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Turkey earthquake of magnitude 7.9 shakes central region, Syria

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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey early on Monday and was felt in Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria, collapsing buildings and sending residents into the snowy streets, witnesses and broadcasters said.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) near the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.

The tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km (218 miles) to the east.

People gather, out in the open, after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey, in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Aslan Avda/via Reuters

People gather, out in the open, after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey, in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Aslan Avda/via Reuters

Broadcasters TRT and Haberturk showed images of people gathered around wrecked building in Kahramanmaras, seeking survivors.

The governor of Turkey’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, said on Twitter, “we have destroyed buildings” and urged people to move to safe locations.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) put the magnitude of the quake at 7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.

Rescuers work amid the rubble from collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, February 6, 2023. Sham FM/Handout via Reuters

Rescuers work amid the rubble from collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, February 6, 2023. Sham FM/Handout via Reuters

Syrian state media said a large number of buildings collapsed in the province of Aleppo, while a source in the Hama civil service said several buildings collapsed there.

“Paintings fell off the walls in the house,” said Samer, a resident of Damascus, the Syrian capital. “I woke up terrified. Now we’re all dressed and standing at the door.”

People in Damascus, as well as in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli ran into the street on foot and took to their cars to get away from their buildings in case of collapses, witnesses said.

Water in a fish tank is shaken during an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 6, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Photo: Reuters

Water in a fish tank is shaken during an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 6, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Photo: Reuters

The area is regularly hit by strong earthquakes.

The head of the Turkish Red Cross said it was mobilising resources for the region as it had received information of serious damage and collapsed buildings, and urged people to evacuate damaged homes.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey early on Monday and was felt in Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria, collapsing buildings and sending residents into the snowy streets, witnesses and broadcasters said.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) near the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.

The tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km (218 miles) to the east.

People gather, out in the open, after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey, in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Aslan Avda/via Reuters

People gather, out in the open, after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck southern Turkey, in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Aslan Avda/via Reuters

Broadcasters TRT and Haberturk showed images of people gathered around wrecked building in Kahramanmaras, seeking survivors.

The governor of Turkey’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, said on Twitter, “we have destroyed buildings” and urged people to move to safe locations.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) put the magnitude of the quake at 7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.

Rescuers work amid the rubble from collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, February 6, 2023. Sham FM/Handout via Reuters

Rescuers work amid the rubble from collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, February 6, 2023. Sham FM/Handout via Reuters

Syrian state media said a large number of buildings collapsed in the province of Aleppo, while a source in the Hama civil service said several buildings collapsed there.

“Paintings fell off the walls in the house,” said Samer, a resident of Damascus, the Syrian capital. “I woke up terrified. Now we’re all dressed and standing at the door.”

People in Damascus, as well as in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli ran into the street on foot and took to their cars to get away from their buildings in case of collapses, witnesses said.

Water in a fish tank is shaken during an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 6, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Photo: Reuters

Water in a fish tank is shaken during an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 6, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Photo: Reuters

The area is regularly hit by strong earthquakes.

The head of the Turkish Red Cross said it was mobilising resources for the region as it had received information of serious damage and collapsed buildings, and urged people to evacuate damaged homes.

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230206/turkey-earthquake-of-magnitude-79-shakes-central-region-syria/71342.html

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UN warns ‘vampiric overconsumption’ is draining world’s water

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The United Nations used its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday to exhort governments to better manage one of humanity’s shared resources.

A quarter of the world’s population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. Meanwhile, nearly three quarters of recent disasters have been related to water.

“We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating,” said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Ensuring access to clean drinking water and sanitation is part of the 17-point to-do list the U.N. has set for sustainable development, alongside ending hunger and poverty, achieving gender equality, and taking action on climate change.

The three-day conference beginning on Wednesday in New York is not intended to produce the kind of binding accord that emerged from climate meetings in Paris in 2015, or a framework like the one set for nature protection in Montreal in 2022.

Instead, the aim is for a “Water Action Agenda” that will contain voluntary commitments and create “political momentum”.

The United States said it would invest $49 billion in water and sanitation at home and around the world.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said this money would “help create jobs, prevent conflicts, safeguard public health, reduce the risk of famine and hunger, and enable us to respond to climate change and natural disasters”. She gave no timeline for the investments or details on how much money would be spent where.

Hundreds of action plans were sent to the U.N. before the conference started, but the World Resources Institute research group said that while “some commitments offer inspiration, more of them miss the mark”, variously lacking funding or performance targets, or neglecting to address climate change.

WRI singled out two projects for praise: one to spend $21.2 million through 2029 on “climate-smart” agriculture and wetland restoration in the desertifying Niger River basin, and another from 1,729 companies that calculate they can make water-related investments worth $436 billion.

Scientists, economists and policy experts grouped together by the government of the Netherlands in the Global Commission on the Economics of Water recommended phasing out some $700 billion in agricultural and water subsidies, and facilitating partnerships between development finance institutions and private investors to improve water systems.

The United Nations used its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday to exhort governments to better manage one of humanity’s shared resources.

A quarter of the world’s population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. Meanwhile, nearly three quarters of recent disasters have been related to water.

“We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating,” said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Ensuring access to clean drinking water and sanitation is part of the 17-point to-do list the U.N. has set for sustainable development, alongside ending hunger and poverty, achieving gender equality, and taking action on climate change.

The three-day conference beginning on Wednesday in New York is not intended to produce the kind of binding accord that emerged from climate meetings in Paris in 2015, or a framework like the one set for nature protection in Montreal in 2022.

Instead, the aim is for a “Water Action Agenda” that will contain voluntary commitments and create “political momentum”.

The United States said it would invest $49 billion in water and sanitation at home and around the world.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said this money would “help create jobs, prevent conflicts, safeguard public health, reduce the risk of famine and hunger, and enable us to respond to climate change and natural disasters”. She gave no timeline for the investments or details on how much money would be spent where.

Hundreds of action plans were sent to the U.N. before the conference started, but the World Resources Institute research group said that while “some commitments offer inspiration, more of them miss the mark”, variously lacking funding or performance targets, or neglecting to address climate change.

WRI singled out two projects for praise: one to spend $21.2 million through 2029 on “climate-smart” agriculture and wetland restoration in the desertifying Niger River basin, and another from 1,729 companies that calculate they can make water-related investments worth $436 billion.

Scientists, economists and policy experts grouped together by the government of the Netherlands in the Global Commission on the Economics of Water recommended phasing out some $700 billion in agricultural and water subsidies, and facilitating partnerships between development finance institutions and private investors to improve water systems.

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230323/un-warns-vampiric-overconsumption-is-draining-world-s-water/72221.html

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Fears for orangutans, dolphins as Indonesia presses on with new capital

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Just outside Indonesia’s planned new capital on Borneo island, an orangutan catches a banana with one hand, thrown by a conservationist on a boat, while her other hand clings to a tree branch.

She is one of 127 orangutans that the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) is caring for in the Samboja district, East Kalimantan. They have lost their homes due to deforestation, often linked to coal mining, and palm oil and timber plantations.

But the giant apes could face an even bigger threat as Southeast Asia’s largest country builds from scratch Nusantara – a new $32 billion city.

A male Orangutan called 'Boni' is seen at the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A male Orangutan called ‘Boni’ is seen at the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The government has promised to protect wildlife and undertake major reforestation in parts of the capital, which has been marketed to investors as a smart and green city.

But environmentalists are wary that construction in an area spanning nearly 260,000 hectares (642,474 acres) – almost four times the size of Singapore – would disturb some of Borneo’s endemic fauna, including endangered long-nosed monkeys, Irrawaddy dolphins and orangutans.

“Our biggest concern is Balikpapan bay will turn into a giant pond, a place for residual waste from Nusantara’s activities,” said Mappaselle, a director with local environment group Pokja Pesisir.

Cages for Orangutans are seen at the Arsari Orangutag Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Cages for Orangutans are seen at the Arsari Orangutag Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

About 400 hectares of mangrove forests along the coastline of Balikpapan bay have already been cleared according to the group’s estimation, to make way for a coal port and oil refinery.

He feared more could be razed when a new toll road is built connecting Nusantara to the nearest city of Balikpapan, as well as a port to bring in construction materials.

The Nusantara Capital City Authority said mangroves would be replanted in other areas and guidelines have been made for workers encountering an animal.

“It’s a very high concern of how we’ll try to have harmony between people, nature and culture…because that’s the soul of the city,” Nusantara chief Bambang Susantono said.

A female Orangutan called 'Kikan' eats an eggplant during the feeding time at a rehabilitation and reintroduction site of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Samboja Lestari located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Samboja, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A female Orangutan called ‘Kikan’ eats an eggplant during the feeding time at a rehabilitation and reintroduction site of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Samboja Lestari located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Samboja, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Foundations are being laid for government buildings. Later this year, homes will be built for 16,000 civil servants, military and police officers due to move in next year.

For now, conservationists hope the government stays true to its pledge to care for animals.

“We hope that with the capital city being here, we can pave the way for animals to live side by side (with humans),” said BOSF manager Aldrianto Priadjati.

“At least provide an area for orangutans so they can live a better life.”

Arsari Foundation officers walk after feeding the Orangutans at their sanctuary center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantaara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Arsari Foundation officers walk after feeding the Orangutans at their sanctuary center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantaara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Just outside Indonesia’s planned new capital on Borneo island, an orangutan catches a banana with one hand, thrown by a conservationist on a boat, while her other hand clings to a tree branch.

She is one of 127 orangutans that the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) is caring for in the Samboja district, East Kalimantan. They have lost their homes due to deforestation, often linked to coal mining, and palm oil and timber plantations.

But the giant apes could face an even bigger threat as Southeast Asia’s largest country builds from scratch Nusantara – a new $32 billion city.

A male Orangutan called 'Boni' is seen at the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A male Orangutan called ‘Boni’ is seen at the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The government has promised to protect wildlife and undertake major reforestation in parts of the capital, which has been marketed to investors as a smart and green city.

But environmentalists are wary that construction in an area spanning nearly 260,000 hectares (642,474 acres) – almost four times the size of Singapore – would disturb some of Borneo’s endemic fauna, including endangered long-nosed monkeys, Irrawaddy dolphins and orangutans.

“Our biggest concern is Balikpapan bay will turn into a giant pond, a place for residual waste from Nusantara’s activities,” said Mappaselle, a director with local environment group Pokja Pesisir.

Cages for Orangutans are seen at the Arsari Orangutag Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Cages for Orangutans are seen at the Arsari Orangutag Sanctuary Center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

About 400 hectares of mangrove forests along the coastline of Balikpapan bay have already been cleared according to the group’s estimation, to make way for a coal port and oil refinery.

He feared more could be razed when a new toll road is built connecting Nusantara to the nearest city of Balikpapan, as well as a port to bring in construction materials.

The Nusantara Capital City Authority said mangroves would be replanted in other areas and guidelines have been made for workers encountering an animal.

“It’s a very high concern of how we’ll try to have harmony between people, nature and culture…because that’s the soul of the city,” Nusantara chief Bambang Susantono said.

A female Orangutan called 'Kikan' eats an eggplant during the feeding time at a rehabilitation and reintroduction site of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Samboja Lestari located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantara, in Samboja, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A female Orangutan called ‘Kikan’ eats an eggplant during the feeding time at a rehabilitation and reintroduction site of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Samboja Lestari located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantara, in Samboja, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Foundations are being laid for government buildings. Later this year, homes will be built for 16,000 civil servants, military and police officers due to move in next year.

For now, conservationists hope the government stays true to its pledge to care for animals.

“We hope that with the capital city being here, we can pave the way for animals to live side by side (with humans),” said BOSF manager Aldrianto Priadjati.

“At least provide an area for orangutans so they can live a better life.”

Arsari Foundation officers walk after feeding the Orangutans at their sanctuary center located near Indonesia's projected new capital called Nusantaara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Arsari Foundation officers walk after feeding the Orangutans at their sanctuary center located near Indonesia’s projected new capital called Nusantaara, in Sepaku, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, March 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230322/fears-for-orangutans-dolphins-as-indonesia-presses-on-with-new-capital/72205.html

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At least nine dead, 44 injured in Pakistan after earthquake

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At least nine people were dead and 44 injured in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a government official said, after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan struck late on Tuesday.

At least 19 houses were partially damaged by the earthquake, Abdul Basit, a senior official in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government told Reuters on Wednesday.

At least nine people were dead and 44 injured in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a government official said, after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan struck late on Tuesday.

At least 19 houses were partially damaged by the earthquake, Abdul Basit, a senior official in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government told Reuters on Wednesday.

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230322/at-least-nine-dead-44-injured-in-pakistan-after-earthquake/72202.html

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