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The United States found itself isolated at a special United Nations Security Council meeting in its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that set off alarms about the risk of escalating conflict in the Middle East. Eight of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, the organization the looks out for peace and security around the world, had called for an urgent meeting on Friday to analyze the decision taken by Washington. A sense of how isolated the United States had become was in the air due to the decision announced by President Donald Trump, who since his electoral campaign had expressed an obvious favouritism for Israel’s stance on the matter. “The status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a final status agreement,” the five European nations said in a statement at the end of the meeting. The European Union “has a clear and united position: we believe ...

A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Iran and Iraq on Sunday killing 210 people, state media in the two countries said, as rescuers searched for dozens trapped under rubble. A quake registering a magnitude between 7 and 7.9 can inflict widespread and heavy damage. Moreover, many houses in rural areas of Iran are made of mud bricks that can crumble easily in a quake. Officials expected the casualty toll to rise when search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran. The earthquake was felt in several provinces of Iran but the hardest hit province was Kermanshah, which announced three days of mourning. The main hospital of the capital of the county was severely damaged and could not treat hundreds of injured people who were taken there, the head of the Iranian emergency services, Pirhossein Koulivand said. Electricity was cut off in several Iranian and Iraqi cities, and fears of aftershocks sent thousands of people in both countries out onto the streets and par...