36 h. ago Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

A hardline cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran’s capital demanded the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown and directly threatened US President Donald Trump, showing the rage gripping authorities in the Islamic Republic over demonstrations that have challenged their authority. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s sermon, carried by Iranian state radio, sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” Executions, as well as...

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3 d. ago Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

As the US considers taking military action over a crackdown on unrest in Iran, there has been no official response from either the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or Brics. Iran is a member of the two Beijing-backed forums for the Global South, and analysts said remaining silent on the situation could be damaging for them. But according to one expert, the Iran crisis could also lead to an expansion of security and strategic cooperation within the two blocs. US President Donald Trump has...

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4 d. ago Trump tells Iranians ‘help is on its way’ as protest death toll hits 2,000

The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spiked on Tuesday to at least 2,003 people killed, activists said, and Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown. The number of dead, as reported by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), dwarfs that in any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. These demonstrations,...

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6 d. ago Trump says Iran wants to ‘negotiate’ amid reports of hundreds killed in unrest

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s leadership had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. For two weeks, Iran has been rocked by a protest movement that has swelled in spite of a crackdown rights groups warn has become a “massacre”. Initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, the demonstrations have evolved into a serious challenge of the theocratic system in place since the 1979...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s leadership had called him seeking “to negotiate” after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. For two weeks, Iran has been rocked by a protest movement that has swelled in spite of a crackdown rights groups warn has become a “massacre”. Initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, the demonstrations have evolved into a serious challenge of the theocratic system in place since the 1979...

Politics

8 d. ago Chinese tourist in Malaysia accused of harassing rare turtle, killing sea slugs

A female tourist from China, who went diving in Semporna, Malaysia’s Sabah state, has called out another Chinese national who was seen dragging a critically endangered hawksbill turtle, breaking corals deliberately and killing sea slugs during a dive, China Press ­reported. The tourist, known only as Xiaoqing, shared on social media that she visited Sabah and went diving in Semporna on December 31 and January 3. During the first dive, Xiaoqing witnessed another diver from China who was in his...

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1 week ago Rights group says 16 dead in Iran protests, government clashes

At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups said on Sunday, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country, prompting violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Deaths and arrests have been reported throughout the week both by state media and rights groups, though the numbers have differed. Reporters have not been able to verify the figures independently. The protests are the biggest in three years and while smaller than some...

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1 week ago At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups said on Sunday, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country, sparking violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Deaths and arrests have been reported throughout the week both by state media and rights groups, though the figures differ. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the numbers. The protests are the biggest in three years. Senior figures have struck a softer...

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2 w. ago Trump and Iran official exchange threats after protests turn deadly in the Islamic Republic

US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fire on them, days into unrest that has left several dead and posed the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he said in a social media post. The United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, joining an Israeli air campaign that targeted Tehran’s atomic programme and military leadership. Top Iranian official Ali...

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2 w. ago At least 7 reported killed in Iran as unrest spreads beyond capital

Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces, with at least seven people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said. The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities,...

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3 w. ago Requests for help after 2 Hongkongers reportedly killed in Ukraine war

Immigration authorities are following up on requests for assistance after two Hongkongers were reportedly killed in Ukraine while volunteering in the country’s war against Russia. In a reply to the Post, the Immigration Department said on Saturday that it had been following up on the requests and was providing support to families of those involved. “Upon receiving the relevant requests for assistance, the Hong Kong Immigration Department immediately sought information from the Commissioner’s...

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3 w. ago Blast in Syria kills 8 at mosque targeting Alawite minority in Homs

An explosion hit worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Syria’s Homs on Friday, state media said, killing at least eight in the latest attack on the minority community. The blast is the second in a place of worship since Islamist authorities took charge of the country a year ago, after a suicide bombing in a Damascus church killed 25 people in June. State news agency SANA reported “an explosion inside the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab...

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