Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.
King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and began treatment, the Buckingham Palace announced on February 5.
The Palace says the cancer was identified during the King’s recent hospital treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.
“A separate issue of concern was noted,” the Palace says, and “subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer”.
Buckingham Palace statement in full:
“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.
“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.
“His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”
The Palace has not said what type of cancer the King has been diagnosed with.
King Charles, 75, has been advised to postpone public duties, but will “undertake state duties” and continue to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weekly.
He is being treated as an out-patient, and is at home in London, the Palace says.
The King’s cancer diagnosis comes after more than two weeks of reports over his health. Here’s a timeline of what’s been happening:
17 January: Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles will attend hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate the following week
26 January: The King receives his treatment for an enlarged prostate, after being admitted to the London Clinic in the morning. Queen Camilla says of her husband: “He’s doing well”
29 January: King Charles leaves hospital after three nights. The Palace says he will have to postpone his public engagements “to allow for a period of private recuperation”
31 January: The Queen says her husband is “doing his best” after hospital treatment
4 February: The King and Queen attend church in Sandringham, with Charles waving at well-wishers, in his first public outing since treatment
5 February: The Palace announces that King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer discovered during his recent treatment and he has started “regular treatments”
Image source: Getty Images
Prince Harry has spoken to his father and will travel to the UK from the US in the coming days.
He will be travelling alone, with his wife Meghan remaining in the US with their two children.
It’s no secret that the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family is strained.
Prince Harry’s last appearance at a royal occasion took place in May, during the King’s Coronation.
While Prince Harry and King Charles have had their differences, they have continued to have a relationship with the duke calling his father on his 75th birthday last year. The King also contacted Prince Harry to tell him of his diagnosis personally.
It is understood that suitable arrangements will be made if the King’s doctors advise him to minimise in-person contact.
The King is also expected to remain available for state duties, including for meetings of the Privy Council, the body of ministers and advisers that keep him up-to-date on the workings of the government.
He will continue to receive and review official red boxes of government paperwork.
Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, a writer he was found to have defamed by denying her allegation of sexual assault, a New York jury has ruled.
In 2023, E. Jean Carroll won another civil case in which a separate jury found Donald Trump legally responsible for sexually abusing and defaming her, and awarded her $5 million in damages.
The outcome in the first case did nothing to deter the former president in denying E. Jean Carroll’s story, personally attacking the writer and claiming he had never met her.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
After January 26 hefty legal bill, Donald Trump notably did not denigrate the former Elle columnist in his reaction online, instead calling the case a “Biden Directed Witch Hunt”.
Donald Trump – who is currently facing four criminal indictments and could soon have to dish out millions more dollars in a New York civil trial relating to business fraud – has often claimed the cases against him are politically motivated.
Recent polling has shown Donald Trump locked in a tight race with President Joe Biden, and even edging ahead in some cases, in a prospective rematch of their 2020 race.
Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll pointed out throughout the trial that Donald Trump was still defaming her both in and out of court.
In closing arguments, they asked the jurors – seven men and two women – to deliver the kind of penalty that will “make him stop”.
Of the $83.3 million awarded to E Jean Carroll, $65 million of it is punitive damages.
It is extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court would grant an appeal, because the justices rarely ever review cases involving such civil trials.
Former federal prosecutor Mitch Epner said Donald Trump has avoided having to pay E. Jean Carroll any money so far by transmitting a deposit to the court while the appeals process plays out.
Mitch Epner expects Donald Trump will do the same with these much higher damages – stumping up either cash or an appeal bond as a deposit.
Without that, he added, E Jean Carroll could start seizing the former president’s personal assets around the country, even putting liens on his real estate.
After Donald Trump’s commanding victories in the first two Republican primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, there is no sign that January 26 verdict will slow his march to the party’s presidential nomination.
Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump.
The surprise video announcement came ahead of this week’s New Hampshire Republican primary, where the Florida governor was polling in the single digits.
Once considered a strong contender for the nomination, Ron DeSantis said he did not “have a clear path to victory”.
In response, Nikki Haley said she was now the “only one” able to beat President Joe Biden.
Ron DeSantis said his campaign “left it all out on the field” in a nearly five-minute long video announcement on X, formerly Twitter.
“If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome – more campaign stops, more interviews – I would do it,” the governor said, as he ended his seven-month campaign.
Ron DeSantis added that he was endorsing the former president because it had “become clear” that “a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance”.
While Ron DeSantis acknowledged “disagreements” with Donald Trump, he said he is “superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden”.
Speaking to voters in New Hampshire, Donald Trump said his campaign had “got some word that one of our opponents, a very capable person, is dropping out”.
“In doing so, [Ron DeSantis] endorsed us,” the former president added, to loud cheers in the room.
He went on to say that he believed “most of” Ron DeSantis’ votes, “or certainly many of them”, would go to his campaign – but added “we don’t need them”.
After Ron DeSantis’ announcement, Trump’s campaign called “for all Republicans to rally behind President Trump” and slammed Nikki Haley as “the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do everything to stop the America First movement”.
Ron DeSantis also took a swipe at Ms Haley, calling her a member of “the old Republican guard of yesteryear – a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism”.
Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, responded by insisting she is the conservative – the “only one” – who can beat President Joe Biden.
Ron DeSantis narrowly finished ahead of Nikki Haley in last week’s Iowa caucus with 21% of the vote, compared to her 19%. Donald Trump received 51% of the vote.
Voters begin to arrive at caucus locations – schools, churches and small event spaces – ahead of a 19:00 local start time (20:00 ET).
Voters are braving temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) after winter storms blanketed the state in snow and ice.
Iowa is the first major state-wide vote to decide who will be the Republican. presidential candidate for the 2024 election.
There will be over 1,600 caucus sites across Iowa’s 99 counties, and all will be reporting the results of their vote to the state’s Republican Party officials as quickly as possible.
Donald Trump has consistently posted big leads over his nearest rivals in Iowa.
The most recent poll of Iowans who were likely to caucus had Trump at 48%, ahead of Nikki Haley with 20% and Ron DeSantis with 16%.
The candidates have been urging their supporters to brave the weather, with Donald Trump saying: “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”
The Haley campaign says it expects a “strong” result in Iowa, while Ron DeSantis claims sturdy support among “bed-rock” conservatives.
The Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis campaigns and their political action committees (which raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates) have altogether spent nearly $90 million on ads in Iowa.
Of these, Haley’s campaign and the pro-Haley Stand 4 America Fund PAC have spent the most, totalling about $36 million. The DeSantis campaign and various affiliated PACs follow closely behind with about $35 million spent.
Donald Trump – the distant front-runner in the race – his campaign and the MAGA Inc PAC have spent far less, totalling about $18 million.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson also remain in the contest, but are not expected to garner significant support.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been released from hospital and will perform his duties remotely as he continues to recover from treatment for prostate cancer, the Pentagon has announced.
Lloyd Austin’s delay in telling colleagues and the White House about his illness sparked criticism and three investigations.
He was admitted to an intensive care unit on January 1st due to complications from surgery in December.
The 70-year old is expected to make a full recovery, his doctors said in a statement.
“Secretary Austin progressed well throughout his stay and his strength is rebounding,” said Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Lloyd Austin’s prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and “his prognosis is excellent”, they said, adding that he has no further treatment planned.
The defense secretary is just below the president in the chain of command for the US military, and is regarded as one of the most important members of the Cabinet.
Lloyd Austin had a “minimally invasive” surgery to treat prostate cancer in late December. He was readmitted to hospital on New Year’s Day due to complications related to the procedure.
Senior defense officials and the White House did not learn that Lloyd Austin was seriously ill until three days after his re-admission.
That secrecy prompted security and transparency concerns and three investigations have since been launched into the handling of his health crisis.
President Joe Biden has said he remains confident in his secretary’s leadership but that it was “sub-optimal” that he had not disclosed the seriousness of his illness.
Lloyd Austin has since apologised for not keeping the public “appropriately informed”.
In statement on January 155, he thanked his medical team for the care he received.
“Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon,” he said.
The Pentagon said Lloyd Austin has “full access to required secure communications capabilities” as he works remotely.
A group of gunmen have broken into a live television studio in Ecuador and threatened staff, footage shows.
A live broadcast by station TC in the city of Guayaquil was interrupted on January 9 by the armed men, who were wearing hoods and carrying guns.
Staff were forced to on to the floor, before the live feed cut out.
A 60-day state of emergency began in Ecuador on January 8 after a convicted gang leader vanished from his prison cell.
The hooded men were seen leaving the TC studios, with police seen entering the set about 30 minutes after the gunmen first appeared.
Image source: TC
National police units in the country’s capital Quito and Guayaquil have been deployed to the scene.
Ecuador’s national police force said in an update on X, formerly Twitter, that staff had been evacuated from the studio.
It later said several suspects had been arrested.
Following the incident, President Daniel Noboa signed an executive order declaring an internal armed conflict and listed several organised crime groups as “terrorist organisations” and “non-state actors”.
The University of Guayaquil said all academic and administrative activities had been suspended given the social unrest nationwide.
At least seven police officers have been kidnapped by gang members since the state of emergency was declared.
The measures were introduced by President Noboa after the boss of the Los Choneros gang disappeared from a maximum security jail on January 7.
Officials said Fito, whose real name is Adolfo Macías Villamar, was not in his cell on Sunday morning when police arrived to move him to a different jail within the same compound.
He is thought to have absconded just hours before his planned transfer. Two prison guards have been detained on suspicion of helping Fito escape.
Los Choneros is a powerful prison gang which is thought to be behind many of the deadly riots and prison fights which have erupted in Ecuador’s jails over recent years.
It is not clear at this stage whether the storming of the television station is linked to the prison escape, but it is an example of the deteriorating security situation in the country.
Nearly 40 other inmates, including another convicted drug lord, broke out from another prison in the city of Riobamba on January 9.
Fito’s escape is also a blow to the government of President Daniel Noboa, who was sworn in in November after winning an election tarnished by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Fernando Villavicencio had reported receiving death threats from Fito just days before he was shot dead while leaving a campaign rally in the capital Quito.
The Pacific nation of Kiribati was the first to welcome in 2024.
Auckland in New Zealand has just greeted in 2024 with its annual vibrant fireworks display at the city’s iconic Sky Tower.
New Zealand’s two main islands – North Island and South Island – are both in the same time zone.
The Chatham Islands, which lie to the east, have a different time zone 45 minutes in advance.
Huge crowds are gathering in Sydney in Australia for one of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s fireworks displays.
Just before midnight there -eight tonnes of pyrotechnics will be launched from two of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks – the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
Sydney is about to see in the New Year, and although the weather symbols suggest it will be dry and cloudy, there are showers very close by. However, with temperatures at 21C, it’s not likely to dampen the celebrations too much.
On the other side of the world, New York can get very cold at this time of year. Thankfully there’ll be none of that bitter cold tonight – the city that never sleeps will ring in the New Year with temperatures of 5C and a very light breeze.
Revellers in Hong Kong shouldn’t expect any issues seeing tonight’s fireworks extravaganza as the city is set for clear skies with a moderate breeze.
The last place will be Baker Island – only 650 miles away from Kiribati, but 26 hours behind, due to a time zones quirk.
Ukrainian Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas on December 25 for the first time this year.
Ukraine has traditionally used the Julian calendar, also used by Russia, where Christmas falls on January 7.
In a further shift from Russia, it is now marking Christmas according to the Western – or Gregorian – calendar, which it uses in everyday life.
President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law in July, saying it allowed Ukrainians to “abandon the Russian heritage” of celebrating Christmas in January.
In a Christmas message issued on December 24, Volodymyr Zelensky said all Ukrainians were now together.
“We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country.”
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a newly created independent church that held its first service in 2019, has also changed its Christmas date to December 25.
It formally broke away from the Russian Orthodox church over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
People prayed and lit candles across the country on December 24.
In the western city of Lviv, which has been little damaged by the war, children in traditional costumes sang carols and took part in festive processions on the streets.
In recent years many worshippers have joined the OCU but millions still follow the historically Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and so will continue to celebrate Christmas on January 7.
The UOC says that in 2022 it split from Moscow because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine although many people remain sceptical.
There are expected to be quite a few Ukrainians who will be celebrating twice – the more the merrier.
The gunman who shot dead 14 people at a Prague university on December 21 killed himself after being surrounded by the authorities, Czech police said.
The attack, which happened at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University, is the worst mass shooting in Czech history.
According to authorities, evidence suggests the shooter also killed a man and his young daughter in a forest near Prague last week.
However, this is still unconfirmed.
Image source: Reuters
Officials told a news conference on December 22 that students barricaded themselves into rooms of the university building during the attack and that police had to go floor-by-floor to get them out.
They showed bodycam footage of officers as they hunted for the attacker, who died on the roof of the building.
Police said people had been asked to come out with their hands up because police were unsure if the attacker had accomplices.
Prague’s police director, Petr Matejcek, added that there were “piles of ammunition in the corridors” and said he believed the quick arrival of police prevented more bloodshed.
All of those killed in December 21 attack have now been identified, but only one person so far has been named officially. Lenka Hlavkova was head of the Institute of Musicology at Charles University.
A further 25 people were injured in the attack – including one Dutch citizen and two people from the United Arab Emirates.
The killer, named locally as 24-year-old David Kozak, is also thought to have killed his father at a separate location.
Before the shooting, police had received a report that the suspect was believed to be heading to Prague from a nearby town with the intention of killing himself.
The authorities say they are now on alert for people who may be inspired by the attack and are focused on imminent threats – including on social media.
They are also waiting for ballistic evidence to confirm that the gunman was linked to the December 15 murders of a man and his two-month-old daughter in the Klanovicky forest.
The head of Prague Police’s murder department said that the university shooter had been a suspect in the earlier killings and that police had done their best to catch the person responsible.
In a statement, Czech PM Petr Fiala said the country had been shocked by this “horrendous act”.
“It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas.”
He said December 23 would be a day of mourning, adding that flags would be flown at half-mast on all public buildings and that a minute’s silence would be observed at midday. Many sports and cultural events have been called off.
NYPD said in a news conference on December 3 that seven people were stabbed in Queens, New York. Four people are now dead after the stabbing, including a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. The perpetrator stabbed two police officers with a kitchen steak knife before being shot and killed by a veteran officer on the scene. Police identified the perpetrator as 39-year-old Courtney Gordon, killing four of his family members before stabbing two officers. Officers received a 911 calls from a girl show said her cousin was killing her family members shortly after 5 a.m. on December 3.
Police called to the Far Rockaway neighbourhood in the early hours of December 3 found the victims in a home that had been set on fire.
The male suspect stabbed two police officers before being shot by one of the injured officers.
The suspect was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
In a press briefing at Jamaica Hospital, police confirmed that they received a 911 call at 05:10 local time, when a “young female caller stated that her cousin is killing her family members”.
Two officers were sent to the address on Beach 22nd Street where they saw a male walking out with luggage.
When the officers tried to talk to the male he pulled a knife out, stabbing one officer in the neck and chest area, and a second officer in the head.
One of the officers was able to take out his firearm and shot the suspect.
When more officers were dispatched to the scene, they found an 11-year-old girl at the front of the house. She was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.
After the New York Fire Department arrived at the scene, emergency services found the bodies of three other people inside the house: a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old female, and a male in his 30s.
A 61-year-old female was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple stab wounds.
Police believe all victims died as a result of stab wounds and a kitchen steak knife was recovered from the scene.
Courtney Gordon had one prior arrest for domestic violence in the Bronx.
He was visiting his family members in Queens at the time of the attack.
Police said that the investigation was ongoing, but that the person who made the 911 call was being interviewed at the police station.
A German tourist has been killed and two others injured in a knife and hammer attack on a street in central Paris.
The attack occurred on Quai de Grenelle, near the Eiffel Tower, shortly before 21:00 local time on December 2.
The attacker, a 26-year-old French national known to security services, has been arrested and anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation.
Officials confirmed that the man killed was a German national.
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the victim, born in 1997, was with his wife when he was attacked and fatally stabbed.
Darmanin said the wife’s life was saved by the intervention of a taxi driver and that the suspect fled across a nearby bridge spanning the River Seine.
The man then attacked two more people, hitting one in the eye with a hammer, the minister said.
The suspect was then Tasered by police and arrested on suspicion of assassination – defined in French law as pre-meditated murder – and attempted assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise.
The two people injured – a Frenchman aged around 60 and a foreign tourist – were treated by emergency services, with neither found to be in a life-threatening condition.
A police operation was initiated around the Bir-Hakeim metro station on Saturday night, and authorities urged people to avoid the area.
Darmanin said the alleged attacker was heard shouting “Allahu Akbar”, Arabic for “God is greatest”, and told police he was upset because “so many Muslims are dying in Afghanistan and in Palestine”.
He said the suspect served four years in jail after being convicted for planning another attack in 2016 and was on the French security services watchlist.
The man was also known to have suffered psychiatric disorders, Darmanin said.
Photo AFP
On December 2, a video was posted on social media in which the suspect criticised the French government and discussed what he described as the murder of innocent Muslims, AFP news agency reports.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron sent his thoughts to all those affected by the “terrorist attack” and thanked the emergency services for their response.
“The national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office will now be responsible for shedding light on this affair so that justice can be done in the name of the French people,” the president said.
The attack comes less than two months after a teacher was killed in a knife attack at a high school in the northern city of Arras, prompting the French government to put the country on its highest level of national security alert.
David DePape, the man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been found guilty by a jury in San Francisco.
The assailant was convicted of assault and attempted kidnapping of a federal official.
The attack left Paul Pelosi, 83, in hospital for six days with a fractured skull and other injuries.
David DePape, who tearfully apologised for the attack in his testimony, now faces up to 50 years in prison.
He was convicted on November 16 after a week-long trial at the Phillip Burton Federal Courthouse in downtown San Francisco.
Video evidence shows the attacker, a Canadian citizen who has lived in the US for 20 years, breaking into the Pelosi home in San Francisco with a hammer on October 28 last year.
Once inside, he asked for Nancy Pelosi, who was not home at the time.
Officers responding to a 911 call from Paul Pelosi found both men gripping a hammer.
When asked to drop the weapon, DePape abruptly swung the hammer at Paul Pelosi before being subdued by officers.
The entire encounter was caught on body camera footage which was played in court.
One of the witnesses, an FBI special agent, testified that the footage showed the attacker striking Paul Pelosi three times.
Image source Wikimedia
In his own testimony, Paul Pelosi told the court that during the attack, David DePape said his intention was to “take out” Nancy Pelosi, referring to her as “the leader of the pack”.
In addition to a fractured skull, Paul Pelosi suffered injuries to his arm and hand.
David DePape’s court-appointed lawyer Jodi Linker argued that, while her client did attack Paul Pelosi, he did so because he believed in right-wing conspiracy theories with “every ounce of his being”.
Jodi Linker said DePape blamed what he saw as America’s demise on corrupt elites using their status to spread lies, including facilitating the sexual abuse of children.
She argued that David DePape was motivated by these conspiracies instead of Nancy Pelosi’s government position.
Prosecutors, however, argued that DePape was looking for Nancy Pelosi as part of a “plan of violence”.
When he was arrested, he had zip ties and duct tape in his possession.
He also told investigators after the incident that he had a “target list” and planned to hold Nancy Pelosi captive and break “her kneecaps” if she did not reveal “the truth”
David DePape now faces up to 20 years in prison for the attempted kidnapping charge, as well as an additional 30 years for assault on a federal official’s family member.
He is also facing separate state charges stemming from the incident, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and residential burglary.
He could face life in prison if convicted of the more serious state charges.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, saying “this is not my time”.
Mike Pence made the announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on October 28.
“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” he wrote in a statement.
Mike Pence, 64, is the first major Republican candidate to suspend his campaign in a race led by former President Donald Trump.
He had languished in recent polls and had struggled to gain the support of Republican voters.
The former vice president’s campaign had also racked up large amounts of debt, with Mike Pence ending September owing $621,000 and having only US$1.2 million in the bank – significantly less than other Republican rivals.
“I am leaving this campaign, but I will never leave the fight for conservative values,” he wrote in a statement addressed to his supporters.
Photo Getty Images
Mike Pence lost the support of many Republican voters when he publicly broke with Donald Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, and when he presided over the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election results in Congress.
Donald Trump admonished Mike Pence for lacking “courage” when he refused to overturn the Democratic leader’s election victory.
Some rioters were heard chanting “hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the halls of Congress in 2021, and since then many Trump loyalists have viewed him as a traitor.
The former vice-president said in March that Donald Trump’s encouragement of the rioters had “endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day”.
In his resignation, Mike Pence did not endorse any other Republican candidates for the presidential election.
But he called on Americans to choose a leader that “will ‘appeal to the better angels of our nature’ and not only lead us to victory but also lead our nation with civility and back to those time-honoured principles that have always made America strong, prosperous and free.”
Mike Pence’s decision to withdraw from the Republican presidential campaign came shortly before the third presidential debate on November 8.
As many as 20,000 people are feared to have died after a powerful stom triggered devastating flooding in eastern Libya, according to a local official.
The storm sweeping across Libya’s Mediterranean coast dumped 400mm (16 inches) of rain on some areas in less than 24 hours, compared to the 1.5mm the country normally experiences in the whole of September.
This extraordinary deluge of water overwhelmed two key dams on the Wadi Derna river running through the city, destroying several key bridges as well.
Image source: AP
In Derna, a city of around 100,000 people, two dams collapsed due to heavy rain, leading to a huge tsunami-like torrent sweeping through the city
Residents of the city, who had been ordered by the local authorities to stay in their homes, reported hearing a loud blast before the city was engulfed in water and said floods reached nearly 10ft in places.
The flooding was trigged by Storm Daniel which hit the north African nation on September 10 and brought heavy rain.
Libyan rescue teams are now being helped by international crews in the Derna area
Libya’s rival governmentshave requested international aid and are liaising with each other
The mayor of port city Derna told Saudi TV News station Al Arabiya he estimated 18,000 to 20,000 died when two dams burst, releasing a tsunami of water as people slept.
His figures are based on the number of communities destroyed by the flood water, he told the channel.
Unrecovered bodies remain under rubble or in the sea, increasing the risk of disease.
The UN has warned of the danger of disease from contaminated water in Libya.
The organization currently has people on the ground in Derna and is directing its existing stockpiles of food in the country to the area.
Libya has been split between rival governments in the east and west for around a decade.
The country was under foreign control for centuries until it gained independence in 1951 and came under the control of dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.
He ruled autocratically until he was toppled and killed in 2011 – in a rebellion assisted by Western military intervention.
In 2014, renewed fighting broke out, with Libya split between two administrations – one based in the east, and one in the west in the capital Tripoli. The two sides signed a ceasefire in 2020 but political rivalries continue.
In 2021, a Government of National Unity was formed in Tripoli with Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as the internationally-recognised prime minister, but the following year the eastern-based parliament formed a rival – and rather similarly named – Government of National Stability.
Former President Donald Trump has surrendered in Georgia on charges of plotting to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
His arrest at Fulton County Jail showed the first ever mugshot of a former US president.
Donald Trump had to pay a bail bond of $200,000 to be released from the Atlanta jail while he awaits trial.
Afterwards, he described the case as “a travesty of justice”.
It was his fourth arrest in five months in a criminal case, but this was his first police booking photo.
Donald Trump later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the first time since January 2021. He shared the address of his website and the mugshot with an all-capital letters caption: “Election interference. Never surrender!”
He joins the ranks of American public figures who have had arrest booking photos, including Frank Sinatra, Al Capone and Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Image source: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Donald Trump argues the cases against him are politically motivated because he is leading the Republican race to challenge President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in next year’s presidential election.
The first former or serving US president ever to be indicted, he made the round trip from New Jersey on his private jet on August 24.
Donald Trump was whisked to Fulton County Jail by a more substantial motorcade than he has used for previous court appearances this year.
He was inside the facility for around 20 minutes. Dozens of his supporters gathered outside.
Records posted on the jail’s website described Donald Trump as a white male, 6ft 3in, and weighing 215lbs, with blond or strawberry hair and blue eyes. His inmate number was P01135809.
Before heading home he told reporters at the airport that he was entitled to challenge the result of a vote.
“I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election,” said Donald Trump, who often makes unfounded claims of widespread ballot fraud in 2020.
“And I should have every right to do that.”
Donald Trump was charged last week alongside 18 co-defendants with meddling in Georgia’s election results following his loss to Mr Biden by fewer than 12,000 votes in that state.
The former president was heard in a phone call pressuring Georgia’s top election official to “find 11,780 votes” during the ballot count.
Among the 13 charges Donald Trump faces are racketeering, soliciting a public official to violate his oath of office, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and making false statements.
He denies all the counts against him.
Half of his co-accused have already been booked at Fulton County Jail in recent days ahead of August 25 deadline. They include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
One of Donald Trump’s co-defendants, the leader of Black Voices for Trump, Harrison Floyd, is being held in custody after turning himself in on August 24 without a bail agreement, court officials say.
A Georgia judge granted a speedy trial request to another co-defendant, attorney Kenneth Chesebro. His case is now due to begin on October 23.
Just hours before turning himself in, Donald Trump replaced his leading defense lawyer, Drew Findling, with veteran Atlanta criminal defence attorney Steven Sadow.
One of the conditions of Donald Trump’s bail release is that he refrain from any comments, on social media or otherwise, that are intended to “intimidate” witnesses or co-defendants. He is also not allowed to have any communication with the other co-defendants, except through his lawyers.
Houston icon Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale threw out the first pitch at the Astros game Tuesday. On Thursday morning he will deliver comments following the latest allegations of voter suppression and possible fraud uncovered in the November Harris County election.
Mattress Mack will be joined by attorneys for County Judge candidate Alexandra Mealer and several judicial candidates at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 6th, on the steps of the State Capitol building in Austin.
The speakers will unveil the latest allegations in the growing evidence that the November election was horribly mismanaged.
“I’m doing this for the future of Harris County, for my children, for your children,” McIngvale said.
“Now more than ever, I am convinced it was a botched election. We need everyone to stand up and fight.”
James Franklin McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack”, is an American businessman. He is known for owning and operating the Gallery Furniture retail chain, based in Houston, Texas.
Jim McIngvale was born on February 11, 1951, in Starkville, Mississippi. He graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas and attended North Texas State University, now University of North Texas, in Denton where he played football.
On February 3, 2022, Jim McIngvale placed a $4.5 million wager on the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. It officially set the record for the largest mobile wager in sports betting history.
As a result of the Houston Astros claiming the 2022 World Series championship, Mattress Mack was awarded $75 million in total sports betting payouts, the highest total in sports betting history.
France has seen a fifth night of unrest, with heavy clashes between police and rioters in the southern city of Marseille.
Some 719 people were arrested overnight, down from well over a thousand the previous night.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has hailed a “calmer” night and praised the 45,000 police officers deployed.
Rioters in a southern Parisian suburb rammed the local mayor’s home and fired rockets at his wife and small children, police say.
The riots began after police fatally shot a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, Nahel M, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on June 27.
Prosecutors have begun piecing together what happened before the fatal shooting of Nahel M by a police officer.
The officer has been charged with homicide and remains in custody.
In their outline of events after questioning eyewitnesses and reviewing CCTV footage, prosecutors say the teenage driver had already ignored a police demand to stop, when officers caught up with the car and drew their weapons.
Meanwhile an account has been posted online by one of the passengers, which French media say they have verified.
In this account the passenger, also a teenager, says the officers hit Nahel M with the butts of their guns three times, causing him to take his foot off the brake of the car.
Prosecutors are due to talk to this witness on July 3.
Image source: Twitter
Around 08:00 on June 27, two policemen on motorcycles spotted a Mercedes with a Polish number plate driving fast in a bus lane, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache told journalists.
Turning on their siren, the officers caught up with the car at a traffic light. Three young men were inside.
The officers told the driver to stop but the vehicle pulled away, ignoring the red light. The officers gave chase and notified their unit by radio.
At 08:16, the Mercedes stopped in heavy traffic. Both officers got off their motorcycles, drew their weapons and approached the car.
They later told prosecutors that they pointed their guns at the driver to “deter him from driving away again”.
They asked the driver to turn off the ignition, but the car moved forward. One of the officers fired, fatally wounding the young man in the chest.
After the car ran into a roadside barrier, one of the passengers was arrested and the other fled on foot.
The passenger says the three friends were driving around Nanterre when the car strayed into the bus lane and was chased by two policemen on motorcycles.
After Nahel stopped the car, the young man says in his video and in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper, one of the officers hit the teenage driver with the butt of his gun.
He alleges that the second policeman also struck Nahel before the first officer again hit him.
He told Le Parisien that the blows left Nahel M “a little stunned”.
The third blow, according to this account, caused Nahel to take his foot off the brake and the vehicle to move forward. After the officer fired, Nahel M slumped forward and his foot pressed on the accelerator, the passenger said.
When the car came a standstill, the passenger said, he decided to flee because he was afraid he would be shot too.
Questions have been asked about the car, a Mercedes A class AMG. Officials describe it as a rented vehicle.
The passenger who fled said that someone had lent it to the three youths, without giving any details.
According to the French motoring website Autoplus, German sportscars with Polish number plates can be hired for €300-3,000 a day.
This type of short rental is popular with young men in French housing estates, Autoplus says.
Nahel M did not have a criminal record but was known to police.
He had previously been cited for driving without a licence – he was too young to have one – and for refusing to comply with an order to stop.
Nahel M was due to appear before a juvenile court in September.
Thirty-seven people have been injured, four of them seriously, after a large explosion in central Paris.
The explosiontook place in a building that housed a design school and the Catholic education system headquarters in Rue Saint-Jacques, in the fifth arrondissement of the French capital.
Emergency workers are searching through the wreckage of the building, with at least two thought to be missing.
According to witnesses, there was a strong smell of gas before the blast.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said after arriving at the scene that initial checks of camera footage suggested the explosion occurred within the building, which was next to the Val de Grâce church.
However, the authorities have said the cause of the blast has not yet been determined.
The building was initially engulfed by fire, but the blaze was later brought under control, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez.
The area has been cordoned off and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has been to the scene.
He said sniffer dogs had identified where further victims might be found under the rubble.
The area where the explosion took place runs south from the Latin Quarter in Paris’s Left Bank area that is popular with tourists and known for its student population.
Italy’s ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86.
He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. In April, he was treated for a lung infection linked to leukaemia.
Silvio Brlusconi overcame various scandals to hold office four times, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in post-war Italy.
After taking political office in 1994, the billionaire media tycoon led four governments until 2011 – though not consecutively.
Last September, Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia party went into coalition under right-wing PM Giorgia Meloni.
Reacting to the news, PM Meloni remembered her predecessor as a “fighter”. In a video message, she said he remained “one of the most influential men in the history of Italy”.
Her deputy Matteo Salvini said he was “broken” and thanked Berlusconi for his “friendship”, “advice” and “generosity”.
The Italian government has declared a national day of mourning for June 14, the same day Berlusconi’s funeral is scheduled to take place at Milan Cathedral.
Another figure to pay tribute was Vladimir Putin, who called Silvio Berlusconi a “true friend”. In a statement the Russian President said he had always admired Berlusconi’s “wisdom” and “ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions”.
French President Emmanuel Macron sent his condolences to Berlusconi’s family and the Italian people on behalf of the French people.
He had repeated health problems after contracting Covid in 2020. So far, there has been no official confirmation of the precise cause of death.
Born in 1936 in Milan, Berlusconi began his career selling vacuum cleaners, before setting up a construction company.
He went on to become one of Italy’s richest men, building a business empire that included television networks, publishing companies and advertising agencies.
On top of that, he gained international recognition as owner of legendary football club AC Milan – which he saved from bankruptcy in 1986 – before going into politics in the 1990s.
Silvio Berlusconi was a polarising politician. He was praised by supporters for his business acumen and populist verve, but reviled by critics for his disregard for the rule of law.
Throughout his political career, he faced a string of legal troubles, including charges of bribery, tax fraud, and sex with an underage prostitute. He was convicted on several occasions, but avoided jail because of his age and the expiry of statutes of limitations.
Turkey’s incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will go head to head with his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaoglu in a run-off vote, the supreme election council has confirmed.
President Erdogan led the first round with 49.51% of the vote, election council leader Ahmet Yener said.
Although the powerful president had a clear lead over his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who polled 44.88%, he needed more than half the vote to win the race outright.
A second round will go ahead on May 28, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan the clear favorite.
Shortly before the announcement by election council leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu appealed to supporters not to “fall into despair” and to stand and take on the election together.
However, it was not immediately obvious how the opposition Nation Alliance could narrow a margin of almost five points in just two weeks. Although the third candidate, ultranationalist Sinan Ogan, polled 5.17% it seemed unlikely that all his voters would switch to the centre-left-led opposition.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power in Turkey for more than 20 years, first as prime minister and then as president, extending his powers still further after a failed coup in 2016.
Many opinion polls had suggested Kemal Kilicdaroglu was on course to win the first round, and Erdogan supporters celebrated outside party headquarters in Ankara long into the night.
Addressing them from the balcony, President Erdogan told them he had won 2.6 million more votes than his chief rival.
With Kemal Kilicdaroglu as candidate, the opposition was seen as having its best chance so far at removing him from power. It drew together a broad-based alliance of parties and offered an end to soaring inflation and President Erdogan’s system of an all-powerful presidency.
Ahmet Yener said all of the ballot boxes from May 14 vote had been opened and turnout in Turkey was 88.92%. However, it was clear that a number of votes cast abroad had not yet been counted.
The international monitoring group OSCE highlighted several flaws in the election, pointing out that President Erdogan and the ruling parties had enjoyed “an unjustified advantage”.
Although the monitors praised the high turnout and political choice, they said the vote had been limited by an unlevel playing field. They singled out “biased media coverage”, as well as intimidation of the pro-Kurdish party and the jailing of its former joint leader and that of philanthropist Osman Kavala.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was widely criticised for the state’s slow response to the disaster, which left more than 50,000 people dead.
But it had little effect on election results in the eight cities seen as strongholds of his AK Party in the earthquake zone. In seven of the cities the president’s support remained above 60%. Only in Gaziantep did it slip to 59%.
The vote was not only for the presidency but for the 600 seats in parliament too. And here too the Erdogan party had a good night, heading for a majority of about 317 seats.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have been crowned in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades.
Thousands packed in front of Buckingham Palace despite the rain, after a deeply religious Coronation service at Westminster Abbey and a huge procession through London.
The King and Queen waved from the Palace balcony as the RAF Red Arrows painted the sky red, white and blue.
According to media, the Duke of Sussex was not invited to join them.
Image source: Getty Images
Prince Harry had been at the ceremony in Westminster Abbey earlier, sitting two rows back from his brother Prince William – the first time they had been seen together since Harry’s sensational memoir, Spare, was released. The duke left for the US straight afterwards.
The coronation day began shortly after 10:00 AM, local time, with the procession to Westminster Abbey in the horse-drawn Diamond Jubilee State Coach, past cheering crowds and an honour guard of 1,000 members of the armed forces.
Faith leaders and commonwealth leaders began the processions, with the King and Queen following behind.
The two-hour ceremony – the first to crown a monarch in 70 years – was watched on TV around the world, as well as some 2,300 people inside the abbey.
After the crown was placed on Charles’s head cries of “God Save the King” were heard inside and outside, and gun salutes were made across the UK.
Celebrity guests were among those inside Westminster Abbey – including Emma Thompson and Katy Perry.
First Lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan arrived in a three-car motorcade, although President Biden did not travel to the UK. French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska were also in the abbey, as were UK’s PM Rishi Sunak and leaders of the Commonwealth countries.
In all, 90 heads of state attended, the Foreign Office said.
Charles was proclaimed as the “undoubted King” in the first stage of the ceremony. The congregation was then asked to show their homage and service, shouting “God Save the King”.
Traditions rarely seen elsewhere in modern life were maintained – such as the inclusion of the orb and sceptre and the carrying of the gilded Sword of State.Prince William also made a pledge of loyalty to King Charles, and kissed him on the cheek, before members of the congregation were invited to offer their own support.
Returning to the Palace, it was a spectacle of pomp and pageantry as the newly crowned King and Queen travelled up The Mall in the Gold State Coach flanked by thousands of servicemen and women.
In total, 4,000 armed forces personnel and 19 military bands took part – making it the biggest state occasion since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Former President Donald Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. All 34 charges are related to hush-money payment.
Although falsifying records are usually treated as lesser misdemeanours, Donald Trump is accused of committing felony offences. That denotes a more serious crime, which could include prison time if a maximum sentence is given.
Donald Trump – who pleaded not guilty to all the charges – insisted after leaving the courthouse that there was no case to answer.
“There was nothing done illegally!” the former president posted on his social media website.
That, however, will be for a jury to decide. In the meantime, here are the details of the historic first-ever criminal indictment of a former president.
The charges all relate to a $130,000 hush-money payment by lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before 2016 election in order to prevent her from talking about her allegations that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2007.
In the court documents, Michael Cohen is referred to as Lawyer A and Stormy Daniels as Woman 2.
The first line of the Statement of Facts, a document that accompanied the indictment, spells out the prosecution case: The defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.
New York’s case against Donald Trump hinges on how Michael Cohen was compensated for those hush-money payments.
In 2017, after becoming president, Donald Trump met with Michael Cohen in the White House. Shortly thereafter – and over the course of 10 months – Donald Trump began sending cheques from a trust handling his assets, and later from his own bank account, to Michael Cohen.
Those cheques were registered as “legal fees,” but Michael Cohen says they were, in fact, reimbursements for the hush-money payment.
The prosecution case states: The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017. The Defendant caused his entities’ business records to be falsified to disguise his and others’ criminal conduct.
Alvin Bragg alleges that Donald Trump falsified the true nature of the payments because those payments were made in support of a crime. While hush-money payments are not by themselves illegal, spending money to help a presidential campaign but not disclosing it violates federal campaign finance law.
Michael Cohen was convicted of just such a violation for not disclosing his payment to Stormy Daniels. By reimbursing Michael Cohen for that payment, Alvin Bragg asserts, Donald Trump is tied to that criminal act – and it makes his falsification of business record a more serious offence.
Donald Trump’s defenders argue that is a legal stretch, and that this is a politically-motivated prosecution.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to fly from Florida on his private plane and hand himself in with federal agents there after a grand jury has indicted him in connection with a $130,000 pay-out to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
According to CBS News, Donald Trump’s court hearing has been set for April 4, in the afternoon.
The charges are not yet public, and a lawyer for Donald Trump said on March 31 that he too has yet to read the indictment.
A law enforcement official told CBS that Donald Trump is expected to fly his private plane to New York on April 3 before surrendering to officials on April 4.
The process is likely to involve dozens or possibly hundreds of Secret Service agents, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Donald Trump will not be handcuffed, the official added, saying that shackles are typically only used on suspects who are thought to be a flight or safety risk.
The hearing is due to take place at 14:15 local time.
Donald Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told ABC News that the former president will “probably” appear in court on April 4, “but nothing is certain”.
Prosecutors “will try and get every ounce of publicity they can from this thing”, he said, adding “the president will not be put in handcuffs”.
“I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse,” he continued.
Security is being co-ordinated by the FBI, NYPD, Secret Service and New York City court officers.
Sources tell CBS that they are bracing for possible scenarios that include attacks against Donald Trump, prosecutors, jurors or members of the public. The district attorney’s office has received “many threats”, the sources said.
On March 31, the streets around the courthouse were calm but the barricades were going up in anticipation of what may come next week.
Police officers were on patrol and security plans were being put into place. Many expect the area to go into lockdown when the former president attends court.
The district attorney’s office had initially asked Donald Trump to surrender on March 31, according to Politico, but the request was rejected because more time was needed for security preparations.
The 76-year-old ex-president denies any wrongdoing. He is the first serving or former US president to face a criminal charge.
It is unclear how many charges are contained in the indictment, which is still sealed.
Media reports have said the ex-president faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and Joe Tacopina said on March 30 he thought there would be 34. However, on the next day he said he did not know how many.
“We know what the subject matter is, we know the basis of the charges. We don’t know the exact counts or how they’re formulated,” he said.
On March 31, Donald Trump began attacking the judge assigned to his case in an effort to undermine the credibility of the investigation and rally his base to his defence.
Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have accused the Manhattan district attorney of weaponizing the criminal justice system to influence next year’s presidential election. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who Donald Trump recently suggested should run for Senate, called on followers to protest and said she plans to be present in New York next week.
In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty – and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.
In Washington, the US Capitol Police, which are tasked with safeguarding lawmakers in Congress, said the force believes protests will take place across the country and have plans in place to increase security at the US Capitol.
In 2016, Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Donald Trump’s team got wind of this and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.
However, when Donald Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Donald Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour – a criminal offence – in New York.
President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment, despite being pressed on the issue by journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.
Former Paralympic gold medalist and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius will remain behind bars after a parole board denied his early release on March 31.
The South African authorities revealed that he had not yet served enough time to qualify for early release. Oscar Pistorius, 36, is serving 13 years for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.
The parole board met to hear evidence, including from Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp’s mother.
However, instead of giving a decision afterwards, embarrassed officials admitted their timings had been wrong.
Earlier this week, they had received, but ignored, a letter from South Africa’s top appeals court, which explained that Oscar Pistorius needed to spend another year and a half in prison before he could be considered for parole.
Photo Getty Images
The hearing at Atteridgeville prison, a low-security facility in rolling fields just outside the city of Pretoria, should never have happened.
For weeks, officials had insisted the amputee former sprinter was eligible to apply for parole, having served half his sentence.
The confusion stems from the fact that Oscar Pistorius’s time in prison has been broken up by appeals and by a period of house arrest.
There is disagreement about where to draw the halfway line.
Oscar Pistorius’s family have expressed dismay and are seeking legal clarification.
It has been an emotional day for the Steenkamp family, who have welcomed the fact that Pistorius will not be yet be freed.
When June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, spoke to reporters before the hearing she said she opposed the release of her daughter’s killer: “I don’t believe Oscar is remorseful… or rehabilitated.”
The six-time Paralympic gold medallist has expressed his deep remorse for killing his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day in 2013, but continues to maintain he shot her by mistake, believing she was a robber.
Oscar Pistorius was initially found guilty of culpable homicide and given a six-year term. But prosecutors launched an appeal, arguing this was too lenient.
The sentence was increased to 13 years as he was then convicted of murder.
This verdict was based on the grounds that he must have known his actions – shooting three times through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria home – would lead to the death of whoever was on the other side.
The televised trial of the man once dubbed “the Blade Runner”, because of the ground-breaking prosthetic legs he wore in both Paralympic and Olympic track races, attracted huge global attention.
According to the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa, Oscar Pistorius will be reconsidered for parole in August 2024.
Rescue efforts continue in Turkey following February 6 deadly earthquake that killed more than 24,000 people.
Among those rescued on February 11 were a family of five pulled from the rubble in Turkey’s Gaziantep province.
AP news agency reported the parents, two daughters and son were brought to safety after five days under their collapsed home, to cries of “God is great”.
The same outlet reported that a seven-year-old girl was pulled from the debris in the province of Hatay after almost 132 hours under the rubble.
Another remarkable rescue of two sisters in Antakya, southern Turkey, took place on February 8.
The quake was described as the “worst event in 100 years in this region” by the United Nations aid chief, who was in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on February 11.
The border crossing between long-feuding Armenia and Turkey reopened on the same day for the first time in 35 years to allow aid through.
And there are reports that the Syrian government has agreed to let UN aid into areas controlled by opposition groups, with whom they have been engaged in a bitter civil war since 2011.
Image source: Reuters
The death toll in Syria from the earthquake now stands at more than 3,500, according to AFP – but new figures have not been publishes since February 10.
There has been criticism that the international effort to send aid to Syria has not been fast enough.
Sivanka Dhanapala, the Syria representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told AlJazeera that as many 5.3 million Syrians may be homeless following the quake.
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