Videos and photographs of the two earthquakes that have destroyed southern Turkey and northern Syria show rescuers digging with their hands, apartment blocks crushed to the grouds in seconds and the shaking apart of a castle that had stood for almost two millennia. The incident has killed at least 7,800 people.

One of the photographs from the Turkish region of Kahramanmaraş depicts the sufferings of a father who holds the hand of his dead teenage daughter as rescuers and civilians search through the flattened building where she died on Monday, reports The Guardian.

Mesut Hancer, the father of 15-year-old Irmak, holds her hand sitting hunched in the rubble as she lies on her bed beneath the slabs of concrete, smashed windows and broken bricks that were once apartments. Close to them, a man with a sledgehammer tries to smash his way through the ruins.

Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş, which lies in south-east Turkey, was the epicentre of the first earthquake. The initial, 7.8-magnitude earthquake, was followed, hours later, by a second quake that measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, reports The Guardian.

Pictures from the affected zone present to us the level of suffering of the people, following the natural disaster.
Rescuers pulled two children alive from the rubble, one of whom lay on a stretcher on the snowy ground elsewhere in Kahramanmaraş province and also quieted the people who had gathered, trying to help so they could hear survivors and find them.

New Delhi: An Indian is missing and 10 others are stuck but safe in remote regions of earthquake-hit Turkiye, even as specialist teams sent by India to the West Asian country commenced their search and rescue operations, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

India launched ‘Operation Dost’ to extend assistance to Turkiye as well as Syria following Monday’s devastating quake that has killed over 11,000 people in the two countries.

At a media briefing, Secretary (West) in the MEA, Sanjay Verma said while one Indian has gone missing in one of the affected areas in Turkiye, 10 others are stuck in some remote parts but they are safe.

He said three Indians who approached the Indian government were taken to a safe location, adding that the Indians in Turkiye are relatively safe.

“We set up a control room at Adana in Turkiye. Ten Indians are stuck in remote parts of the affected areas, but they are safe. We have one Indian national missing who was on a business visit to Turkiye. He has not been traced in the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru which employs him,” Verma said.

“We have received calls from around 75 people asking our embassy there about information and assistance,” he said.

The number of Indians residing in Turkiye is around 3,000, out of which about 1,800 live in and around Istanbul, while 250 are in Ankara and rest are spread all over the country, according to the official.

“Under #OperationDost, India is sending search and rescue teams, a field hospital, materials, medicines and equipment to T rkiye and Syria. This is an ongoing operation and we would be posting updates,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted.

On Tuesday, India sent to Turkiye relief materials, a mobile hospital and specialised search and rescue teams in four C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft to support the country’s rescue efforts.

India also sent relief materials on board a C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force to Syria.

Officials said India is sending more aid to Turkiye.

Verma said Turkiye had sent a message to India seeking assistance.

Asked about sending aid to Syria when the country has been under US sanctions, Verma said India is following the G20 mantra of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.

“Sanctions do not cover such humanitarian assistance,” he said.

On Twitter, Jaishankar shared photos of teams from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) commencing search operation in Turkiye’s Gaziantep.

“It was perhaps the furthest that we have gone in terms of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) involving specialised teams. We tried to live up to our reputation as first responders,” Verma said.

At the press conference, NDRF Director General Atul Karwal said the force is ready to send more teams.

India had on Monday decided to immediately dispatch search and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), medical teams and relief material to Turkiye following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to the country.

Several countries, including the US and the UK, are sending relief materials and search and rescue specialists to Turkiye to help search for survivors of the quake.

The massive earthquake has killed more than 11,000 people and flattened thousands of buildings in Turkiye and neighbouring Syria.

On aid to Syria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the consignments were handed over to Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment of Syria, Moutaz Douaji at Damascus airport Wednesday morning.

“The consignment consists of emergency medicines and equipment, including portable ECG machines, patient monitors and other essential medical items,” it said in a statement.

The MEA said India, over the years, has been extending humanitarian, technical and developmental assistance to Syria through bilateral and multilateral channels.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s body will be laid to rest in Karachi, and will be brought back to the country on a special flight that will leave for Dubai on Monday, media reports said.

Musharraf, the architect of the Kargil War in 1999, died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness.

The 79-year-old former military ruler, who had been in the UAE since 2016, was undergoing treatment for amyloidosis at American Hospital Dubai.

Musharraf’s body will be laid to rest in Karachi and will be brought back to Pakistan on a special flight that would leave for Dubai on Monday.

However, the Pakistan government has not issued an official statement on the date or venue of the burial of the country’s former president.

Meanwhile, the Khaleej Times reported that the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai has issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to repatriate his body to Pakistan.

“We are in touch with the family and the consulate will facilitate in whatever way it can; the consulate has issued the no-objection certificate,” a media report quoted Consul General Hassan Afzal Khan as saying.

Musharraf seized power by ousting Sharif in a 1999 bloodless coup. He served as Pakistan’s president from 2001 to 2008.

Musharraf, who was born in New Delhi in 1943 and fled to Pakistan in 1947, was the last military dictator to rule Pakistan.

Beijing (AP): A traffic accident in southern China killed 17 people and injured 22 others early on Sunday as the annual Lunar New Year holiday travel rush got underway, authorities said.

The accident occurred outside the city of Nanchang in Jiangxi province, according to the local traffic management brigade.

It wasn’t clear how many vehicles or what types were involved and the cause was under investigation, the brigade said.

Such accidents, often caused by fatigued drivers and poorly maintained or overloaded vehicles, used to be common, but tighter regulations have reduced their frequency in recent years.

Enforcement efforts on the condition of vehicles and drivers and passenger numbers are redoubled around the time of the holiday, China’s most important for family gatherings when tens of millions of migrant workers return to their hometowns.

With the end of most COVID-19 restrictions, the number of such trips is expected to double this year to more than 2 billion on and around the weeklong festival season that starts this year on January 22.

Washington: A 41-year-old Indian-origin man has been arrested in the US on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after he intentionally drove a Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two children inside, according to media reports.

Dharmesh A Patel of Pasadena, California, will be booked into San Mateo County Jail after he is released from a hospital, the highway patrol said in a statement.

Patel, his wife and children survived and were rescued on Monday at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, the California Highway Patrol said.

The rescue involved firefighters who rappelled down the cliff to save the two children, a 4-year-old girl, and a 9-year-old boy. A helicopter crew rescued the two adults from the vehicle, NBC News, an American broadcast television network, said.

The rescue was described as almost miraculous, The New York Times newspaper said.

The Tesla was 250 to 300 feet down, according to the highway patrol.

“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” it said in a statement.

Brian Pottenger, the incident commander for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said witnesses called 911 after the crash.

He said that it was “very, very rare” for people to survive such a steep fall and that the children’s car seats may have saved their lives.

“We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle. So that actually was a hopeful moment for us,” Pottenger said.

The children had moderate injuries, Pottenger said.

Authorities plan to book Patel on three counts of attempted murder and two counts of child abuse, said Officer Andrew Barclay, a spokesman for the highway patrol’s Golden Gate Division.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Islamabad: Cash-strapped Pakistan on Tuesday announced early closure of markets and wedding halls as part of a raft of measures under the energy conservation plan as the government struggled to revive the economy.

Briefing the media after a meeting of the cabinet which approved the National Energy Conservation Plan to save energy and decrease dependence on imported oil, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said markets would close at 8.30pm while wedding halls would shut doors by 10.00pm respectively, which will “save us Rs 60 billion”.

Announcing more measures, he said that manufacturing of incandescent bulbs would be stopped from February 1 while production of inefficient fans would be stopped from July. He said these measures would help to save another Rs22 billion.

The government would also make the use of conical geysers mandatory within a year, which by using less gas would save Rs 92 billion, and alternative use of street lights would save another Rs 4 billion.

Asif said that all government buildings and offices would also reduce use of energy under the plan and a policy to work from home would also be completed in up to 10 days.

“No lights were on in the cabinet meeting today. The meeting was held in full sunlight,” he said, providing an example for the country to follow.

Asif also said that the cabinet planned to conserve 30 per cent of the electricity used by government departments, which would save Rs 62 billion.

In another step, Asif said that electric motorcycles would be introduced by the end of this year to help cut the import of fuel.

“The plan to save energy is being enforced immediately and the cabinet will monitor it,” he said.

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman who accompanied the defence minister at the press conference said the plan would also help to tackle the climate change issue.

“The world has been following this plan for a while and it is imperative for us to change our habits,” she said and asked businesses to cooperate.

The measures to save energy come a day after the National Security Committee agreed that the revival of the economy is essential for national security.

Pakistan’s economic situation is facing “severe headwinds” with inflation being forecast to stay high between 21-23 per cent and the country’s fiscal deficit widening by more than 115 per cent in the first four months (July-October) of the current fiscal year.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance in its Monthly Economic Update and Outlook last week said that the economic growth is likely to remain below the budgeted target in FY23 due to devastation caused by floods.

Kyiv: Ukrainian forces fired rockets at a facility in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian soldiers were stationed, killing 63 of them, Russia’s defense ministry said on Monday, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago.

Ukrainian forces fired six rockets from a HIMARS launch system and two of them were shot down, a defense ministry statement said. It did not say when the strike happened.

The strike, using a US-supplied precision weapon that has proven critical in enabling Ukrainian forces to hit key targets, delivered a new setback for Russia which in recent months has reeled from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Ukrainian military has not directly confirmed the strike, but seemed to acknowledge what appeared to be the same attack that Russian authorities reported.

The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s Armed Forces claimed Sunday that some 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational school building in Makiivka and about 300 more were wounded. That claim could not be independently verified. The Russian statement said the strike occurred “in the area of Makiivka” and didn’t mention the vocational school.

Meanwhile, Russia deployed multiple exploding drones in another nighttime attack on Ukraine, officials said Monday, as the Kremlin signaled no letup in its strategy of using bombardments to target the country’s energy infrastructure and wear down Ukrainian resistance to its invasion.

The barrage was the latest in a series of relentless year-end attacks, including one that killed three civilians on New Year’s Eve.

On Monday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 40 drones “headed for Kyiv” overnight. All of them were destroyed, according to air defense forces.

Klitschko said 22 drones were destroyed over Kyiv, three in the outlying Kyiv region and 15 over neighboring provinces.

Energy infrastructure facilities were damaged as the result of the attack and an explosion occurred in one city district, the mayor said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether that was caused by drones or other munitions. A wounded 19-year-old man was hospitalized, Klitschko added, and emergency power outages were underway in the capital.

In the outlying Kyiv region a “critical infrastructure object” and residential buildings were hit, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said.

Russia has carried out airstrikes on Ukrainian power and water supplies almost weekly since October.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “energy terrorism” as the aerial bombardments have left many people without heat amid freezing temperatures. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is “weaponizing winter” in its effort to demoralize the Ukrainian resistance.

Ukraine is using sophisticated Western-supplied weapons to help shoot down Russia’s missiles and drones, as well as send artillery fire into Russian-held areas of the country.

Moscow’s full-scale invasion on February 24 has gone awry, putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin as his ground forces struggle to hold ground and advance. He said in his New Year’s address to the nation that 2022 was “a year of difficult, necessary decisions.”

Putin insists he had no choice but to send troops into Ukraine because it threatened Russia’s security an assertion condemned by the West, which says Moscow bears full responsibility for the war.

Russia is currently observing public holidays through January 8.

Drones, missiles and artillery shells launched by Russian forces also struck areas across Ukraine.

Five people were wounded in the Monday morning shelling of a Ukraine-controlled area of the southern Kherson region, its Ukrainian Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevich said on Telegram.

The Russian forces attacked the city of Beryslav, the official said, firing at a local market, likely from a tank. Three of the wounded are in serious condition and are being evacuated to Kherson, Yanushevich said.

Seven drones were shot down over the southern Mykolaiv region, according to Gov. Vitali Kim, and three more were shot down in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a missile was also destroyed, according to Reznichenko. He said that energy infrastructure in the region was being targeted.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command reported Monday that 39 Iranian-made exploding Shahed drones were shot down overnight, as well as two Russian-made Orlan drones and a X-59 missile.

“We are staying strong,” the Ukrainian defense ministry tweeted.

A blistering New Year’s Eve assault killed at least four civilians across the country, Ukrainian authorities reported, and wounded dozens. The fourth victim, a 46-year-old resident of Kyiv, died in a hospital on Monday morning, Klitschko said.

Multiple blasts rocked the capital and other areas of Ukraine on Saturday and through the night. The strikes came 36 hours after widespread missile attacks Russia launched Thursday to damage energy infrastructure facilities, and the unusually quick follow-up alarmed Ukrainian officials.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone hit an energy facility in the Bryansk region that borders with Ukraine, Bryansk regional governor Alexander Bogomaz reported on Monday morning. A village was left without power as a result, he said.

Dubai ended its 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom on Sunday and made its required liquor licenses free to obtain, ending a long-standing source of revenue for its ruling family to apparently further boost its tourism to the emirate.

The sudden New Year’s Day announcement, made by Dubai’s two state-linked alcohol retailers, came apparently from a government decree from its ruling Al Maktoum family. However, government officials did not immediately acknowledge the decision and did not respond to questions from The Associated Press.

But it follows years of loosening regulations over liquor in the sheikhdom, which now sells alcohol during daylight hours in Ramadan and began providing home delivery during the lockdowns at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alcohol sales have long served as a major barometer of the economy of Dubai, a top travel destination in the UAE, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates. During the recent World Cup in nearby Qatar, Dubai’s many bars drew commuting soccer fans.

Alcohol distributor Maritime and Mercantile International, which is part of the wider Emirates Group, made the announcement in a statement.

“Since we began our operations in Dubai over 100 years ago, the emirate’s approach has remained dynamic, sensitive and inclusive for all,” said Tyrone Reid of MMI. “These recently updated regulations are instrumental to continue ensuring the safe and responsible purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages in Dubai and the UAE.”

MMI did not respond to a question over whether the decision was permanent. However, an ad put up by MMI urged customers to buy from its stores, saying “you no longer need to drive out to the other emirates.”

Dubai residents long have driven into Umm al-Quwain and other emirates for bulk, tax-free alcohol purchases.

African & Eastern, the second alcohol retailer believed to be at least partially held by the state or affiliated firms, also announced the end of the municipality tax and license fees.

Under Dubai law, non-Muslims must be 21 or older to consume alcohol. Drinkers are supposed to carry plastic cards issued by the Dubai police that permit them to purchase, transport and consume beer, wine and liquor. Otherwise, they can face fines and arrest even though the sheikhdom’s vast network of bars, nightclubs and lounges almost never ask to see the permit.

Still, relatively liberal Dubai is an outlier among others in the region. Sharjah, an emirate that borders Dubai to the north, outlaws alcohol, as do the nearby nations of Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich UAE, ended its alcohol license system in September 2020.

NEW DELHI:  The Year 2022 will be remembered most for the outbreak of conflict between Russia 
and Ukraine, that started on February 24 and continues unabated. The conflict changed the entire narrative of geo-politics in the world, where the America and Europe were on the side of Ukraine and countries like India not have only chosen to abstain speaking against Russia, but also have benefitted by increasing its import of oil from Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reiterating that this is “no era for war’ and has supported measures to end the conflict through dialogue and discussion. He has urged both Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to resolve the conflict at repeated intervals, which includes making directr phone calls to them.

The war had led to sanctions being imposed on Russia, however, India continued its bilateral trade with them and infact increased their oil imports from the earlier 2 per cent to nearly 30 per cent now. “Fossil fuels are a finite market and we will buy oil from wherever it is available. With the sanctions imposed on Russia, the oil prices in the Middle East (from where we earlier imported) have shot up. Russia’s pricing is viable for us,’’ External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said many times over and the world seems to have accepted that stand.

Meanwhile, President Putin has been talking about bringing the conflict in Ukraine to an end by offering “negotiations”. Now, it is to be seen that Zelenskky is willing to walk the extra mile. His return from the US and additional arms and ammunition that he has got along may delay the possibility of a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, 2023 will be marked significantly by India’s G20 Presidency and participation of members from across the world. India is also handling the Presidency of Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) and Summits for both will be held in 2023 which is expected to see participation of many heads of state.
There has been an upswing in the interest the Western world has been showing in the Indo-Pacific. America’s altering equation with China has encouraged many developed nations to focus on this region specially after the Taiwan Straits episode.

Amidst all this, there is the threat of Covid resurgence and its impact on lives again as there is an upswing in cases across China and some other parts of South East Asia. India is naturally most concerned about whether this will impact their over 200 physical meetings that have been scheduled under the G20 Presidency as all arrangements have been made.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine, in his traditional Christmas Day message broadcast around the world

The head of the Catholic Church addressed thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square, some of them holding Ukrainian flags, before delivering the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing (“to the city and the world”).

A call to peace is traditionally the focus of the pope’s message at Christmas, the holiday marking the birth of Christ, which he delivers from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica and is broadcast live worldwide.

The 86-year-old on Sunday first turned to “our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes”.

“May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war!” he said.

“Tragically, we prefer to heed other counsels, dictated by worldly ways of thinking,” he added, recalling “with sorrow” that “the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity”.

‘Food as a weapon’

“Our time is experiencing a grave famine of peace also in other regions and other theatres of this third world war,” he said.

Francis referenced numerous countries in difficulty this Christmas, whether due to conflict or another crisis, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lebanon and Haiti.

For the first time, he also called for “reconciliation” in Iran, rocked by women-led protests for the past three months.

The pope has called for peace in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded its neighbour in February, condemning the war but seeking to maintain a delicate dialogue with Moscow.

However, he has been criticised in some quarters for not being more explicit in blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a magazine interview published last month, the Argentine pontiff denounced the cruelty of Russia’s troops in Ukraine, drawing a formal protest from Moscow.

On Sunday, the pope also urged those celebrating Christmas to remember those “who go hungry while huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are being spent on weapons”.

“The war in Ukraine has further aggravated this situation, putting entire peoples at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa,” he said.

“We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon, hindering its distribution to people already suffering.

“On this day, let us learn from the Prince of Peace (Christ) and, starting with those who hold political responsibilities, commit ourselves to making food solely an instrument of peace.”

Meaning of Christmas

On Saturday evening, the pope led the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St Peter’s Basilica, using a wheelchair as he continues to struggle with knee pain.

He prayed for “the children devoured by wars, poverty and injustice” and lamented that “men hungry for power and money swallow up their loved ones, their brothers”.

He called on people to “abandon the warmth of worldliness” and “rediscover the meaning of Christmas” in the face of “consumerism”, advocating for a Church that serves the poor.

The Vatican put the crowd Sunday at 70,000, while 7,000 people attended Saturday evening’s mass, with more following the service on screens outside.

“It’s very inspiring to be here with all these people,” Victoria Machado, who travelled with her family to the Vatican from Mexico, told AFP.

“We’re happy and moved to see the pope, even if we’re outside, and to feel this connection between each other,” the 19-year-old added.

Julie, a 50-year-old who manages a business in France, said the pope was a “very humble man, I think he’s capable of offering a message of peace and trying to unite people and ease tensions”.