Earthquakes kill dozens in Iran

At least 70 people have been killed and almost a thousand injured in several earthquakes in western Iran. The quakes, with magnitudes of up to six, centred on remote villages in the province of Lorestan. The province’s disaster control committee chief says about 330 villages have been damaged and some have been completely flattened. The BBC reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for aid to be rushed to the victims, and prayed for the injured. Setting aside political differences with Tehran, US President George W Bush offered humanitarian assistance to the victims of the quake.