KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — The 70-member Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) that was deployed for the search-and-rescue (SAR) mission in Türkiye due to a devastating earthquake, have been split into smaller units according to the needs and objectives of the mission.

KAHRAMANMARAS/ANTAKYA, Feb 8 — Families in southern Türkiye and Syria spent a second night in the freezing cold on Wednesday as overwhelmed rescuers raced to pull people from the rubble two days after a massive earthquake that killed more than 9,600 people.

PARIS, Feb.

TOKYO/MANILA, Feb 8 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr arrives in Japan on Wednesday for a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo, as Manila increasingly sides with the United States in its regional tussle with China.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — A new European Union law preventing the import of commodities linked to deforestation risks sidelining small farmers who are unable to meet the burdensome cost of compliance, the head of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) said on Tuesday.

THE HAGUE, Feb 8 — International investigators probing the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over eastern Ukraine are set to present new findings on Wednesday, including possibly naming additional suspects.

TOKYO/MANILA, Feb 8 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr arrives in Japan on Wednesday for a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo, as Manila increasingly sides with the United States in its regional tussle with China.

ANTAKYA, Turkiye, Feb 8 — The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkiye and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — A coalition of 23 Malaysian and Indonesian humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are targetting to collect RM3 million to aid victims of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

SINGAPORE, Feb 7 — Singapore will be sending a disaster rescue team to Türkiye, joining other nations around the world in providing assistance to the country after two powerful earthquakes devastated areas of southern Türkiye on Monday (February 6).

ANKARA, Feb 7 — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Tuesday a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces of Türkiye hit by massive quakes, reported Xinhua.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 7 — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir has confirmed that no Malaysians were affected by the deadly earthquake in Syria on Monday, based on the report received from the Malaysian Honorary Consul in the country.

BORACAY, Feb 7 — Data protection, anti-scamming and cybersecurity are among the issues given priority as senior officials from Asean countries convene in Boracay Island, laying the groundwork for reshaping the region’s post-Covid-19 digital landscape.

ANTAKYA/KAHRAMANMARAS, Feb 7 — Rescue teams worked early on Tuesday to release people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Türkiye, as the death toll in the country from a devastating earthquake a day earlier rose to nearly 3,000.

LONDON, Feb 7 — A state-backed “digital pound” could be launched later this decade as the Bank of England and Treasury set out a road map to potentially introduce a new central bank currency.

WELLINGTON, Feb 7 — New Zealand will immediately provide humanitarian support to those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Tuesday.

MANILA, Feb 7 — Tourism recovery in Asia and the Pacific region has picked up speed and might rebound to the pre-pandemic level by 2024, according to a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 — Google will expand its footprint in the world of artificial intelligence with the new conversational AI technology Bard.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — European Union (EU) hopes Malaysia will join the other 36 EU and Asean states in ratifying the Asean-EU Comprehensive Air Traffic Agreement (AE CATA), the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement.

DIYARBAKIR (Turkiye), Feb 7 — At least 2,379 people were killed and 14,483 others were injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye following two strong earthquakes that jolted the southern part of the country on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported Vice President Fuat Oktay said.