WORLD NEWS FLASH
WORLD
THOUSANDS PERISH IN MASSIVE EARTHQUAKES
As a massive swath of debris and fallen humans are being moved to make sense of what has happened, the world is reacting to one of the most devastating events in history.
The full scale of the multiple earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria is still unfolding, UN humanitarians said on Feb. 7, as they stressed the critical need to step up search and rescue efforts for victims and ensure that lifesaving aid reaches all those who need it.
According to the Government of Turkey, at least 3,381 people died and more than 20,000 were injured after a 7.8 magnitude quake struck close to the southern city of Gaziantep early on Feb. 6, followed by another 7.5 magnitude earthquake several hours later.
Almost 6,000 buildings have reportedly collapsed in the country, too, said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN relief chief and head of OCHA, Martin Griffiths announced that the UN was releasing $25 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide urgent support across the whole region.
“As the people in the region deal with the devastating consequences of this tragedy, we want to tell them that they are not alone … The humanitarian community will support them in every step of the way out of this crisis.”
Syria’s needs are massive, the OCHA spokesperson continued earlier in Geneva, as he relayed information from the country’s health authorities which reported over 800 deaths and 1,500 injuries from the earthquakes, in Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib countryside and Tartus.
After enduring the initial massive earthquakes, traumatized communities in Syria then faced more than 200 aftershocks.
“This of course came at the worst possible time for many, many vulnerable children in those areas who were already in need of humanitarian support,” said James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“They went to bed as normal, they were woken by the screams of their neighbors, by breaking glass and by the terrifying sound of crumbling concrete.”
Aside from the material damage to roads and public infrastructure which has made the work of emergency teams more difficult, Syria’s dire economic situation has also slowed the relief effort.
“Search and rescue efforts are currently hampered by lack of equipment to remove debris,” said Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “There is a severe lack of fuel all over Syria and this has hampered operational heavy machinery, transport of personnel and emergency ambulance services.”
According to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), about 90 percent of those Palestinian refugee families in Syria require humanitarian assistance because of the earthquakes.
Some 438,000 Palestinian refugees live in Syria’s 12 refugee camps and northern Syria is home to 62,000 Palestine refugees in Latakia, Neirab, Ein-el Tal and Hama.
Adding his voice to those expressing sympathy for all those affected by the disaster, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said that he was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and massive destruction.
Compounding efforts to save lives is snowfall in Syria, making a frantic search for survivors even more difficult.
As of 3:30 pm EST, over 12,000 people are dead, and nearly 60,000 are injured.
UNITED STATES
AMERICANS UP IN AIR OVER CHINESE SPY BALLOON
A strange and unusual sight in the skies has drawn questions and fury from American citizens and politicians.
On Feb. 2, a large balloon was spotted over the state of Montana. It was confirmed by high ranking government officials to be a spy balloon from China. In response, high ranking personnel from that country said that it was a research and weather balloon that got off course. However, considering that the balloon wafted over military sites that housed bits of America’s nuclear arsenal, no one bought that story.
As a result, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a scheduled trip to Beijing to speak with his Chinese counterparts for the time being. Canada also has beef with China after the balloon traversed its airspace as well. At the moment, there is no word about what Costa Rica may be doing, as another balloon was spotted over its airspace.
According to President Biden, he gave the military the green light to shoot it down on Feb. 1, but nothing happened, despite the balloon being first seen as far back as Jan. 29. Officials for the military decided against shooting down the balloon as it could have posed a hazard to people on the ground, since no one knew if there was a payload on it. On Feb. 4, the balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. Federal officials took the remnants to a facility in Quantico, Va. for inspection.
As the balloon dominated weekend conversation, questions arose about how often this has occurred beyond this instance. According to reports, four months ago, a balloon was shot down over Hawaii.
Several officials have come out and said that spy balloons did fly over the nation during the Trump Administration. However, there is no explanation as to why this issue about balloons under Trump is coming out now, rather than long ago when it allegedly happened.
The incident was even spoofed on “Saturday Night Live” with Bowen Yang playing a fictionalized version of the balloon. During the State of the Union Address, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) brought her own white balloon as a dig at Biden.
STATE OF … DISARRAY
President Biden delivered the annual State of the Union Address, and got praise from his side of the aisle, and a cleanup on the other aisle.
Biden claimed accomplishments achieved in his past year, including a bipartisan infrastructure plan, providing support for those affected by burn pits, and efforts in cutting the costs of healthcare. However, when he accused some Republicans of trying to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, he was met with vocal boos and disagreement.
After the Republicans voiced that the statement was incorrect, Biden countered, “So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? Alright.” Apparently, the exchange killed any potential plan to reshape both Social Security and Medicare after the entire room applauded at the statement.
Also eliciting disagreement was Biden’s claim that the previous Administration (Trump) added to 25% of the national debt, and that the debt ceiling was raised in spite of that. This comment came at a time when the President and GOP controlled House are in combat over the current debt ceiling.
In his address, Biden also spoke to measures on how his Administration has curbed inflation and promote job creation and low unemployment.
After the speech, former President Trump posted a video response to the SOTU Address.
“Over the past two years under Biden, millions and millions of illegal aliens from 160 different countries have stormed across our southern border,” Trump said in the video. “Drug cartels are now raking in billions of dollars from smuggling poison to kill our people and our children, savage killers, rapists and violent criminals are being released from jail to continue their crime wave…
“Biden and the radical Democrats have wasted trillions of dollars and caused the worst inflation in half a century. Real wages are down 21 months in a row. Gas prices have soared, and are now going up much higher than even before and the typical American family is paying $2,200 in increased energy and food costs each year.”
During the video, Trump also accused Biden of “weaponizing” the Justice Department to get him and other political opponents.
MIDDLE EAST
SYRIA BLAMED FOR GAS ATTACK
A new report released by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) finds “reasonable grounds” exist to believe the Syrian Government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack that killed 43 civilians in the suburban town of Douma in 2018, the organization’s senior official told the Security Council on Feb. 7.
Fernando Arias, Director-General of the UN-backed OPCW, said the findings are laid out in the third report of an Investigation and Identification Team tasked with ascertaining the perpetrators of specific instances of chemical weapons use in Syria.
According to the report, he said, there is evidence that, on April 7, 2018, at least one Syrian air force helicopter – operating under the control of the Government’s “Tiger Forces” – departed Dumayr airbase and dropped two yellow chlorine cylinders, hitting two residential buildings.
Mr. Arias appeared via videolink, alongside Santiago Oñate Laborde, head of the Investigation and Identification Team, whose presence – and the credibility of the team he leads – is the subject of strong objections by several Council members.
Recounting the events that likely took place on April 7 2018, Mr. Arias said the helicopter left the airbase between 19:10 and 19:40 local time, and dropped the chlorine gas cylinders soon after.
Some individuals in the residential buildings sought refuge in the basement, thinking that location would offer better protection from the conventional air strikes that were occurring at the time.
Others were aware of the chemical’s presence and, knowing it was heavier than air, moved to higher floors of the building to try to find safety.
However, said the Director-General, both the basement – where the gas expanded – and the upper floors, where the cylinder was releasing gas in high concentration, “were lethal places to stay.”
Mr. Arias noted that the new report elaborates on the conclusions reached by an OPCW fact-finding mission in 2019, namely that high concentrations of chlorine gas were the source of the tragedy in Douma.
The Investigation and Identification Team took over that work and conducted its own research between January 2021 and December 2022.
Beyond the Douma incident, it has identified the Syrian armed forces as the perpetrators of several other chemical weapons attacks.
“The evidence collected and analyzed not only validated and corroborated (the fact-finding mission’s) conclusions, it also refuted all other alleged scenarios,” said the Director-General.
Recalling that every report produced by the OPCW follows the highest standards and best practices used by international investigative bodies to reach solid conclusions, Mr. Arias said that the Team’s conclusions were based on analysis of diverse, numerous pieces of evidence.
That includes witness testimony, medical records, chemical and ballistic studies, foreign expertise, computer modelling, satellite imagery and photography, among other sources.
Also briefing the Council was Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who commended the OPCW for its professional and impartial efforts to uphold the global norm against the use of chemical weapons.
She said the organization’s efforts to clarify outstanding issues on Syria’s initial and subsequent declarations on its chemical weapons program – first requested in 2013, when the Council mandated its complete elimination – have once again not progressed since her last briefing, in January.
In response to the stalemate, OPCW recently deployed a “reduced” team to conduct “limited in-country activities” in Syria.
“There is an urgent need to not only identify, but to hold accountable, all those who would dare to use chemical weapons in violation of international law,” she stressed, describing any such actions as unacceptable and the absence of accountability as a “danger to us all.”
