Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing growing criticism from the public and rival politicians after Twitter was allegedly blocked for 12 hours in earthquake-hit southern Turkey on Wednesday amid anger over the government's response to the disaster.
Turkish media reported that deputy minister of transportation Omer Fatih Sayan had warned the platform over the spread of "disinformation," a genuine concern after false reports of tsunamis and the risks to Turkey’s nuclear reactors spread on the platform.
But the Twitter outtage — reported by online activist group Netblocks — also fuelled anger about the government’s slow response to Monday's earthquake.
Many survivors said the government had been completely absent from some badly affected areas, leaving them without provisions, shelter or professional help to save people still buried under rubble in freezing conditions.
In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest
Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Turkish President
Opposition political parties and rescuers said the absence of Twitter made the situation worse, hampering rescue attempts as people used it to co-ordinate assistance across vast areas where road networks have been badly damaged.
They said the temporary loss of the social media service was simply an attempt by Mr Erdogan to stem criticism of the government.
In one camp visited by The National in Gaziantep, a city near the epicentre, people deplored the lack of emergency response.
One man standing by his house, which was badly damaged, said that he could not re-enter the unsafe building but that “no one gave us any tents, we only received some food and that’s all”.
“Where is the bread they promised us?" said Amina Ahmad, 50.
Her home was still standing but "we don’t have water and barely any electricity”, she said with exasperation.
Acknowledging problems with the response, Mr Erdogan, who declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces and sent troops to help, visited Kahramanmaras on Wednesday to view the damage and see the rescue and relief effort.
His response to the disaster could prove critical in a key national election planned for May but almost certain to be delayed.
Speaking to reporters, he said there had been problems with roads and airports but “we are better today”.
“We will be better tomorrow and later. We still have some issues with fuel … but we will overcome those too,” Mr Erdogan said.
But critics pointed to Mr Erdogan’s intolerance of criticism, which bears the hallmarks of some of his more extreme crackdowns on opposition.
“In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,” he said.
Police have detained 18 people over “provocative” social media posts that criticised the government's response.
“Where is the state? Where have they been for two days? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can get them out,” Sabiha Alinak said on Wednesday near a snow-covered collapsed building in the city of Malatya, where her young relatives were trapped.
Tens of thousands of people are now fending for themselves.
In the centre of Gaziantep, The National saw a dozen families set up a camp of makeshift shelters in a garden.
“We put them up ourselves”, said Hassan, 59, a Syrian refugee from Palmyra, while cooking a traditional stew from his hometown to feed the displaced families in the camp.
He is staying in a makeshift shelter with his wife and three children amid freezing temperatures. As many as 17 members of a family were crammed together in the back of a van.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The years Ramadan fell in May
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
Guardians%20of%20the%20Galaxy%20Vol%203
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Gunn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Dave%20Bautista%2C%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Bradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff
More on Quran memorisation:
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
