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US Congress Introduces Resolution Condemning State-Sponsored Persecution of Iran's Bahai's

Capitol Hill in Washington (File/AFP)
Capitol Hill in Washington (File/AFP)
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US Congress Introduces Resolution Condemning State-Sponsored Persecution of Iran's Bahai's

Capitol Hill in Washington (File/AFP)
Capitol Hill in Washington (File/AFP)

The US House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a draft resolution condemning the state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i community of Iran in a bipartisan move.

Voices are mounting in Congress criticizing these violations against the Baha'i community.

The Iranian regime and its affiliated militias, like the Houthis in Yemen, are accused of persecuting the Baha'is.

The draft resolution, introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch, condemns the longstanding state-sponsored persecution of the Iranian Baha'i religious minority and calls on the Iranian government to release the imprisoned Baha'is immediately.

Furthermore, the resolution calls on the US President and the Secretary of State to immediately condemn Iran's continued violation of human rights and calls for sanctions on officials for human rights abuses against the Baha'i community.

The bipartisan resolution also calls on the Iranian government to end its hate propaganda campaign against the Baha'is and reverse state-imposed policies denying Baha'is and members of other religious minorities equal opportunities to higher education, earning a livelihood, due process under the law, and the free exercise of religious practices.

Deutch, who is also the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism, said that the Iranian regime has an "egregious record of human rights violations against its people, including denying freedom of religion and persecuting minorities like the Baha'i."

The resolution was met with solid support from the US Baha'i community.

Director of the US Baha'i Office of Public Affairs Anthony Vance said that Baha'is in Iran are denied essential opportunities such as education and economic advancement on the grounds of their belief.

"We support the resolution and thank Congress for their efforts in defending the rights of our co-religionists abroad."

Vince noted that this is not the first time bills of this kind have been introduced in Congress, and an overwhelming majority usually passes them.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the Yemeni Houthi militant group is an "entity of particular concern" for violating religious freedoms.

The State Department also included Iran as a "country of particular concern" for having engaged or tolerated violations of religious freedom.

Washington accuses Iran of "exporting anti-Bahaiism to Yemen" and prompting the Houthis to commit violations against the Baha'i minority there.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned Houthis for summoning 19 Yemen's Baha'is to stand trial on spurious charges and risk lengthy prison sentences.

"We unequivocally condemn the Houthis' latest targeting of Yemen's Baha'i community," said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin.

Manchin warned that this reckless endangerment of people's lives flagrantly violates freedom of religion or belief.

"The US government must make clear to the Houthis and their supporters that it will not tolerate the systematic oppression of religious minorities."

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World

Niamey Back to Normal After Soldier Mutiny

People gather at the Place de la Concertation following an attack by mutineers on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather at the Place de la Concertation following an attack by mutineers on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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Niamey Back to Normal After Soldier Mutiny

People gather at the Place de la Concertation following an attack by mutineers on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather at the Place de la Concertation following an attack by mutineers on the airport and the presidency in Niamey, Niger, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)

Life returned to normal in Niger's capital, Niamey, on Sunday, after the military regime and its Russian paramilitary partners put down a mutiny by soldiers.

Intense fighting took place overnight from Friday to Saturday, with the army and its Russian Africa Corps allies managing to take back control late in the day.

Mutineers notably tried to storm the presidential compound. Several were killed, according to a security source, while others were arrested.

Television pictures showed soldiers surrendering.

Niger has been led by General Abdourahamane Tiani since a coup in July 2023. He has moved the country closer to Russia and away from Western partners, notably former colonial power France.

On Sunday morning, access to the airbase at the airport, where the mutineers had barricaded themselves in, and to the presidency, were open again, residents said.

Local people were going about their business and shops that were shut on Saturday have reopened, as had Niamey's main market.

"We had a hellish night on Friday. This morning, it's like paradise because yesterday evening (Saturday) was very pleasant," said one resident in the Talladje area near the airbase.

A major security operation was nonetheless being maintained with soldiers screening people entering the presidency with metal detectors.

Vehicles mounted with machine guns and soldiers were also posted along approach roads to the presidency. A similar deployment was seen around the airport.

"What happened was between us Nigeriens," said one shopkeeper from the Route Tchanga neighborhood near the airport.

"From now on, such serious events must never happen again. The country is already facing terrorism."

- Prey to extremists -

The exchange of fire was the third such incident this year but in January and June involved extremists attacking the international airport and airbase.

They were pushed back in hours. Russian troops helped in the first incident.

Niger has been hit by extremist violence for more than a decade and, like its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, is struggling to contain it.

Both countries are also run by the military and have close links to Russia.

Although Niger has turned its back on almost all previous Western allies, Italy maintains a couple of hundred soldiers in the country to train Nigerien forces.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Sunday said on X that he was "closely following developments in Niger following the attacks".

He added that the Italian military personnel there "are well" and continued to do their work.

"The stability of Niger is fundamental to the security of the entire Sahel region, crucial also for countering illicit trafficking and irregular migratory flows," Tajani said.

World

Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Unity Among Muslim Countries

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country's flag to his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (AP)
Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country's flag to his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Unity Among Muslim Countries

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country's flag to his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (AP)
Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country's flag to his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (AP)

Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Sunday called on Muslim countries in the region to unite against the United States and Israel, in a written message issued six months on from the start of the Middle East war.

Khamenei, in power since shortly after his father Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war on February 28, has yet to be seen in public since his appointment, and authorities have not released any video or audio of him.

"The solution to the problems of the Islamic nations is unity of words, friendship, and cooperation on the path of goodness," he said Sunday.

"Anyone, in any position, who does anything that leads to division among Muslims and creates conflict in the Muslim community, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, has served the purpose of the enemies of Islam," he added, according to his official website.

During the war, Iran struck countries across the Middle East, claiming it was targeting US military bases, while the attacks struck civilian and energy facilities.

Relations with those nations have since soured.

Khamenei, who has the final say on major state policies, also called on Iranian officials and citizens to put aside differences and come together against Israel and the United States.

"Again, this servant's advice to the Iranian people is to not allow any differences to arise among themselves in any way," he said, echoing remarks made in another statement on Friday.

"I firmly declare that doing anything detrimental to social cohesion is prohibited," he had said in Friday's message.

He also called Friday for the gradual de-dollarization of the Iranian economy and for boosting economic production to support growth following months of a US naval blockade and years of crippling sanctions that have hit livelihoods.

World

Pakistan Suspends Eight Officials After Deadly Infant Ward Fire

A woman walks out from the Mother and Child Health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 27, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks out from the Mother and Child Health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 27, 2026. (AFP)
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Pakistan Suspends Eight Officials After Deadly Infant Ward Fire

A woman walks out from the Mother and Child Health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 27, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks out from the Mother and Child Health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad on August 27, 2026. (AFP)

Pakistan's prime minister said eight officials were suspended and called for criminal proceedings against them, after 14 infants were killed in a fire in the maternity ward of a hospital in the country's capital.

A preliminary report conducted by a four-person committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif found the deadly blaze had engulfed the unit "within approximately two minutes" just after 6:30am (0130 GMT) on Wednesday, with a nurse only able to save one of the 15 infants in the hospital's care.

Among those suspended were hospital staff including its executive director and the head of the neonatal department, as well as the director-general of Islamabad's emergency services.

Sharif said late Saturday "those responsible for criminal negligence do not deserve any concession" and that they will be "brought to justice".

He also approved taking action against the company responsible for the hospital's security, without naming them.

Emergency services were called within six minutes of the fire breaking out, with the first rescue services arriving at the scene 15 minutes later, the report said.

Parents and other witnesses told AFP the response had been slow and guards had reportedly prevented people from leaving the building.

The hospital did not have detailed operating procedures or fire and emergency training, according to the preliminary report.

Two nurses, a woman security guard and another officer were in the ward when the fire started, but there were no supervising staff, the report stated.

Earlier Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that a spark from an air conditioner is believed to have caused the fire. The report clarified an ignition source is yet to be determined as the investigation continues.

Health Secretary Aslam Ghori, the country's top civil servant for the department, was sacked on Wednesday following the devastating incident.

Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.

In January, more than 65 people were killed in a shopping center fire in the port city of Karachi.

At least 11 people were killed in another shopping mall fire in Karachi in 2023.

In 2012, at least 250 laborers died at a garment factory in Karachi.