.
At the end of November, he said that “the invader’s arrogance... prevails over dialogue” in “Palestine,” a rare position that contrasts with the tradition of neutrality of the Holy See.
In extracts from a forthcoming book published in November, he called for a “careful” study as to whether the situation in Gaza “corresponds to the technical definition” of genocide, an accusation firmly rejected by Israel.
Francis denounced an “immoral” use of force in Lebanon and Gaza at the end of September.
The Holy See has recognized the State of Palestine since 2013, with which it maintains diplomatic relations, and it supports the two-state solution.
Abbas is also due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella in Rome.


Syria’s new government says to suspend constitution, parliament for three months

Syria’s new government says to suspend constitution, parliament for three months
Updated 12 December 2024
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Syria’s new government says to suspend constitution, parliament for three months

Syria’s new government says to suspend constitution, parliament for three months
  • Mohammed Al-Bashir named as the country’s transitional prime minister until March 1

DAMASCUS: Syria’s new government spokesman said on Thursday the country’s constitution and parliament would be suspended for the duration of the three-month transition period following president Bashar Assad’s ouster.
“A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments,” Obaida Arnaout said.
The current constitution dates back to 2012 and does not specify Islam as the state religion.
Militants led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham seized the capital Damascus on Sunday, sending Assad fleeing into exile.
On Tuesday, they named Mohammed Al-Bashir, who headed the militants’ self-proclaimed “Salvation Government” in their northwestern bastion of Idlib, as the country’s transitional prime minister until March 1.
Arnaout said a meeting would be held on Tuesday “between Salvation Government ministers and the former ministers” of Assad’s administration to carry out the transfer of power.
“This transitional period will last three months,” he added in an interview with AFP. “Our priority is to preserve and protect institutions.”
Speaking at the state television headquarters, now seized by the new militant authorities, Arnaout pledged that they would institute “the rule of law.”
“All those who committed crimes against the Syrian people will be judged in accordance with the law,” he added.
Asked about religious and personal freedoms, he said “we respect religious and cultural diversity in Syria,” adding that they would remain unchanged.
The Sunni majority country was ruled with an iron fist by Assad, a follower of the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam who sought to project himself as a protector of minority communities.


Syria’s new government thanks countries that reopened missions

Syria’s new government thanks countries that reopened missions
Updated 12 December 2024
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Syria’s new government thanks countries that reopened missions

Syria’s new government thanks countries that reopened missions
  • Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Italy resumed activities of their diplomatic missions in Damascus
  • The militant offensive stunned the world and brought an end to more than a half a century of brutal rule by the Assad clan

DAMASCUS: Syria’s new government thanked eight countries on Thursday for swiftly reviving their diplomatic missions after a lightning militant offensive ousted president Bashar Assad at the weekend.
The offensive, which took less than two weeks to sweep across Syria and take the capital Damascus, stunned the world and brought an end to more than a half a century of brutal rule by the Assad clan.
The militants, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), appointed an interim prime minister on Tuesday to lead the country until March.
The new government’s department of political affairs issued a statement thanking Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Italy “for resuming the activities of their diplomatic missions in Damascus.”
Italy had reopened its embassy in Damascus before Assad’s fall.
After the militants took Damascus, an “armed group” entered the residence of Italy’s ambassador in Damascus and stole three cars, the Italian government said on Sunday.
The new government also said it had received “direct promises” from Qatar and Turkiye “to reopen their embassies in Syria” adding it hoped to “build good relations with all countries that respect the will of the people, the sovereignty of the Syrian state.”
Many embassies had shut their doors as militants advanced toward Damascus.
Gulf states had severed diplomatic ties with Syria, closing their embassies in the aftermath of Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 that triggered the civil war.
Most have restored relations since 2018, with the exception of Qatar.
Qatar announced on Wednesday it would “soon” reopen its embassy in Damascus, closed in 2011.
The move aimed to “strengthen the close historical fraternal ties between the two countries,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
The Gulf country also sought to “enhance coordination with relevant authorities to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid currently provided by Qatar to the Syrian people” via an air bridge, it added.
Doha had supported opposition factions early in the war and remained a fierce critic of Assad while also calling for a diplomatic solution.
Turkiye has backed some Syrian militant groups since the start of the civil war.
The war killed more than 500,000 people and forced half the population to flee their homes, with six million of them seeking refuge abroad.


Ireland to ask ICJ to widen genocide definition over Gaza war

Ireland to ask ICJ to widen genocide definition over Gaza war
Updated 12 December 2024
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Ireland to ask ICJ to widen genocide definition over Gaza war

Ireland to ask ICJ to widen genocide definition over Gaza war
  • Dublin ‘concerned’ that ‘narrow interpretation’ leading to ‘culture of impunity’
  • Amnesty International, which accuses Israel of genocide, hails move as ‘glimmer of hope’

LONDON: The Irish government will ask the International Court of Justice to expand its definition of genocide over Israel’s “collective punishment” of civilians in the Gaza Strip, Sky News reported on Thursday.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said his government is “concerned” that a “narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide” is leading to a “culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized.”

He added that there has been “collective punishment of the Palestinian people through the intent and impact of military actions of Israel in Gaza,” and that the Irish government “prioritizes the protection of civilian life.”

Ireland is set to link the request to the case brought by South Africa to the ICJ under the UN Genocide Convention, as well as a case brought by Gambia against Myanmar.

“By legally intervening in South Africa’s case, Ireland will be asking the ICJ to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a state,” Martin said.

“Intervening in both cases demonstrates the consistency of Ireland’s approach to the interpretation and application of the Genocide Convention.”

The convention identifies the practice as the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” by killing, inflicting physical and mental harm, and imposing destructive conditions. Collective punishment is not currently part of the criteria.

Israel has also been accused of committing genocide by Amnesty International, which said the country has repeatedly attacked Palestinians, destroyed infrastructure and limited civilians’ access to food, water and medicine.

Amnesty’s executive director in Ireland, Stephen Bowen, called Dublin’s actions a “glimmer of hope,” adding: “Those like Ireland who have called for a ceasefire must join with other like-minded states to create this common platform to end the genocide.

“They must be resolute; they must be relentless; they must be loud, clear, visible. This is genocide. This must stop.”