Turkey has filed an official request to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.
In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry announced that it had decided to join the case—formally known as submitting a declaration of official intervention—and would make the necessary legal preparations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said it had made the formal request on Wednesday.
“The international community must do its part to stop the genocide and exert the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters,” Fidan said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Turkiye will make every effort to do so,” he added.
The court will make the final decision of admission to the case.
South Africa brought its case against Israel in December, accusing it of state-led genocide in Gaza.
However, in January, the ICJ ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that in January, Turkiye provided documents for the case at the ICJ, also known as the World Court. In June, Spain said it had asked to intervene in the case at the ICJ.
Israel has repeatedly dismissed the case’s accusations of genocide, claiming its right to self-defence after Oct 7 last year that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners. In 10 months of subsequent Israeli attack, more than 39,600 Palestinians have been martyred in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands are displaced, and most of the strip suffers from a humanitarian crisis.
Pakistani actors are making a significant impact in the joint Pakistan-Turkey TV series ‘Selahaddin Eyyubi,’ which tells the heroic story of Sultan Selahuddin Eyyubi.The first season, shot in Turkey, aired there a few months ago and is now being broadcast on Hum TV with Urdu dubbing. Pakistani actor Noor Ul Hassan joined the series later, making a strong debut as Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani in season 1.
On Instagram, Ahmed Ali Akbar posted a story of Selahaddin Eyyubi posters. Meanwhile, entertainment journalist Maliha Rehman spilled the beans that the talented Durefishan Saleem has also joined the cast.
Turkish police were holding 67 people Monday after a mob went on the rampage in a central Anatolian city after a Syrian man was accused of harassing a child.
A group of men targeted Syrian businesses and properties in Kayseri on Sunday evening, with videos on social media showing a grocery store being set on fire.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the latest bout of violence against Turkey’s large community of Syrian refugees.
“No matter who they are, setting streets and people’s houses on fire is unacceptable,” he said, warning that hate speech should not be used for political gains.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Syrian national, identified only by his initials as I.A., was caught by Turkish citizens and delivered to the police.
Yerlikaya said on X that the Syrian man was suspected of harassing a Syrian girl, who was his relative.
He said Turks who gathered in the area acted “illegally” and in a manner “that does not suit our human values”, damaging houses, shops and cars belonging to Syrians.
Sixty-seven people were detained after the attacks, he said.
“Turkey is a state of law and order. Our security forces continue their fight against all crimes and criminals today, as they did yesterday.”
In one of the videos a Turkish man was heard shouting: “We don’t want any more Syrians! We don’t want any more foreigners.”
Local authorities called for calm and revealed the victim was a five-year-old Syrian national.
Turkey, which hosts some 3.2 million Syrian refugees, has been shaken several times by bouts of xenophobic violence in recent years, often triggered by rumours spreading on social media and instant messaging applications.
In August 2021, groups of men targeted businesses and homes occupied by Syrians in the capital Ankara, after a brawl which cost the life of a 18-year-old man.
The fate of Syrian refugees is also a burning issue in Turkish politics, with Erdogan’s opponents in last year’s election promising to send them back to Syria.
The world is unprepared for the increasing ferocity of wildfires turbocharged by climate change, scientists say, as blazes from North America to Europe greet the northern hemisphere summer in the hottest year on record.
Wildfires have already burned swathes through Turkey, Canada, Greece and the United States early this season as extreme heatwaves push temperatures to scorching highs.
While extra resources have been poured into improving firefighting in recent years, experts said the same was not true for planning and preparing for such disasters.
“We are still actually catching up with the situation,” said Stefan Doerr, director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at the UK’s Swansea University.
Predicting how bad any one blaze will be — or where and when it will strike — can be challenging, with many factors including local weather conditions playing into calculations.
But overall, wildfires are getting larger and burning more severely, said Doerr, who co-authored a recent paper examining the frequency and intensity of such extreme events.
A separate study published in June found the frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires appeared to have doubled over the past 20 years.
By the end of the century, the number of extreme wildfires around the globe is tipped to rise 50 percent, according to a 2022 report by the UN Environment Programme.
Doerr said humanity had not yet faced up to this reality.
“We’re clearly not well enough prepared for the situation that we’re facing now,” he said.
Climate change is a major driver, though other factors such as land use and the location of housing developments play a big part.
Fires do not respect borders so responses have evolved between governments to jointly confront these disasters, said Jesus San-Miguel, an expert for the European Commission Joint Research Centre.
The EU has a strong model of resource sharing, and even countries outside the bloc along the Mediterranean have benefited from firefighting equipment or financial help in times of need, San-Miguel said.
But as wildfires become increasingly extreme, firefighting simply won’t be a fix.
“We get feedback from our colleagues in civil protection who say, ‘We cannot fight the fires. The water evaporates before it reaches the ground,’” San-Miguel said.
Wildfires have already burned swathes through Turkey as extreme heatwaves push temperatures to scorching highsMahmut BOZARSLAN
“Prevention is something we need to work on more,” he added.
Controlled burns, grazing livestock, or mechanised vegetation removal are all effective ways to limit the amount of burnable fuel covering the forest floor, said Rory Hadden from the University of Edinburgh.
Campfire bans and establishing roads as firebreaks can all be effective in reducing starts and minimising spread, said Hadden, an expert on fire safety and engineering.
But such efforts require funding and planning from governments that may have other priorities and cash-strapped budgets, and the return is not always immediately evident.
“Whatever method or technique you’re using to manage a landscape… the result of that investment is nothing happens, so it’s a very weird psychological thing. The success is: well, nothing happened,” said Hadden.
Local organisations and residents often take the lead in removing vegetation in the area immediately around their homes and communities.
But not everyone is prepared to accept their neighbourhood might be at risk.
‘People don’t think that it will happen to them, but it eventually will,’ fire expert Jesus San-Miguel saidETIENNE TORBEY
“People don’t think that it will happen to them, but it eventually will,” San-Miguel said, pointing to historically cold or wet climates like the US Pacific Northwest that have witnessed major fires in recent years.
Canada has adapted to a new normal of high latitude wildfires, while some countries in Scandinavia are preparing for ever-greater fire risk.
But how best to address the threat remains an open question, said Guillermo Rein from Imperial College London, even in places where fire has long been part of the landscape.
Even in locations freshly scarred by fire, the clearest lessons are sometimes not carried forward.
“People have very short memories for wildfires,” said Rein, a fire science expert.
In July 2022, London witnessed its worst single day of wildfires since the bombings of World War II, yet by year’s end only academics were still talking about how to best prepare for the future.
“While the wildfires are happening, everybody’s asking questions… When they disappear, within a year, people forget about it,” he said.
Turkish police on Wednesday fired tear gas and rubber bullets and detained dozens of protesters after authorities banned May 1 rallies at Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square.
More than 40,000 police were deployed across Istanbul, blocking even small sidestreets with metal barriers in an attempt to prevent protesters gathering.
Police clashed with demonstrators near city hall in the Sarachane district, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to stop protesters breaching barricades, AFP reporters said.
According to media reports, at least 150 people had been detained by midday, but authorities did not confirm the figure. AFP reporters saw many people being arrested.
Some were detained trying to enter Taksim Square.
Tall metal barriers were put up around the square, where authorities have banned rallies since 2013, when it was the focus of demonstrations against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
Taksim was a rallying ground for May Day celebrations until 1977, when at least 34 people were killed during demonstrations. Authorities opened it up again in 2010, but it was shut again after the 2013 protests.
In the Besiktas district, police detained at least 30 left-wing protesters who were shouting “Taksim cannot be banned”, an AFP journalist.
One protester was dragged along the ground by police and his group detained.
Another 30 people were detained in the Sisli district.
The MLSA rights group said several journalists were pushed to the ground during the troubles.
– ‘Taksim belongs to workers’ –
Main roads across Istanbul were closed to traffic while public transport including ferries and subway trains were halted because of the security clampdown. Landmarks such as the Topkapi palace were cordoned off.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Taksim would be out of bounds for rallies to stop “terrorist organisations” using it for “propaganda”.
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and unions had pressed the government to open the square for labour rallies but Erdogan warned on Tuesday against any provocation.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, accompanied by Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and labour unions, gathered at the Sarachane neighbourhood.
“We will keep on fighting until Taksim is free,” Ozel said. “Taksim belongs to the workers.”
Addressing the police, Ozel declared: “These workers are not your enemies Our only desire is for the day to be celebrated as a festival. We do not want conflict.”
In 2023, Turkey’s top constitutional court ruled that the closure of Taksim Square for protests was a violation of rights.
In a recent press talk, Sindh’s Inspector General of Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, stated that the police department has faced significant losses in personnel and resources battling dacoit gangs who possess more advanced weaponry.
He, however, mentioned that the Sindh government is acquiring similar arms for the police force, with a shipment expected from Turkey in the next two weeks.
Actor Imran Abbas has been a big star for more than twenty years, and people still love him a lot for his looks, talent, and kindness. He’s also very open about how much he loves his family. Recently, he shared some of his feelings for his late mother with his fans on Nida Yasir’s show ‘Shan e Suhoor’. He suffered a major loss, losing both his parents and a close sister within two years. Tears flowed freely as he remembered his mother waiting for him at home. Imran stressed that we often fail to realize the significance of our parents until they are no longer with us. His bond with his mother was profound; she held immense importance in his life.
“My mother’s food is the best food I have ever tasted. She used to make my favorite dishes, and even at the end, she made a kheer for me, which was in the refrigerator when she passed away.” He stored that kheer in a freezer, and it stayed with him for two years after her death until one day a house help accidentally threw it away.
Imran recalled, “My mother’s hair always smelled of fresh jasmine flowers. She observed purdah, so I have never shared a picture of her even after her death, but she was a very beautiful lady.” He revealed that she passed away in his arms.
At least 29 people have been killed in a fire in a nightclub in Turkey, reports the BBC.
The club was in the basement of a high-rise building in Istanbul. It was closed and undergoing renovations during the day.
Speaking to the media, Istanbul governor Davut Gül said the cause of the fire was not yet clear. Gül also said that the victims of the fire were employees, but it is not clear whether they were contractors or employees of the nightclub.
The investigation is underway. Several people have been arrested in connection with the fire as investigations continue. They include the nightclub manager and the manager of the renovations.
The Mayor of İstanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, offered his condolences on social media.
“May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is aware of the tragedy following a phone call with interior minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The killing of a stray cat in Istanbul has triggered petitions, protests and death threats, pushing the president to intervene and the courts to retry the culprit.
On January 1, Ibrahim K. was caught on a security camera in the lobby of the building where he lived kicking to death a stray cat named Eros that his neighbours regularly fed.
He was sentenced in early February to 18 months in jail but was then released for good behaviour, sparking indignation among animal welfare groups and a section of the public in Turkey, whose large stray cat population is often fed and sheltered.
Some 320,000 people signed an online petition demanding a stiffer sentence and in late February the justice ministry said Ibrahim K. would be retried after it received a night-time call from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying he was taking a “personal” interest in the case.
Ibrahim K. was retried on Wednesday in a court building where hundreds of people thronged the corridors and the atmosphere was tense.
The judges increased his sentence by one year but did not order him to be detained, ignoring the demands of animal welfare groups and internet trolls who have sent him death threats.
One animal rights group is to appeal, saying Ibrahim K. should be jailed for the maximum four years allowed by law.
On Thursday, the hashtag #JusticeforEros (#ErosicinAdalet) was trending on X, formerly Twitter, in Turkey and several major newspapers, including Hurriyet, splashed pictures of the dead cat on their front pages.
Hurriyet carried several articles about Eros and “Ibrahim the killer”.
Several celebrities have joined the Justice for Eros appeal, including Argentinian footballer Mauro Icardi, the star striker at Istanbul giants and reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray.
The Spanish foreign minister has announced that Spain will maintain its support for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza despite USA, Canada and Australia withdrawing its support and funding, reports Alyssa Mcmurty News Agency.
During a parliamentary commission meeting, Jose Manuel Albares called the UN agency “‘indispensable,” and said the funding helps “alleviate the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
His announcement comes after a growing number of Western nations are freezing funding for the agency amid an internal investigation about some employees’ roles in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel after allegations were made by Israel.
Around a dozen nations, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Japan Australia, and Austria, have suspended funding. Meanwhile, a minority of Western nations like Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Belgium, Kuwait, and Qatar have spoken out against the funding cuts.
Helen Clark welcomes the decision of several @UNRWA donors to maintain funding so vital humanitarian assistance can still reach the people of #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/HM19qQ3duv
On Monday, Spain’s foreign minister said Spain will be following the agency’s internal investigation closely, but highlighted the inquiry is looking at the acts of “around a dozen people out of UNRWA’s 30,000 workers.”
On Sunday, the UN agency released a statement saying its “life-saving aid may end” due to the funding freezes, adding that as the primary aid agency in Gaza, it runs shelters for over 1 million people and provides food and healthcare.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has said that governments suspending funds to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) represents “double standards” when they continue to support Israel, whose actions “plausibly constitute” genocide.
Western governments have suspended #UNRWA funds due to serious ALLEGATIONS agst 12 staff.
Same governments have not suspended ties with the state whose army has killed 26k ppl in Gaza in 3.5m,though ICJ said it may plausibly constitute GENOCIDE.
Double standards? Yes, big time.
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) January 31, 2024
We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job,” the 21 NGOs said in a statement.
20 NGOs with joint statement:
“We are outraged that some donors have united to suspend funding for UNRWA, the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region. This comes amid a rapidly worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.” https://t.co/3V3sMpbZMy
Spain’s junior coalition party Sumar posted on X that the decision to cut aid is “an attack against humanity” and “collective punishment.” It added that it will pressure the Spanish government to boost funding for the organization.
Meanwhile, Albares added that Spain has tripled its funding to Palestine in recent months to around €50 million ($54 million), which includes funding for UNWRA.
The Spanish foreign minister also told politicians that Spain supports Friday’s ruling of the top UN court which calls on Israel to prevent genocide. “We urge the integral compliance with this sentence by all parties. We request an urgent cease-fire and the entrance of humanitarian aid,” he added.
Albares warned that the violence in Israel and Palestine could spill over to neighboring nations, which could have “devastating effects for those countries, and the entire Mediterranean region, which, of course, includes Spain.”
The Spanish government continues pushing for an international peace conference, which would, in effect, see the entire international community recognizing a “viable” Palestinian state. Albares said that 88 nations now back the idea.
“We will not resign ourselves to watching more innocent women, men, and children killed in Gaza and more suffering of Palestinian families,” he said. “We will not resign ourselves to keep watching the suffering of the families of hostages. The violence must stop.”
