CLOCK TICKING FOR RESCUERS AS QUAKE TOLL NEARS 8,000

The death toll in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday has soared to at least 7,926, CNN reported citing officials.

At least 5,894 people were killed and 34,810 people injured in Turkey, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, who passed the statement on Tuesday, whereas the Syrian Civil Defence, known as the 'White Helmets', on Tuesday revealed that the number of fatalities in northwest Syria rose to 1,220 and injured to 2,600.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency for three months in 10 southern provinces, which were hit by massive earthquakes, Anadolu Agency reported.

He said the measures would allow relief workers and financial aid into the affected regions but did not give further details.

Relatives of victims who lived in collapsed buildings have joined frantic rescue efforts in one of the worst-hit Turkish cities, using pickaxes and crowbars

Some anguished families have said rescue services took too long to respond in some areas.

A severe cold condition has hampered rescue and relief efforts and made the plight of the homeless even more miserable. According to Reuters, some areas were without fuel and electricity.

In Geneva, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “It’s now a race against time.”

“Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes,” WHO chief added.

Up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake that has killed thousands in Turkey and Syria, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday, promising long-term assistance. “Event overview maps show that potentially 23 million people are exposed,” the WHO’s senior emergencies officer Adelheid Marschang said.

Around 70 countries are sending aid to Turkey, but there is growing anger in some places that help is not arriving fast enough.

India is extending its support to Turkey through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake.

The C17 flight with over 50 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and a specially trained dog squad along with necessary equipment, including medical supplies, drilling machines and other equipment required for the aid efforts departed for Turkey on Tuesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent condolences to his Syrian counterpart. "I am sure that under your leadership, the Syrian government and the people will overcome damage from the quake as quickly as possible and the lives of affected people will be stabilized," Mr Kim said in a voice message to Syria's president Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, state media reported.

‘BECAUSE THEY ARE THE CHINESE GOVT’: BIDEN ON WHY BEIJING FLOATED SPY BALLOON

US President Joe Biden on Monday reasoned that China floated balloons across continental America because they are the Chinese government. “They’re the Chinese government,” Biden said. “The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the US is. . . anticipated from China. The question is whether or not — when we asked China what they’re doing, they didn’t deny — they just denied what it was. ” “It is not a question of trusting China, it’s aquestion of deciding where we should work together and where we have opposition,” he said. Biden said this is not going to weaken US-China ties. He said it was always his position to shoot down the balloon. “I told the defence department. . . to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate,” he said.

‘MANY CHINA BALLOONS SPOTTED IN TRUMP ERA’

Alleged Chinese spy balloons were spotted on several occasions during Donald Trump’s administration, including three instances where they travelled near US military facilities, according to people familiar with the matter. The balloons were spotted near Texas, Florida and Hawaii, and the Pacific Ocean island of Guam, where the US has naval and Air Force bases. The balloons also flew near Norfolk, Virginia, and Coronado, California — ports where the US stations its aircraft carriers.

SUNAK RESHUFFLES CABINET, CREATES NEW GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

Days after sacking the chair of the Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi, after a controversy around his tax affairs, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a partial reshuffle of his Cabinet, including a new Chair, Greg Hands, who has been the Minister of State for Trade.

With a general election on the horizon next year, Mr. Sunak is seeking to push forward on his agenda, creating new departments and reorganising old ones, while attempting to consolidate his leadership of the party.

Department for energy

The Department for Business, Energy, Innovation was split, with Grant Shapps, the Business Secretary now heading a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Department will focus on the U.K.’s “long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation”, as per a Downing Street statement.

“So seven years after the disastrous decision to abolish the Department of Energy, the Conservatives now admit they got it wrong, but a rearranging of deckchairs on the sinking Titanic of failed Conservative energy policy will not rescue the country,” shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said on Twitter.

PAKISTAN REGULATOR LIFTS BAN ON WIKIPEDIA AFTER PM SHARIF’S ORDER

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lifted its ban on Wikipedia services on Tuesday, after the country’s media regulator blocked the site last week for not removing purportedly blasphemous content, claiming it hurts the sentiments of Muslims. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the unblocking late on Monday, according to a statement.

PESHAWAR MOSQUE ATTACK CONSPIRACY HATCHED IN AF: PAK

Peshawar : The plot to target a highly secure mosque here in the capital of Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hatched in Afghanistan and funded by their intelligence agency, the country’s law enforcement officials probing the suicide attack said on Tuesday.

On January 30, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in aPeshawar mosque, killing 101 people and injuring over 200.

The motorcycle used in the blast was sold twice in Sarki Gate, Peshawar’s bustling market, officials said. Police said they have arrested the sellers of the motorcycle. Police sources said the security agencies have arrested 17 suspects. Meanwhile, the Counter Terrorism Department Peshawar has announced abounty of Rs 10 million for the facilitators of the bomber.

SOUTH KOREA RESPONSIBLE FOR VIETNAM WAR MASSACRE, SAYS COURT

SEOUL: A Seoul court delivered a ruling on Tuesday holding the South Korean government accountable for a massacre committed by its soldiers in the Vietnam War, ordering it to pay compensation. In the 1960s and 1970s, South Korea sent troops to support America’s doomed fight against the communist North Vietnamese.

NEW ZEALAND PILOT TAKEN HOSTAGE BY SEPARATISTS IN INDONESIA

A New Zealand pilot has been taken hostage by separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region who have threatened to kill him.

The man was taken after his plane was set alight when it landed in the mountainous district of Nduga. Five passengers who were on board, including a young child, are thought to have been released.

The separatists want Indonesia to recognise the independence of the province of West Papua. Police have said they are investigating the incident - but say this is logistically difficult as the area can only be reached by air. The pilot has been named as Philip Merthens, although different spellings for his name have been given.

The West Papua National Liberation Army - which Indonesia has designated as a terrorist group - has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's spokesperson, Sebby Sambom, has said the pilot will be executed if Indonesia "is obstinate" and fails to negotiate over the independence of West Papua.

The New Zealand government has said that it is aware of the situation and its consulate in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, is providing assistance to the pilot's family. The plane, which belonged to Susi Air, was carrying supplies from the mining town of Timika in the neighbouring district, according to the Associated Press.

The Papua region is a former Dutch colony that is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua. It was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 following a disputed UN-supervised ballot and since then fighting between separatists and the Indonesian military has become common. Papua is separate to Papua New Guinea, which was given independence by Australia in 1975.

20 ESCAPE SYRIA JAIL HOLDING IS MILITANTS: REPORT

Azaz : Prisonersmutinied in a Syria prison on Monday following a deadly earthquake, with at least 20 escaping the jail holding mostly Islamic State terror group members, a source at the facility said. The military police prison in the town of Rajo holds about 2,000 inmates, with about 1,300 of them suspected to be IS fighters, said the source.

Theprison also holds fighters from Kurdish-led forces. “After the earthquake struck, Rajo was affected and inmates started to mutiny and took control of parts of the prison,” said the official at Rajo jail, which is controlled by pro-Turkish factions. “About 20 prisoners fled. . . who are believed to be IS militants. ” The quake caused damage to the prison, with walls and doors cracking, the source added. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it could not verify whether prisoners had escaped, but confirmed there was a mutiny.

AN ASTEROID SIZE OF ROME COLOSSEUM DETECTED: REPORT

An asteroid roughly the size of Rome’s Colosseum, between 300 and 650 feet, in length, has been detected by scientists using Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope, according to a new research. The object, detected by the international team of European astronomers, is likely the smallest observed to date by Webb, the research said. It may also be an example of an object measuring under 1 km, one of the smallest in length within the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter, the research said. The team’s project used data from the calibration of the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), in which the team serendipitously detected an interloping asteroid, the research published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics said. Calibration is the act of checking or adjusting theaccuracy of a measuring instrument by comparison with a standard. More observations are needed to better characterize this object's nature and properties, the research said.