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World’s Female Foreign Ministers Meet to Back Iranians

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
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World’s Female Foreign Ministers Meet to Back Iranians

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)

Canada's foreign minister vowed to support "the incredibly brave women of Iran" as she hosted a virtual meeting with her female counterparts around the world to discuss the crackdown against protesters in Iran.

"No longer will they tolerate the regime’s vision of the role of women in society or how women should dress and behave. In them we see our humanity. We have a moral obligation to support them," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.

The ministers will address the unrest ignited by Mahsa Amini's death last month in Iran while in police custody. The incident ignited one of the boldest challenges to the ruling regime since the 1979 revolution.

Their gathering "shows global solidarity for Iranian women and tells the Iranian regime that the world is watching," she said. "We have a responsibility to help amplify the voices of women in Iran."

Female foreign ministers from Germany, Chile, New Zealand and Norway were expected to attend, while another French official was expected to represent Paris, according to a Canadian government source.

It was unclear if the United States, whose top diplomat is Antony Blinken, would be represented by another official.

Other countries expected to participate were Albania, Andorra, the Central African Republic, Chile, Iceland, Kosovo, Libya, Liechtenstein, Mongolia and Panama.

The female officials were set to hear from women of Iranian heritage and to discuss ways to coordinate efforts supporting Iranians.

Canada, the United States and others have already sanctioned Tehran, and Ottawa on Wednesday announced additional sanctions.

The current unrest in Iran has raised international concerns as talks on Iran's nuclear capabilities stall and Tehran has moved to support Russia's invasion in Ukraine.

Iran has accused countries supporting protesters of meddling in its internal affairs while its religious leaders have sought to portray the unrest as part of a breakaway uprising by the Kurdish minority threatening the nation's unity.

Amini, who hailed from Iran's Kurdistan region, died Sept. 16 after being detained by Tehran's morality police over her attire.

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Time to Evacuate Is Running Out as Hurricane Milton Closes in on Florida

Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Time to Evacuate Is Running Out as Hurricane Milton Closes in on Florida

Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)

Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.

The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a monstrous Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday.

Milton was centered early Wednesday about 360 miles (580 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kmh), the National Hurricane Center reported.

Forecasters predicted the storm will retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday on a path east toward the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane's precise track remained uncertain, as forecasters Tuesday evening nudged its projected path slightly south of Tampa.

Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida's highways ahead of the storm, but time for evacuations was running out Wednesday. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.

“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Castor said.

Milton targets communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devasting march that left at least 230 dead across the South.

In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, streets were still filled Tuesday with 5-foot (1.5-meter) piles of soggy furniture, clothing, books, appliances and other trash dragged from damaged homes.

Many homes sat vacant, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner remained on the second floor of the New Orleans-style home he built 17 years ago. Joiner said bull sharks swam in the flooded streets and a neighbor had to be rescued by canoe when Helene passed and flooded the first floor of his home.

“Water is a blessing to have,” Joiner said, “but it is very deadly.”

Joiner said he planned to go another round and ride out Milton, despite the risk.

Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to US Census Bureau estimates.

Officials have warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.

In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday said they had no plans to evacuate.

“I think we’ll just hang, you know — tough it out,” said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. “We got shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.”

Others weren't taking any chances after Helene.

On Anna Marie Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell packed up his father’s ashes and was trying to catch his 9-year-old cat, McKenzie, as he prepared to leave Tuesday. Helene left him with thousands of dollars in damage when his home flooded. He feared Milton might take the rest.

“I’m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two,” Purcell said. “I just have a pit in my stomach about this one.”

State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene's wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris.

In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed just offshore. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.