International
Nearly 85,000 buildings were destroyed by earthquakes in Turkey
18 février |
Türkiye authorities indicated that more than 84,000 buildings were destroyed or severely structurally damaged by the earthquakes that hit the south of the country and northern Syria on February 6.
The Minister of Environment and Urban Planning of Türkiye, Murat Kurum, stated that 84,726 buildings were affected by the earthquakes that occurred in the country.
He also announced that the government will start planning for the construction of housing for all the people who lost their homes due to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
According to Turkish media, the official stated that they have examined around 684,000 buildings, of which more than 84,700 are totally collapsed, in critical condition or in need of immediate demolition.
The Urban Planning head noted that more than 7,300 personnel have been deployed to examine the situation, and that in Adana province alone there are 148 buildings in this state.
Murat Kurum urged the population to stay away from severely damaged houses and buildings due to the danger of collapse because of the desire to recover their belongings.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week that construction work will begin on 30,000 houses in early March.
During a meeting with representatives of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Turkish president said that the goal is to complete the construction of safe housing and buildings by the end of 2023 in the areas affected by the earthquake.
On the other hand, the Turkish authorities reported that the search for survivors, which is still ongoing twelve days after the powerful earthquake, has not yet ended.
Turkey’s Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu, raised on Friday the death toll from the earthquakes registered in the country at the beginning of February to 39,672.
“To date, we have lost 39,672 people as a result of the earthquakes,” the official stated, while more than 108,000 were injured.
In addition, the minister indicated that rescue teams and rescuers have carried out 20,000 search and rescue operations in the rubble of buildings destroyed after the quakes.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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