Briefly

TURKEY

Quake toll rises to 116 as rescue efforts end

The death toll in last week's Aegean Sea earthquake rose to 116 on Wednesday as rescuers in the Turkish city of Izmir finished searching buildings that collapsed in the quake. All but two of the victims were killed in Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city. Two teenagers died on the Greek island of Samos, which lies south of the epicenter of Friday's earthquake. Officials said search and rescue operations had been completed at 17 buildings that fell in Izmir. The rescue operation had been roaring at full tilt since Friday, pulling 107 survivors from the rubble.

INDIA

Farmers' blockade cuts power to millions

Millions of people in India's northern Punjab state were left without power for up to five hours on Tuesday, a state official said, due to a coal shortage after trains were suspended following a blockade by farmers. Farmers in Punjab have been blocking railway lines in protest at new farm laws passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

SOUTH KOREA

Single test cleared for COVID-19, flu

Health officials have approved a new test that's designed to detect both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza from the same samples, which would help prevent disruption at hospitals as the pandemic stretches into the flu season. The country has struggled to stem the spread of the virus, which some experts say could spread more broadly during cold weather when people spend more time indoors. The national caseload is now at 26,925, including 474 deaths.

Agencies - Xinhua