Manila, June 14: At least 61 people were killed, 40 missing and 1,403 injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on June 8, said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday.

The NDRRMC earlier said the quake has affected more than 75,300 households, or over 346,000 people, and more than 45,000 affected residents have been displaced, with over 12,600 houses sustaining damage. The quake also triggered 45 related incidents, mainly landslides, reports Xinhua news agency.

The council added that the earthquake affected the operation of 45 road sections, eight bridge sections, one airport, and two seaports, as well as the agriculture, husbandry and fishery industries. Power services were affected across 48 cities and municipalities.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 km, with the epicentre 32 km southwest of the coast of Maasim town in Sarangani province on Mindanao Island.

Earlier, Junie Castillo, spokesperson for the Philippines’ Office of Civil Defence, said 10 victims were reported in South Cotabato’s General Santos, a port city with a population of over 700,000, and at least 12 people remain missing so far.

The deaths were caused by falling debris, building collapse and landslides. The Philippine National Police earlier said that no fewer than 134 people were injured.

A two-story school building in General Santos collapsed with students trapped inside, and authorities said they are verifying details of the incident. Online videos show university and restaurant buildings collapsed in disaster-hit areas.

Some commercial facilities sustained structural damage, with signs falling and window panes shattered. Local residents rushed outdoors to seek safety.

The powerful earthquake hit shortly after schools across the Philippines started reopening following the summer break. Surveillance footage from several schools captured violent shaking during the quake. Teachers and students either evacuated urgently or took shelter under desks.

The number of schools affected by the earthquake has risen to 8,642 across 43 divisions in six regions, local media reported, citing figures from the Department of Education.

Washington, June 13: The Trump administration said Friday that a proposed nuclear agreement with Iran is designed to support a broader regional peace framework involving Israel, Lebanon, Gulf states and Tehran, while preserving the right of all parties to defend themselves against future attacks.

The comments came as a senior administration official expressed growing confidence that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran could be signed within days.

While much of the discussion surrounding the proposed agreement has focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, the administration said the initiative extends beyond nuclear issues and seeks to reduce regional tensions that have fuelled conflict across West Asia for years.

According to the official, one of the central objectives of the agreement is to establish what was described as a long-term peace arrangement across the region.

“It guarantees a long-term peace in the region,” the official said during a background briefing.

The official said the framework would require Iran to stop supporting violence in the region while also ensuring respect for Iranian sovereignty.

The administration’s position was tested repeatedly during the briefing as reporters raised concerns about Israel’s security, Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon and whether a future agreement could survive regional tensions.

Asked about Israeli concerns, the official said the United States had remained in close contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders throughout the negotiating process.

“The President spoke with Bibi yesterday,” the official said.

The official expressed confidence that Israeli concerns would ease once the full details of the agreement became public.

“We feel confident that the deal that we’re actually going to strike, assuming we get there, is going to be a deal that everybody in the region can be comfortable with,” the official said.

The official said the broader framework would include Israel, Iran, Lebanon and Gulf countries.

“The broad regional peace agreement is broad,” the official said. “It includes Lebanon, it includes Iran, it includes the Gulf Coast countries, it includes Israel.”

The administration also sought to reassure regional partners that participation in the agreement would not limit their ability to respond to security threats.

“Obviously, that doesn’t mean they give up the right to self-defence,” the official said.

The official specifically cited the possibility of future attacks by Hezbollah or other Iran-backed groups as an example of circumstances in which countries would retain the right to act.

“If Hezbollah is firing rockets at Israel, and Iran is paying for missiles that are getting launched into Israel, then obviously they haven’t kept their end of the bargain,” the official said.

For that reason, the administration argued, the agreement links economic benefits for Tehran directly to its behaviour.

The official said Iran would receive economic incentives only if it fulfilled commitments related to both its nuclear programme and regional conduct.

“We expect the Iranians to be a real actor for peace,” the official said.

The administration also said enforcement mechanisms would be based on verification rather than assumptions about Iranian intentions.

“We don’t give anything up unless they do honour their end of the bargain,” the official said.

Asked about concerns that hardliners inside Iran or elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could undermine the agreement, the official said the administration believes there is broad support for the deal within Iran’s political and security establishment.

“We actually feel quite confident that there is consensus within the system,” the official said.

The official acknowledged that ceasefires and peace arrangements often take time to stabilise and may face setbacks in the early stages.

“These things are always an evolution, they’re always a process,” the official said.

Washington, June 12: US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Iran are close to finalising an agreement that would bar Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, raising the prospect of a signing ceremony within days and a broader easing of tensions across the Middle East.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said negotiations had advanced to the point where final documents were being prepared.

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days,” Trump told reporters. “We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump said the agreement could be signed “very soon,” possibly over the weekend in Europe, although he indicated Vice President JD Vance would represent the administration at any formal ceremony.

The President said he had spoken with leaders from several countries involved in the diplomatic effort, including Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

A central element of the proposed deal, according to Trump, is Iran’s commitment to permanently forgo nuclear weapons.

“They will not purchase, develop in any way, any shape, in any way, shape or form a nuclear weapon,” he said. “They will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader had approved the arrangement, Trump replied: “Sir, I understand the answer is yes.”

Trump described the framework as “a very strong memorandum of understanding” and said it had been endorsed by countries with significant influence in the region.

“It’s a very detailed memorandum of understanding, also agreed to by many other countries that have great influence over them,” he said.

The President also said the maritime blockade linked to the conflict would end once the agreement is signed.

“The Strait will open as soon as we have it signed,” Trump said. “Maybe it’ll be Saturday or Monday.”

He claimed the United States had been conducting operations to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit routes.

“We brought many, many ships across and millions, hundreds of millions of barrels of oil were brought across,” Trump said.

Trump argued that recent military pressure had altered Tehran’s calculations and increased its willingness to reach an agreement.

“They’ve taken a pounding,” he said. “They want to make the deal a lot more than I do.”

He further claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded during the conflict.

“Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone,” Trump said. “But we found them to be rational and they’re going to make a deal.”

Throughout his remarks, Trump repeatedly returned to what he called the core objective of the negotiations.

“Iran will in no way, shape or form have a nuclear weapon or purchase a nuclear weapon,” he said.