EU calls for more efforts to tackle oil spill in Lebanon

The European Commission has called for a common international response to tackle a major oil spill in Lebanon caused by Israeli bombing of the Jiyyeh power station in July.

Experts warn that almost as much oil may have entered the coastal waters - a total of 35,000 tonnes - as during the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker incident in Alaska (40,000 tonnes) which led to widespread ecological disaster.

Initial reports suggested that between 10,000 - 15,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil had escaped...