A strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the province of Ilam in western Iran yesterday, injuring at least 250 people and causing extensive damage to buildings, Iranian media said.
The US Geological Survey, reporting the magnitude of the quake at 6.3, said it struck 36km southeast of the city of Abdanan, near the border with Iraq.
According to state television, the quake occurred at 7:02am near the town of Mour-Mouri.
“Fortunately there have been no reports of deaths so far, but there have been injuries and a great deal of material damage,” a Red Cross official told state television.
The head of the crisis committee for the area, Ahmad Karami, later said 250 people had been injured in the quake.
A number of homes and public buildings were damaged in the village of Mour-Mouri, as well as eight nearby villages, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
A number of people spent the night outside their homes after at least 44 smaller tremors struck the area on Sunday, media reported.
In other news about Iran, the UN’s chief nuclear inspector yesterday said that Tehran now is showing some cooperation with a long-stalled probe of suspicions that it worked secretly on nuclear weapons.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yuikya Amano spoke after meetings in Tehran with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani and other top officials.
The IAEA probe has been stalemated since it began seven years ago. Both sides agreed to intensify efforts late last year.
Amano said he was able to “follow up” on his investigation of detonators that could have been used in nuclear-weapons related work.
Additional reporting by AP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS