Georgia strengthens Armenia ties to secure transit role and support South Caucasus connectivity
Georgia is increasing its focus on regional connectivity and infrastructure cooperation with Armenia, as competition over new transport routes and cha...
Iranian police have arrested as many as 21,000 "suspects" during the country's 12-day conflict with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media.
Following Israeli air strikes that began on 13 June, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and "public reports" whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously.
"There was a 41% increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war," police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said.
He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks.
The Israel-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel.
"Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorised filming were also arrested," the spokesperson added.
Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released.
He added that Iran's police handled more than 5,700 cases of cyber crimes such as online fraud and unauthorised withdrawals during the war, which he said had turned "cyberspace into an important battlefront."
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved new sanctions targeting Russian maritime operators, defence-linked companies and individuals connected to Moscow’s military and energy sectors, according to official decrees issued on Saturday.
Four members of Syria’s Internal Security Forces were killed on Monday in an attack by the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group targeting a checkpoint west of Raqqa in northeastern Syria, the Interior Ministry said.
Georgia is increasing its focus on regional connectivity and infrastructure cooperation with Armenia, as competition over new transport routes and changing political dynamics reshape the South Caucasus.
More than 661,000 citizens of Uzbekistan have registered on licensed cryptocurrency platforms, as the country continues to formalise and regulate its digital asset sector, according to the National Agency for Prospective Projects (NAPP).
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said nuclear talks with United States have “yielded encouraging signals” stressing Iran’s readiness “for any potential scenario”.
Central Asia’s population could reach 96 million by 2040, according to the head of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), highlighting both the region’s economic potential and the growing strain on infrastructure, trade routes and long-term development models.
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