live Ukraine-Russia war: Sweden, Finland scramble jets to intercept Russian aircraft
Finland and Sweden deployed fighter aircraft on Thursday after a group of Russian military planes was detected over the Gulf of Finland, the Finnis...
Iranian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to a new prison term of 7-1/2 years, a group supporting her said on Sunday (8 February).
Mohammadi, 53, was on a week-long hunger strike that ended on Sunday, the Narges Foundation said in a statement. It said Mohammadi told her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, in a phone call on Sunday from prison that she had received her sentence on Saturday.
The Iranian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tehran renewed a crackdown on dissent during nearly three weeks of anti-government protests that started in late December.
Mohammadi was arrested on 12 December after denouncing the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.
Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters then she made provocative remarks at Alikordi's memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad and encouraged those present "to chant norm‑breaking slogans" and "disturb the peace".
Mohammadi is being held in a detention centre in Mashhad.
"After weeks of absolute isolation and a total cutoff of communication, she was finally able to describe her situation in a brief phone call with her lawyer," the foundation said.
Her sentence includes six years imprisonment for assembly and collusion against national security and 1-1/2 years for propaganda against the government. She was also punished with two years of internal exile in the city of Khusf and a two-year travel ban.
Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while in prison for her campaign to advance women's rights and abolish the death penalty in Iran.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
Twelve Kazakh military personnel died after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise in the western Mangistau region, authorities said on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defence of Israel's actions in the region at the United Nations on Thursday, seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of elections he could lose, as dozens of delegates streamed out.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated again, with Pakistani security sources saying its troops thwarted an attempted Afghan Taliban attack in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan on Thursday, along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan, killing several Taliban fighters.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze used his address to the UN General Assembly's 81st session in New York this week to make a two-part case: that Georgia is becoming an indispensable regional hub, and that it remains open to repairing ties with international partners.
The World Nomad Games, which began in 2014, are a biennial tournament of traditional nomad sports, mostly originating from Central Asia. It's an alternative test of strength, both mental and physical, and are a wild, spectacular sight to behold.
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