Kayakers and snorkelers exploring the Southern California coast spotted an extremely rare oarfish, nicknamed a "doomsday fish" since they are seen in some parts of the world as harbingers of imminent disasters. It's one of less than two dozen confirmed sightings of an oarfish in the state in over 120 years, according to UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
People in Morocco slept in the streets of Marrakech for a third straight night as soldiers and international aid teams in trucks and helicopters began to fan into remote mountain towns hit hardest by a historic earthquake.
US-imposed Caesar Act sanctions against the Syrian government have impeded humanitarian efforts in the country following the devastating 6 February earthquake, the UN Resident Coordinator for Syria, Mostafa Benlamlih, said on 8 February.
Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 19,000 on Thursday.
After a devastating earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands of people, the US State Department showed no interest in lifting crippling economic sanctions on Syria that are specifically designed to prevent the country’s reconstruction.
Larger seismic activity may occur from 4 to 6 February, most likely up to mid or high 6 magnitude. There is a slight possibility of a larger seismic event around 4 February.
The first earthquake hit at a depth of 11 miles and was centred in southern Turkey, near the northern border of Syria, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
