Rescuers in Turkey and Syria dug with their bare hands through the freezing night Tuesday hunting for survivors among the rubble of thousands of buildings felled in a series of violent earthquakes. The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,300 after a swarm of strong tremors near the Turkey-Syria border — the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude. Multi-storey apartment buildings full of residents were among the 5,606 structures […]
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At least 20 escape Syria prison holding IS inmates after quake
Azaz, Syria | AFP | Monday 2/7/2023 Prisoners mutinied in a northwestern Syria prison Monday following a deadly earthquake, with at least 20 escaping the jail holding mostly Islamic State group members, a source at the facility told AFP. The military police prison in the town of Rajo near the Turkish border holds about 2,000 inmates, with about 1,300 of them suspected to be IS fighters, said the source. The prison also holds fighters from […]
Earthquake kills more than 3,600 in Turkey, Syria
SANLIURFA, Turkey (AFP) — A major earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 3,600 people and flattening thousands of buildings as rescuers dug with bare hands for survivors. Dozens of nations pledged aid after the 7.8-magnitude quake, which hit as people were still sleeping and amid freezing weather that has hampered emergency efforts. Multi-storey apartment buildings full of residents were among the 5,606 structures reduced to rubble in Turkey, while Syria […]
Mother, seven children die in fire in France
Lille, France | AFP | Monday 2/6/2023 A mother and her seven children aged two to 14 died after a fire broke out while they slept in their house in northern France on Monday, police and firefighters said. The raging blaze, the deadliest such fire in France in a decade, broke out shortly after midnight in the family home in the town of Charly-sur-Marne, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Paris. The mother and […]
Endangered monarch butterflies face perilous storm
by Julie JAMMOT Agence France-Presse Santa Cruz, United States (AFP) — As devastating storms pounded California, nature lovers feared for endangered monarch butterflies that winter there as part of a seemingly magical migration pattern. The colorfully winged insects that travel vast distances over the course of generations have been closely watched in the US state since they neared extinction just three years ago. As the sun rose one January morning, volunteers began counting monarch butterflies, […]
In Pictures: 7.8-Magnitude earthquake kills hundreds across Turkey and Syria
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria early on Monday, killing hundreds of people as they slept, levelling buildings and sending tremors that were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus, Egypt and Iraq. One of the largest quakes to strike Turkey in a century wiped out entire sections of major cities in a region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts. The head […]
DOTr Chief Bautista: Body investigating NAIA ‘glitch’ to submit findings to Senate panel on Feb. 15
(Eagle News) — The external body tasked to investigate the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system is set to submit its findings on February 15. According to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, the report prepared by the body composed of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) will be submitted to […]
Renault, Nissan boards approve ‘rebalanced’ alliance
by Taimaz SZIRNIKS The boards of French automaker Renault and Japanese partner Nissan have approved a major overhaul of their rocky 24-year alliance following months of negotiations, the companies said on Monday. The carmakers said in a joint statement that they “rebalanced” their relationship, with Renault reducing its stake in the Japanese firm from 43.4 percent to 15 percent, the same size as Nissan’s share in its French counterpart. The agreement includes Nissan taking a […]
URGENT: Quake death toll in Turkey soars to 284: official
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Monday 2/6/2023 – 08:15 UTC+1 | 57 words At least 284 people died in Turkey from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s southeast on Monday, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, updating earlier figures. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck before dawn near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, about 40 kilometres from the Syrian border. It left northwestern Syria “in a state of catastrophe” with “destruction, devastation, and collapse of buildings,” […]
‘Assassin’s Creed’ composer wins first ever video game music Grammy
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — “Assassin’s Creed” composer Stephanie Economou won the first ever Grammy honoring video game scores at Sunday’s gala in Los Angeles. Industry players had lobbied for years for a prize celebrating the work behind video game soundtracks, an acknowledgment of the major impact gaming and its music have on pop culture. In her acceptance speech, Economou — who composed the music for “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok” — praised […]
At least 245 dead in Syria after Turkey earthquake
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — At least 245 people were killed in Syria on Monday as buildings collapsed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that had its epicenter in neighboring Turkey, state media and a medical source said. More than 230 people were killed and over 600 injured in government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria, the health ministry said, while a hospital told AFP that eight others were killed in northern areas controlled by pro-Turkish factions. “Six hundred and […]
Indonesian economic growth rises to nine-year high
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s economic growth accelerated to a nine-year high in 2022 despite global uncertainty and a final-quarter slowdown, official data showed Monday, owing to soaring commodity prices and easing Covid-19 curbs. Indonesia was badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with its exports and tourism-reliant economy taking a massive hit in 2020 as GDP shrunk by 2.07 percent — its first recession since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But Southeast Asia’s largest economy […]





