Anadolu Agency’s Morning Briefing - Feb. 12, 2023

ANKARA 

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

• Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll rose to 24,617 with more than 80,000 wounded from devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

• President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquakes were three times stronger than the 1999 Marmara earthquake in the northwest.

• More people were rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings as teams from around the world race against time to save lives in the aftermath of Monday's quakes.

• Turkish security teams arrested at least 48 suspects for allegedly looting damaged buildings or prank-calling victims after the earthquakes shook the region.

• The UN relief chief described the earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria as the "worst event” to hit the region in a century.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Turkish Embassy in Kyiv to offer condolences to those affected by the quakes.

• Italy's prime minister hailed as a "message of hope” the rescue of a 2-year-old after being trapped under the rubble for 122 hours.

• Six days since the earthquakes struck, Caucasian and Central Asian countries are lending support to Türkiye in rescue and relief efforts.

• A Pakistani in the US donated $30 million to the families of those who lost their lives and were injured in the two quakes in southern Türkiye and Syria, according to the Pakistani prime minister.

• The Türkiye-Armenia border reopened for the first time in 35 years to carry humanitarian aid to those affected by the twin earthquakes in Türkiye.

• Lebanon dispatched another rescue mission to Türkiye to join search and relief efforts.

• More than 700,000 people participated in a donation drive in Saudi Arabia that has collected more than 250 million riyals ($66.6 million) for quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.

• Britain dispatched another rescue mission to Türkiye that will join search and relief efforts.

• China dispatched the first batch of humanitarian aid to quake-ravaged areas.

• Japan will send a medical team and relief supplies to southern Türkiye which has been devastated, according to media reports, citing separate statements.

• Angelina Jolie appealed for donations to Türkiye and Syria

• Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in Tehran and other cities to mark the 44th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution.

• A hacker group, Edalat e Ali (Justice of Ali), said it interrupted the online broadcast of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's speech to mark the 44th anniversary of the revolution.

• An Italian member of the European Parliament (MEP), Andrea Cozzolino, was detained as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, said Italian news agency ANSA.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered a fighter jet to shoot down an unidentified object that was in Canadian air space.