World

WTI, already dropping before Trump spoke, sharply extended its losses to fall under $60 per barrel and Brent crude shed 3.7 per cent to $65.78 after the president said Iran appeared to be "standing down" after missile strikes on US troop bases in Iraq.

The remarks came hours after Iran fired a wave of missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.

Iran launched 22 missiles overnight at the Iraqi bases used by US and other US-led coalition troops, the Iraqi army said.

In the now-deleted tweet, Major General Asif Ghafoor had hailed Deepika Padukone for 'standing both with youth and the truth'.

The earthquake, which had a depth of 10 kilometres, struck 17 kilometres south-southeast of Borazjan city in the morning.

According to Iranian sources, the attacks were revenge for the killing of General Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike on Friday, which was ordered by President Donald Trump.

The Security Council meeting would have given Zarif a global spotlight to publicly criticise the United States for killing Soleimani.

The Hollywood mogul has been charged with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents over a two-day period in 2013, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a news release.

Fires have razed more than 8 million hectares (19.8 million acres) of land across Australia, an area nearly the size of Austria, killing 25 people and destroying or damaging thousands of homes.

A violent mob had attacked the Gurdwara and pelted it with stones on Friday, prompting a strong reaction from India.

TV images showed about half the building, located on the massive city's western side, had caved in with concrete and other debris lying on the road.

The vehemently anti-American group, Kataeb Hezbollah, had warned Iraqi security forces to 'get away' from US troops at joint bases across Iraq by 5:00 pm (1930 IST).

Boris Johnson, who celebrated the New Year on the Caribbean private island of Mustique, has been silent over the US slaying Friday of Iranian Gen Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike.

The explosion happened in Sourou province near the Mali border as students returned to school after the Christmas holidays, a security source said.

Earlier, Trump said the US is targeting 52 sites in Iran and will hit them 'very fast and very hard' if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.

The international tycoon, who faces multiple charges of financial misconduct that he denies, jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in late December to avoid a Japanese trial.