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Worldnews

I Grabbed My Cat And Ran: Istanbul Panics As Earthquake Hits

Istanbul’s earthquake leaves residents anxious, reviving memories of past disasters and fears of future catastrophes. Istanbul, Turkiye – For five terrifying seconds, buildings shook, shelves toppled, and panic rippled through Istanbul, Turkiye’s cultural and economic heart. The ground beneath Istanbul trembled at 12:49pm (09:49 GMT) on Wednesday, sending millions scrambling into the streets as a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in the sea off the city’s western coast. Several smaller aftershocks have followed, with magnitudes of between 3.5 and 5.9. No major damage was reported according to authorities, although Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said that at least 151 people were injured after jumping from heights to escape in a panic. The quake, centred near Silivri in the Sea of Marmara, revived painful memories of past disasters and left residents grappling with fear over what might come next. In the upscale Nisantasi district, 69-year-old Bilge was at home when her building suddenly rattled. “People in the building screamed ‘earthquake!’ and ran outside. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking,” she told Al Jazeera, describing crowds spilling onto the sidewalks, clutching phones to check on loved ones. Nearby, coffee shop workers rushed out into the street. “We were just calling our families,” one said, as aftershocks continued to ripple across the city. The earthquake coincided with National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a public holiday, leading to the cancellation of events and heightened public anxiety. Parents were seen walking through the streets with their children still dressed for celebrations. “I was on the seventh floor, just about to make lunch,” said Zeynep Karatas, 41, a freelance designer from Sisli who had come to Nisantasi’s Macka Park with hundreds of others who wanted the safety of an open space. “The walls in my building cracked, the glasses clinked. I didn’t wait – I grabbed my cat and ran,” said Karatas. She joined dozens of neighbours already gathered outside. Some clutched pets, others their phones, trying to contact relatives. “We all ran out together. Strangers were helping elderly people down the stairs. I felt like crying,” she added. Some in the park are anxious, and say they will stay awake as long as possible at night. Others are planning to pack a small bag in case they need to leave their home quickly. Turkiye’s emergency authority AFAD has warned residents to stay alert, as aftershocks can continue for hours, even days. While initial reports indicated little structural damage, the psychological impact was immediate. “Everyone was talking about 2023,” said Baran Demir, 62, referring to the devastating earthquake that killed more than 53,000 people in southern Turkiye, and another 6,000 people in Syria. “You could see it on people’s faces, that same fear. My building didn’t collapse then, but the memory came rushing back.” In Nisantasi, 35-year-old cafe worker Mehmet was helping usher customers outside when the aftershocks hit. “Everyone stayed calm, but the mood shifted fast. We just kind of held our breath. We thought this was the big one we’ve been waiting for.” Residents of Istanbul have long feared a major earthquake hitting the city, as has happened in the past. Earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 7 have hit Istanbul in 1509, 1766 and 1894, causing thousands of deaths and large-scale destruction. A 1999 earthquake in Izmit, approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Istanbul, killed more than 17,000 people. The city lies near the North Anatolian Fault, a major fault line that regularly triggers earthquakes. Improved building codes in recent decades are designed to counteract the effect of earthquakes in the densely populated city, but many are still worried. “I’m scared to sleep tonight,” said Gokhan, an elderly man who lives alone. “What if there are strong aftershocks tonight, I can’t move quickly,” he says with a wry smile. “If it’s my time, it’s my time.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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News_Naija

Iwobi Focused After Heroics In Chelsea Loss

Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi remains focused on Fulham’s upcoming fixtures despite his heroic performance in their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League. The Nigeria international scored a sensational left-footed strike to open the scoring in the West London derby at Stamford Bridge, sending Fulham fans into a frenzy with his display of flair and composure. However, Chelsea battled back to secure victory, denying the Cottagers a share of the spoils in the thrilling encounter. Taking to social media platform X after the match, Iwobi posted a simple but defiant message, writing, “Head Up. Go Again.” The goal marked Iwobi’s ninth of the season, leaving him just one shy of reaching double digits in a Premier League campaign for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old playmaker is now Fulham’s second-highest scorer this season, trailing behind only Raul Jimenez, who has 10 goals. His remarkable form at Craven Cottage has seen him match his entire goal tally from his Arsenal days (15 goals) in less than half the appearances for Fulham, showcasing his evolution into a lethal goal-scoring threat. Iwobi’s rapid rise at Fulham has cemented his status as a key figure on Marco Silva’s side since joining the club. His blend of creativity and clinical finishing has made him a fan favourite among the Cottagers’ faithful. The Nigerian star now has his sights set on Fulham’s next challenge – a trip to face relegated Southampton, where that elusive 10th goal could be within reach.

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Road Cr+sh Claims The Lives Of JAMB Candidates On Oyo-Ogbomoso Road In Oyo State

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Worldnews

Putin Tantalises Ukraine With A Truce, But Rejects Ceasefire On The Ground

An Easter truce halted long-range strikes while the US says it has presented both sides with the outlines of a ‘lasting peace’. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared an “Easter truce” for 30 hours over the weekend, slightly extending his unilateral, monthlong ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure which expired last Friday. Long-distance attacks between Russia and Ukraine came to a halt during that period, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed extending the truce for at least 30 days. Putin rejected the offer, saying Zelenskyy wasn’t serious about a ceasefire, which mirrored Zelenskyy’s view of Putin. “There were no air raid alerts on Easter, and some sectors of the front line remained quiet. This proves it is possible – it’s possible when Russia chooses to reduce the killing,” said Zelenskyy in an evening address on Monday. Ukraine has consistently maintained that as the aggressor in the war, Russia is also the party supremely equipped to end it. Russia did not honour its own Easter ceasefire on the ground, Zelenskyy said. “There have already been 67 Russian assaults against our positions,” he wrote on social media on Sunday evening. “In practice, across all main front-line directions, Russia has failed to uphold its own promise of ceasefire.” But given the successful suspension of long-range attacks, Zelenskyy said, “Ukraine proposes to cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days, with the possibility of extension.” “The fighting has resumed,” Putin told journalists on Monday. “We have always had a positive attitude towards the ceasefire, that is why we came up with such an initiative,” he said. “A statement was published according to which our proposal was considered a game with fates, with people’s lives… We see now that the Kyiv regime is trying to seize the initiative and talk about expansion.” Putin accused Ukrainian forces of 4,900 ceasefire “violations”, including “90 attempts to strike” unmanned aerial vehicles, thus revealing that Russia was deploying them during its declared truce. Anastasia Blyshchyk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s 66th Separate Mechanised Brigade defending the eastern town of Lyman, said Russia didn’t stop artillery attacks during its self-imposed truce, and moreover used it to reposition its forces to advantage. “We saw how they pulled their infantry to the front line along with their weapons – these were RPGs and machine guns. We saw that over 120 Russian occupiers during this time of the so-called Easter truce dispersed in plantings, in forest belts, in destroyed buildings and dugouts. And as soon as the… so-called Easter truce ended, the Russians launched a massive infantry offensive,” Blyshchyk told Ukraine public broadcaster Suspilne. Company commander Denys Perch told Suspilne that Russian forces used the truce to clear pontoons and other crossings on the river separating Lyman from Russian positions of damaged vehicles in preparation for future offensives. “This pause was necessary for them to perform certain actions that we usually prevent them from doing,” he said. Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces in the east, told the United News telethon, Ukaine’s wartime pool of television channels, that Russian forces carried out “manoeuvres under the nose, which at the same time looked like assaults, but came as if under a white flag. It seemed that they were really trying to provoke visual violations of fire. So that we would take it for an assault, and then strike.” In his address on Monday, Zelenskyy said: “Russia has rejected not only the US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, which was made more than a month ago during the talks in Jeddah, but also yesterday’s proposal – the proposal to continue doing everything possible to maintain the ceasefire after Easter. All of this once again shows what Moscow truly wants.” In a statement last week, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace. The encouraging reception in Paris to the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement.” Bruce was referring to separate meetings a Ukrainian delegation held in Paris last week with US and European officials. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on April 17 that Ukraine had signed a statement of intent with the US to conclude an agreement “that will benefit both our peoples”, referring to the exploitation of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, something Trump has been pursuing since February. On the same day, Zelenskyy’s head of office, Andriy Yermak, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met at the Elysee Palace in Paris with the foreign policy and security advisers of the French, British and German government leaders, to discuss a ceasefire and possible security guarantees. Zelenskyy told Ukrainians the talks were “preparing a new security architecture – all the specific details of how a partner security contingent in Ukraine can function”. While his negotiators were in Paris, Zelenskyy met co-chair of the US Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Brian Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick reportedly said Ukraine enjoyed support among many Republicans and once a Ukraine support bill came to the floor it would receive overwhelming support. “As these negotiations are going back and forth, you should know that you’re in a position of strength because of people like us, and we are willing to make those tough decisions to support you,” Fitzpatrick said. Trump has publicly opposed further military aid to Ukraine, and even before being elected pressed legislators into delaying a $60bn aid bill by six months. Last Friday, Ukraine announced it would open national resistance training centres across the country. Veterans will reportedly teach a programme designed by the Territorial Defence Forces, Ukraine’s military reserve. It wasn’t clear whether the training would involve combat, support roles to free up military personnel, or other duties to support civil-military infrastructure. Deputy Defence Minister Yevhen Moysiuk said it would “ensure that our citizens will be ready to contribute to the country’s security”. Follow Al Jazeera English:...