Brazil mudslide death toll rises at 117
PETROPOLIS, Feb 18: The death toll from floods and landslides that swept down on the mountain city of Petropolis rose to at least 117 on Thursday and local officials said it could still rise sharply, with 116 more still unaccounted for. The Rio de Janeiro state government confirmed the rising loss of life, with many feared buried in mud beneath the German-influenced city nestled in the mountains above the city of Rio de Janeiro. Torrents of floodwaters and mudslides dragged cars and houses through the streets of the city Tuesday during the most intense rainfall in decades. — AP
Storm Eunice batters Britain and Ireland, warning issued for London
CORNWALL, Feb 18: An Atlantic storm battered southern Britain and Ireland with winds of up to 100 miles per hour on Friday, uprooting trees, stranding travellers and hammering London. Storm Eunice, which began in the central Atlantic and was spun up from the Azores towards Europe by the jet stream, posed a danger to life, Britain's Meteorological Office said. The storm hit western England, making landfall in Cornwall, where waves lashed the coast, sending plumes of spray over the roofs of cottages, Reuters pictures showed. "Storm Eunice is really packing a punch," Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said. — Reuters
Brad Pitt sues Angelina Jolie over vineyard
PARIS, Feb 18: Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her stake in the French vineyard they bought together. The couple purchased a controlling interest in Chateau Miraval in 2008 and got married there six years later. Pitt says he and his former wife agreed not to sell their stakes in the venue without the permission of the other. But Jolie sold her share to a spirits manufacturer owned by a by Russian oligarch, according to the lawsuit. Jolie has not yet commented. — BBC
France warns Iran as Khamenei orders nuclear progress
TEHRAN, Feb 18: Iran has just days left to accept a deal on its nuclear programme at talks in Vienna, France has warned. "It is not a question of weeks, it is a question of days," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Senate, adding that a major crisis would be unleashed if there is no agreement. Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday that it will further develop peaceful nuclear capacity to preserve independence. "We will sooner or later need peaceful nuclear energy. If we do not pursue it ... our independence will be harmed," Iran's highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a televised speech, supporting Tehran's hard-line negotiating team in Vienna. — Arab News
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