Turkish elections: Opposition heads for victory in Istanbul and Ankara - BBC

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

By Paul Kirby & Cagil Kasapoglu

in London & Istanbul

Turkey's main opposition party has declared victory in high-stakes elections in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

Ekrem Imamoglu, who first became opposition mayor in Istanbul in 2019, said "the picture pleases us greatly".

A year after Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a third term as president, he had made it his goal to win back the city where he grew up and became mayor.

But the night belonged to the opposition as it closed in on victory.

With 85% of the vote counted in Istanbul, Mr Imamoglu was more than 10 points ahead of his rival from Mr Erdogan's AK Party.

In the capital Ankara, his colleague in the secular opposition CHP, Mansur Yavas, was so far ahead of his rival on 59% that he declared victory when less than half the votes were in. Supporters blocked all the main roads in the city, waving flags and sounding their car horns.

President Erdogan, 70, had led his party's election campaign in Istanbul, vowing a new era in Turkey's biggest city. The outcome was being as a significant blow for the man who has led Turkey for the past 21 years.

Significantly, the opposition CHP was also on course for victory in many of Turkey's other big cities, including Izmir and Bursa, and the resort of Antalya.

TOLGA BOZOGLU/EPA-EFE

Party chairman Ozgur Ozel said praised voters for deciding to change the face of Turkey in a historic vote: "They want to open the door to a new political climate in our country."

Crowds in Istanbul, a megacity of almost 16 million people, gathered outside one of the main town halls. They waved Turkish flags and banners showing Mr Imamoglu's picture alongside Turkey's founding father Kemal Ataturk, whose poster was draped down the walls of the local authority building.

"I can say that our citizens' trust and faith in us has been rewarded," said Mr Imamoglu.

Both he and Mansur Yavas are seen as potential candidates to run for the presidency in 2028.

"Everything is going to be great," Imamoglu supporters chanted as they danced to drums and clarinets in Sarachane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts.

Istanbul's incumbent mayor had first used the slogan when he won the city from Mr Erdogan's party five years ago. Some of the banners in Sarachane used his current slogan, "Full speed ahead".

"They're only local elections but the opposition's victory in big cities is a significant show of force against the ruling party," Imamoglu supporter Yesim Albayrak, 25, told the BBC.

BBC

I am now hoping the country will become a more secular country, respecting human rights, women's rights and childrens rights

Yesim Albayrak
Nurse

Mehmet Bankaci, 27, told the BBC there was a need for change in Turkey: "If Imamoglu or Mansur Yavas had been the CHP candidate in last year's presidential election, they definitely would have won."

Five years ago, Mr Imamoglu overturned years of AK Party rule in Istanbul with the backing of a unified six-party opposition. But that fell apart in the wake of last year's presidential election defeat and the AK Party had high hopes of overturning his 2019 victory.

The city hosts a fifth of Turkey's population of nearly 85 million people. Control Istanbul and you control a significant portion of Turkey's economy including trade, tourism and finance.

Ahead of Sunday's election, the vote had been seen as too close to call, with the incumbent mayor facing a strong challenge from AK Party candidate Murat Kurum.

But the ruling party has been unable to shake off an economic crisis that has seen inflation rates of 67% and interest rates at 50%.

Mr Erdogan's AK Party has had more success in areas of the south-east devastated by the February 2023 double earthquake. It is leading in the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

About 61 million Turks were eligible to take part in Sunday's election and more than a million young voters were casting their ballots for the first time. Turnout was estimated at more than 76% across the country's 81 provinces.

Murat Kulu/PPO/Handout

Related Topics

• Turkey
• Ankara
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• Istanbul

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2024-03-31 20:51:21Z
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Polls open in Turkey local elections in key test of Erdogan’s popularity - Al Jazeera English

Polls have opened in Turkey for local elections in a crucial test for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he seeks to win back control of key urban areas he lost to the opposition five years ago.

Voting stations opened on Sunday at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) in eastern Turkey, with voting elsewhere starting at 8am and ending at 5pm. Initial results are expected by 10pm (19:00 GMT).

The vote is a barometer of Erdogan’s popularity and will decide who gets to control the economic hub of Istanbul and the capital Ankara, both of which he lost in 2019.

The 70-year-old Turkish leader has set his sights on wresting back Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, where he was born and raised, and where he began his political career as mayor in 1994.

“Winning major cities is more of a deal for the opposition, but also it means access to foreign funds, having transnational links with both economic actors and political actors,” Evren Balta, professor of political science at Turkey’s Ozyegin University, told Al Jazeera.

“If you are governing a major global city, it means you have visibility in the international scene.”

A strong showing for Erdogan’s ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or the AK Party, would likely harden his resolve to usher in a new constitution – one that would reflect his conservative values and allow him to rule beyond 2028, when his current term ends, analysts say.

For the opposition – divided and demoralised after a defeat in last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections – keeping Istanbul and Ankara would be a tremendous boost and help remobilise supporters.

Some 61 million people, including more than a million first-time voters, are eligible to cast ballots for all metropolitan municipalities, town and district mayorships as well as neighbourhood administrations.

Vote amid cost of living crisis

Turnout is traditionally high in Turkey, but this time the vote comes against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis. Observers say disillusioned opposition supporters could opt to stay home, doubting its ability to change things. Governing party supporters, meanwhile, could also choose not to go to the polls in protest of the economic downturn that has left many struggling to pay for food, utilities and rent.

Some 594,000 security personnel will be on duty across the country to ensure the vote goes smoothly, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Polls have pointed to a close race between Istanbul’s incumbent mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, of the main opposition, pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the AK Party’s candidate Murat Kurum, a former urbanisation and environment minister.

However, this time, Imamoglu – a popular figure touted as a possible future challenger to Erdogan – is running without the support of some of the parties that helped him to victory in 2019.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said whoever wins the polls will have “far-reaching implications” on Turkey’s politics.

“Imamoglu’s victory might lent him opposition leadership and presidential nomination in 2028. But Kurum’s victory might help President Erdogan strengthen his power base and repair his legacy, particularly the troubled economy and foreign affairs.”

Meanwhile, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the nationalist IYI Party (the Good Party) are fielding their own candidates in the race, which could siphon votes away from Imamoglu.

A six-party opposition alliance led by CHP disintegrated after it failed to remove Erdogan in last year’s election, unable to capitalise on the economic crisis and the government’s initially poor response to last year’s devastating earthquake that killed more than 53,000 people.

One factor working against Erdogan is a rise in support for the Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) due to its hardline stance against Israel over the war in Gaza and dissatisfaction with the AK Party’s handling of the economy.

In Ankara, incumbent Mayor Mansur Yavas – also seen as a potential future challenger to Erdogan – is expected to retain his post, according to opinion polls.

His challenger – Turgut Altinok, the AK Party candidate and mayor of Ankara’s Kecioren district – has failed to drum up excitement among supporters.

In Turkey’s mainly Kurdish-populated southeast, the DEM Party is expected to win many of the municipalities but it is unclear whether it would be allowed to retain them. In previous years, Erdogan’s government removed elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office for alleged links to Kurdish groups and replaced them with state-appointed trustees.

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Shocking moment Oregon man narrowly misses being sliced in half by out-of-control saw blade that spun across p - Daily Mail

Shane Reimche entered the Quick Trip Market in Eugene on Thursday just moments before a runaway sore blade sliced into the building's wall

Terrifying CCTV footage shows the four-foot blade hurtle across the adjacent car park from a nearby construction site 

The surveillance footage from inside the store shows the walls shake as the blade struck the wall to the alarm of those inside 

By Alice Wright For Dailymail.Com

Published: 19:02 EDT, 30 March 2024 | Updated: 22:37 EDT, 30 March 2024

Terrifying footage shows the moment an Oregan man dodged death by a second when a runaway saw blade hurtled towards him across a parking lot. 

Shane Reimche entered the Quick Trip Market in Eugene on Thursday, closing the door behind him only for the blade to embed itself into the wall, shaking the entire shop. 

The four-foot blade had come loose from a nearby construction site and barreled towards Reimche, gathering speed as it slipped between parked cars in the lot.  

'I mean, obviously it wasn't my time but probably closest I've ever experienced,' Reimche told ABC News after the frightening ordeal.

'I was walking into the store here, I put my hand on the door and I heard a loud bang and yelling here at the corner,' he recalled.

'Just as a cloud of smoke pops up and I see a guy fall in the ditch, and four-foot blade hurtling at me.

'Last minute I was able to duck behind the counter,' he explained. 

CCTV footage from inside the store shows Reimche looking back into the parking lot, seeing the blade coming at him and ducking swiftly to his left behind the store wall. 

The surveillance footage also shows the walls shake as the blade struck the wall to the alarm of those inside. 

'We were standing behind the counter, all I heard was metal rolling down the street,' said Amit Grewa, the store's owner, who was serving customers at the time. 

'[I thought] It was just wind, all of a sudden we heard a loud bang. It shook the whole store.'  

The construction site where the blade escaped from was dealing with a leaky gas valve at the intersection of Hilyard Street and east 24th Avenue.

The project was overseen by Northwest Natural Gas and two contractors, Brix Paving Northwest and Integrity Traffic. 

'This incident involved a contractor at a NW Natural job site'  Northwest Natural Gas said in a statement.

'We are reviewing our association with this contractor, and we have removed the contractor from other work for us for now. ' 

A contractor on the scene, who witnessed the incident, told ABC News the runaway blade may have become loose due to a missing bolt or there could have been a potential operator error. 

'I had tears all night. It was petrifying. I was shaking in the store,' Remche said the next day.  

'It took a little while before I could talk. That thing was huge you can see the hole in the wall. 

Adding: 'I'm thankful to be here. I was thinking maybe it's my time, I don't think I would've survived being touched by that thing. 

Read more:

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2024-03-30 23:02:45Z
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Netherlands nightclub standoff ends with hostages freed, suspect in custody - Al Jazeera English

Police said there was no indication of a ‘terrorist motive’ after four people were held in the town of Ede.

An hours-long standoff at a nightclub in the central Netherlands has ended with the release of all the hostages and a suspect in custody, Dutch police said.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested,” police said on X on Saturday.

The man walked out of the club in the town of Ede, before being ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed and led into a waiting police car.

Earlier, three young hostages walked out of the club with their hands above their heads. A fourth person was released shortly before the suspect was arrested. The hostages were all workers at the club.

Police had said earlier that several people were taken hostage in the building in the centre of Ede, located 85km (53 miles) southeast of Amsterdam.

“We are exceptionally happy that it ended this way. That the victims came out safely and that we were able to arrest this suspect without using violence,” said Marthyne Kunst, head of the regional public prosecutor’s office.

Police stand near the Cafe Petticoat nightclub, where people were taken hostage in Ede, the Netherlands, on March 30, 2024 [Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters]

There was no immediate word on a motive, but police and prosecutors said they did not believe it was a “terrorist” incident.

Police said the hostage-taker was armed with knives, and a backpack he carried was being examined amid reports he had threatened to use explosives.

Kunst told reporters that the man was known to law enforcement authorities and had previously been convicted of threatening behaviour. She gave no further details, citing privacy and the ongoing investigation.

The suspect’s identity was not released. Ede Mayor Rene Verhulst said he was a Dutch citizen.

Authorities also released no details about the four hostages.

Verhulst said that after an emotionally charged morning, “everything is fine. The hostage-taker is arrested by the police and they are now speaking to him. And the hostages are free, they are very emotional.”

‘Confused’ man

Police said they had received reports of a potential hostage situation at 5:15am (04:15 GMT) on Saturday at the Cafe Petticoat, with local media saying a “confused” man burst in as staff were clearing up after a party.

Police spokesman Anne Jan Oosterheert said officers were on the scene within minutes, opening negotiations immediately with the man.

“Luckily, that all went well,” he said, declining to offer details of the negotiations.

The incident prompted a major deployment including riot police and explosives experts.

Police cleared the centre of the town and evacuated the residents of some 150 buildings near the cafe. Trains were diverted away from the town as a precaution.

Images from the scene showed police and firefighters on the streets in a cordoned-off area.

The Netherlands has seen a series of attacks but not on the scale of other European countries, such as France or the United Kingdom.

In 2019, the country was stunned by a shooting spree on a tram in the city of Utrecht that killed four people.

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2024-03-30 13:40:37Z
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Standoff at Dutch nightclub ends with hostages freed, suspect in custody - Al Jazeera English

Police said ‘no indication of terrorist motive’ but did not say how many people were held.

An hours-long standoff at a nightclub in the central Netherlands has ended with the release of all the hostages and a suspect in custody, Dutch police said.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested, we cannot give more information at the moment,” police said on X on Saturday.

The man walked out of the club in the town of Ede, before being ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed and led into a waiting police car.

Police had said earlier that several people were taken hostage in the building in the centre of Ede, located 85km (53 miles) southeast of Amsterdam.

There was “no indication of a terrorist motive”, police said.

Three hostages were subsequently released but police said at the time that “the situation is not over yet”.

It was not immediately known how many people were held captive.

Police stand near the Cafe Petticoat nightclub, where several people were taken hostage in Ede, the Netherlands, on March 30, 2024 [Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters]

The hostages were held at the Cafe Petticoat nightclub by a man with weapons and explosives, national newspaper De Telegraaf reported, citing several anonymous sources.

Officers evacuated 150 homes near a central square, saying there was a person in the area “who could be a danger to themself or others”.

A reporter for broadcaster NOS said a remote-controlled robot was at the scene as well as anti-explosives units and police in protective gear. Images from the scene in Ede showed police and firefighters on the streets in a cordoned-off area.

Authorities called on residents to avoid the town centre. Trains to and from Ede were cancelled, railway operator NS said on its website.

The municipality said all shops in the centre of Ede would remain closed.

The Netherlands has seen a series of attacks but not on the scale of other European countries, such as France or the United Kingdom.

In 2019, the country was stunned by a shooting spree on a tram in the city of Utrecht that killed four people.

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2024-03-30 13:18:45Z
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Baltimore Key Bridge collapse latest news: Massive crane arrives to haul wreckage - The Independent

Baltimore to receive $60 million in federal funds to rebuild

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Enormous cranes have started to arrive in Baltimore to help clear the wreckage after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge — an essential step before recovery efforts to find the missing construction workers continue, officials say.

A massive cleanup operation is now underway to clear the wreckage of the bridge from the river, with huge crane ships, and thousands of relief workers headed for Baltimore.

One of the cranes, the Chesapeake 1000, is capable of lifting 1,000 tonnes — but the bridge is estimated to weigh around three or four times that, so it will need to be cut into sections, Maryland governor Wes Moore said.

Mr Moore surveyed the scene and saw shipping containers ripped apart “like papier-mache.”

To understand the scale the teams are working with, the governor said that the freight was roughly the size of the Eiffel Tower.

“The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, Mr Moore said.

Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said on Friday he will go to Baltimore next week.

He also announced he has approved $60m in initial aid to rebuild the bridge.

1711803600

Fundraisers garner $200k for families of victims

One GoFundMe page raised over $98,000 in just nine hours.

The fundraiser, organised by the volunteer group Latino Racial Justice Circle, explained that the cash would be “distributed directly” to the “families of the victims” of the bridge collapse.

Eight construction workers, employed by Brawners Builders, were filling potholes in the early hours of 26 March, when the Dali container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge, causing them to fall into the Patapsco River.

While early search efforts led to the safe rescue of two men, six others were killed in the accident.

All of the missing men from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Col Roland Butler Jr of Maryland State Police said at a press conference.

The organisers of the fundraiser wrote, “We know that the 6 victims were all Latino immigrants,” some of whom “were supporting partners and children in the Southeast Baltimore and Dundalk communities.”

“As they move forward with their shock and grief, the families will need support with basic needs, such as rent, groceries, and utilities,” they wrote.

Read the full story...

Kelly Rissman30 March 2024 13:00

1711801800

Baltimore Key Bridge worker reveals last-minute shift change saved his life

A construction worker from Baltimore has revealed how he narrowly escaped the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse thanks to a last-minute change in his work shift.

Moises Diaz, a 45-year-old worker at Brawny Builders, told the New York Post that he should have been working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday morning but asked to switch his shift.

“If I didn’t ask to switch, I would have been in the water right now,” Mr Diaz said through a translator.

“It’s tragic,” Mr Diaz continued. “I’m really appreciative that I wasn’t on the bridge. I give thanks to God.”

Mr Diaz’s colleagues weren’t so lucky.

Amelia Neath has the full story...

Kelly Rissman30 March 2024 12:30

1711800000

Clearing the debris could take a while, expert says

Officials announced that the search efforts have concluded and they have now moved into the clean-up process.

“This is daunting. This is complicated,” Maryland Gov Wes Moore said about the start of the process. He did not provide a timeline for how long it would take, but warned: Our timeline will be long...People should rest assured we are going to get this done.”

The process could take “a few weeks,” James Bell, president of Chicago-based company ADCO Environmental Services, told the Washington Post.

“The hazmat crew always goes in after the emergency responders,” Mr Bell said.

“You have to remove the hazards, so that when you bring your new workers in to start removing the bridge, they’re not in harm’s way.”

Kelly Rissman30 March 2024 12:00

1711798200

ICYMI: The timeline of the events before the crash

Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have unveiled a more precise timeline of exactly what happened in the runup to the cargo ship’s brutal collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Here’s the NTSB’s revised timeline of the disaster, given in hours, minutes and seconds after experts’ first full day examining the scene on Wednesday:

12.39am: Dali container ship departs from Seagirt Marine Terminal.

1.07am: It enters Fort McHenry Channel.

1.24.59am: Numerous audible alarms recorded on ship’s bridge audio. Voyage data recorder (VDR) stops recording the vessel’s system data, although it is able to continue taping audio from alternative power source.

1.26.02am: VDR resumes recording ship’s system data after glitch. Steering commands and orders regarding its rudder captured on audio.

1.26.39am: Pilot issues very high frequency (VHF) radio call to nearby tugboats requesting assistance for the stricken vessel. Pilot association dispatcher also notifies Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) duty officer regarding blackout, according to data from latter organisation.

1.27.04am: Pilot orders ship’s port anchor to be dropped and issues additional steering commands.

1.27.25am: Pilot issues radio call over VHF radio, reports that vessel has lost all power and is approaching bridge. Transit authority duty officer radios two of its units — one on each side of bridge — that are already on scene and orders them to close traffic. All lanes shut down.

1.29am: Ship’s speed recorded at just under 8 miles per hour. VDR records 33 seconds of sound consistent with vessel’s smash with bridge. MDTA dash cameras meanwhile capture bridge lights going out.

01.29.39am: Pilot radios US Coast Guard to report bridge is down.

Stuti Mishra30 March 2024 11:30

1711796400

In photos: the scene of the collapse

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Kelly Rissman30 March 2024 11:00

1711794677

Watch: Massive crane arrives to haul wreckage

The largest crane on the US eastern seaboard has been called in to help clear the wreckage of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Shipments in and out of one of America’s busiest ports are suspended while the wreckage hangs over the cargo ship that crashed into it.

Crews were still surveying the damage as of midday on Friday 29 March and a search for the bodies of four workers remains on hold because of the dangers of diving amongst the wreckage.

The crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons, arrived late Thursday night and is expected to start hauling debris out of the water on Saturday morning.

A cargo ship crashed into the Key Bridge early on Tuesday, sending the structure tumbling into the Patapsco River.

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Largest crane on eastern seaboard in place to clear wreckage of Baltimore bridge

The largest crane on the US eastern seaboard has been called in to help clear the wreckage of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Shipments in and out of one of America’s busiest ports are suspended while the wreckage hangs over the cargo ship that crashed into it. Crews were still surveying the damage as of midday on Friday 29 March and a search for the bodies of four workers remains on hold because of the dangers of diving amongst the wreckage. The crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons, arrived late Thursday night and is expected to start hauling debris out of the water on Saturday morning. A cargo ship crashed into the Key Bridge early on Tuesday, sending the structure tumbling into the Patapsco River.

Stuti Mishra30 March 2024 10:31

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Construction worker ‘miraculously’ survives Baltimore bridge collapse without knowing how to swim

A construction worker who was part of the team on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed early on Tuesday morning in Baltimore, miraculously survived the incident despite not knowing how to swim.

Julio Cervantes’ and seven other workers from Mexico and Central America were taking a break inside their cars just moments before the bridge collapsed around 1:30am.

Mr Cervantes and another man were rescued the same day. The remains of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, were recovered by searchers.

He was taken to the hospital with a chest wound and was released the same day

“My husband doesn’t know how to swim. It is a miracle he survived,” the wife of Cervantes, who did not wish to reveal her name, told NBC.

Stuti Mishra30 March 2024 10:30

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ICYMI: Four bodies remain unaccounted for

Four bodies are still missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on Tuesday morning.

Divers found the two victims trapped in a red pickup truck a little before 10 am on Wednesday in about 25 feet of water around the bridge’s middle span.

They were identified as construction workers Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, Maryland.

Meanwhile, four other missing construction workers remain unaccounted for.

On Tuesday, officials said two people had been rescued alive from the water. One was uninjured while the other was in a serious condition.

Kelly Rissman30 March 2024 10:00

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Trump criticised for staying silent on Baltimore bridge collapse

Since Tuesday night when a cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six people, all immigrants, Mr Trump has only posted one clip of Sean Hannity criticising President Joe Biden for making only a brief remark and "making it all about himself by mentioning his personal connection".

Mr Trump, who is usually known for his consistent and repeated posts on social media on any topic in the national news, is being criticised for remaining largely silent.

Republican strategist Scott Reed said this silence from Mr Trump is "a little weird," journalist Mike Sington shared on Twitter.

"It was a national tragedy, it’s going to cost $2 billion, it’s going to screw up a lot of people’s lives and impact goods travelling around the world," Mr Reed said, according to Mr Sington's post on X.

"At a minimum, express sympathy toward the poor six men that died that were doing their jobs on the midnight shift, keeping commerce flowing.”

Stuti Mishra30 March 2024 09:30

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Transport secretary responds to 'wild conspiracy theories' over Baltimore bridge collapse

Transport secretary Pete Buttigieg said the "misinformation or disinformation" spreading on social media following the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse has been "upsetting" for his department.

Speaking with Kaitlan Collins on CNN, the transport secretary said his department was not in the habit of dealing with rampant conspiracies or "that kind of wild thinking".

"But unfortunately, it is a fact of life in America today," he said.

"What's really upsetting of course is that when misinformation or disinformation circulates that is not without victims."

Speculations about how the bridge collapsed and what happened in the final hours have ranged from cyber attacks to the captain of the ship having side-effects from Covid vaccine, Ms Collins said.

Mr Buttigieg said what his department needs right now is "good and factual information".

"We as a department need good factual information about how this happened so that we can include that in future decisions on everything from maritime and shipping policy to bridge design for the 2030 2040," he told CNN.

"All of that requires being grounded in fact and that's what we're doing," he said, adding that he respects independent work.

Stuti Mishra30 March 2024 09:05

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Several people injured after shell explodes near UN observers in southern Lebanon - Sky News

Four people have been wounded after a shell exploded near a UN patrol in southern Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping mission has said.

Earlier, Reuters reported an Israeli strike had hit a car carrying UN observers outside the border town of Rmeish, citing two security sources.

But the Israeli military said "contrary to the reports" it did not strike a UNIFIL vehicle in the area.

UNIFIL - the UN peacekeeper mission in southern Lebanon - said three military observers and one Lebanese translator on foot patrol along the Blue Line, which divides the border between Lebanon and Israel, were injured in an explosion near their location.

It said they had been evacuated for medical treatment and it was investigating the origin of the explosion.

Image: The incident happened near the border town of Rmeish in southern Lebanon

"Safety and security of UN personnel must be granted," UNIFIL said. "All actors have a responsibility under international humanitarian law to ensure protection to non-combatants, including peacekeepers, journalists, medical personnel, and civilians.

"We repeat our call for all actors to cease the current heavy exchanges of fire before more people are unnecessarily hurt."

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Israel has exchanged regular fire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in October.

Israel's shelling of Lebanon has killed nearly 270 Hezbollah fighters - as well as around 50 civilians including children, medics and journalists - and has hit both UNIFIL and the Lebanese army.

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In November, UNIFIL said one of its patrols was hit by Israeli gunfire in southern Lebanon. No casualties were reported.

A series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 16 people on Wednesday, while a barrage of rockets fired by Hezbollah killed one Israeli man, making it the deadliest day in more than five months of fighting along the border.

A day later, UNIFIL said it was "very concerned over the surge of violence occurring across the Blue Line right now".

"This escalation has caused a high number of civilian deaths and the destruction of homes and livelihoods," it added.

"It is imperative that this escalation ceases immediately. We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution."

Concerns have grown about further escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, with tens of thousands of people on both sides displaced by the violence.

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Putin the autocrat comes of age – POLITICO - POLITICO Europe

But it also resulted in him suffering “delusional beliefs” about the state of affairs in his country, as underlings feared sharing any information that could be seen as negative, Umarov said. 

He added that although there are clear parallels between the autocracies in Central Asian countries and Russia today, there is also an important difference.

Speaking several days before the Crocus terror attack, he said that “these countries didn’t declare such sky-high results after an attempted coup, a hugely popular opposition leader dying in prison, people coming out in protest, or a war that put the country under strain.”

“Rather than a reflection of real consolidation, it feels as if Putin is trying to overcompensate for the destabilized situation in his country,” Umarov said.

Not ISIS

Two days after the attack, a more confident Putin appeared on television once again. This time he spoke of “radical Islamists” who had acted on the instruction of the “neo-Nazi Kyiv regime.” 

By then, his propagandists had already found culprits in Ukraine, Britain and the United States, who had apparently used the radical islamists to cover their tracks.

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2024-03-30 00:29:00Z
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Haiti: Gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Chérizier demands peace talks role - BBC

Reuters

By Morgan Gisholt Minard, in Cap-Haitien, Haiti

BBC News

One of Haiti's most powerful gang leaders says he would consider laying down weapons if armed groups were allowed to take part in talks to establish a new government.

Groups led by Jimmy Chérizier, also known as Barbecue, are in control of most of the capital Port-au-Prince.

He predicted the violence which has gripped Haiti in recent weeks could escalate in the coming days.

However, he told Sky News: "We are ready for solutions."

Haiti, an impoverished Caribbean nation home to more than 11 million people, has been without a prime minister since 12 March.

Ariel Henry resigned after being blocked by armed gangs from returning from Kenya, where he had signed a deal to import a military peacekeeping force in a bid to restore law and order.

Gangs have capitalised on the power vacuum and expanded their control over swathes of the country, which has effectively been rendered lawless in places.

A Presidential Transitional Council has been established to draw up a plan to return Haiti to democratic rule, backed by other Caribbean nations and the US.

• US guns pour into Haiti, fuelling surge in violence

• 'I go to bed with an empty stomach' - Haiti hunger spreads
• The gangsters and rebels jostling over power in Haiti

Mr Chérizier - the most prominent figure in a loose alliance of gangs known as Viv Ansanm (Live Together), which is in control of around 80% of Port-au-Prince - believes his group should have a seat at the table in any future talks.

He told Sky News: "If the international community comes with a detailed plan where we can sit together and talk, but they do not impose on us what we should decide, I think that the weapons could be lowered."

He said he was "not proud" of the spiralling violence in Haiti, and warned the crisis could continue if groups like his - which rail against "corrupt politicians" - are not part of a future government.

He also said any Kenyan forces drafted into the country to bolster security would be considered "aggressors" and "invaders".

The situation in Haiti has been described as "cataclysmic" by the United Nations in a report issued earlier this week.

It said there had been more than 1,500 people killed and 800 injured in the first three months of 2024.

The report detailed the "harrowing practices" of the gangs, which are accused of using extreme violence and sexual abuse as a means of punishment and control.

Aid groups have reported difficulty in getting food and water into the capital, warning that millions are unable to find sustenance, with some on the verge of famine.

Haiti: The basics

• The Caribbean country shares a border with the Dominican Republic and has an estimated population of 11.5 million
• It has a land area of 27,800 sq km, which is slightly smaller than Belgium and about the same size as the US state of Maryland
• Chronic instability, dictatorships and natural disasters in recent decades have left Haiti the poorest nation in the Americas
• An earthquake in 2010 killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy
• A UN peacekeeping force was put in place in 2004 to help stabilise the country and only withdrew in 2017
• In July 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Port-au-Prince. Amid political stalemate, the country continues to be wracked by unrest and gang violence

Related Topics

• Haiti

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