Doctors withdraw protest programs after 6-point deal with government
The government and the agitating doctors signed a six-point agreement on Sunday. Following the agreement, the Nepal Medical Association has withdrawn its protest programs. The doctors decided to withdraw the protest programs after the government pledged them to arrange treatment for the injured doctor Jenith Lal Singh during the talks held in Singha Durbar this morning. Similarly, it has been agreed to effectively implement the provisions related to safety of health workers and health institutions in accordance with Act 2066. The doctors had staged a demonstration after senior police Constable Sambhu Gurung baton-charged Dr Singh, a senior orthopaedic surgeon of the National Trauma Center, during President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s convey. Nepal Police has already suspended Constable Gurung accused of assaulting Dr Singh.
Turkey and Syria rescuers persist as death toll passes 28,000
Rescuers continued to pull some survivors out of the rubble on Saturday, five days after the tremors of the first earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, but hopes were fading for many more to be found, Aljazeera Reported. Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake is Turkey’s most devastating since 1939 and the death toll continues to rise. The death toll exceeded 24,600 in Turkey and more than 3,500 others were confirmed dead in Syria, as the overall toll surpassed 28,000. Reporting from Antakya, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said that despite the overwhelming level of destruction in the capital of Turkey’s Hatay province, there was still a glimmer of hope. “We are in the 135th hour now since the quakes, but there is still some hope. In the 132nd hour, a toddler was rescued, and a couple of hours before that, a man and woman were rescued alive. The search for survivors has not stopped,” said Smith. He added the government plans to reopen the airport in the city within 24 hours, according to Aljazeera. “The airport runway was badly damaged. They said they are about to re-tarmac. This will be essential for relief flights. The need is so desperate for aid,” said Smith. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, facing questions over earthquake planning and response time, has said authorities should have reacted faster.
Property worth around Rs 6 million destroyed in Jitpur fire
Property worth around Rs 6 million was reduced to ashes when a fire completely destroyed five shops at the City Market in Jitpur of Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City-7 on Sunday. The fire had started from the shop of local trader Anil Sah due to electric short circuit at around 6 am today. The blaze was taken under control with the help of Nepal Police and Armed Police force personnel and locals backed by fire engines after around three hours. Police said that they are looking into the case.
Hope fades for survivors as Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 20,000
Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 20,000 on Thursday, Reutres reported.
The rescue of a 2-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and several other people raised spirits among weary search crews. But hopes were fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities.
The death toll across both countries has now surpassed the more than 17,000 killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful earthquake hit northwest Turkey.
A Turkish official said the disaster posed “very serious difficulties” for the holding of an election scheduled for May 14 in which President Tayyip Erdogan has been expected to face his toughest challenge in two decades in power.
With anger simmering over delays in the delivery of aid and getting the rescue effort underway, the disaster is likely to play into the vote if it goes ahead.
The first U.N. convoy carrying aid to stricken Syrians crossed over the border from Turkey.
In Syria’s Idlib province, Munira Mohammad, a mother of four who fled Aleppo after the quake, said: “It is all children here, and we need heating and supplies. Last night we couldn’t sleep because it was so cold. It is very bad.”
Hundreds of thousands of people in both countries have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have camped out in makeshift shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or amid the ruins, often desperate for food, water and heat, according to Reuters.
Some 40% of buildings in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, epicentre of the tremor, are damaged, according to a preliminary report by Turkey’s Bogazici University.
