An unusually quiet parakeet's tweets startled a Turkish family awake in time to flee their home minutes before the ground began to shake in Pazarcik, epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey before dawn on February 6.
"Half an hour before the earthquake, it made a strange noise at night, when the light was not on. It was flapping its wings and jumping from place to place in the cage," Mustafa Cimen, 17, told state news agency Anadolu.
The noise woke the family from their sleep, so they were were able to race for the door once the tremors began.
"Thanks to the bird, we were not caught asleep by the earthquake," Mustafa said.
The family bought the baby parakeet, Mavis, three months ago, and she had not sung much until then, he said.
He told Anadolu that dogs the family fed outside their home also began making "strange sounds" before the quake, which destroyed thousands of homes and claimed more than 44,000 lives in Turkey and Syria.
Mustafa said Mavis was allowed out of her cage and was friendly towards people.
He said the bird had come to be regarded as a mascot by residents in the temporary housing where his family is staying.
Searching the rubble, rescuers have also found dogs, cats and other pets that survived the devastation of the earthquake.
One cat befriended a rescuer who saved it 129 hours after the quake hit, Turkish broadcaster TRT reported.
The rescuer promised to take care of the animal if its owner was not found.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
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Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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New UK refugee system
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Started: July 2020
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Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Rating: 2/5
