ISTANBUL: Five Syrian children and their parents died on Friday in a fire that struck a Turkish home they moved to after surviving last week’s earthquake, local media reported.
The Syrian family moved to the central region of Konya from the southeastern Turkish city of Nurdagi, which was badly hit by the February 6 temblor.
The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude quake has surpassed 41,000 across southeastern Turkiye and Syria, becoming the region’s deadliest natural disaster in centuries.
Anadolu state news agency said the Syrian family had moved in with their relatives in Konya after the quake, following a path taken by millions of others displaced by the disaster.
“We saw the fire but we could not intervene. A girl was rescued from the window,” resident Muhsin Cakir told Anadolu.
The five children who died were aged between four and 13, Anadolu said.
It was unclear whether the girl who was rescued was a member of the same family.
Turkiye is home to nearly four million Syrians.
Many of them live in southeastern regions devastated by last week’s disaster, which has claimed the lives of more than 38,000 people in Turkiye and nearly 3,700 in Syria, according to official figures.
Syrian family of seven dies in fire after surviving quake
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Syrian family of seven dies in fire after surviving quake
- The Syrian family moved to the central region of Konya from the southeastern Turkish city of Nurdagi which was badly hit by quake
Kuwait, China sign 7 agreements for major construction work
- Projects include completion of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, renewable energy, low-carbon recycling, water treatment schemes
LONDON: Kuwait and China have signed seven memorandums of understanding on large-scale construction projects, Kuwait News Agency reported on Sunday.
The agreements were signed during Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to Hangzhou at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games.
It was the crown prince’s second meeting with Xi since the Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit for Cooperation and Development in December in Saudi Arabia.
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Saad Al-Barrak described the visit as “very important,” with the government working to update its 2035 vision.
The first agreement is for completion of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port.
“Around 50 percent of the first phase of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port is complete, and we seek to finalize the first phase in order to launch and operate the port as swiftly as possible,” Al-Barrak said.
“China excels in construction and other domains like management and operation of the port, so we have signed the MoU and will continue the talks on execution.”
Other agreements were signed for projects including renewable energy, creation of a low-carbon recycling green system, water treatment station infrastructure, and economic and free zones.
Jassem Al-Ostad, Kuwait’s minister of electricity, water and renewable energy, said the crown prince gave instructions to build renewable energy stations in order to supply clean and affordable energy, while also honoring Kuwait’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Another MoU outlines the development of advanced housing cities in Kuwait as part of the government plans to offer housing care for citizens.
During the visit, Sheikh Mishal and Xi discussed ways to expand bilateral relations.
Xi said that Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish relations with Beijing in 1971, and that the Kuwait Fund was instrumental in providing loans to China in the 1980s.
The crown prince also met with Huawei executives to strengthen Kuwait’s partnership with the company in information technology and communication services.
UAE FM meets UN secretary general on sidelines of UNGA assembly
- Discussions focused on partnerships in humanitarian aid, renewable energy, climate action
LONDON: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Emirates News Agency reported.
Discussions focused on UAE-UN partnerships in a variety of sectors, including humanitarian aid, renewable energy, climate action and sustainable development.
Sheikh Abdullah and Guterres reviewed the outcomes of the UAE’s membership of the UN Security Council from 2022 to 2023, as well as its contributions to international peace and security, and humanitarian response operations and initiatives aimed at tackling global challenges.
The meeting discussed the UAE’s preparations for hosting the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November in Dubai.
Sheikh Abdullah said that the UAE recognized the need to expedite the global response to climate change to achieve peace and security, and that the country looked forward to leveraging climate challenges into opportunities that drove sustainable and economic development.
The two officials also addressed developments in the Middle East, exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest, as well as challenges to international peace and security.
Guterres thanked the UAE for its strengthened engagement with the UN and its hosting of COP28.
The meeting was attended by several UAE officials, including Reem bint Ibrahim Al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, permanent representative to the UN, Mohamed Issa Abu Shehab, deputy permanent representative to the UN, and Majid Al Suwaidi, special representative of COP28.
All 120 workers rescued after Nile cruise ship accident in Egypt
- There were no guests on board the ship, which was heading to Luxor Governorate in the south of Egypt
CAIRO: All 120 workers on board a Nile cruise ship that partially sank after it collided with a bridge have been rescued.
The collision caused a hole in the lower right side of the Tivoli Nile ship in Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt, officials said.
There were no guests on board the ship, which was heading to Luxor Governorate in the south of Egypt.
The Public Prosecution is investigating the incident.
Authorities said they were working with the company that owns the floating hotel, while Mohammed Amer, head of the Department of Hotel Establishments, Shops, and Tourist Activities at the ministry, said the ship’s tourism operating license expired last May and had not been renewed.
It was recently at a workshop in Helwan, south of Cairo, for necessary repairs and maintenance work to allow it to operate during the upcoming winter season, starting next month.
Amer said that, after completing all maintenance work, the management of the vessel obtained a passage permit from Cairo to Luxor for the necessary inspections by Ministry of Tourism officials to renew its license in preparation for the start of October.
The River Transport Authority said that it granted a temporary permit for the ship to leave the repair shop to its own berth on Aug. 23 until it obtained the rest of the necessary licenses from the other relevant authorities.
Jordan, UK delegations review bilateral cooperation
- Jordanian MPs advocated for increasing British investment in Jordan, medical tourism promotion
LONDON: The Jordanian-British Parliamentary Friendship Association met a UK delegation of Conservative MPs on Sunday in Amman to discuss opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, Jordan News Agency reported.
Dina Bashir, the association’s president, emphasized the strength of Jordanian-British relations, which she attributed to the country’s respective leaderships.
Bashir underscored Jordan’s commitment to political, economic and administrative modernization under the leadership of King Abdullah II, with the goal of improving Jordanians’ lives in a range of sectors.
Bashir expressed Jordan’s position on the Palestinian cause while applauding the king’s efforts to resolve the conflict on local, regional and international levels. She also emphasized the importance of Jordanian custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem in sustaining the historical coexistence of Muslims and Christians.
Highlighting Jordan’s long-standing tradition of welcoming refugees, Bashir noted the influx of Syrian refugees and its impact on the host country’s infrastructure. She urged the international community to fulfill its responsibilities toward Jordan so it could continue to play its humanitarian role.
Bashir campaigned for the expansion and marketing of Jordanian products in the UK, as well as boosting economic and tourism collaboration.
Several Jordanian MPs also advocated for increasing British investment in Jordan, medical tourism promotion, and British tourists visiting the country.
The UK delegation highlighted the need to strengthen bilateral ties in the economic, commercial, agricultural and tourism sectors. They also acknowledged Jordan’s critical role in the refugee crisis as well as its efforts to ensure regional security and stability.
Egypt, Jordan and Iraq FMs discuss economic, political ties
- Tripartite cooperation includes agreements in the energy, health and education sectors, as well as coordination on Middle East issues
CAIRO: The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq on Saturday discussed ways to activate cooperation between the three countries in several economic and political fields.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry hosted Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi, and Iraq’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein, at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UN in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said on Sunday that this was the follow-up to a summit in Baghdad in June 2021.
During the meeting on Saturday, topics agreed on included the importance of completing projects proposed among the countries.
Initiating the introduction of new ideas and projects in electrical connectivity, renewable energy, communications, trade, industry, transportation, health, pharmaceutical industries, housing and construction were discussed, as well as in culture, tourism, youth and sports, and in the areas of security and defense cooperation.
The ministers also discussed the political situation in the region, stressing the importance of achieving security and stability there.
They touched on many issues, notably the Palestinian issue in the context of the importance of restoring inalienable Palestinian rights.
Ministers also discussed efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis, especially through the work of the Arab Ministerial Contact Group, in a way that achieved the interests of the Syrian people and ended their suffering.
The foreign ministers agreed to continue coordination among themselves to prepare for the tripartite summit scheduled to be held in Cairo.
Tripartite cooperation between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq includes agreements in the energy, health and education sectors, as well as political coordination on Middle East issues.
