146 people injured in Iranian quakes
TEHRAN, Iran -- A series of earthquakes jolted Iran on Sunday, including a 5.9-magnitude temblor in a mountainous western region that left nearly 150 people injured.
The first quake, measuring a magnitude of 4.6, rocked the town of Ruydar in Hormozgan province. The town is about 580 miles south of the capital, Tehran.
It was followed shortly after by a 5.4-magnitude aftershock, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Iran's semiofficial news agency initially reported the magnitude at 5.7.
No injuries were reported.
In the afternoon, a 5.9-magnitude quake rocked an area in the western Kermanshah province, near the border with Iraq.
The head of the country's agency that handles responses to emergencies and natural disasters, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state television that 146 people were injured, including 21 who were taken to hospitals for treatment.
French aide faces violence charges
PARIS -- A French judge handed preliminary charges Sunday to one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides after video surfaced that showed him beating a protester at a May Day demonstration.
The initial charges against Alexandre Benalla came the same day French authorities opened a judicial investigation of the assault. The multiple offenses he's accused of included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorized public display of official insignia.
The recording shows Benalla, who is not a police officer, wearing a police helmet at the May 1 protest. Surrounded by riot police, he dragged a woman from the crowd and then repeatedly beat a young male protester on the ground.
The man was heard begging Benalla to stop. The officers did not intervene.
Four others were charged Sunday night: Vincent Crase, who worked for Macron's party and was with Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Benalla.
Benalla, 26, handled Macron's campaign security and remained close to the president after his election. The presidential palace on Friday initiated proceedings to fire Benalla, and investigators raided his house Saturday.
Mexican writes to Trump on NAFTA
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has called for renewing negotiations to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The letter, delivered July 13, was read aloud by Lopez Obrador's pick for foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, at a news conference Sunday. Lopez Obrador said the U.S. and Mexican administrations should work together on key issues including trade. Other areas mentioned by Lopez Obrador included immigration, development and security.
"Prolonging the uncertainty could slow down investments in the medium and long-term," Lopez Obrador wrote in the letter, which also was posted to his website.
Trump said last week that he may prioritize a separate trade deal with Mexico after "very good discussions" with Lopez Obrador.
A Section on 07/23/2018