*) Rising toll makes quake deadliest in Türkiye's modern history

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that more than 35,000 people have died in Türkiye as a result of last week’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake and powerful aftershocks.

This new toll makes the quakes the deadliest such disaster since the founding of the republic 100 years ago.

The fatalities already surpassed those recorded from the massive Erzincan earthquake in 1939 that killed around 33,000 people.

Erdogan also said 105,505 were injured as a result of the February 6 quake centred around Kahramanmaras province and its aftershocks.

*) Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children for 're-education'

Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in sites across the country, whose primary purpose appears to be political re-education, according to a US-backed report.

As part of a "large-scale systematic network”, Yale University researchers identified at least 43 camps and other facilities where Ukrainian children have been held.

The children included those with parents or with so-called clear guardianship, those Russia deemed orphans and those whose custody was unclear or uncertain due to the war.

In response, Russia's embassy to the United States said Russia accepted children who were forced to flee with their families from shelling in Ukraine.

*) Palestinian teen killed in Israeli military raid in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian teen has been killed during an Israeli military raid in a refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.

Tuesday's death was the latest in an almost year-long surge in Israeli military raids into occupied Palestinian territory along with increasingly discriminatory policies toward Palestinians.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that during the raid local residents clashed with Israeli soldiers, who then shot at them.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Mahmoud al Aydi, 17, died from a bullet wound to the head.

*) US still in dark over flying objects as it trades balloon claims with China

The White House has responded to growing speculation over the shooting down of unidentified aerial objects in its airspace.

It said the targets could be anything from commercial craft to espionage devices.

After mounting pressure on President Joe Biden's administration to explain the situation, officials appeared sure of only one thing: It's not aliens.

The US says the first of the four objects - a sophisticated, high-altitude balloon shot down on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina - was part of an ongoing, global "fleet" of Chinese espionage balloons.

China denied this, calling the huge balloon an errant weather research craft.

*) Psychological disorders mount among Türkiye, Syria earthquake survivors

For earthquake survivors in Türkiye and Syria, escaping the destruction isn't the end of their trauma. The road to full physical and mental recovery is often long, especially for those who've lost family members.

Doctors in a Turkish field hospital in the southern city of Iskenderun have said they are treating increasing numbers of patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks.

They said there are also growing concerns over emerging health issues linked to the cold weather, hygiene and sanitation, and the spread of infectious diseases.