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EU warned over Turkey cash pledges as VDL ‘shovels money’ into Erdogan’s pockets

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Flood waters rage in Turkey after February’s deadly earthquakes

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Brussels has been warned to be “very wary” about approving funds to Turkey in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should not be trusted to use the money wisely, it has been warned. The European Union and international donors on Monday pledged €7 billion (£6.2 billion) to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the neighbouring countries last month.

The European Commission said after the fundraising conference in Brussels that €6.05 billion of the total pledge will be going to Turkey, in grants and loans.

The Commission added: “The European Commission and the EU Member States, as well as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development represent more than 50 percent of this total pledge of grants, with €3.6 billion euros.”

But in a warning to the Commission over disbursing funds to Ankara, Dr Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Express.co.uk the bloc should be “very wary about shovelling money into Mr Erdogan’s pockets”.

He said: “While nobody can fail to be moved by the scale of human suffering caused by Turkey’s earthquake, the EU should be very wary about shovelling money into Mr Erdogan’s pockets in terms of relief.

Press Conference Of Ursula Von Der Leyen After The European Council Summit

Ursula von der Leyen pledged funds to Turkey to rebuild the country after the earthquake and floods (Image: Getty)

TURKEY-POLITICS-PARTIES

Erdogan put the cost of reconstruction at $104 billion (Image: Getty)

“The disaster has highlighted the corruption endemic in Turkish infrastructure projects seeing as earthquake preparations that should have been in place were mishandled.

“Any funds sent to Erdogan should therefore be carefully scrutinised and only released in tranches where it has been proven they have been used for the purposes intended.”

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on February 6 killed more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Turkey.

Nearly 300,000 buildings in Turkey either collapsed or were severely damaged, according to the country’s president.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the time: “We have shown to the people in Turkey and Syria that we are supporting those in need.”

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Von der Leyen added that the global pledge included €1.1 billion from the Commission, and 500 millions from the European Investment Bank, backed by the EU budget.

Erdogan addressed the conference via videolink and described some of the reconstruction challenges, including deadly floods that hit parts of the earthquake zone last week.

He said: “Some of the aftershocks have been going on for a while and they are of equal magnitude to a separate earthquake.

“We have been fighting against the flood disasters and challenging weather conditions.”

Erdogan said some 298,000 buildings across 11 provinces affected by the earthquake were destroyed or left unfit for use.

Earthquake in Türkiye

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on February 6 killed more than 52,000 people (Image: Getty)

He added: “No single country can fight against such a disaster, regardless of its level of economic development.

“Your contributions made at this conference will contribute to the healing of wounds and wipe clean the traces of this disaster.”

He put the cost of reconstruction at $104 billion.

The conference hosted by the European Commission and Sweden — which holds the rotating presidency of the EU — was attended by NGOs, G-20 countries and UN members as well as international financial institutions.

Survivors of the earthquake in rebel-held northwest Syria have received very little assistance because of deep divisions exacerbated by the country’s 12-year war. The EU said 15.3 million Syrians of a population of 21.3 million already required humanitarian assistance before the earthquake struck.

The bloc has been providing humanitarian aid to Syria since 2011 and wants to step it up. But it does not intend to help with reconstruction in the war-torn country, with EU sanctions against the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad in place due to its continued crackdown against civilians.

Von der Leyen said the Commission pledged an additional €108 million in humanitarian aid for Syria on Monday.

Thousands Dead After Massive Earthquakes Rock The Middle East | The Daily Wire

by www.dailywire.com Leave a Comment

Thousands of people are reported dead in Turkey and Syria following two earthquakes that rocked the region on Monday.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck shortly after 4 am was one of the strongest to hit Turkey over the last hundred years, leading to scores of buildings and homes being flattened into rubble. Later in the afternoon, a 7.5-magnitude shaker hit the southeastern part of the country.

More than 2,300 people reportedly died after the quakes rocked the region, sending tremors as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted the affected population resides in structures that are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking. The report said that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”

According to the USGS’s early estimates , there is a 47% chance of that the earthquake will have killed between 1,000 to 10,000 people and a 20% chance of that the earthquake could have killed between 10,000 and 100,000.

One of the most stunning scenes filmed in the aftermath was a fire that reportedly broke out at a gas line.

Merkez üssü Kahramanmaraş’ın Pazarcık ilçesi olan 7.4 büyüklüğünde deprem sonrası yangın çıktı https://t.co/nXOxjTD6Uo pic.twitter.com/3VqsgGyrZX

— Sözcü (@gazetesozcu) February 6, 2023

The City of İskenderun in Southern Turkey has suffered some of the most Severe Damage caused by the Earthquake, there are reports that Fire and Rescue Crews are unable to get to many parts of the City with 100s if not 1000s of people expected to still be under collapsed buildings pic.twitter.com/kMV2hgEBXZ

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2023

In #Sanliurfa the moment a building collapsed recorded by mobile phone hours after 7.8 #earthquake hits Turkey. #deprem pic.twitter.com/YDc8DH9lbn

— JournoTurk (@journoturk) February 6, 2023

Horrifying footages emerge from towns around #Gaziantep , #Turkey . Lights in the sky and power outages. pic.twitter.com/kgkpyTX6Jy

— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) February 6, 2023

WATCH: Daylight reveals massive destruction in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey pic.twitter.com/YZD1J4iYfc

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 6, 2023

The Biden administration responded to the situation by saying that it would provide support to the region.

“The United States is profoundly concerned by the reports of today’s destructive earthquake in Turkiye and Syria,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan. “We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance. President Biden has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the Government of Turkiye.”

Editor’s note: this article has been expanded with updated information.

Ike Ekweremadu: Organ-trafficking plot politician and wife guilty

by www.bbc.co.uk Leave a Comment

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By Tom Symonds at the Old Bailey & Samantha Jagger
BBC News

A senior wealthy Nigerian politician, his wife and a medical “middleman” have been found guilty of an organ-trafficking plot, after they brought a 21-year-old man to the UK from Lagos.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were convicted of conspiring to exploit the man for his kidney, in the first such case under modern slavery laws.

The Old Bailey heard the organ was for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, aged 25.

She was cleared of the same charge.

The victim, a street trader from Lagos, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

The prosecution said he was offered up to £7,000 and promised opportunities in the UK for helping, and that he only realised what was going on when he met doctors at the hospital.

It was alleged the defendants had tried to convince medics at the Royal Free by pretending he was the cousin of Sonia, who has a debilitating illness and remains on weekly dialysis, when they were not related.

While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if there is a reward of money or other material advantage.

Royal Free consultant, Dr Peter Dupont, concluded the donor was unsuitable after learning he had no counselling or advice about the risks of surgery and lacked funds for the lifelong care he would need.

The court heard the Ekweremadus then transferred their interest to Turkey and set about finding another donor.

An investigation was launched after the young man ran away from London and slept rough for days before walking into a police station in Staines , in Surrey, crying and in distress.

Relaying his fears, he told police: “The doctor said I was too young but the man said if you do not do it here he would carry me back to Nigeria and do it there.”

Lagos street market

Jurors heard that Sonia was studying for a masters degree at Newcastle University when she became ill in December 2019.

In 2021, her father enlisted the help of his medically-trained brother, Diwe Ekweremadu, to search for a donor, the court heard.

Diwe Ekweremadu, who remains in Nigeria, turned to a former classmate, Dr Obeta, of Southwark, south London, who recently had a private kidney transplant at the Royal Free with a Nigerian donor.

Dr Obeta then engaged with Dr Chris Agbo, of Vintage Health Group, a medical tourism company, as well as an agent to arrange a visa for the donor, the court heard.

The victim, who knew the man who had donated his kidney to Dr Obeta, was recruited from a Lagos street market where he made a few pounds a day selling phone accessories from a wheelbarrow.

Sonia, who had declined to give evidence, wept in court as she was cleared by the jury and tearfully hugged her father as he was remanded into custody with the other guilty defendants ahead of sentencing on 5 May.

Legal first

Following the convictions, Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec described the conspiracy as a “horrific plot”.

“The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and well-being and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here,” she added.

Det Insp Esther Richardson, of the Metropolitan Police, commended the victim for his bravery in speaking against the offenders.

She added police, the Crown Prosecution Service and Human Tissue Authority teams had “worked tirelessly” on the case, which is the first time that defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ-trafficking conspiracy.

The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, had denied the charge against them.

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