Skip to main content

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...

Orban says Trump ready to mediate Russia-Ukraine war

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is ready to act "immediately" as a peace broker in the Russia-Ukraine war if he is elected in November, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said in a letter to EU leaders. The letter, addressed to European Council President Charles Michel and shared with all EU leaders, was drafted after Orban held talks with Trump as well as with the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and China. "I can (...) surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, (Trump) will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this," Orban wrote. Nationalist leader Orban, a long-time Trump supporter, made the surprise visits to the capitals in the past two weeks on a self-styled "peace mission" after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the EU, angering allies. In the letter, Orban said that US President Joe Biden was "making immense efforts" to remain in the electoral race, and suggested he was "not capable of modifying the current US pro-war policy." Orban has long criticised European military support for Ukraine in contrast to most allies who support Kyiv's war effort. The Hungarian leader said a Trump victory would change the burden between the US and the EU when it comes to financial support for Ukraine, to the disadvantage of the Europeans. "Our European strategy in the name of transatlantic unity has copied the pro-war policy of the US. We have not had a sovereign and independent European strategy or political action plan up to now," he said. "I propose discussing whether the continuation of this policy is rational in the future." Orban suggested "reopening direct lines of diplomatic communication with Russia" while maintaining high-level contacts with Kyiv as well as conducting talks with China "on the modalities of the next peace conference."

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/Bc0mged

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...

US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...

US, Chinese defence chiefs hold first talks since 2022

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke via video teleconference Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in their first engagement in more than a year, the Pentagon said. They discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global security issues, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. "During the discussion, Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the US and the People's Republic of China. "He also underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea, and reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows," Ryder added. Read also: US, China need 'tough' conversations, Yellen tells Chinese premier Austin reiterated that the US remains committed to its One China Policy, which is guide...