A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images
A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo
A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images
Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP
Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo
Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo
A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP
A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP
A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP
A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP
Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters
A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters
A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP
Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP
Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP
A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP
Destruction in Antakya. AP
A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP
A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA
Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP
A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP
Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP
Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters
A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters
Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP
Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA
An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP
People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters
Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP
Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters
A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP
Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National
A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo
A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo
Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters
A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP
Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters
Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
The shocking trail of destruction stretching across southern Turkey has horrified the world since last week’s earthquakes but in many ways it was a catastrophe long foreseen by the country’s engineers and geologists.
For years experts have been warning that slipshod building practices and a lack of regulatory oversight would compound loss of life when a powerful earthquake eventually hit. Their warnings went largely unheeded.
“We have been discussing these things and sharing our information for years with the authorities but we weren’t taken seriously,” Taner Yuzgec, president of the Chamber of Construction Engineers, told The National.
“In relation to the earthquake threat, 65 per cent of buildings in Turkey are considered risky. In 2011 a strategic plan to identify all the dangerous construction was put in place. This should have been completed by 2017 and those at risk should have been brought up to standard or demolished. Unfortunately, that wasn’t carried out.”
More than 41,500 buildings collapsed or were damaged enough to require demolition across the 10 provinces affected by the 7.8-magnitude quake, according to the Environment and Urbanisation Ministry. The death toll in Turkey reached nearly 32,000 by Tuesday afternoon as the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation estimated the economic cost at $84.1 billion.
Turkey is crisscrossed by two main fault lines, leaving it prone to deadly quakes. But despite regular disasters, such as the one that struck Elazig three years ago, killing 41 people, or the quake that hit Izmir in 2019, killing 116, criticism has been aimed at current building standards.
After a 1999 earthquake that struck east of Istanbul, killing about 18,000 people, legislation was passed to tighten construction standards and building inspection. However, weak enforcement of building codes have undermined efforts to tackle the danger.
In 2018 the government granted amnesties to those breaching regulations, allowing the owners of dangerous structures to pay a fine to avoid having to bring their buildings up to standard.
“There have been a lot of mistakes in the construction industry,” Mr Yuzgec said. “There are problems with design, with the materials used and with the use of workers who aren’t properly qualified.
“We see the ‘soft-floor’ system’ where shops are on the lower floor of buildings and also we’ve seen buildings collapse into each other. Many buildings are built on soft ground without deep enough foundations. So there are many issues that make buildings unsafe.”
In many cases, residents have said shops and other businesses on the ground floors of apartment buildings have cut-away support columns to increase floor space.
In Diyarbakir, a block of 32 apartments sitting above commercial space collapsed while three other blocks in the same complex remained upright.
“Everyone knows they cut the columns in the ground floor and there was a legal case opened against them four months before the earthquake,” said Veysi Buldu, 58, who lost his uncle in the building.
“That is why one block fell and the other three are still standing.”
Despair in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Reuters
At other collapsed buildings around the city, where at least 380 people died, residents shared similar stories of businesses below residential floors making dangerous alterations to the building’s structural integrity.
“Profit maximisation is considered the first priority and safety comes later,” said Mr Yuzgec, who recently returned from the earthquake zone.
A building contractor in Diyarbakir, who asked for his name not to be used for fear it would lead to him being blacklisted for work, said illegal practices were widespread in the industry.
“I’ve worked all over the country — here, Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya — and it’s the same everywhere,” he said. “The main contractors are always asking us to cut costs, even if it is illegal and risks lives.
“They want to use cheaper materials or not to install so many columns or beams. If we say that it is against the law, they just say: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll pay the fine.’ I refuse to work with some companies because of this.”
At least 134 people have so far been detained as part of a series of investigations into building standards since the earthquake on February 6, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday, while another 114 are being sought. Some of the suspects were arrested at airports, apparently attempting to flee abroad.
But there is a growing clamour for the public officials who turned a blind eye to shortcuts to also face justice.
“The primary crime is that committed by the contractor but there are also the people who were responsible for the project, the building site chief and those signing papers in the municipality,” said Mr Yuzgec.
“I think this legal process will become wider and wider over time. However, the local or national politicians are the biggest criminals because they are the ones who continued this system.”
The destruction of last week’s quake has raised fears of future tremors across the country, particularly in Istanbul, a city of 16 million sitting near the North Anatolian fault.
“We could not make Istanbul earthquake-resistant in 20 years because there was no will,” said geologist Naci Gorur, a member of Turkey’s Academy of Sciences. “If we are going to prepare Istanbul for an earthquake, the first thing we need to address is the building stock. Buildings should not collapse or kill people.”
But those whose warnings were ignored for so many years are pessimistic about the possibility of serious reform.
“There are a lot of things that should be done immediately, even tomorrow, but for this to be successful a very strong political will is necessary,” Mr Yuzgec said. “Because we don’t have that political will today, I don’t have much hope that things will be done.”
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
