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From Our Own Correspondent

The questions after Turkey's earthquake

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kate Adie introduces analysis and reportage from correspondents in Turkey, Israel, Nigeria, Georgia and South Sudan.

While reporting from across southern Turkey after the February 6 earthquake, Nick Beake often came across moments of astonishing kindness and generosity - but also found an incalculable burden of grief and a growing sense of anger. How and why did the natural disaster have such devastating human consequences - and can anyone be held responsible for the deaths and damage?

There's a war of words going on in Israel over moves by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to reform the status and powers of the country's Supreme Court. Amid the fervent demonstrations and political horse-trading in and around the Knesset building, Yolande Knell's been hearing the cases for and against the proposed changes to the system.

Nigeria is due to elect its next President on the 25th of February, but the scheduled election day comes as the nation grapples with a string of crises. Soaring inflation, burgeoning insecurity and dire fuel shortages have been capped off by currency chaos - as the entire country struggles to find enough cash to pay for its daily needs. Mayeni Jones reports from Lagos.

The political career of Mikhail Saakashvili has never been short of passionate rhetoric or dramatic twists, but recently, people in Tbilisi have been worried by a series of images which seemed to show their former President wasting away in a prison clinic. Rayhan Demytrie explains why 'Misha' still provokes strong feelings in Georgia.

And: what is really the point of a Papal visit? As Aleem Maqbool followed the route of Pope Francis's recent travels to the D R Congo and South Sudan, he was moved by the joy of the crowds - and considered how Popes can move politicians to act.

Producer: Polly Hope Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

0:06.0

Today, election day draws near in Nigeria, and young voters might finally have a candidate

0:11.9

who's ready to respond to their frustrations.

0:15.2

In Israel, the argument over reforming its Supreme Court and defining the essence of the

0:20.5

country's democracy gets sharper.

0:23.6

Once President, he's now a prisoner and apparently wasting away in jail in Georgia.

0:28.8

That is happening to Mikhail Sakashvili, and as the crowds must, to greet Pope Francis

0:34.9

in South Sudan, what it was like to enter the papal bubble for a while.

0:40.3

But first to Turkey, which is still reeling from the damage done by its worst earthquake

0:45.2

in decades, regionally Turkey's seen as a humanitarian superpower, often sending aid

0:51.6

and emergency teams to help other countries like Yemen, Syria and Somalia.

0:57.3

But after this latest domestic disaster, questions are being raised about the emergency response

1:02.8

at home.

1:03.8

Could the scale of deaths and the destruction have been avoided, or at least, lessened?

1:09.6

And did the government of President Regiptaip Erdogan do enough to save lives in the aftermath?

1:16.4

President Erdogan's opponents say it didn't, and grievances expressed by earthquake survivors

1:21.6

have been getting louder.

1:23.7

A general election is due later this year.

1:26.6

And our correspondent in southern Turkey, Nick Beak, says, whoever runs the country faces

1:32.0

a monumental task, not just rebuilding thousands of homes, but a nation's sense of trust.

1:39.5

Can I help you with anything?

1:41.3

What do you need?

...

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