L'Aquila marks earthquake anniversary Skip to main content

L'Aquila marks earthquake anniversary

A banner reads 'We want our city back' in L'Aquila, 21 March 2010
Residents have been demonstrating against the city's continued closure
The Italian city of L'Aquila is holding a series of events to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed 300 and left 60,000 homeless.
The commemorations for Europe's biggest post-war natural disaster include night time vigils and a musical requiem.
The night's events include a pause for reflection at 0332 (0132 GMT) - the exact moment the earthquake struck.
The 6.2 magnitude quake devastated the centre of the medieval city and surrounding villages.

The original rescue and recovery operation was widely praised, with most people soon put into temporary accommodation, says BBC correspondent Duncan Kennedy.
Most of those made homeless have since been rehoused in temporary accommodation.
But the centre of L'Aquila remains off limits as the buildings are unsafe.
That situation, our correspondent says, has lead to frustrations for thousands of people who've been staging demonstrations with wheelbarrows, a symbol, they say, of their desire to clear the city of its rubble and bring it back to life.
Mayor Massimo Cialente has been strongly criticised by some residents.
"The city is still stuck, emptied of its inhabitants," one local campaigner, Anna Colasanto, told the AFP news agency.
The authorities say it could take up to 10 years for life to return to normal.

BBC NEWS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f