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Turkey-Syria quake: Death tolls mounts to 4,300; cities flattened, WHO fears 20,000 may have died

The confirmed death toll mounted to over 4,300 due to mammoth earthquake that tore apart Turkey and neigbouring Syria on Monday even as the World Health Organization (WHO) fears that over 20,000 may have died as rescuers continued to dig the bodies and survivors from beneath the rubble of thousands of buildings flattened by the disastrous tremors.

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Turkey earthquake

The confirmed death toll mounted to over 4,300 due to mammoth earthquake that tore apart Turkey and neigbouring Syria on Monday even as the World Health Organization (WHO) fears that over 20,000 may have died as rescuers continued to dig the bodies and survivors from beneath the rubble of thousands of buildings flattened by the disastrous tremors.

According to official reports, the confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,300 after a swarm of strong tremors struck near the Turkey-Syria border.

WHO officials fear that the toll may soar to unimaginable numbers, estimating that 20,000 people may have died.

Reports from the Turkish and Syrian disaster response teams said that over 5,600 buildings have been felled across several cities, including many multi-storey apartment blocks that were filled with sleeping residents when the first quake struck.

An AFP report quoting eyewitnesses in the Kahramanmaras city of southeastern Turkey struggled to comprehend the scale of the disaster as some believed that this was the Apocalypse- the end of days.

Turkey’s relief agency AFAD on Tuesday confirmed that there were now 2,921 deaths in Turkey alone bringing the confirmed tally to 4,365.

Reporters from news agencies and rescue workers have reported horrific scenes from ground zero as sky scrapers continue to tumble left and right with survivors clamoring for safety.

In Gaziantep, a Turkish city home to countless Syrian refugees from the war-torn countries’s decade-old civil war, rescuers picking through the rubble screamed, cried and clamoured for safety as another building collapsed nearby without warning, AFP said in its report.

As per reports, the first quake- measured at 7.8 magnitude- was so massive that it was felt as far away as Greenland, and the impact is big enough to have sparked a global response.

Dozens of nations from Ukraine to New Zealand have vowed to send help, although freezing rain and sub-zero temperatures have slowed the response.

India dispatched the batch of relief material to disaster hit Turkey, hours after an announcement made about the same by the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the first batch of earthquake relief material to Turkey- which consists of an expert National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) search and rescue team, highly-skilled dog squads, a range of medical supplies, advanced drilling equipment, and other crucial tools required for the relief efforts- was dispatched aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft.

In the southeastern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, rescuers were working into the night to try and pull survivors from the wreckage of a seven-storey building that had collapsed.

Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake’s epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins as snow gathers.

On Monday, according to the US Geological Survey, the first quake hit at 4:17am (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 18 kilometres (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, home to around two million people.

Reports by various rescue and disaster relief agencies have estimated that over 14,000 people have been injured Turkey, while at least 3,411 people were reported injured in Syria.

Officials said three major airports have been rendered inoperable, complicating deliveries of vital aid and a winter blizzard has covered major roads into the area in ice and snow.

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility.

Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo — Syria’s pre-war commercial hub — often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure, which has suffered from a lack of wartime oversight. Officials cut off natural gas and power supplies across the region as a precaution, also closing schools for two weeks.

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WHO fears death toll may soar

WHO officials fear that the toll may soar to unimaginable numbers, estimating that 20,000 people may have died.

The global agency’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood told news agency AFP that there’s a continued potential of further collapses to happen as she feared an eight-fold increase in the death count.

Smallwood said that as the per the analysis of the initial reports, the number of dead and injured will, unfortunately, increased “quite significantly” in the following weeks as the dust settle and rescue workers recover more bodies from beneath the rubble.

The WHO official warned that people who’ve lost their homes will be meeting and gathering in collective environments which poses particular risks such as overcrowding and exposure to freezing temperatures. This, she added, may put the survivors at the mercy of respiratory viruses.

Turkey is in one of the world’s most active seismic zones in the world. A 7.8-magnitude tremor in 1939 killed over 33,000 people in the eastern Erzincan province.

The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died.

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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