News | 13 November 2017

Earthquake hits Iran Iraq border +++ CO2 emissions reach new record +++ EU moves toward defence union

Earthquake hits Iran Iraq border +++ CO2 emissions reach new record +++ EU moves toward defence union +++ EU agrees new Venezuela sanctions +++ Syrian government ‘guilty of war crimes’ +++ Harari to return to Lebanon +++ France remembers terror victims +++ The weather

14. Dezember 2017, 02:00

News | 13 November 2017

Joanna King

Earthquake hits Iran Iraq border

Over 340 people have been killed in an earthquake that has struck the border region between Iran and Iraq. Iranian officials reported at least 320 dead and thousands injured. They said the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue teams reach remote mountain areas hit by the 7.3 magnitude quake. Landslides are hampering rescue efforts and hospitals have been destroyed. Kurdish community worker Polla Garmiany: “Earthquakes are quite regular in the region but what happened was devastating. Many people have lost their homes and there are also issues with electricity and water supply and so on. It has all been damaged.”

CO2 emissions reach new record

Scientists at the UN climate conference in Bonn in Germany have warned that global carbon emissions are set to rise around 2 percent this year, to a new record. They say the increase, the first in four years, largely reflects greater coal use in China. Senior United States officials at the summit are insisting fossil fuels must be part of climate strategy.

EU moves toward defence union

European Union foreign and defence ministers have signed a defence pact to boost military integration and capacity. The initiative led by France and Germany pledges 23 countries to work together towards a European defence union. Austria has signed the pact. EU leaders are to endorse the pact at their December summit.

EU agrees new Venezuela sanctions

EU foreign ministers have approved further sanctions on Venezuela. They include an embargo on weapons that could be used for internal repression.

Syrian government ‘guilty of war crimes’

The human rights group Amnesty international has accused forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar Assad of crimes against humanity through their “starve or surrender” strategy against opposition held areas. Amnesty says so-called “reconciliation” deals between the Assad regime and the opposition have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.

Harari to return to Lebanon

Saad Hariri has said he will return to Lebanon from the Saudi capital Riyadh within days. In his first public comments since he announced his resignation as Lebanon’s prime minister from Riyadh, Hariri indicated he may reverse his decision if the Hezbollah militant group agreed to stay out of regional conflicts including the war in Yemen.

France remembers terror victims

French president Emmanuel Macron is leading ceremonies to pay homage to 130 people killed in coordinated attacks in Paris by Islamist militants two years ago today. Macron and other officials are visiting the four sites where attackers struck.