Fears come true as Turkey's Antakya shaken by third violent earthquake

Published

3 years ago

February 21, 2023

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ANTAKYA – Ms Havva Tuncay was living in a tent set up in the centre of the Turkish city of Antakya when another earthquake hit on Monday night.

She had been having trouble sleeping after the first shocks left Ms Tuncay and her children homeless two weeks ago.

I cannot sleep at night. Is the same thing going to happen, are we going to experience another earthquake? We are very scared. I havent slept for a week, she told Reuters outside her tent.

Minutes later, the ground began to heave beneath her feet, toppling the stove stack on which a teapot stood boiling.

The night sky lit up with sparks in the distance, reflecting off the clouds covering the sky above Antakya as the ground shook.

The heavily-damaged buildings surrounding the park the few that remained upright after the earthquakes two weeks earlier rumbled violently, as more of their facades fell off.

Dust rose from the ground with the crash of concrete and bricks, blanketing the sky and hindering visibility.

Some buildings around the park continued to creak minutes after the earthquake.

Yelling, crashing sounds and cries of God is greatest resonated through the camp in a central park as panic took hold, with people running out of their tents, some without shoes.

Some grabbed hold of their children and partners and sat huddled together, some ran around helplessly. Others were violently thrown to the ground.

Ms Tuncay, a 33-year-old single mother of three, first ran away from her tent, yelling and wailing. She collapsed on the ground, almost fainting.

The fear that kept her awake at night for two weeks had now come true.

Ms Tuncays 18-year-old son Mehmet Uslu and other residents ran to her, trying to console her.

My heart is pounding, she said. Phone in one hand, Mr Mehmet put his siblings on speakerphone, his other arm around his mothers shoulder.

Aid workers who ran through the park checking on people told her to sit down, calm down and have a sip of water.

But Ms Tuncay was focused on checking in on her daughters, who were staying with their grandmother at a nearby village for the night so that they could shower.

Mr Mehmet told his siblings on the phone not to go inside any buildings.

There was an earthquake, we went outside, one responded, adding that power had gone out.

We didnt shake too much, dont be scared, she said.

Ms Tuncay promised that they would leave town and go to Edirne, on the north-western border of Turkey some 1,350km away.

I will pick you up and we will leave, she told her daughter.

Where will we go? Will there not be an earthquake there? There will be one there too, she responded. More On This Topic Death toll rises after fresh earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border Blinken pledges long-term aid for Turkey after devastating earthquakes On Tuesday, Reuters saw Ms Tuncay with Mr Mehmet and her two daughters just outside Antakya city centre, boarding a bus that would take them to Edirne free of charge.

I have a strong headache, you saw how we were yesterday, she told Reuters.

Mr Murat Vural, a 47-year-old blacksmith, who was at the camp on Monday night, likened the earthquake to religious stories about Antakya.

To me, this is one of the signs of the apocalypse. I felt that we were going to die, that we would be buried here.

He called his friend shortly after the earthquake on Monday to tell him they should leave town as well.

This is no longer a place we can remain, he said.

We are mostly worried for our lives. Death is a salvation for everyone, but living is nice too. REUTERS More On This Topic Survivors dug out of rubble in Turkey, but many families pray to find a body to mourn Interactive: Mapping the aftermath of the Turkey, Syria quake

Politics

Starmer refuses to rule out manifesto-breaking tax rises in budget

Published

1 hour ago

November 21, 2025

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Starmer refuses to rule out manifesto-breaking tax rises in budget

The prime minister has refused to rule out manifesto-breaking tax hikes in next week’s budget while speaking to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby.

Sir Keir Starmer was interviewed by Rigby while the pair were in South Africa for a meeting of the G20 group of nations.

Despite the government last year indicating it was not going to raise more taxes, it appears that Wednesday’s fiscal event will involve substantial increases in levies.

The 2024 Labour manifesto said: “We will ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible.

“Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase national insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of income tax, or VAT.”

At the start of their interview, the prime minister was asked by Rigby if it was important for politicians to “stick to their word”.

Sir Keir said: “Yes, it is important that politicians stick to their word.

“They have to make decisions against a political backdrop. And, we’ve also got big decisions to make in the budget that’s coming in just a few days time.”

This caveat matches the expectations that a range of taxes are going to be increased so the government can keep its spending pledges and increase its fiscal headroom amid worsening economic headwinds.

There was chaos last week after the increase in income tax that many had expected to be on the way was revealed to no longer be on the cards.

Asked specifically on the manifesto commitment on tax, Sir Keir told Rigby that decisions will be made “against a very difficult backdrop”.

In total, the prime minister refused 12 times to rule out tax rises.

He added it was “important to take the right decisions for our country”.

Rigby pointed out in the lead-up to the 2024 Budget, the prime minister was more unequivocal, saying income tax, national insurance and VAT would not all go up.

The prime minister declined to make the same promise, saying the decisions on tax will be announced on Wednesday.

However, Sir Keir said the budget will be guided by “principles”, including “fairness”.

The prime minister said the three areas he is “bearing down on” are the NHS, cutting national debt and dealing with the cost of living crisis.

One tax rise that has not been ruled out is what is known as a “stealth tax rise” of freezing income tax thresholds.

Rigby highlighted that in last year’s budget, Rachel Reeves said freezing thresholds will “hurt working people” – and asked the prime minister if he agreed.

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Sir Keir said: “We are going to set out our decisions.

“We will have absolutely in mind that the cost of living is the number one issue for people across the country.”

Pushed again, if working people will have their taxes increased, the prime minister instead mentioned he has people who are “struggling with the cost of living” in mind when making decisions.

UK

BBC board member resigns – and criticises ‘governance issues’ at top of corporation

Published

1 hour ago

November 21, 2025

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BBC board member resigns - and criticises 'governance issues' at top of corporation

A BBC board member has resigned after criticising “governance issues” at the top of the corporation.

Shumeet Banerji confirmed the news in a letter on Friday, according to BBC News.

It comes after the corporation’s director-general Tim Davie and chief executive of BBC News Deborah Turness resigned earlier this month after a row over the editing of a Panorama documentary on Donald Trump.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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Politics

Ex-Coinbase lawyer announces run for New York Attorney General, citing crypto policy

Published

1 hour ago

November 21, 2025

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Ex-Coinbase lawyer announces run for New York Attorney General, citing crypto policy

Khurram Dara, a former policy lawyer at cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, officially launched his campaign for New York State Attorney General.

In a Friday notice, Dara cited his “regulatory and policy experience, particularly in the crypto and fintech space” among his reasons to try to unseat Attorney General Letitia James in 2026.

The former Coinbase lawyer had been hinting since August at potential plans to run for office, claiming that James had engaged in “lawfare” against the crypto industry in New York.

Law, Politics, New York, Elections — *Source:* *Khurram Dara*

Until July, Dara was the regulatory and policy principal at Bain Capital Crypto, the digital asset arm of the investment company. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as Coinbase’s policy counsel from June 2022 to January 2023 and was previously employed at the crypto companies Fluidity and Airswap.

James, who took office in 2019, has faced criticism from many in the crypto industry for filing lawsuits against companies on behalf of affected New Yorkers, including Genesis, KuCoin and NovaTech. Whoever assumes the role of New York’s attorney general would have significant discretion over whether to file charges against crypto companies.

Dara, who said he plans to run as a Republican, also echoed Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s recent winning campaign, citing New Yorkers’ concerns about the cost of living and affordability. Cointelegraph reached out to Dara for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The lawyer who represented XRP holders is also running for office again

As the deadline approached for candidates for various offices to announce their runs, former Massachusetts senatorial candidate John Deaton said he would try to unseat a Democrat again.

Deaton ran against Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2024, losing by about 700,000 votes. On Nov. 10, however, he announced he would run as a Republican again, attempting to unseat Senator Ed Markey in 2026.