Earthquake in the Sea of Marmara shakes Istanbul, injuring 150 people
There were no immediate reports of serious damage in the metropolis of 16 million.
More than 150 people were admitted to hospital with injuries sustained while attempting to flee buildings, the Istanbul governor's office said.
The earthquake had a shallow depth of about six miles, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Its epicentre was some 25 miles south-west of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara.
It was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 5.3.
The earthquake was felt in the neighbouring provinces of Tekirdag, Yalova, Bursa and Balikesir and in the city of Izmir, some 550 kilometres south of Istanbul, reports said.
The incident, which started at 12.49pm during a public holiday when many children were out of school and celebrating in the streets, caused widespread panic in Istanbul, which is on tenterhooks due to the looming threat of a major earthquake.
Panicked residents rushed from their homes and buildings into the streets. The disaster and emergency management agency urged people to stay away from buildings.
The Istanbul governor's office said in a statement: 'Due to panic, 151 of our citizens were injured from jumping from heights. Their treatments are ongoing in hospitals, and they are not in a life-threatening condition.'
Many residents flocked to parks, school yards and other open areas to avoid being near buildings in case of collapse or subsequent earthquakes. Some people pitched tents in parks.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at an event marking the National Sovereignty and Children's Day holiday, said: 'Thank God, there does not seem to be any problems for now.
'May God protect our country and our people from all kinds of calamities, disasters, accidents and troubles.'
Turkey's interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said the authorities had not received reports of collapsed buildings. He told HaberTurk television that there had been reports of damage to buildings.
The NTV broadcaster reported that a derelict and abandoned former residential building in this historic Fatih district, which houses the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, had collapsed.
Kemal Cebi, the mayor of the Kucukcekmece district in western Istanbul, told local broadcaster NTV that there were 'no negative developments yet' but he reported that there were traffic jams and that many buildings were already at risk due to the density of the area.
In Zeytinburnu district, some people were injured after jumping out of buildings, aayor Omer Arisoy told NTV.
Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 2023, and a second powerful tremor that came hours later, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and south-eastern Turkish provinces, leaving more than 53,000 people dead.
Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria.
While Istanbul was not impacted by that earthquake, the devastation heightened fears of a similar quake, with experts citing the city's proximity to fault lines.
In a bid to prevent damage from any future quake, both the national government and local administrations started urban reconstruction projects to fortify buildings at risk and started campaigns to demolish buildings at risk of collapse.
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NBC News
10 hours ago
- NBC News
Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage
DALLAS — Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed a ban on same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes Tuesday came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation's largest Protestant denomination. The wide-ranging resolution doesn't use the word "ban," but it left no room for legal same-sex marriage in calling for the "overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God's design for marriage and family." Further, the resolution affirmatively calls "for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one women." A reversal of the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell decision wouldn't in and of itself amount to a nationwide ban. At the time of that ruling, 36 states had already legalized same-sex marriage, and support remains strong in many areas. However, if the convention got its wish, not only would Obergefell be overturned, but so would every law and court ruling that affirmed same-sex marriage. There was no debate on the marriage resolution. That in itself is not surprising in the solidly conservative denomination, which has long defined marriage as between one man and one woman. However, it marks an especially assertive step in its call for the reversal of a decade-old Supreme Court ruling, as well as any other legal pillars to same-sex marriage in law and court precedent. Gender identity, fertility and other issues The marriage issue was incorporated into a much larger resolution on marriage and family — one that calls for civil law to be based on what the convention says is the divinely created order as stated in the Bible. The resolution says legislators have a duty to "pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family" and to oppose laws contradicting "what God has made plain through nature and Scripture." The same resolution calls for recognizing "the biological reality of male and female" and opposes "any law or policy that compels people to speak falsehoods about sex and gender." It urges Christians to "embrace marriage and childbearing" and to see children "as blessings rather than burdens." But it also frames that issue as one of public policy. It calls for "for renewed moral clarity in public discourse regarding the crisis of declining fertility and for policies that support the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families." It laments that modern culture is "pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate," echoing a growing subject of discourse on the religious and political right. The pornography resolution, which had no debate, calls such material destructive, addictive and exploitive and says governments have the power to ban it. The sports betting resolution draws on Southern Baptists' historic opposition to gambling. It called sports betting "harmful and predatory." One pastor urged an amendment to distinguish between low-stakes, recreational gambling and predatory, addictive gambling activities. But his proposed amendment failed. Andrew Walker, chair of the Committee on Resolutions, said at a news conference that the marriage resolution shows that Southern Baptists aren't going along with the widespread social acceptance of same-sex marriage. But Walker, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, acknowledged that a realistic rollback strategy would require incremental steps, such as seeking to overturn Obergefell. "I'm clear-eyed about the difficulties and the headwinds in this resolution," he said. Whistleblower's death casts pall on Dallas meeting The two-day annual meeting began Tuesday morning with praise sessions and optimistic reports about growing numbers of baptisms. But casting a pall over the gathering is the recent death of one of the most high-profile whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists' scandal of sexual abuse. Jennifer Lyell, a onetime denominational publishing executive who went public in 2019 with allegations that she had been sexually abused by a seminary professor while a student, died Saturday at 47. She "suffered catastrophic strokes," a friend and fellow advocate, Rachael Denhollander, posted Sunday on X. Friends reported that the backlash Lyell received after going public with her report took a devastating toll on her. Several abuse survivors and advocates for reform, who previously had a prominent presence in recent SBC meetings, are skipping this year's gathering, citing lack of progress by the convention. Two people sought to fill that void, standing vigil outside of the meeting at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas as attendees walked by. The pair held up signs with photos of Lyell and of Gareld Duane Rollins, who died earlier this spring and who was among those who accused longtime SBC power broker Paul Pressler of sexual abuse. "It's not a healthy thing for them (survivors) to be here," said Johnna Harris, host of a podcast on abuse in evangelical ministries. "I felt like it was important for someone to show up. I want people to know there are people who care." Past attempts at reforms in the SBC The SBC Executive Committee, in a 2022 apology, acknowledged "its failure to adequately listen, protect, and care for Jennifer Lyell when she came forward to share her story." It also acknowledged the denomination's official news agency had not accurately reported the situation as "sexual abuse by a trusted minister in a position of power at a Southern Baptist seminary." SBC officials issued statements this week lamenting Lyell's death, but her fellow advocates have denounced what they say is a failure to implement reforms. The SBC's 2022 meeting voted overwhelmingly to create a way to track pastors and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse. That came shortly after the release of a blockbuster report by an outside consultant, which said Southern Baptist leaders mishandled abuse cases and stonewalled victims for years. But the denomination's Executive Committee president, Jeff Iorg, said earlier this year that creating a database is not a focus and that the committee instead plans to refer churches to existing databases of sex offenders and focus on education about abuse prevention. The committee administers the denomination's day-to-day business. Advocates for reform don't see those approaches as adequate. It is the latest instance of "officials trailing out hollow words, impotent task forces and phony dog-and-pony shows of reform," abuse survivor and longtime advocate Christa Brown wrote on Baptist News Global, which is not SBC-affiliated. In a related action, the Executive Committee will also be seeking $3 million in convention funding for ongoing legal expenses related to abuse cases. What else is on the agenda? As of late Tuesday afternoon, attendance was at 10,541 church representatives (known as messengers). That is less than a quarter of the total that thronged the SBC's annual meeting 40 years ago this month in a Dallas showdown that marked the height of battles over control of the convention, ultimately won by the more conservative-fundamentalist side led by Pressler and his allies. Messengers will also debate whether to institute a constitutional ban on churches with women pastors and to abolish its public-policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission — which is staunchly conservative, but according to critics, not enough so. Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, said Tuesday he would address the "turbulence" during his scheduled remarks Wednesday but was confident in the messengers' support.
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Southern Baptists target porn, sports betting, same-sex marriage and 'willful childlessness'
Southern Baptists meeting this week in Dallas will be asked to approve resolutions calling for a legal ban on pornography and a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of same-sex marriage. The proposed resolutions call for laws on gender, marriage and family based on what they say is the biblically stated order of divine creation. They also call for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, is also expected to debate controversies within its own house during its annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday — such as a proposed ban on churches with women pastors. There are also calls to defund the organization's public policy arm, whose anti-abortion stance hasn't extended to supporting criminal charges for women having abortions. In a denomination where support for President Donald Trump is strong, there is little on the advance agenda referencing specific actions by Trump since taking office in January in areas such as tariffs, immigration or the pending budget bill containing cuts in taxes, food aid and Medicaid. Remnants of the epic showdown in Dallas 40 years ago Southern Baptists will be meeting on the 40th anniversary of another Dallas annual meeting. An epic showdown took place when a record-shattering 45,000 church representatives clashed in what became a decisive blow in the takeover of the convention — and its seminaries and other agencies — by a more conservative faction that was also aligned with the growing Christian conservative movement in presidential politics. The 1985 showdown was "the hinge convention in terms of the old and the new in the SBC," said Albert Mohler, who became a key agent in the denomination's rightward shift as longtime president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Attendance this week will likely be a fraction of 1985's, but that meeting's influence will be evident. Any debates will be among solidly conservative members. Many of the proposed resolutions — on gambling, pornography, sex, gender and marriage — reflect long-standing positions of the convention, though they are especially pointed in their demands on the wider political world. They are proposed by the official Committee on Resolutions, whose recommendations typically get strong support. A proposed resolution says legislators have a duty to "pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family" and to oppose laws contradicting "what God has made plain through nature and Scripture." To some outside observers, such language is theocratic. "When you talk about God's design for anything, there's not a lot of room for compromise," said Nancy Ammerman, professor emerita of sociology of religion at Boston University. She was an eyewitness to the Dallas meeting and author of "Baptist Battles," a history of the 1980s controversy between theological conservatives and moderates. "There's not a lot of room for people who don't have the same understanding of who God is and how God operates in the world," she said. Mohler said the resolutions reflect a divinely created order that predates the writing of the Scriptures and is affirmed by them. He said the Christian church has always asserted that the created order "is binding on all persons, in all times, everywhere." Southern Baptist views more politically viable today Separate resolutions decry pornography and sports betting as destructive, calling for the former to be banned and the latter curtailed. At least some of these political stances are in the realm of plausibility at a time when their conservative allies control all levers of power in Washington and many have embraced aspects of a Christian nationalist agenda. A Southern Baptist, Mike Johnson, is speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line to the presidency. At least one Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, has called for revisiting the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Other religious conservatives — including some in the Catholic postliberal movement, which has influenced Vice President JD Vance — have promoted the view that a robust government should legislate morality, such as banning pornography while easing church-state separation. And conservatives of various stripes have echoed one of the resolution's call for pro-natalist policies and its decrying of "willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate." Some call for eliminating Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Some preconvention talk has focused on defunding the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy arm, which has been accused of being ineffective. Ten former Southern Baptist presidents endorsed its continued funding, though one other called for the opposite. A staunchly conservative group, the Center for Baptist Leadership, has posted online articles critical of the commission, which is adamantly anti-abortion but has opposed state laws criminalizing women seeking abortions. The commission has appealed to Southern Baptists for support, citing its advocacy for religious liberty and against abortion and transgender identity. "Without the ERLC, you will send the message to our nation's lawmakers and the public at large that the SBC has chosen to abandon the public square at a time when the Southern Baptist voice is most needed," said a video statement from the commission president, Brent Leatherwood. A group of Southern Baptist ethnic groups and leaders signed a statement in April citing concern over Trump's immigration crackdown, saying it has hurt church attendance and raised fears. "Law and order are necessary, but enforcement must be accompanied with compassion that doesn't demonize those fleeing oppression, violence, and persecution," the statement said. The Center for Baptist Leadership, however, denounced the denominational Baptist Press for working to "weaponize empathy" in its reporting on the statement and Leatherwood for supporting it. Texas pastor Dwight McKissic, a Black pastor who shares many of the Southern Baptist Convention's conservative stances, criticized what he sees as a backlash against the commission, "the most racially progressive entity in the SBC." "The SBC is transitioning from an evangelical organization to a fundamentalist organization," he posted on the social media site X. "Fewer and fewer Black churches will make the transition with them." Amendment to ban churches with women pastors An amendment to ban churches with women pastors failed in 2024 after narrowly failing to gain a two-thirds supermajority for two consecutive years. It is expected to be reintroduced. The denomination's belief statement says the office of pastor is limited to men, but there remain disagreements over whether this applies only to the lead pastor or to assistants as well. In recent years, the convention began purging churches that either had women as lead pastors or asserted that they could serve that role. But when an SBC committee this year retained a South Carolina megachurch with a woman on its pastoral staff, some argued this proved the need for a constitutional amendment. (The church later quit the denomination of its own accord.) The meeting comes as the Southern Baptist Convention continues its long membership slide, down 2% in 2024 from the previous year in its 18th consecutive annual decline. The organization now reports a membership of 12.7 million members, still the largest among Protestant denominations, many of whom are shrinking faster. More promising are Southern Baptists' baptism numbers — a key spiritual vital sign. They stand at 250,643, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and, at least for now, reversing a long slide.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Freedom Flotilla gives statement as Israel 'illegally seizes' Madleen
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition spoke through its Telegram channel after its ship the Madleen was captured by Israel. The 12 people on board – including Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and Al Jazeera correspondent Omar Faiad – have been imprisoned. The Madleen had been sailing under a UK red ensign, meaning it was under UK jurisdiction in international waters, when Israel attacked it. The move has been described as a 'clear breach' of international law by the Turkish government, while the UK's has remained silent. READ MORE: UK Government sends spy plane over Gaza as Freedom Flotilla ship threatened by Israel The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said: 'It's time for our governments to do their jobs and sanction Israel. Its illegal attack on 'Madleen' while sailing in international waters is a small extension of their war crimes in Gaza. 'Governments, institutions, media, and corporations must stop protecting Israel, now. They must stop prioritising profit over human lives, now. 'Protect our volunteers while protecting Palestinians in Gaza and wider Palestine.' On the abduction of MEP Hassan, the group said it was 'not only an attack on civilians, but a direct assault on international law, parliamentary immunity, and the principle of free humanitarian access'. It went on: 'Israel must be held accountable. The European Parliament must formally demand her immediate release and Israel's legal accountability. 'This interception is a direct result of the international community's ongoing failure to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes. Activists pictured on the Madleen, which was sailing under a UK flag (Image: Freedom Flotilla) 'A state currently on trial for genocide must not be allowed to dictate whether life-saving aid reaches the very people it stands accused of trying to destroy.' The Freedom Flotilla Coalition pointed to the 2010 raid on their ships by the Israeli military, which also occurred in international waters and left 10 volunteers dead. The group said: 'No state has the authority to enforce an unlawful blockade, especially one whose primary purpose is to starve civilians and obstruct humanitarian relief. 'Israel's threats and attacks against peaceful ships like 'Madleen', carrying essential aid and international human rights defenders, are part of its broader pattern of impunity and disregard for international norms.' The unlawful seizure of the Madleen The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said of the boat seizure: 'At 3:02AM EEST, 110 nautical miles from Gaza, the 'Madleen' was illegally boarded by the IOF [Israel Occupation Forces] in international waters. 'Prior to their abduction, quadcopter drones flew in close range before attacking the 'Madleen' with a white chemical-like substance, harming their eyes. Signals were jammed, and disturbing audio was broadcast to interfere with communication over the radio system as the IOF boarded. 'Our volunteers were attacked and taken against their will while sailing lawfully toward Palestinian territorial waters, where Israel has no right to control. 'The 'Madleen' has reportedly been seized, and our aid, including baby formula, food, and medical supplies, has also been taken.' CCTV image shared by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (Image: FFC) Sharing security footage timestamped 2:02AM, the group added: 'This is the last moment that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ground team saw their friends, comrades and family members while they were being illegally intercepted, boarded and abducted by the Israeli military. Their whereabouts remain unknown. 'At this time, we are urgently working to locate the 11 international volunteers and one journalist abducted from 'Madleen'. 'According to the Israeli Immigration Authority, they are not yet in its custody. FFC lawyers in occupied Palestine have repeatedly contacted Israeli military officials, but are yet to receive any response to inquiries since the early hours of the morning.' Who is on board the Madleen? There are twelve civilian crew members on board the ship, which is flying the UK flag. The crew members are: Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate and social justice activist Baptise Andre, French physician Omar Faiad, French journalist with Al Jazeera Reva Viard, French climate activist Rima Hassan, French member of the European parliament, representing La France Insoumise party Yanis Mhamdi, French journalist with independent media outlet Blast Pascal Maurieras, French activist Suayb Ordu, Turkish activist Marco van Rennes, Dutch marine engineering student Sergio Toribio, Spanish crew member, a member of marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd Thiago Avila, Brazilian journalist, social activist and politician Yasemin Acar, German activist of Kurdish descent Israel's statements Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said the Madleen was being taken to the port of Ashdod, which is around 17 miles north of Gaza. Katz said: "I congratulate the IDF for the quick and safe takeover of the 'Madleen' flotilla to prevent them from breaking the blockade and reaching the shores of Gaza. "I instructed the IDF to show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre when they arrive at the port of Ashdod. "It is appropriate that the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organisation they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself. "The IDF will continue its war against the Hamas murderers with all its moral righteousness until they are subdued, all the hostages are released, and the security of the State of Israel is ensured." Separately, Israel's foreign ministry called the boat a "selfie yacht' and claimed the "show is over". All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over. — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025 It went on: "While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza. "There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. Israel is preparing to hold the 12 unlawfully detained activists in separate cells in Givon Prison in Ramla, media in the country is reporting. The far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is said to have ordered officials to block the detainees from having any pro-Palestine symbols or access to any electronic communications equipment.
