WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Nov 13

EARTHQUAKE NEAR IRAN-IRAQ BORDER KILLS MORE THAN 400

Rescue efforts were under way Monday after a strong earthquake near the border between Iraq and Iran killed at least 414 people and injured many more.

LEBANON PREMIER SAYS HE WILL RETURN TO BEIRUT SOON

Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Sunday he will return to Beirut within days from his de-facto exile in Riyadh, after his sudden resignation more than a week ago thrust Lebanon back to the forefront of a regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

TRUMP, DUTERTE STRIKE UP A FRIENDSHIP, SIDESTEP THORNY ISSUES

President Trump and the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte found common ground during their first extended meeting but skirted difficult issues such as alleged human-rights abuses in Mr. Duterte's war on drugs.

EU AGREES TO BOOST MILITARY COOPERATION BUT DOUBTS REMAIN

In a show of post-Brexit vote unity, 23 European Union countries agreed to a new defense pact aimed at improving military cooperation, after the U.S. requested Europe take more responsibility over defense.

SUU KYI AIDES WARN WEST TO BACK OFF

Aides to Aung San Suu Kyi have been warning Western ambassadors that their pressure on Myanmar in support of ethnic Rohingya Muslims is pushing the country closer to China-a sign of the resistance that awaits U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson when he visits on Wednesday.

BRAZIL FACES OFFSHORE OIL DILEMMA

Brazil's federal government will soon start receiving crude oil from a huge offshore field known as Libra. But the government has no tanker ships to move the oil, no terminals to store it, and no refineries to process it.

NORTH KOREAN SHOT AS HE APPARENTLY DEFECTS ACROSS DMZ

A North Korean soldier apparently defected to the South, only to be shot by his comrades as he crossed the border at the most sensitive area of the heavily armed demilitarized zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.

EU TO BEEF UP EFFORTS TO COUNTER FAKE NEWS

The European Union will beef up efforts to counter disinformation and fake news, officials said Monday, as Spain's foreign minister voiced concerns about Russian interference in Catalonia's independence bid.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 13, 2017 17:14 ET (22:14 GMT)