Briefly

IRAN

Delegation in talks to release frozen assets

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday that a preliminary agreement has been reached on releasing Iranian assets currently frozen in a foreign bank due to United States sanctions, reported the official news agency IRNA. Amir Abdollahian made the remarks at a news conference after his meeting with visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. He added that a foreign delegation held negotiations on Tuesday with officials from the Central Bank of Iran and the Foreign Ministry to make the arrangements.

SOUTH AFRICA

Devastating rains lead to over 300 deaths

The death toll from devastating floods in and around the South African port city of Durban has risen to 306, Agence France-Presse quoted the government as saying on Wednesday, after roads and hillsides were washed away as homes collapsed. The heaviest rains in 60 years pummeled Durban's eThekwini municipality. The storm is the deadliest on record in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the floods as a "catastrophe" and a "calamity". At least 248 schools have been damaged.

THE PHILIPPINES

Landslides, floods claim over 130 lives

The death toll from landslides and flooding in the Philippines triggered by tropical storm Megi rose to 133 on Thursday, official figures showed, as more bodies were found in mud-caked villages. Scores of people are still missing and feared dead after the strongest storm to strike the archipelago nation this year dumped heavy rain over several days, forcing tens of thousands into evacuation centers. It came four months after a super typhoon devastated the swaths of the country, killing over 400 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Agencies - Xinhua