Month: February 2023

Russia bombarded Ukraine with a series of missile strikes across the country Friday. Critical infrastructure facilities were hit, resulting in power outages. Zaporizhzhia, which houses Europe’s largest nuclear plant, was hit with 17 missiles in one hour, according to the town’s acting mayor. Air raid sirens blasted across the country. Officials warned people to pay attention to the sirens and seek shelter when hearing them. The strikes Friday come just ahead of the February 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The strikes also follow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent trips to London, Paris and Brussels, where he met with …

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Turkey has for years tempted fate by not enforcing modern construction codes while allowing — and in some cases, encouraging — a real estate boom in earthquake-prone areas, experts say. The lax enforcement, which experts in geology and engineering have long warned about, is gaining renewed scrutiny in the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquakes, which flattened thousands of buildings and killed more than 21,000 people across Turkey and Syria. “This is a disaster caused by shoddy construction, not by an earthquake,” said David Alexander, a professor of emergency planning at University College London. It is common knowledge that many …

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In the aftermath of Turkey’s killer quakes, there is growing desperation among survivors and increasing anger over the government’s response. But many people across the country are mobilizing with opposition mayors to help. It’s happening even in places that were not hit, like Istanbul, from where Dorian Jones reports. …

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Pakistan confirmed Thursday that it skipped this week’s Russia-hosted multilateral consultations on Afghanistan, suggesting there are other forums in which it can more effectively contribute to the Afghan peace process. Regional countries, including China, India, Iran, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan were invited to Wednesday’s security adviser-level meeting in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s office said he addressed the inaugural session of what was described as the fifth multilateral consultation on how to promote Afghan peace and stability. Pakistani foreign ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, at a weekly news conference, explained the reasons for Islamabad skipping the meeting in …

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