A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey on Wednesday, causing widespread panic among residents, though there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or damage. The earthquake occurred at 10:46 a.m. (07:46 GMT) near the town of Kale in Malatya province, as reported by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). It was felt in surrounding cities including Diyarbakir, Elazig, Erzincan, and Tunceli. Read: Unusual earthquake raises alarms: Is Iran testing its first nuclear bomb? Malatya Mayor Sami Er stated that there had been no reports of significant issues so far, but officials were assessing potential damage in more remote areas. Many people fled their homes and offices in fear and waited outside in streets and parks, hesitant to return indoors. As a precaution, schools in Elazig were ordered to close. Malatya was previously impacted by a devastating earthquake last year that resulted in over 53,000 fatalities in Turkey, along with significant destruction in parts of Turkey and northern Syria.

A sense of panic has spread through the residents of Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari  upazila, after Myanmar air force helicopters engaged in bouts of heavy firing on their side of the Ghumdhum border on both Monday and Tuesday. Although no one has been hurt on Bangladesh soil, some stray gunfire did make into Bangladesh territory by pillars numbered 18, 31, 34, and 35 – all part of the border in Ghundhum. Stray bullets also made it into Bangladesh between pillar nos. 45 and 46 in Bandarban Sadar. Md Nurul Amin, a local Union Parishad member, said the Myanmar air force commenced this latest round of operations around 4pm on Monday, almost immediately after Major General Shakil Ahmed, DG of Border Guards Bangladesh, completed a trip to the region. The firing was said to continue for 15 hours straight on that occasion, till 7am today. After that, Mohd. Alam, member of Ward no.3 within Ghumdhum, said they had heard three more rounds of shelling from the air over an 8-hour period till 3pm on Tuesday. Besides, the witnesses had all been also hearing the sounds of firing taking place inside Myanmar territory, said the member. Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, has long been fighting to suppress a bloody insurgency in its bordering state of Rakhine, waged by an ethnic group calling itself the Arakan Army. In the last few months, the Myanmar army has been engaged in trying to bring about an endgame to the standoff, leading to a flare-up in the conflict that has increasingly spilled over into Bangladesh.   Read: Another Bangladeshi youth loses a leg in Myanmarese landmine explosion Meanwhile in Bandarban, local businessman Md Sarwar said he along with his family and neighbours are all feeling anxious about their own security, despite knowing that Myanmar is battling a different enemy. “You can never be sure what Myanmar are up to, or what their real intentions are,” said Sarwar, speaking words that everyone may be well-advised to heed.  Preferring anonymity, some BGB officials said they were beefing up security measures to tackle any untoward incident stemming from the Myanmar side. As the fighting in Rakhine has escalated, so has the scale and frequency of these incidents along the border. Since September 16, two Bangladeshi youths have lost limbs stepping on landmines laid by the Tatmadaw dangerously close to the international border. Earlier this month, a Rohingya teen named Omar Farook, resident of one of the refugee camps inside Bangladesh or occupying the No Man’s Land between two sovereign territories, was also killed in a landmine explosion. Last month another Rohingya known as Md Iqbal was killed, when Myanmar ‘mistakenly’ shelled the Zero Point Refugee Camp. That also resulted in a mini-exodus of refugees into Bangladesh.

Panic has gripped Golakhali Dwip in Shyamnagar upazila since the sighting of a Royal Bengal tiger in the area near the Sundarbans on Sunday. Locals spotted the tiger wandering near a shrimp farm, owned by a person named Rafiqul, in the village on Sunday. Rattled by the hue and cry, the tiger fled the spot after nearly 20 minutes but the peeple of the village have since been living in fear. Read: Tiger's presence stokes fear among Sharankhola villagers "No one dares to step out of their house after sunset," said Bholanath Mandal, a resident of the village. When contacted, MA Hasan, assistant conservator of forests (Satkhira range), said a joint team of the Village Tiger Response Force and the forest department "is on its toes round the clock". The residents of the village have, however, been asked to stay vigilant, he added.

Panic gripped the passengers of Barishal-bound launch ‘MV Prince Awlad-10’ as thick smoke filled the engine room of the launch, prompting the authorities to anchor it at Munshiganj terminal Saturday midnight. Sazzad Hossain, an employee of the launch, said the authorities noticed smoke billowing from the engine room of the launch around 11:30 pm while installing adjuster in the silencer pipe. The authorities anchored the launch at Munshiganj terminal for checking. READ: Sadarghat launch fire doused On information, a fire fighting unit rushed to the spot for examining the source of smoke. Our Munshiganj correspondent reports: Muktarpur river police in-charge Lutfur Rahman said the launch started for Barishal around 1 am as a firefighting unit found it safe after examining.  A fire broke out on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes, claiming the lives of 49 people on December 24, 2021.

The missile fragment pierced the ceiling of Mikhail Shcherbakov’s apartment in Kharkiv. In an instant, Ukrainians found that war, after weeks of warnings, had hit home. “I heard noise and woke up. I realized it sounded like artillery,” Shcherbakov said. He jumped from the couch and ran to wake his mother, and something exploded behind him. The missile left a nearby computer and teacup shrouded with dust, instant artifacts of Europe’s latest war. At dawn on Thursday, Ukrainians’ uneasy efforts at normality were shattered. Smoke rose from cities, even well away from the country’s disputed eastern border. A morning commute turned into lines of cars waiting at fuel stations or fleeing from the gray and drizzly capital, Kyiv. People with luggage took shelter in the subway, unsure of where to go. Read: Russia attacks Ukraine, ‘shattering’ European peace Some panicked immediately. Others clung to routine, with irritation. “I’m not afraid. I’m going to work. The only unusual thing is that you can’t find a taxi in Kyiv,” one resident complained, even as air raid sirens wailed. Many seemed unsure of know how to react. Kyiv’s main street, Khreshchatyk, rippled with anxiety as people checked their phones. Some walked their dogs or waved at friends. “I’m not scared at the moment. Maybe I’ll be scared later,” resident Maxim Prudskoi said. The hotel where many Associated Press journalists stayed ordered an evacuation within 30 minutes. During the hurried checkout, the friendly desk clerk asked: “Did you have anything from the mini-bar?” In Mariupol, the Azov Sea port city that many fear will be the first major target because of its strategic importance, AP journalists saw similar confused scenes of routine and fear. Some residents waited at bus stops, seemingly on their way to work, while others rushed to leave the city that is only about 15 kilometers (less than 10 miles) from the front line with the Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two separatist-held areas recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as independent this week in a prelude to the invasion. As the day progressed, alarm across Ukraine rose. People crowded grocery stores and ATMs, seeking supplies and cash. In Kharkiv, worried residents inspected fragments of military equipment strewn across a children’s playground. Read: Ukraine: Dhaka urges restraint and dialogue after Russian invasion of Ukraine Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko called on the city’s 3 million people to stay indoors unless they worked in critical sectors and said everyone should prepare go-bags with necessities such as medicine and documents. For weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had tried to moderate expectations of aggression by Russia, even as warnings by the United States became more urgent. Zelenskyy argued that panic would lead to societal destabilization that could be as much of a tactical advantage for Russia as the estimated 150,000 troops that had massed on Ukraine’s borders. On Thursday, as the president imposed martial law, Ukrainians realized with a jolt that everything might change. “I feel panic, scared and excited. I don’t know who I should ask for help,” said Kyiv resident Elizaveta Melnik.” We didn’t believe this situation would come.”

After Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases, the government has assured people that it is prepared to tackle the situation and urged everyone to adopt safety measures instead of panicking.