Two quakes reported in Iran, 50 people hospitalized
Two strong earthquakes have hit northwestern Iran, with 50 people taken to hospital. No deaths have been reported to date. The US Geological Survey measured the first tremor at 6.4 and the second at 6.3. The quake has also broken telephone communications, complicating the rescue efforts, Reuters reports.
Anti-gay activists make motion against Madonna
Activists of the Parental Control organization have filed a petition to court over Madonna’s pro-LGBT comments made during her concert in St. Petersburg. While performing, the singer also stood up against the legislation adopted by the city’s government in March, which bans the “gay propaganda”.
Iran hit by 6.2-magnitude quake, no casualties
Northwestern Iran has been struck by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, with no reports of casualties or damage yet, Iranian state TV reports. The tremor has hit the town of Ahar in East Azerbaijan province. Iran is generally liable to earthquakes, being situated on the seismic fault lines. Tremors hit the country every day, but the majority of them are so insignificant that they go unnoticed.
Mitt Romney officially announces Paul Ryan as running mate
Mitt Romney has officially announced Republican Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his vice presidential running mate. Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, made the announcement at the start of his four-day, four-state campaign bus tour.
Death toll in bus crash in northern India rises to 52, 46 injured
Police now say 52 people have been killed and 46 others injured as privately owned crowded bus fell over 100 meters into a gorge. The driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp curve. The law enforcers add the bus had seats for 60 people and was so overcrowded that some people were riding on its roof.
Belarus summons Swedes over ‘teddy bear action’
The Belarus State Security Committee has sent to Sweden summons to three Swedish citizens suspected of organizing the violation of Belarus’ territory. Investigators in Minsk want to question them over the June 4 journey of a small plane, which illegally crossed into Belarus airspace and dropped more than 800 stuffed bears with parachutes in a stunt to support freedom of speech in Belarus. The Swedes have 10 days to comply, the committee’s statement says.
Three soldiers killed in Afghanistan by civilian
An Afghan civilian employee killed three soldiers at a base in Helmand province on Friday. The victims’ nationalities were not reported immediately. The killings came hours after a separate incident, in which three US marines were shot dead by an Afghan police officer who had invited them for dinner.
At least 39 people killed in bus crash in northern India
Police say at least 39 people have been killed as a crowded privately-owned bus fell more than 100 meters into a gorge. Police believe the driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp bend on a mountain road. The death toll is expected to rise as the rescue operation continues.
Romney picks Paul Ryan as vice-presidential running mate
Mitt Romney has tapped Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate for the November election, according to the Associated Press. The announcement comes as some polls, including a recent Fox News survey, show the Republican presidential candidate losing some ground to President Obama. The decision is set to be officially announced during a campaign stop Saturday morning in Norfolk. Romney is then to launch his "The Romney Plan For A Stronger Middle Class" bus tour.
Japan to take dispute with S. Korea over gas-rich islands to UN court
Japan is to turn to the International Court of Justice to resolve a long-standing territorial dispute with South Korea over a group of islands. The islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, are believed to contain frozen natural gas deposits potentially worth billions of dollars. The announcement on Saturday follows Friday’s surprise visit to the islands by President Lee Myung-bak, who is the first South Korean leader to do so.
About dozen civilians killed in Aleppo
Around a dozen civilians have been reportedly killed in Aleppo as clashes between government forces and rebels continue in the flashpoint Syrian city. A shell crashed into a bakery as hundreds of residents queued for bread, AFP reports. Some 20 people have been wounded in the incident in the eastern Tariq al-Bab district of Aleppo. Meanwhile the army repelled a rebel attack on the city’s international airport, state news agency SANA reports. This follow reports that Syrian and Jordanian troops have clashed Friday night in a border region, according to Reuters.
Russian warships hold drills in Mediterranean
Russian warships have conducted a two-day military exercise in the Mediterranean, RIA Novosti reports citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Three large amphibious assault ships, two Neustrashimy class frigates, an Udaloy class destroyer, and two support ships from Russia’s Northern, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets took part in the drills. “In the past two days the task force held tactical exercises, which included firing drills involving on-board artillery and missile systems,” the ministry said on Friday. The warships will head to the Russian naval base of Novorossisk in the Black Sea and not to the Syrian port of Tartus, as some media had reported, RIA Novosti states.
Libyan General Hadia killed in Benghazi
Libya’s senior military official, General Mohamed Hadia al-Feitouri, who defected during the revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, was shot dead by unknown assailants. On Friday, he was returning from prayers in the eastern city of Benghazi when a group of gunmen pulled up in a car and opened fire. The killing continues the string of deadly attacks on Libyan security officials in Benghazi.
Annan’s likely replacement urges world to unite on Syria
Veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, who is expected to replace Kofi Annan as the UN and Arab League joint envoy to Syria, urged world powers on Friday to unite in order to resolve the ongoing Syrian crisis, Reuters reports. "The UN Security Council and regional states must unite to ensure that a political transition can take place as soon as possible," Brahimi said in a statement published on the website of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders committed to peace and human rights. "Millions of Syrians are clamoring for peace," said Brahimi, Algeria’s ex-foreign minister and former UN envoy to Iraq and Afghanistan. "World leaders cannot remain divided any longer, over and above their cries." Brahimi’s first public statement on Syria comes after diplomats said on Thursday that he is likely to replace Annan as special envoy to Syria. Annan announced last week that he would step down as mediator in the crisis.
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