Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces worst-affected by an earthquake that has killed thousands. Mr Erdogan said that the death toll in Turkey has risen to 3,549 people. More than 1,600 people are reported to have died in Syria. In a televised address, Mr Erdogan said the state of emergency is to ensure that rescue work can be “carried out quickly” in the country’s south-east. He said the measures would allow relief workers and financial aid into the affected regions, but did not give further details. The state of emergency will end just before elections on 14 May, when Mr Erdogan will attempt to stay in power after 20 years. Turkey last imposed a state of emergency in 2016 after a failed coup attempt. It was lifted two years later. Rescuers in Turkey are battling heavy rain and snow as they race against the clock to find survivors of the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Monday.(BBC)…[+]

A 16-year-old killed by a shark while swimming in a Western Australia (WA) river has been identified as Stella Berry. The schoolgirl was pronounced dead after being pulled from the Swan River in Perth on Saturday. Stella was riding jet skis with friends when she jumped into the water to swim with dolphins and was attacked, police say. In a statement, her parents said they were “devastated and deeply shocked”. Matt and Sophie Berry said their daughter was a “vibrant and happy girl” who loved the water and art. “She was a caring person and was a dear friend to many… a beautiful and loving big sister and the best daughter we could have hoped for.” One of her friends, Lara Connolly, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Stella was the “sweetest and smartest girl that I knew”. “She was so kind,” Lara said. Authorities are investigating what type of shark was involved, but the WA Fisheries Minister has said it was “likely” a bull shark. The government will consider what could be done to prevent any similar incidents, Don Punch said. “Shark barriers is something we’re always open to talking to local government about.”(BBC)…[+]

Iran’s supreme leader has pardoned “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including many linked to anti-government protests. State media reports the pardons by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came with conditions. The pardons come on the eve of the anniversary of the Islamic revolution in 1979. Demonstrations erupted last September following the death in custody of a woman held by Iran’s morality police. Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, “improperly” – in violation of Iran’s strict dress code for women. Authorities have portrayed the protests – which are still continuing – as foreign-backed “riots” and at times have responded with lethal force. Human rights groups say more than 500 demonstrators have been killed, including 70 minors, and around 20,000 have been arrested.(BBC)…[+]

Pope Francis and the leaders of Protestant churches in England and Scotland have denounced the criminalisation of homosexuality. Speaking to reporters after visiting South Sudan, the Pope said such laws were a sin and “an injustice”. He added people with “homosexual tendencies” are children of God and should be welcomed by their churches. His comments were backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Archbishop Justin Welby and Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, travelled with the Pope to South Sudan where they jointly called for peace in the war-torn country. It is the first time the leaders of the three traditions have come together for such a journey in 500 years.(BBC)…[+]

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend but avoided a criminal conviction. The 27-year-old’s guilty plea in a Canberra court came after his lawyers failed to have the charge dismissed on mental health grounds. Mr Kyrgios pushed Chiara Passari onto the pavement during a row in Canberra in 2021, the court heard. The magistrate called the incident “a single act of stupidity or frustration” when sparing him a criminal record. Mr Kyrgios released a statement after the ruling saying he was grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction. “I was not in good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret,” he said. “I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.” Agreed facts tendered to the court say Mr Kyrgios pushed Ms Passari after she stopped his car from driving away while they were arguing on 10 January 2021.(BBC)…[+]

A 30-year-old Portuguese dog has been named as the world’s oldest ever by Guinness World Records – beating a record that stood for a century. Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed that has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. The previous oldest dog ever was Australia’s Bluey, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months. As of 1 February, Bobi was 30 years and 226 days old, and is said to be doing well for his age. His grand old age has been validated by the Portuguese government’s pet database, which is managed by the National Union of Veterinarians, according to Guinness World Records. He has lived his whole life with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, near Portugal’s west coast, after being born with three siblings in an outbuilding. Leonel Costa, who was eight years old at the time, said his parents had too many animals and had to put the puppies down, but Bobi escaped.(BBC)…[+]

A university professor in Afghanistan who is an outspoken critic of the Taliban’s ban on education for women and girls has been arrested in Kabul. Prof Ismail Mashal was detained on Thursday while handing out free books. He rose to prominence after he tore up his academic records live on television in protest against the Taliban’s ban on university and secondary school education for women and girls. Prof Mashal, 37, has been accused of “provocative actions” by the Taliban. He is accused of trying to harm the Taliban’s government by inviting journalists to crowd on a main road and create “chaos”, Abdul Haq Hammad, a Taliban official from the Ministry of Information and Culture wrote on Twitter. Eyewitnesses reported that the professor was slapped, punched and kicked by Taliban security forces during the arrest, however Abdul Haq Hammad said the professor was being treated well while in custody.(BBC)…[+]

A record-breaking deep freeze is expected in the northeast US as thousands in the country’s south remain without power after a deadly ice storm. The cold blast could bring “once-in-a-generation” wind chills that cause frostbite in less than 10 minutes, the National Weather Service warned. Residents from Pennsylvania to Maine are being urged to limit their time outdoors through Friday and Saturday. Boston, which is anticipating sub-zero wind chills, is under a cold emergency. “I urge all Boston residents to take precautions, stay warm and safe, and check on your neighbours,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.  Temperatures in New York City and other major cities are also expected to bottom out in the single digits (Fahrenheit, around -13C to -17C) by Saturday, although forecasters predict they will rebound by the end of the weekend. At least eight people have died in the bad weather across the US south over the past several days. More than 500,000 people were without power as of Thursday afternoon in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, according to poweroutage.us.(BBC)…[+]

Republicans have ousted Democrat Ilhan Omar from her committee post in a sign of escalating tensions in the US Congress. They voted to remove Ms Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past comments about Israel. Republicans said the move sent a strong statement against antisemitism. But Democrats and Ms Omar said it was revenge after two Republicans were ousted from committees in 2020 when Democrats held a House majority. Ms Omar also suggested she was being removed due to her being a Muslim woman who immigrated to the US as a refugee. “Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?” she said shortly before the vote.

Republicans secured a majority in the House of Representatives following the midterm elections in November, and members voted along party lines to remove Ms Omar on Thursday. She is one of three high-profile Democrats to lose a committee assignment under the new House majority, which is led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Some Republicans – including Mr McCarthy – argued Ms Omar should not serve on the powerful foreign affairs committee owing to her past comments about Israel that have, at times, been criticised by members from both parties.(BBC)…[+]

Israel and Sudan will sign an “historic peace agreement” in Washington in a few months’ time, Israel’s foreign minister announced following talks in Khartoum. Eli Cohen said the text of the agreement was finalised during his one-day visit to see Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Sudan agreed two years ago to normalise relations with Israel but a deal has never been implemented. It would become the latest Arab League country to establish such ties. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco have officially normalised relations with Israel since 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Historically, members of the Arab League had refused to recognise Israel, a factor in perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994. An accord with Sudan holds particular symbolic importance as Khartoum was the venue for an Arab League meeting in 1967 where members vowed not to recognise Israel, after the Arab-Israeli war three months earlier.(BBC)…[+]