Author: Reporter

A little more than a month after a powerful quake devastated parts of Türkiye and Syria, hundreds of thousands of people still need adequate shelter and sanitation, and an appeal for $1 billion to assist survivors is only 10% funded, hampering efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis, a United Nations official said on March 13. The February 6 earthquake and strong aftershocks have killed more than 52,000 people in Türkiye, destroyed or damaged around 230,000 buildings, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless — making it the worst disaster in Türkiye’s modern history. The U.N. estimates that the...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on March 20 that the cost of the damage from last month’s devastating earthquake had risen to $104 billion, as donors at a conference in Brussels vowed funds to help Türkiye and Syria. The European Union and international donors pledged 7 billion euros ($7.5 billion) to help the two nations in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the neighboring countries last month. The European Commission said after the fundraising conference in Brussels that 6.05 billion euros of the total pledge will be going to Türkiye, in grants and loans. “The...

Hundreds of millions of Muslims began the first daily fast of Ramadan on March 23, as parts of the Middle East approached crucial junctures in high-stakes peace negotiations during the holy month, traditionally a time of reconciliation. During Ramadan, observant Muslims abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk, before gathering with family and friends for indulgent nighttime meals. According to Islam, fasting draws the faithful closer to God and reminds them of the suffering of the poor. For the next 30 days, many will strictly observe prayers, read the Quran, and donate to charity as they seek...