Two days after an earthquake tore through central Italy, the dust is settling on the razed buildings, and the hope of finding survivors in the rubble is fading away. The first burials of victims took place this morning, only hours after Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas and pledged 50 million euros to rebuild devastated towns, according to Italian daily Il Messaggero.
As with every natural disaster, we keep an eye on escalating tolls. At least 268 people were killed and more than 400 were wounded by the 6.2-magnitude quake. Dozens are still missing. Hundreds of aftershocks, including a 4.7-magnitude tremor early this morning, are putting the lives of thousands of rescue workers at risk.
But the images are often more potent than numbers: The drone footage of the streets of Amatrice — one of the worst-hit villages — taken by the Italian fire and rescue service, brings back memories of the L’Aquila quake in 2009, which killed more than 300 in the Abruzzo region. In an op-ed, Italian daily Corriere della Sera focuses on the lessons we should learn from past earthquakes and the need to build structures that are resistant to them.
As is often the case, many are wondering what could have been done to avoid such a high toll in a famously earthquake-prone region. The dust may be settling, but the questions are only beginning to be raised.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY (& WEEKEND)
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to inaugurate Istanbul’s third Bosphorus bridge, the widest suspension bridge in the world.
- France’s highest court to rule on burkini ban, as debate about the full-body swimsuit heats up.
- A brewing hurricane could hit Florida on Sunday.
CAR BOMB IN TURKEY KILLS 11
A bomb-laden truck targeting a police station killed 11 officers and wounded dozens early this morning in the Cizre district of southeastern Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency reports. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities are blaming members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
CAR BOMB IN SOMALIA KILLS 6
Two gunmen belonging to al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group killed at least six people at a beach restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb before opening fire, Al Jazeera reports.
— ON THIS DAY
From the Vatican to NYC, here’s your 57-second shot of History.
DAMASCUS SUBURB SIEGE ENDS
Syrian state news agency SANA reports that a deal was signed today between rebel fighters and the Syrian army to evacuate families from the Damascus suburb of Daraya. The settlement ends one of the longest-standing sieges in Syria’s five-year civil war.
— WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
In 2012, Serge Desazars left his well-paid job in fashion to start looking for black diamonds: Tuber melanosporum — a.k.a. “black truffle.” For French daily Les Echos, Stéphane Frachet met the businessman-turned-mushroom hunter — and his dogs: “Serge Desazars admits it bluntly: He’s ‘addicted’ to truffles. In 1996, aged 26, he planted truffle oaks on 1.5 acres next to the family house. ‘He used to train his dog in Paris’ public gardens by hiding truffles in the soil,’ says Adrienne, his wife, laughing as she remembers her husband down on all fours, his hands in the soil to feel the precious mushrooms. ‘People would look at him as if he was a freak. Many thought he was a crackpot.'”
Read the full article, From Fashion To Truffle Hunting, A Businessman’s Tale.
265 MILLION ACRES
As yesterday marked the 100th birthday of the National Park Service, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to create the world’s largest protected marine area by expanding Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to 600,000 square miles, the Honolulu Civil Beat reports. During his presidential terms, Obama has permanently protected more than 265 million acres of public land and water — more than any other president.
QUOTE/UNQUOTE
To celebrate the late Mother Teresa’s birthday, who would have turned 106 today, here’s one of Worldcrunch’s exclusive, 15-second Quote/Unquote videos, featuring words of wisdom from the Skopje-born nun and missionary.
VERBATIM
“From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia,” U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said yesterday at a rally in Reno, Nevada, about the Republican nominee. The declaration came a day after Trump called her “a bigot.”
— MY GRAND-PERE’S WORLD
Fishing Fashion — Nazaré, 1963
UBER LOSES $1.2 BILLION
According to Bloomberg, ride-sharing giant Uber lost at least $1.27 billion in the first half of 2016. Most of the losses can be blamed on subsidies for the company’s drivers.
MORE STORIES, BROUGHT TO YOU BY WORLDCRUNCH
- Digital Fort Knox: Inside The World’s Most Secretive Data Center — Süddeutsche Zeitung
- Giant Ghost Town Reflects What’s Wrong With China’s Economic Model — The Washington Post
- Little Talked About, This Issue Can Choke Colombia’s Peace Deal Down The Line — America Economia
DO YOU SPEAK GEEK?
Humor website Cracked.com sat down with two “conlangers,” that is, linguists in charge of creating fictional languages for movies and TV shows like Avatar and Game of Thrones. And their stories are fülgentasblikk.
