Gaziantep (Turkey) (AFP) – Speaking in the southern city of Gaziantep, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says “the number of our citizens who lost their lives in the devastation caused by the earthquake has reached 14,014 in total”. Search and rescue operations are ongoing across the affected region as the combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria hits 17,100.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning condemns US President Joe Biden for his “extremely irresponsible” remarks in which he said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping faced “enormous problems”. The comment comes days after the US shot down a Chinese balloon.
Brussels (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament upon his arrival in Brussels, ahead of the EU summit meeting. Zelensky is in Brussels to rally EU leaders to step up support for his war-ravaged country on the third leg of his European tour.
Vélizy-Villacoublay (France) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fly together from Paris to a summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels.
Sequilé (Colombia) (AFP) – Flower growers in Colombia are busy preparing exports for Valentine’s day, with varieties ranging from roses and carnations to chrysanthemums and hydrangeas.
Tokyo (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomes visiting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as they attend a guard of honour ceremony held in Tokyo.
Melsbroek (Belgium) (AFP) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive at Melsbroek Air Base, northeast of Brussels, as Zelensky is expected to address EU parliament and attend a summit meeting. The Ukrainian leader greets Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium.
Geneva (AFP) – The UN’s Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen, underlines that the emergency response in Syria “must not be politicised” following “one of the most catastrophic earthquakes the region has seen in about a century”.
Besnaya (Syria) (AFP) – Syrian civilians volunteer help the White Helmets rescuers as they search for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings after a deadly earthquake shook the country and neighbouring Turkey, killing over 16,000. A leading UN official called for the facilitation of aid access to rebel-held areas in the northwest of Syria, warning that relief stocks will soon be depleted.
Paris (AFP) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday presses his western allies for more weaponry and in particular fighter jets during his first visit to France since the Russian invasion almost one year ago.
Yangon (AFP) – Once again, Ma Yu launches her makeshift polystyrene boat into a Yangon creek, ready for another day of trawling its filthy waters for plastic and tin cans. Floating along other “river cleaners”, they are gathering recyclable materials to sell to traders, their only source of income since losing their jobs following the 2021 military coup that upended the economy and sparked widespread unrest in Myanmar.
London (AFP) – East London becomes covered with a surreal splash of colour as clowns from all over gather for the 77th annual memorial of the legendary Joseph Grimaldi. After two years struck by Covid, dozens of clowns dressed in their best attire finally return to attend a special church service in memory of the father of modern clowning and all those who passed away.
