Iranians protest at mismanagement of Mecca event
Saudi Arabia on Friday suggested pilgrims ignoring crowd control rules bore some blame for the crush that killed over 700 people at the worst disaster the annual Haj pilgrimage has witnessed in 25 years. The kingdom’s regional rival Iran expressed outrage at the deaths of 131 of its citizens at the world’s largest annual gathering of people. Politicians in Tehran suggested Riyadh was incapable of managing the event. Hundreds of demonstrators protested in the Iranian capital, chanting “death to the Saudi dynasty”.
Earthquake hits parts of eastern Indonesia
A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck remote eastern Indonesia, injuring more than 60 people, leaving hundreds of houses damaged and rattling an idyllic island chain popular with foreign tourists and divers. Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 17 people were so far known to have sustained serious injuries and 45 suffered minor injuries, while 200 houses were damaged. No deaths have been reported.
Nepal protesters block trade checkpoint with India
Hundreds of protesters blocked a major trading checkpoint between India and Nepal on Friday, cutting off vital supplies to Nepal, as anger deepened over the country’s new Constitution. The blocked checkpoint in Birgunj town, 88 km south of Kathmandu, serves as the key hub for oil and food imports into Nepal. The protesters, who belong to the Madhesi community, are angry about plans to divide the country into seven federal provinces under the charter adopted on Sunday. More than 40 people have died in weeks of clashes between police and protesters, who say the new internal borders leave them under-represented in the national parliament.
Porsche chief Matthias Mueller to be Volkswagen’s new CEO
The head of German luxury sports car maker Porsche, Matthias Mueller, will succeed Martin Winterkorn as the chief executive of scandal-battered auto giant Volkswagen. The German car giant admitted to cheating on emissions tests in the United States. Mueller said restoring the company's reputation was his top priority and also announced sweeping changes to the way the company was run, including handing greater autonomy to regional divisions.
UN officially adopts new set of global goals
The United Nations officially adopted a new set of global goals on Friday to combat poverty, inequality and climate change over the next 15 years in the most comprehensive international effort ever to tackle the world’s ills. Pope Francis and leaders from more than 150 nations gathered at the United Nations to approve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that resulted from three years of brainstorming and negotiations in nearly every corner of the world.
Saudi Arabia on Friday suggested pilgrims ignoring crowd control rules bore some blame for the crush that killed over 700 people at the worst disaster the annual Haj pilgrimage has witnessed in 25 years. The kingdom’s regional rival Iran expressed outrage at the deaths of 131 of its citizens at the world’s largest annual gathering of people. Politicians in Tehran suggested Riyadh was incapable of managing the event. Hundreds of demonstrators protested in the Iranian capital, chanting “death to the Saudi dynasty”.
Earthquake hits parts of eastern Indonesia
A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck remote eastern Indonesia, injuring more than 60 people, leaving hundreds of houses damaged and rattling an idyllic island chain popular with foreign tourists and divers. Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 17 people were so far known to have sustained serious injuries and 45 suffered minor injuries, while 200 houses were damaged. No deaths have been reported.
Nepal protesters block trade checkpoint with India
Hundreds of protesters blocked a major trading checkpoint between India and Nepal on Friday, cutting off vital supplies to Nepal, as anger deepened over the country’s new Constitution. The blocked checkpoint in Birgunj town, 88 km south of Kathmandu, serves as the key hub for oil and food imports into Nepal. The protesters, who belong to the Madhesi community, are angry about plans to divide the country into seven federal provinces under the charter adopted on Sunday. More than 40 people have died in weeks of clashes between police and protesters, who say the new internal borders leave them under-represented in the national parliament.
Porsche chief Matthias Mueller to be Volkswagen’s new CEO
The head of German luxury sports car maker Porsche, Matthias Mueller, will succeed Martin Winterkorn as the chief executive of scandal-battered auto giant Volkswagen. The German car giant admitted to cheating on emissions tests in the United States. Mueller said restoring the company's reputation was his top priority and also announced sweeping changes to the way the company was run, including handing greater autonomy to regional divisions.
UN officially adopts new set of global goals
The United Nations officially adopted a new set of global goals on Friday to combat poverty, inequality and climate change over the next 15 years in the most comprehensive international effort ever to tackle the world’s ills. Pope Francis and leaders from more than 150 nations gathered at the United Nations to approve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that resulted from three years of brainstorming and negotiations in nearly every corner of the world.
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