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Japanese PM says rescue teams deployed to earthquake site

Saturday, 16 April 2016 1:40 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 16 April 2016 1:39 AM ]

A patient is evacuated by emergency staff to an hospital in Kumamoto City on April 16, 2016. A strong 7,0 earthquake hit southern Japan early, the US Geological Survey said, a day after another powerful tremor killed at least nine people in the same area. (AFP)

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says rescue teams have been deployed to the country’s south where a magnitude-seven earthquake hit Kyushu island, leaving two people dead. Some 400 others were injured in the quake. This comes a day after another powerful quake killed nine people in the same area.
The White House says the nuclear accord between Iran and the P-five-plus-one group does not include giving Tehran access to the US financial system. Earlier, Head of Iran’s Central Bank Valiollah Seif warned that the nuclear deal will crash if Washington fails to encourage international banks to do business with Iran.
The majority of US lawmakers at the House of Representatives have called on President Barack Obama to block any anti-Israeli UN resolutions which they regard as biased. The legislators’ plea comes ahead of an expected UN Security Council vote on condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied territories next week.
The European Union says Israel’s construction of a new part of the separation wall in the occupied West Bank severely affects Palestinians’ livelihoods. According to the EU, 60 percent of Palestinian families in Beit Jala would be restricted from reaching their land when the wall is completed.
The German foreign and justice ministers have criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow a satirist to be prosecuted for allegedly insulting the Turkish president. Merkel is accused of compromising on freedom of expression in order to ensure Turkey’s continued co-operation to tackle the refugee crisis.
British police have arrested four men and a woman over suspected links to the terrorists who were behind deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels. Police described the arrests as significant, saying they followed an investigation involving Belgian and French authorities.
The Syrian government’s top negotiator, Bashar al-Ja’afari, has described the latest round of Geneva peace talks with the United Nations mediator as constructive. UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says the fresh round of talks will focus on a political transition in the war-hit country.
Security forces in the Egyptian capital have clashed with demonstrators protesting over the government’s decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Police fired tear gas to disperse the angry crowd and arrested several protesters. Police have also beefed up security in and around Cairo and sealed off Tahrir Square.

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