Briefly

TURKIYE

Ankara widens probe into collapsed buildings

Turkiye has arrested 184 people suspected of responsibility in the building collapses in this month's earthquakes, and investigations are widening, a minister said on Saturday, as anger simmered over what many see as corrupt practices. The death toll in Turkiye and neighboring Syria reached more than 50,000. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said more than 600 people had been investigated in connection with collapsed buildings. Meanwhile, schools reopened in northwestern Syria on Saturday, almost three weeks after the deadly quakes, local officials said.

ITALY

Migrant shipwreck in the south kills over 40

Forty-three people died while 80 people survived when a boat carrying migrants crashed against rocks near the coast of southern Italy early on Sunday, the Italian coast guard and police said. The shipwreck took place near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, the region that forms the tip of Italy's boot. The boat was carrying about 120 people and hit rocks "a few meters from the shore," the coast guard said, adding that the search for other possible survivors was still on. Earlier, the Mayor of Cutro, Antonio Ceraso, told the SkyTG24 news channel that women and children were among the dead.

ISRAEL

Law reform protests enter eighth week

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the government and its judicial reforms on Saturday for the eighth week in a row. Israeli media said more than 100,000 people protested nationwide, with the main demonstration in Tel Aviv, about 25,000 rallying in Haifa, and thousands gathering in front of the president's residence in Jerusalem. People also gathered in front of the home of Justice Minister Yariv Levin in the central city of Modiin. The protests are against a major overhaul of the judicial system, which was set in motion on Feb 13 when the administration initiated the legislative procedure for the reforms. The Israeli parliament has passed the first of three readings of several related bills.

Agencies via Xinhua