The death toll in Myanmar from Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake has risen past 1,000, authorities said on Saturday as rescue efforts continued.
The quake that hit Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, killed at least 1,002 people and injured 2,376, while 30 were missing, the military government said.
The statement suggested the numbers could rise, saying “detailed figures are still being collected”.
The South-east Asian country is the midst of a protracted civil war that has created a humanitarian crisis that makes travel between areas dangerous difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts.
The earthquake struck at noon at a depth of 10 kilometres, north-west of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including a 6.4 magnitude tremor a few minutes later.
The tremors shook neighbouring Thailand, where an under-construction building collapsed in the capital, Bangkok. There were 77 aftershocks as of 6am on Saturday, according to the Thai Meteorological Department, although none was strongly felt in Thailand.
Bangkok authorities said 10 people were killed, 16 were injured and about 101 are missing at three building sites in Bangkok, including a 30-storey building where more than 80 people were trapped under rubble.
A number of countries have responded to Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing's appeal for help.
India sent a search-and-rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said the country would send 50 people to help identify victims and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.
The United Nations allocated $5 million to start relief efforts. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.
Mr Trump administration's cuts to the United States Agency for International Development have already forced the UN and non-governmental organisations to cut many programmes in Myanmar.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free