WAO ART #8

Turkey has been hit by another deadly earthquake, with a 6.4 magnitude tremor striking near the city of Antakya. The death toll has been relatively low due to the area being largely empty after the 6 February quake. People ran out into the streets in fear, many sought shelter in a volleyball centre.

Microsoft and Ankr have partnered to offer a blockchain node service for enterprise clients. The service will be available in Microsoft's Azure cloud marketplace, with tailored memory and bandwidth specifications for blockchain nodes.

Joe Biden is expected to give a speech in Warsaw, Poland, framing the war in Ukraine as a battle for democracy. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of a key arms control treaty with the US. Biden is looking to shore up support for his policy at home.

Trinidad carnival revellers are determined to put up a fight against crime, despite the country's record-breaking 605 murders in 2022. Criminologist Wendell Wallace blames the proliferation of gangs and porous borders for the recent crime wave.

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has cancelled a visit to Australia due to two states, New South Wales and Queensland, refusing to give them free access to detention centres. The Australian government has expressed disappointment at the cancellation.

Vladimir Putin gave a State of the Union address in Moscow today, where he announced that Russia will suspend participation in the New Start treaty - the only remaining major nuclear arms control pact between the US and Russia. Putin blamed the West and Kyiv for the ongoing war in Ukraine.

More than 600,000 people in Mozambique are at risk of being affected by Cyclone Freddy, which is expected to make landfall this week. In Beira, residents are preparing by fortifying their homes and stocking up on food and water. Madagascar even has closed schools.