Briefly

IRAN

Teheran could seek nukes if 'cornered'

Iran's Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said persistent Western pressure could push Teheran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons, which the Islamic republic has for years insisted it has no intention of ever developing. The remarks made in a television interview are a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which Western nations have accused Iran of pursuing. Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed this charge. Teheran insists that its nuclear program is to generate power and for other peaceful purposes. The United States and the other Western powers which originally signed up to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran appear to be at an impasse over which country－Iran or the US－should return to the accord first. The uncertainties make it unlikely US sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy can be quickly removed.

INDIA

Hunt goes on after glacier-triggered flood

Hundreds of rescue workers were scouring muck-filled ravines and valleys in northern India on Tuesday looking for survivors after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off, sending a devastating flood downriver that has left at least 31 people dead and 165 missing. One of the rescue efforts is focused on a tunnel at a hydroelectric power plant where more than three dozen workers have been out of contact since the flood occurred on Sunday. Rescuers used machine excavators and shovels to clear sludge from the tunnel overnight in an attempt to reach the workers as hopes for their survival fade. The disaster was set off when part of a glacier on Nanda Devi mountain snapped off on Sunday morning.

UNITED NATIONS

La Nina climate cycle has peaked

The 2020-21 La Nina phenomenon has passed its peak, the UN weather agency said on Tuesday, but its impact on temperatures, rain and storm patterns is set to continue. La Nina refers to the large-scale cooling of surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, occurring every two to seven years. The effect has widespread impacts on weather around the world－typically the opposite impacts to the El Nino warming phase in the Southern Oscillation cycle.

JAPAN

Submarine collides with vessel, hurting 3

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine collided with a commercial vessel on Monday in the Pacific Ocean off the western main island of Shikoku, slightly injuring three crew members on the submarine, government officials said. In the incident, the 84-meter-long Soryu scraped the hull of the vessel when it was surfacing, the Defense Ministry said. Top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference that the collision occurred at 10:58 am off Cape Ashizuri in Shikoku's Kochi Prefecture. When contacted by Japan's Coast Guard, crew on the 50,000-ton commercial ship said they did not feel the impact and the vessel did not appear to have sustained any damage, Kato added.

Agencies - Xinhua