Turkiye Ends Quake Rescue Efforts, Except in 2 Provinces

Turkiye has ended rescue efforts in all provinces except the two hardest hit by last week’s massive quake that killed tens of thousands of people, the Turkish disaster agency said.

“In many of our provinces, search and rescue efforts have been completed. They continue in Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces,” the agency’s chief Yunus Sezer said. The epicentre of the 7. 8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 was in Pazarcik district in Kahramanmaras. 

Sezer said search and rescue efforts continued at around 40 buildings in the provinces on the 14th day, but expected this number to fall by Sunday evening. The agency head also said Turkey’s death toll had risen to 40,689.

The total death toll including Syria is now 44,377. 

Turkish vice-president Fuat Oktay said Saturday that some 105,000 buildings either collapsed, needed to be demolished or were severely damaged in the quake. There had been breathless coverage since the quake of rescue teams finding survivors. That has since slowed down with no survivors found in at least 24 hours. On Saturday, rescuers found a man and a woman alive in the 296th hour in the Turkish city of Antakya.

Saudi Arabia to send Its First Woman Into Space

Saudi Arabia will send its first-ever woman astronaut on a space mission later this year, state media has reported in the latest move to revamp the kingdom’s ultra-conservative image. Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi male astronaut  Ali Al-Qarni on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), “during the second quarter of 2023”, the official Saudi Press Agency said.  The astronauts “will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission” and the space flight will “launch from the US”, the agency said. The oil-rich country will be following in the footsteps of the UAE which in 2019 became the first Arab country to send one of its citizens into space. At the time, astronaut Hazzaa al- Mansoori spent eight days on the ISS. Another fellow Emirati, Sultan al-Neyadi, will also make a voyage later this month.

Chuppu Elected B’desh’s 22nd Prez

Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, a former judge and freedom fighter will be Bangladesh’s new President, the chief election commission has announced. Chuppu, 74, was elected unopposed and will replace President Mohammad Abdul Hamid. The chief election commission declared Chuppu, Awami League advisory council member and the party’s nominee, the President-elect of Bangladesh unopposed. Chuppu will be the 22nd President of Bangladesh. 

Balloon Incidents Part of a Pattern: Nato Chief

Recent incidents regarding balloons shot down by the US, which suspects they are surveillance balloons from China, form part of a pattern which highlights the need for Nato to be vigilant, said Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. “What we saw over US is part of a pattern where China and also Russia are increasing surveillance activities on Nato allies,” 

Russia Jails Journalist For 6 Years Over Critical Comments on War

A Russian court sentenced Maria Ponomarenko, a journalist who worked for RusNews website, to six years in prison for comments critical of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, officials said. She was sentenced for spreading information she knew to be false about Moscow’s Army, said the Investigative Committee.