At least 29 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured in the powerful earthquake that hit eastern Turkey over the weekend on Friday evening. The magnitude-6.8 quake centered on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street. 43 people have been rescued so far, with more than 20 feared to remain trapped. Tremors were also felt in neighboring Iran, Syria, Lebanon and North Iraq.
Iraqi security forces clashed with protesters in Baghdad and Basra on Saturday after launching a new crackdown to remove protesters from the main squares in these cities. Security forces advanced towards Tahrir Square in Baghdad firing live rounds and tear gas to disperse the protesters camping there, which had led to at least seven wounded people. The crackdown comes a day after Iraqi populist Shiaa cleric Muqtada al-Sadr organized a large demonstration in Baghdad to call for the leave of the US forces. He also announced that he would no longer support the anti-government protests.
The death toll from China’s coronavirus outbreak jumped on Saturday (January 25) to 41. Australia on Saturday confirmed its first four cases, Malaysia confirmed three and France reported Europe’s first cases on Friday, as health authorities around the world scrambled to prevent a pandemic. More than 1,300 people have been infected globally with a virus traced to a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.
