February 16, 2023

*) Türkiye medics move to avert spread of diseases amid disaster Rescue efforts have been continuing in quake-hit Adiyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaras and other Turkish provinces on day 11 following last week's twin quakes. The death toll in Türkiye stands at 35,418, making it the deadliest disaster in the country in a century. The toll in Syria has reached 5,814, bringing the total death toll from both countries to 41,232. Meanwhile, Turkish medical personnel are working to avert the spread of diseases in the evacuation centres where tens of thousands of people are seeking shelter. The World Health Organization's representative in Türkiye said WHO is working with Turkish officials to step up monitoring of waterborne diseases, seasonal influenza and Covid-19 among those displaced. *) US should prove it did not destroy Nord Stream — Russia The United States should prove it was not behind the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines that connected Russia to Europe, the Russian embassy to the US has said. This is according to the TASS news agency as fighting in Ukraine enters its 358th day. Moscow considers the destruction of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines last September "an act of international terrorism". Russia will not allow the incident to be swept under the rug, the embassy said in a statement. *) China's Xi expresses solidarity with Iran amid Western pressure, sanctions Chinese leader Xi Jinping has expressed support for Iran during a visit by its president as Tehran continues to expand relations with Beijing to offset Western sanctions over its nuclear development. The official Chinese account of Xi’s meeting with Ebrahim Raisi gave no indication of whether they also discussed Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Raisi's three-day visit to China is scheduled until Thursday. *) New Zealand fears more fatalities after deadly Cyclone Gabrielle A cyclone that left a devastating wake of extensive flooding and landslides in New Zealand has claimed at least four lives. Police also have “grave c