FinPol Digest

 A new earthquake of 5.6 magnitude shook southeast Turkey on Monday, killing one person, injuring 110 and destroying 29 buildings. This comes three weeks after a powerful earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people across the region. According to Reuters, the new quake damaged some buildings. According to the government's disaster agency, the epicentre of the tremor was the Yesilyurt district in the Malatya province in Turkey. The district was also hit by the destructive February 6 earthquake . Reportedly, the authorities rescued several people believed to be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. The local mayor, Mehmet Cinar, asked authorities to check whether there was anyone trapped under rubble.  According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), four new earthquakes and 45 aftershocks were felt in Turkey following the two massive quakes on February 6. A video went viral on social media, showing a rescue team pulling out...

 The Egyptian foreign minister has arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, marking the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister to Syria since its civil war began in 2011. Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt , arrived in Damascus on Monday. He was received at Damascus airport by Faisal Mekdad, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria.  According to the Syrian state news agency (SANA), the two ministers talked with each other. A tweet by Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesperson also confirmed that the Egyptian minister arrived in Syria.  An Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that the Egyptian minister would “convey a message of solidarity from Egypt” during his visits to Syria and Turkey.  Egyptian President Abdul Fattah El-Sisi called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time on February 7. He gave his condolences to the Syrian President. On Sunday, Egypt’s parliament speaker met Assad in Damascus.  Fo...

Since the disaster on February 6 that struck Turkey and Syria , fears of a huge earthquake have returned to Istanbul, but a well-known Turkish seismologist has reassured that the risk "hasn't increased." According to Dogan Kalafat, the director of the Istanbul-based Earthquake-Tsunami Monitoring Center at the Kandilli Observatory, "the risk hasn't increased because we are talking about fundamentally different systems." While the previous 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed 43,500 people occurred along a different fault in the country's southeast, Turkiye's most populous city is located close to the North Anatolian Fault, Kalafat stated. Kalafat, who has criticised using subpar cement and constructing on "soft soils," stated, "I'd like to say it, but alas, it's a very huge metropolis with too many poorly constructed structures." We need to make the most of our free time as we wait for a significant earthquake. On the stabl...

 After months of pressure from world leaders, the Israeli government has temporarily paused new settlements in the West Bank. This follows a series of protests and clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in recent weeks, as well as international calls for an end to the escalating violence. This move is seen as a significant step towards achieving peace in the region, but many are still apprehensive about what it could mean for both sides. In this article, we'll explore the implications of Israel's decision and what it could mean for negotiations going forward. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a temporary pause on new settlement activity in the West Bank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has temporarily paused new settlement activity in the West Bank. This pause is intended to last for four weeks, during which time the Israeli government will reassess its settlement policy. The announcement comes after months of international pressure on Is...

 Germany has said it is expelling two Iranian diplomats over the death sentence handed out to one of its citizens in the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Tuesday, the Iranian authorities announced that Jamshid Sharmahd, a 67-year-old Iranian-German national, was sentenced to death after being convicted of terrorist charges. Iran accused him of heading a pro-monarchist group, which participated in a deadly 2008 bombing. The man was arrested in 2020. Iran accused him of being the leader of the US-based group Tondar. The Iranian authorities reportedly also accused him of being in contact with US and Israeli officials and agents. The Iranian judiciary said that Sharmahd successfully executed five terrorist acts.   Iran’s judiciary’s Mizan news agency said that the man received a death sentence on charges of “corruption on earth.” Subsequently, Germany asked two employees of the Iranian embassy to leave the country immediately. Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affa...

 Tech billionaire Elon Musk has called Twitter the “world’s largest non-profit". His latest tweet received 36 million views and over 380,000 likes.  Musk wrote on Twitter, “Say what you want about me, but I acquired the world’s largest non-profit for $44B lol.” He acquired a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter, which made him the largest stakeholder in Twitter. Subsequently, he referred to the platform as "the world's largest non-profit." A user responded to his tweet, "Right. Now open source it, then we'll be truly impressed." Musk replied to him, "Prepare to be disappointed at first when our algorithm is made open source next week, but it will improve rapidly!" In October 2022, Musk bought the micro-blogging site for $44 billion. After the acquisition of the social media platform, he announced various changes to the platform. He also said that he faced various challenges while running the social media company.  Musk borrowed $13 billion to close t...

 As a nurse working near the frontlines of the Syrian war, Ibrahim Zeidan endured many desperate moments including when shelling destroyed a hospital, leaving him trapped by rubble, Reuters reports. But he says an earthquake which hit the region on 6 February has proved the most difficult challenge yet for medics in the rebel-held region, overwhelming health facilities already battered by more than a decade of conflict. The night of the disaster, Zeidan oversaw the evacuation of infants from the hospital where he was working in the town of Al-Dana. CCTV footage from the hospital showed masonry falling and equipment shaking as the quake struck. "We had children on oxygen, so we couldn't provide for them nor find an available place, as all hospitals were full," said Zeidan, 33, describing how the children in intensive care were loaded into a car and driven off to other hospitals. "The earthquake was the hardest thing we have ever experienced because everything was lost...

 Iran has refuted claims that it had enriched uranium to an almost weapons-grade 84 percent purity. Since April 2021, the Islamic Republic has been purifying uranium to a maximum of 60% purity. A second site called Fordow, which is carved out of a mountain, began enriching to that level three months ago. The grade of weapons is about 90%. We haven't tried to enrich ourselves above 60 percent yet. According to Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokeswoman for Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, production with an enrichment of 60% does not necessarily imply the presence of particles with an enrichment above 60%. 84 percent enriched uranium was discovered by UN nuclear watchdog monitors last week, according to a report published on Sunday by Bloomberg News. The story, according to Kamalvandi, was "slanderous" and contained misinformation.

 The Middle East is a region of constant flux and change, and the key players have always been maneuvering for power. Now, however, there is something new on the horizon – an alliance between Israel-Saudi Arabia that could potentially alter the balance of power in the region. Read on to find out more about how this relationship could shape the future of the Middle East. Introduction: Background on Israel-Saudi Relations -The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman , has hinted at the possibility of a historic rapprochement with Israel.  -In an interview last week with The Atlantic, he said that Jews “have the right to their land” and that “we have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and the rights of the Palestinian people.”  -Saudi Arabia does not currently recognize Israel , and the kingdom’s official position is that it will only do so when there is a comprehensive peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians that includes an indep...

 Twitter’s CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and tech billionaire, Elon Musk, was trolled on social media after Twitter reportedly went down for the second time in two weeks. On Thursday, Twitter was down for some users. According to the internet crash tracking website Downdetector, more than 8,000 people reported issues with using Twitter on Thursday. iPhone users faced issues while accessing Twitter, while Android and website users didn't flag any issues. The ‘For You’ section of Twitter was not accessible to some iPhone users. Some users complained that Twitter notifications were not loading properly. Twitter users made memes about Musk and started trolling him. They slammed Musk’s management of Twitter.  A user wrote on Twitter, “Just Elon Musk spending another night trying to fix Twitter…” Another user wrote on the micro-blogging site, “#TwitterDown is a thrilling new action movie where Musk's staff find him curled up on a couch sobbing because he cannot attract followers, s...

 The Japanese government donated emergency supplies to Syria , including blankets, sleeping pads, plastic sheets, and tents, which landed at Damascus Airport on Wednesday, according to a report from the Foreign Ministry on Thursday. In reaction to the significant damage brought on by the local earthquakes on February 6, relief was delivered. In the presence of Khaled Hboubati, president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and MIYAKE Hirofumi, chargé d'affaires of the Japanese embassy in Syria, the emergency relief supplies were delivered to the Syrian authorities at the airport. The products were swiftly transported to vehicles and delivered to the earthquake-affected communities. Through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan provided assistance (JICA). According to the administration, help will still be given in accordance with the needs on the ground and in collaboration with the Syrian government. On February 15, the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria ...

 The United Nations (UN), an intergovernmental organization with the aim of maintaining international peace and security, has launched a $397 million humanitarian appeal for earthquake victims in Syria. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, launched the appeal to help nearly 5 million survivors of a devastating earthquake.  The appeal was launched a day after Guterres welcomed an agreement between the UN and Syrian President Bashar Assad to open two new crossing points from Turkiye for three months in order to help the survivors of last week's devastating earthquake. Guterres reportedly said, “The humanitarian appeal will cover a period of three months and will help secure desperately needed, life-saving relief to nearly five million Syrians.” Earlier, the UN delivered relief aid to the northwest Idlib area of Syria through a single crossing at Bab Al-Hawa. The UN already sent 84 trucks, carrying relief aid, to Syria through Bab Al-Hawa. Guterres also...

 Scores of scammers are using the repercussions of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to try to trick people into donating to fake causes, security experts have raised warnings. These scammers, instead of raising money for survivors, are channeling donations away from real charities and into their cryptocurrency wallets and PayPal accounts. Some of the prominent instances include, • Content creators can make money on TikTok Live by receiving digital gifts. Following the quakes, numerous TikTok accounts are posting photos and videos of devastation and rescue efforts, while seeking donations. One account featured a pixelated aerial image of collapsed buildings and sound effects of explosions. However, off-camera, a man could be heard laughing and speaking in Chinese. • In another example, a video shows a kid running from an explosion. But a reverse image search found the photo of the distressed child holds no connection which last week's earthquakes. It had been posted o...

 The UN assistance director said during a visit to Syria on Monday that the phase of relief efforts after the significant earthquake that devastated Turkiye and Syria a week ago is "coming to a conclusion" and that the focus is now shifting to housing, food, education, and psychosocial care. Aleppo, a government-held city in northwest Syria that was a key front line in the Syrian civil war, has seen a great deal over the years, but even there, Martin Griffiths noted, "this moment... was about the worst that these people had experienced." The 11-year-long war had divided northwest Syria into the insurgent-held territory at the Turkish border and government-controlled territories, which were both hit by the earthquake. According to Griffiths, the United Nations would have help traveling from areas under the control of the government to the rebel-held northwest, a front line where supplies have rarely crossed during the conflict. He also said that aid requests would ...

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has sent three more relief aid planes to earthquake-hit areas in Turkey and Syria in order to help earthquake victims.  According to the state agency SPA (Saudi Press Agency), the fourth and fifth planes, carrying search and rescue teams and equipment, including tools, pumps, and medical supplies, landed at the Gaziantep airport in Turkey on Friday. The sixth plane, carrying 98 tons of relief aid, including food items, tents, blankets, rugs, shelter bags, and medical supplies, also landed in Turkey to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.  The search-and-rescue teams, which came from the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, went to earthquake-hit areas in Turkey and Syria in order to evacuate citizens. Meanwhile, a statement from the Saudi Arabia embassy in Turkey said that the body of a missing Saudi female was found under the rubble of a building in Antakya, the capital of Hatay Province, t...

The sanctions imposed on Syria by the United States (US) have been lifted temporarily in order to help people impacted by the destructive earthquakes in the country.  The US Treasury lifted sanctions temporarily to allow new earthquake relief efforts in Syria after Monday’s earthquake in Syria and Turkey killed thousands of people and injured others. The US Treasury also said that the US sanctions on Syria “will not stand in the way” of saving lives. The Treasury’s Syria General Licence authorised earthquake relief efforts for Syria in order to help earthquake victims and mitigate the impact of earthquakes in the country. Wally Adeyemo, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, sent condolences to the people of Turkey and Syria for the tragic loss of life and destruction due to devastating earthquakes. Adeyemo said, “I want to make very clear that the US sanctions in Syria will not stand in the way of lifesaving efforts for the Syrian people.” He further said that the US Tr...

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has launched a fundraising campaign to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. KSrelief announced on Wednesday that the relief centre launched the campaign through the “Sahem” platform. As of Thursday morning, many donors had contributed approximately SR80 million to help those affected by the massive earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, KSrelief’s supervisor general, lauded the efforts of Saudi Arabia in helping Turkey and Syria. He revealed that Saudi Arabia already sent over SR13 million in relief aid to these countries before KSrelief announced its official fundraiser. On Thursday morning, Saudi teams went to Turkey to take part in relief efforts. Specialists from the relief centre departed King Khalid airport in Riyadh to join the international mission to provide assistance to Turkey.  Saudi Red Crescent’s vice president for operational affairs Fah...

 Following Monday's devastating earthquakes, The Guardian revealed that four Australians are still unaccounted for in Turkey and Syria. According to the nation's Foreign Ministry, assistance is being given to the relatives of the missing citizens as well as to another 40 or so Australians who are in the earthquake zone. We've all seen the pictures of destruction and heard the tales of human tragedy that we are witnessing,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement to the Australian Senate on Wednesday. “Therefore, I'm sure we all want the government to urge our military to offer this support even though they are far away.” Australia will send 73 defense personnel and $10 million in funds to help with rescue and relief efforts, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. These highly trained urban search and rescue professionals can find, provide medical care to, and evacuate people who have become trapped or harmed by a structural collapse. "I express my d...

 This Friday the Microsoft Digital Threat Center said that an Iranian nation-state threat actor is behind last month's influence campaign against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.  After saying this a large range of debates started on it. NEPTUNIUM by Microsoft represents itself as a neutral and pure factor. It claimed that it had obtained the personal information of more than 200,000 Charlie Hebdo customers after gaining access to a database. According to a new blog post by Clint Watts, DTA C's digital manager. The group released a sample of the data as evidence. The group advertises a cache of data for sale for the equivalent of $340,000 Now Microsoft said that the attack is a response from the Iranian government. In December 2022, an international cartoon contest organized by the magazine called for caricatures ridiculing the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Iranians should get support. Caricaturists and Cartoonists should support Iran. They are fighting for...

The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century rattled Turkey and neighbouring Syria early Monday, killing over 1,900 people in their sleep, levelling buildings, sending survivors into the snowy streets in their pyjamas, and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland. The 7.8-magnitude quake, that struck Turkey at 4:17 am local time, was followed hours later by a couple more strong ones. It was powerful enough to wipe out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region occupied by scores of people who have fled conflicts like the civil war in Syria. While, according to state media and medical sources, the quake killed at least 783 people in rebel and government-controlled parts of Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the death of another 1,121 in his country. With Turkey's tightly-contested election on May 14, Erdogan's handling of the disaster could have a major impact on his re-election chances. He has conveyed his sympathies and requested nation...

 The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has pardoned "tens of thousands" of prisoners, including some people arrested in recent anti-government protests, according to state news agency IRNA. However, the pardon approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not apply to any of the numerous dual nationals held in the country. According to Iranian officials, the amnesty also does not apply to those who refuse to admit and regret their crimes. Those “affiliated with groups hostile to Iran” will also be excluded, according to Iranian authorities. The Supreme Leader announced the pardon in honor of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Reportedly, the conditional amnesty was proposed to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic.  According to the HRANA activist news agency, around 20,000 people have been arrested for participating in anti-government and anti-hijab protests. ...

 The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have said that an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear work shows that Tehran is being inconsistent in meeting its obligations under a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty agreement, an international treaty with the aim to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The four countries issued a joint statement, alleging that Iran was inconsistent in meeting its obligations under NPT. These countries reportedly said, “As stated by the IAEA, this unnotified change is inconsistent with Iran’s obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.” They were referring to the IAEA report, in which the U.N. nuclear watchdog criticised Iran for making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), an underground uranium enrichment facility i...

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) continues providing aid to 6 countries, including Yemen, Niger, Sudan, Lebanon, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Afghanistan. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), KSrelief distributed 600 food packages to people affected by the floods in Afghanistan. In cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Saudi Agency helped 3,600 people in Afghanistan. The relief agency distributed 70 tons and 299 kilograms of food to 1,533 individuals in Yemen’s Taiz governorate. KSrelief’s aid was a continuation of Saudi’s efforts to provide support to Yemenis. Earlier, it also renovated the Ibn Al-Hijlah primary school and Sumaya secondary school in Yemen. The relief center also distributed 500 food parcels to 3,541 underprivileged people in Sudan. Around 400 food packages were also distributed to 2,800 people in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Niamey, the capital and largest city of N...

 In the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, five policewomen were appointed to important security positions for the first time, generating excitement among those who support gender equality and the media. As part of security revamps that saw the appointment of 12 new security heads, the five were given jobs at locations and police stations in the Taiz Security Department, according to local officials. The selections were made in an effort to advance women in security positions and put an end to the turmoil and lawlessness that have long plagued Taiz. According to Second Lt. Amera Al-Bukaili, who was recently promoted to the position of Taiz security's deputy director of training, the effort for gender equality and advancement in top positions has finally paid off. "I am really happy today. A chunk of our rights has been restored thanks to the appointments, which she claimed ought to have happened a long time ago. Al-Bukaili has approximately two decades of expertise in the security ...

 Eight rockets were fired at a Turkish military base in northern Iraq on Wednesday, according to a security organization in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Two rockets landed inside the facility at the military base, according to the Counter-Terrorism Group. An Iranian-backed militia claimed responsibility for the attack at the military base. A Turkish security source said the attack caused no damage to the military base. No casualties have been reported yet. After the attack, the Islamic Resistance Ahrar al-Iraq Brigade, an Iran-backed umbrella group of Shiite militias called the Popular Mobilization Forces, claimed responsibility for the attack.  According to the Iraqi Kurdish region's anti-terrorism department, the rockets were fired at Turkey's Zilkan military base in the northern Nineveh province, which hosts Turkish troops. Reportedly,  Turkey  has been carrying out operations in Iraq for decades against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey has repeatedl...

 Sweden is sitting on a powder keg. Right nationalists and terrorist supporters of the PKK are blowing the fire and heat in between Europe, they are seeding hate against both Muslims and Turkey. A Danish- Swedish and right extremist who is known for his act of seeding hate against Muslims. He had burned the Quran on 21st January in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The act happened under the protection of the police. The incident was criticized by Muslims around the globe and many other non-Muslim leaders also condemned the incident. But a troop in Sweden is defending this heinous act in the name of 'freedom of expression' which is not right at any cost! Swedish state officials have sealed their lips on this matter. But the government made some indicative statements which are showing that In the Nordic state, there is no respect for followers of Islam. Condemning the sacrilege of Islam's holy book, calling it an attempt to sabotage the country's NATO bid, and ...