Free Republic

German rescuers and the Austrian army paused search operations on Saturday, citing clashes between unnamed groups. Security is expected to worsen as food supplies dwindle, one rescuer said. And nearly 50 people have been arrested for looting, with several guns seized, local media reported. Turkey's president said he would use emergency powers to punish anyone breaking the law. An Austrian army spokesperson said early on Saturday that clashes between unidentified groups in the Hatay province had left dozens of personnel from the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit seeking shelter in a base camp with other international organisations. Hours after Austria...

For the first time since a massive earthquake struck Turkey's east, Ankara has asked Israel for aid on Tuesday, after rejecting several offers by top Israeli officials in the last two days. On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected an aid offer by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone conversation between the two leaders, representing the second such rejection since a 7.2 magnitude quake struck Turkey. On Sunday, despite the frantic search and rescue efforts, Turkey turned down Israel's offer, as well as similar offers from several other countries. Ankara issued a statement saying that the extent...

A strong earthquake collapsed homes and buildings in eastern Turkey Sunday morning. Casualty report to come. The mid-day earthquake was recorded at 7.3 on the Richter scale, according to a Greek news agency, and 6.6 by the Associated Press.