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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...
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Netanyahu seeks pardon in corruption case, says trial hinders his ability to govern

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the country's president on Sunday for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial, arguing that criminal proceedings were hindering his ability to govern and a pardon would be good for Israel. Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, denies the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges. His lawyers said in a letter to the president's office that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings would result in a complete acquittal. "My lawyers sent a request for pardon to the president of the country today. I expect that anyone who wishes for the good of the country support this step," Netanyahu said in a brief video statement released by his political party, the Likud. Read More: Israeli raid in southern Syria kills 13, Damascus condemns ‘criminal attack’ Neither the prime minister, who has been on trial for five years, nor his lawyers made any admission of guilt. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu should not be pardoned without admitting guilt, expressing remorse, and immediately retiring from political life. Pardons in Israel have typically been granted only after legal proceedings have concluded and the accused has been convicted. Netanyahu's lawyers argued that the president can intervene when public interest is at stake, as in this case, with a view to healing divisions and strengthening national unity. President Isaac Herzog's office described the request as "extraordinary" with "significant implications". The president "will responsibly and sincerely consider the request" after receiving relevant opinions, his office said. US President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog this month, urging him to consider granting the prime minister a pardon, saying the case against him was "a political, unjustified prosecution". Herzog's office said the request would be forwarded to the pardons department in the justice ministry, as is standard practice, to collect opinions, which would be submitted to the president's legal adviser, who will formulate a recommendation for the president. Israel's Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, is a member of Netanyahu's Likud party and a close ally of the prime minister. In the letter, Netanyahu's lawyers argued that criminal proceedings against him had deepened societal divisions and that ending the trial was necessary for national reconciliation. They also wrote that increasingly frequent court hearings were burdensome while the prime minister was attempting to govern. "I am required to testify three times a week ... That is an impossible demand that is not made of any other citizen," Netanyahu said in the video statement, emphasizing that he had received the public's trust by repeatedly winning elections. Also Read: Israeli forces carried out 'summary execution' of Palestinians Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three separate but related cases that centre around accusations that he granted favours to prominent business figures in exchange for gifts and sympathetic media coverage. The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Coalition allies issued statements supporting Netanyahu's request for a pardon, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Opposition politician Yair Golan, a former deputy chief of the military, called on the prime minister to resign, urging the president not to grant a pardon. Netanyahu is one of the country's most polarizing political figures, who was first elected prime minister in 1996. He has since served in government and opposition and returned to the prime minister's office following the 2022 election. The next election is due by October 2026, and many polls indicate that his coalition, the most right-wing in Israel's history, would struggle to win enough seats to form a government. Throughout his career, Netanyahu has cultivated a reputation for prioritizing security and economic issues, but he has also been dogged by the corruption charges. He was prime minister on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel, widely regarded as the most traumatic event in the country's history and the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust. Since then, he has overseen the devastating war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and levelled much of the territory, drawing broad international criticism and condemnation. Israel has severely weakened Hamas and also Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and this year launched a war against Iran that destroyed critical military infrastructure.  

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

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

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US, Chinese defence chiefs hold first talks since 2022

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