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UN Security Council Condemns Myanmar Executions

FILE - Phyo Zeya Thaw arrives at the Myanmar parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Phyo Zeya Thaw arrives at the Myanmar parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo, File)
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UN Security Council Condemns Myanmar Executions

FILE - Phyo Zeya Thaw arrives at the Myanmar parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Phyo Zeya Thaw arrives at the Myanmar parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo, File)

The UN Security Council has condemned the Myanmar junta's execution of four prisoners, drawing praise Thursday from a shadow government of ousted Myanmar lawmakers.

In a rare consensus on the post-coup crisis, the Security Council on Wednesday released a statement condemning the executions -- Myanmar's first in decades -- and calling for the immediate release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, AFP said.

"The members of the Security Council condemned the Myanmar military’s execution of opposition activists over the weekend," the Council said.

"They recalled the Secretary-General's statement of 25 July 2022 and echoed his call for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners."

The statement was endorsed by Russia and China -- the junta's two major allies that have previously shielded it at the UN -- as well as neighboring India.

"Welcome UN Security Council condemning execution of democracy activists", said the "National Unity Government" (NUG) on a verified Twitter account.

It was time for the council to "take concrete actions against the junta, it added.

The NUG -- dominated by lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted party -- has been working to topple the coup and been declared a "terrorist" organization by the junta.

The executions announced Monday sparked condemnation from around the globe, heightened fears that more will follow and prompted calls for sterner international measures against the already-isolated junta.

Among the four executed were Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu -- better known as "Jimmy".

Both were sentenced to death under anti-terrorism laws.

The junta is increasingly isolated on the world stage, with Cambodian leader Hun Sen the only head of state to have visited since the coup that plunged the country into turmoil.

The Cambodian PM had also made a personal request to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing not to go ahead with the executions.

Myanmar's junta has lashed out against international condemnation of its use of capital punishment, saying the four executed prisoners "deserved many death sentences".

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World

France Probes Possible Iran Link after Bomb Attack Foiled Outside Bank of America

Police stand outside the Bank of America building in Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga)
Police stand outside the Bank of America building in Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga)
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France Probes Possible Iran Link after Bomb Attack Foiled Outside Bank of America

Police stand outside the Bank of America building in Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga)
Police stand outside the Bank of America building in Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga)

French authorities are investigating a suspected link to Iran after thwarting a bomb attack outside a Bank of American building in Paris on the weekend, the interior minister said Monday.

The authorities suspect there could be a link to Iran due to similarities to other recent attempted attacks in Europe which a pro-Iran group claimed credit for, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

On Saturday morning, Paris police officers spotted two suspects carrying a shopping bag near the premises of the Bank of America in the 8th arrondissement of the French capital. Three suspects have since been arrested and the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into alleged terrorism-related offenses.

Authorities are making a “direct link” with Iran because the “modus operandi is in every respect similar to actions that have been carried out in the Netherlands and in Belgium,” Nuñez said on French radio RTL on Monday morning.

In those cases there were claims by a pro-Iranian group that “linked them to the conflict” in the Middle-East, The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

The group, known on Telegram under the name Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which translates as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, also claimed responsibility for an attack last week in London, where four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire.

“Typically, intelligence services of this country (Iran) operate in this way: they use proxies, a series of subcontractors, often common criminals, to carry out highly targeted actions aimed at US interests, the interests of the Jewish community, or Iranian opposition figures,” Nuñez said.

Nuñez said French authorities have stepped up security around key personalities and sites since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28, including the personal protection of some figures from the Iranian opposition.

World

Report: Spain Closes Airspace to US Planes Involved in Iran War

Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
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Report: Spain Closes Airspace to US Planes Involved in Iran War

Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)

Spain ‌has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday, citing military sources.

The closure of its airspace, which forces military planes to bypass NATO member ‌Spain en route ‌to their targets ‌in ⁠the Middle East, does ⁠not include emergency situations, El Pais added.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

"This decision is part of the decision ⁠already made by the Spanish government ‌not to ‌participate in or contribute to a ‌war which was initiated unilaterally and ‌against international law," Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said during an interview with radio Cadena Ser when asked if the decision ‌to close Spain's airspace could worsen relations with the United ⁠States.

Spanish ⁠Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal.

President Donald Trump has threatened to cut trade with Madrid for denying the US use of Spain's bases in the war.

World

Israeli Parliament Passes Budget, Allowing Netanyahu to Avoid Early Elections

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
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Israeli Parliament Passes Budget, Allowing Netanyahu to Avoid Early Elections

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool

Israel’s parliament on Monday passed its annual budget in a marathon overnight session, ensuring that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government can complete its term until the fall.

Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Netanyahu still reserves the right to call for early elections before then if he wants.

Israel’s opposition slammed the budget for increasing funding to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities at a time when the country is facing soaring costs over its war in Iran and is still reeling from a two-year war in Gaza.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “the greatest theft in the state’s history.”

“The government of gluttony and evasion carried out a nocturnal heist,” former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is expected to challenge Netanyahu in upcoming elections, wrote on X.

Opposition parties were especially furious over a last-minute amendment providing an additional $250 million to ultra-Orthodox schools. Anger has increased at the ultra-Orthodox community for its refusal to allow its young men to serve in the military while it is stretched to its breaking point and is in desperate need of additional soldiers. Military service is mandatory for most Jews.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the budget for “taking care of all Israeli citizens, without exception.”

Netanyahu’s government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October. Israeli governments rarely last their full terms, though the budget’s passage means Netanyahu, whose popularity has dropped since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, is now likely to complete his term.

The budget passed 62-55. Sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran toward Jerusalem interrupted the discussions three times, according to the parliament's spokesperson. The session took place in the building's auditorium, rather than the plenum, because it is located closer to a bomb shelter.

The $270 billion budget, Israel’s largest ever, included a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry's budget has swollen to $45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries.

Recent opinion polls in Israel indicate that while Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, Netanyahu and his political coalition don’t appear to be benefiting.

Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel each day, disrupting the lives of millions of anxious and exhausted voters. Israel’s war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon also is intensifying, while the disruption of the flow of oil from the Arabian Gulf has upended the global economy.

Pushing off elections until the fall could allow Netanyahu to harness momentum from the Iran war once middle-of-the night sirens are a more distant memory for Israelis. But the election would also fall close to the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, the worst in Israel's history.

Israel’s military recently extended its wartime guidelines for civilians, which prevent large gatherings and encourage people to stay within a certain distance of bomb shelters, for an additional week. This means the wartime guidelines will include at least the first part of the weeklong Passover holiday, which starts on Wednesday.