The head of a mosque in the Swedish city of Gothenburg has called for a law to ban the destruction of holy books and texts in the aftermath of the burnings of the Islamic Qur’an.
Turkish officials have detained 130 people allegedly involved in illegal construction methods as rescuers on Sunday looked to extricate more survivors of last week’s devastating earthquakes now estimated to have claimed more than 33,000 lives.
Germany is using the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria as an excuse to weaken border controls, vowing to allow in many more migrants said to be fleeing the crisis.
The Finnish president said in an interview published Saturday that he trusts that Finland and Sweden will be admitted into NATO by July, and hinted that he wants the United States to put pressure on Turkey to approve their membership bids.
Bulgarian border guards have been accused of pushing back and even beating illegal immigrants by open borders activists and others, but the Bulgarian authorities deny any abuses have taken place.
The Turkish government pledged this week to investigate reports of negligent construction and maintenance in many of the buildings destroyed by Monday’s powerful earthquakes, whose death toll has now surpassed 22,000.
The government of Turkey is struggling to address the growing problem of caring for and homing babies found in the wreckage of Monday’s devastating set of earthquakes but having no apparent adult relatives, the national newspaper Hurriyet reported on Friday.
The confirmed death toll from Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria passed 19,000 on Thursday.
Rescue teams in Syria and Turkey continue to search for survivors on Thursday after a set of two earthquakes over magnitude seven devastated cities in both countries on Monday – and, on some rare occasions, have managed to pull newborns, seniors, and entire families from the wreckage.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt has criticised Swedish police in Stockholm for allowing Danish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan to carry out the burning of the Qur’an. Bildt, who served as Swedish Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994 and later
Chinese state media on Tuesday was stuffed with articles about the humanitarian aid China is sending to Turkey and Syria in the wake of Monday’s devastating earthquakes, including about $6 million in emergency assistance, a rescue team with 82 members, and satellite surveillance of the affected region.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign affairs announced on Wednesday that the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” will send 10 million Afghanis in aid (about $111,000) to Turkey, and half that amount to Syria, “on the basis of shared humanity and Islamic brotherhood” after Monday’s extremely destructive earthquakes.
An IDF delegation of 150 soldiers and 300 medical personnel has been deployed in Turkey to aid in the search and rescue attempts after the deadly earthquake that has claimed the lives of 11,500 people and counting. On Wednesday, two
The devastating earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday damaged a prison in the Syrian town of Rajo near the Turkish border, giving its 2,000 prisoners an opportunity to riot, during which at least 20 of them reportedly escaped.
Thinly stretched rescue workers dug through the night into Wednesday morning to reach survivors trapped beneath the rubble of the devastating earthquake that rocked southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria two days ago.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a three-month state of emergency in ten provinces due to Monday’s devastating earthquakes. The focus on reconstruction did not prevent Turkish forces from bombing Kurdish militia positions in Syria.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Tuesday that it will provide assistance to preserve World Heritage sites in Turkey and Syria that were damaged by Monday’s devastating earthquakes.
Rescuers in northwestern Syria reportedly found a newborn on Monday born under the rubble of her home after a devastating series of earthquakes left much of the west of the country and eastern Turkey entirely leveled.
Countries around the world have mobilised rapidly to send aid and rescue workers after a massive earthquake killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Three migrants died and 16 others were rescued after a dinghy transporting them from the nearby coast of Turkey hit rocks in high winds.
Desperate searches for survivors from multiple earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria over the past 48-hours continued Tuesday with the discovery of more bodies taking the death toll past 5,000.
The death toll from the magnitude 7.5 earthquakes in southeastern Turkey continued to climb on Monday morning, as rescuers scrambled to search for the injured, missing, and dead beneath the rubble of fallen buildings. The latest count as of press time put the death toll in Turkey and Syria at over 2,300 and rising.
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday morning, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 1,300 people. The death toll is expected to rise throughout the day.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southern Turkey on Monday, causing untold damage, with aftershocks continuing throughout the day.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) – Cypriots on Sunday began voting for their eighth president in the ethnically divided island’s 63-year history as an independent republic, with three front-runners each portraying themselves as the safest bet to guide the country through turbulent economic times and to seek peace with breakaway Turkish Cypriots.
Norwegian authorities cancelled a Qur’an burning protest that was set to take place on Friday after Turkish officials summoned the Norwegian ambassador in Ankara.
Turkey for a second day on Friday railed against a group of Western countries that temporarily shut their consulates in Istanbul.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the strongman leader of NATO member Turkey, has expressed misgivings about sending Ukraine advanced weapons such as tanks, and suggested it is about filling the arms industry’s pockets.
Turkish President Erdogan has stated that unless Sweden bans the burning of the Qur’an, he will not agree to the country’s NATO bid.
Sweden and Turkey announced large discoveries of rare earth minerals this month. Sweden’s discovery in particular could be a major step toward breaking Chinese dominance in the rare earth industry.
A Sweden Democrats MP commented on the burning of a copy of the Qur’an, stating the reaction from the Islamic world has been unreasonable.
Turkey summoned the Danish ambassador over reports that an anti-Islam activist would be allowed to burn the Quran in Copenhagen.
Sweden closed its embassy in Turkey after protests spread across Muslim countries in the wake of a Qur’an burning in Stockholm last weekend.
Finland’s top diplomat appeared to suggest that the country may have to consider joining NATO without Sweden after objections from Turkey.
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson came under fire, including from a top ally, for critisising a Qur’an being burned outside the Turkish embassy.
Turkey responded with outrage after anti-Islamisation campaigner Rasmus Paludan went ahead with his planned Qur’an burning protest in Sweden.
The Turkish government has demanded both Finland and Sweden extradite 130 alleged terrorists as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes new demands for approval of NATO membership. Turkish President Erdogan spoke on Sunday, saying that Finland and Sweden must deport 130
ISTANBUL (AP) – Sweden and Finland are unlikely to be able to join NATO before June, a senior Turkish official said Saturday.
The government of Uganda on Thursday terminated a Chinese company’s contract to build a major railroad to Kenya and is now considering a replacement deal with a Turkish firm.
The Turkish government has placed NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom on its list of “terrorists” and offered a $530,00 bounty on his head.
