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Iranian police say 139 foreigners arrested over unrest in Yazd province

Iranian police said 139 foreign nationals have so far been arrested in the central province of Yazd for their participation in recent protests, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, without specifying their nationalities. Yazd, a predominantly desert province with a relatively small population above 1 million, was one of many provinces affected by nationwide protests in January. The protests, which started in December over economic hardships and quickly turned political, were repressed in the most violent crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The official death toll stands at 3,117, although rights groups say many more people have been killed. US-based rights group HRANA has said that nearly 50,000 people have so far been arrested. Authorities blame Israel and the United States for fomenting the violence. "These (foreign) individuals played an active role in organising, inciting, and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in contact with netwo...

UN Security Council fails to pass US resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The United Nations Security Council on Friday failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States. The resolution called for an "immediate and sustained ceasefire" lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. "The vast majority of this council voted in favour of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise its veto," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council. Before the vote, she said it would be a "historic mistake" for the council not to adopt the resolution. Read also: US proposes UN Security Council oppose Rafah assault, back temporary Gaza ceasefire Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, also speaking before the vote, called on members not to vote in favour of the resolution. He said the resolution was "exceedingly politicized" and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, where more than half of its 2.3 million residents have been sheltering in makeshift tents to escape the Israeli assault farther north. "This would free the hands of Israel and it would result in all of Gaza and its entire population, having to face destruction, devastation, or expulsion," Nebenzia told the meeting. He said a number of non-permanent members of the Security Council had drafted an alternate resolution, which he called a balanced document, and said there was no reason for members not to support it.

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