The number of victims of the devastating earthquake on Friday approached 24,000.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to resume tension-easing negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, Reuters cited a senior Turkish official as saying, as the conflict between the neighbors rages on.

Turkey says it has received a request from the Taliban in Afghanistan to operate the international airport in Kabul, shortly after Ankara reversed a decision to provide security for the airfield at the behest of the United States due to the deteriorating security situation in the country.