Rescuers toil on in rubble of Turkey and Syria; survivors harder to find
Antakya, Turkey/Jandaris, Syria Reuters Rescuers pulled some survivors from rubble on Saturday, five days after Turkey’s most devastating earthquake since 1939 that also killed thousands of people in Syria, but hopes were fading for many more to be found. In Kahramanmaras, close to the epicentre in south Turkey, there were fewer visible rescue operations amid […]
Children rescued from ruins days after earthquake, but death toll tops 23,700
Antakya, Turkey/Jandaris, Syria, Reuters Rescue crews saved a 10-day-old baby and his mother trapped in the ruins of a building in Turkey on Friday and dug several people out from other sites as President Tayyip Erdogan said authorities should have reacted faster to this week’s huge earthquake. The confirmed death toll from the deadliest quake […]
Turkey leader acknowledges earthquake relief problems as death toll passes 12,000
Updated: 11:15am (AEST)Kahramanmaras/Antakya, Turkey Reuters President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday admitted there were problems with his government’s initial response to a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey, amid anger from those left destitute and frustrated over the slow arrival of rescue teams. Erdogan, who contests an election in May, said on a visit to the disaster […]
Anguish and scuffles as rescuers struggle to reach quake victims in Turkey and Syria
Antakya/Adana, Turkey Reuters Rescue workers in quake-devastated Turkey and northern Syria struggled on Tuesday to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment and confronted by angry survivors. Turkish authorities say more than 12,000 search and rescue personnel and 9,000 troops are […]
Sweden, Finland must send up to 130 “terrorists” to Turkey for NATO bid
Ankara, Turkey Reuters Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 “terrorists” to Turkey before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Tayyip Erdogan said. The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but their bids must be approved by all 30 […]
Thousands protest in Turkey over Istanbul mayor’s conviction
Istanbul, Turkey Reuters Thousands of people rallied in Turkey on Thursday to oppose the conviction and political ban of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, chanting slogans criticising President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party before elections next year. A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Imamoglu, a popular rival to Erdogan, to two years and seven […]
Six dead in Istanbul blast, Erdogan says it “smells like terrorism”
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Six people were killed and 81 others wounded on Sunday when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul in what Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”. Hundreds of people fled the historic Istiklal Avenue after the blast, as ambulances and police raced in. The […]
Around 800 Syrians return from Turkey weekly -UN refugee agency official
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters About 800 Syrian refugees are returning to their country from Turkey every week but conditions are not suitable for a large number of voluntary returns, an official from the United Nations refugee agency said. Turkey hosts around 3.7 million Syrians, the largest refugee population in the world, but worsening public sentiment has led […]
Updated: Ukraine sets ceasefire goal for new Russia talks, but breakthrough looks distant
Updated: 12:10pm (AEDT)Lviv/Kharkiv, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine said its top objective at the first face-to-face talks with Russia in over two weeks, due to take place in Turkey on Tuesday, is to secure a ceasefire, although both it and the United States were skeptical of a major breakthrough. The more than month-long invasion, the biggest attack on […]
Ukraine willing to be neutral, says Russia wants to split nation
Lviv, UkraineReuters Ukraine is willing to become neutral and compromise over the status of the eastern Donbass region as part of a peace deal, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, even as another top Ukrainian official accused Russia of aiming to carve the country in two. Zelenskiy took his message directly to Russian journalists in […]