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Iranian Killed at Memorial for Slain Protesters

A person holds a placard showing late Iranian woman Mahsa Amini with a message reading "woman, life, freedom" outside the Iranian embassy in Rome, Italy, 10 December 2022, following the execution of a protester in Iran. (EPA)
A person holds a placard showing late Iranian woman Mahsa Amini with a message reading "woman, life, freedom" outside the Iranian embassy in Rome, Italy, 10 December 2022, following the execution of a protester in Iran. (EPA)
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Iranian Killed at Memorial for Slain Protesters

A person holds a placard showing late Iranian woman Mahsa Amini with a message reading "woman, life, freedom" outside the Iranian embassy in Rome, Italy, 10 December 2022, following the execution of a protester in Iran. (EPA)
A person holds a placard showing late Iranian woman Mahsa Amini with a message reading "woman, life, freedom" outside the Iranian embassy in Rome, Italy, 10 December 2022, following the execution of a protester in Iran. (EPA)

Iran's security forces fired on a crowd in the Kurdish-populated west on Saturday, killing a 22-year-old, a rights group said, more than 100 days after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini sparked nationwide protests. 

The country has been rocked by demonstrations since Amini died in custody on September 16 following her arrest for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women. 

Norway-based human rights group Hengaw said the man was killed in a cemetery in the city of Javanroud as residents marked the end of a 40-day mourning period for slain protesters. 

Security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas, killing Borhan Eliasi and wounding eight others, Hengaw said, in a report that could not be independently verified. 

Two of those wounded were said to be in critical condition. 

Activists have used social media to call for gatherings in Tehran and other cities to protest the worsening economic situation. 

The sanctions-hit country replaced its central bank chief on Thursday, state media said, after the rial shed nearly a third of its value on the parallel market in the past two months. 

US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported small gatherings in the capital and the central cities of Isfahan and Najafabad, sharing videos of protesters chanting anti-regime slogans. AFP was unable to immediately verify the footage. 

On Friday, hundreds took to the streets of the southeastern city of Zahedan, which has seen weekly protests since the security forces killed more than 90 people in the city on September 30, in what has been dubbed "Bloody Friday". 

Footage shared by protest monitor 1500tasvir and verified by AFP shows the crowd in the Sistan-Baluchistan provincial capital chanting "Death to the dictator", taking aim at Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei. 

Sistan-Baluchistan, an impoverished province on Iran's border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, had been the site of often deadly violence even before protests erupted over Amini's death.  

At least 14,000 people have been arrested since the nationwide unrest began, the United Nations said last month. HRANA has put the figure at 19,000.  

Retrial for death row inmate 

Iranian officials say hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest, including members of the security forces, and thousands arrested.  

In an updated death toll issued Tuesday, Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said 476 protesters have been killed so far.  

Earlier in December, Iran executed two people in connection with the protests.  

The judiciary's Mizan Online news website reported that the supreme court has ordered the retrial of a third death row inmate sentenced over the nationwide protests.  

Foreign-based rights groups had reported Sahand Nourmohammad-Zadeh was sentenced to death for tearing down street railings and setting fire to rubbish bins and tyres.  

Mizan said the 26-year-old had been granted a retrial.  

"The appeal against the decision issued by a Tehran Revolutionary Court was upheld in the Supreme Court," a statement said, adding that Nourmohammad-Zadeh's case had been referred to a different court to be tried again.  

His lawyer, Hamed Ahmadi, told the ILNA news agency on December 21 that Nourmohammad-Zadeh had been sentenced to death after being convicted of the religious law offense of "moharebeh", or "enmity against God".  

Nourmohammad-Zadeh is the third person reportedly on death row to be granted a retrial after Kurdish rapper Saman Seydi, also known as Saman Yasin, and Mahan Sadrat.  

Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged in public on December 12 after being sentenced to death by a court in Iran's second city Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces with a knife.  

Four days earlier, Mohsen Shekari, also 23, was executed for wounding a member of the security forces.  

The judiciary has said nine others have been sentenced to death, while IHR said this week that dozens of protesters face charges that can carry the death penalty. 

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World

Norway Mourns King Harald as Crowds Gather at Royal Palace

Mourners gather to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 28, 2026. (Photo by Lise ﾅserud / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT
Mourners gather to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 28, 2026. (Photo by Lise ﾅserud / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT
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Norway Mourns King Harald as Crowds Gather at Royal Palace

Mourners gather to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 28, 2026. (Photo by Lise ﾅserud / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT
Mourners gather to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 28, 2026. (Photo by Lise ﾅserud / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT

Norwegians were gathering on Saturday to say goodbye to King Harald in front of the royal palace, where he lies in state, with many well-wishers remembering his sense of inclusiveness and tolerance.

Europe's oldest monarch, who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father to become a reformer during more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89, said Reuters.

Late on Friday, throngs pressed the streets of Oslo under the pouring rain to watch the funeral cortege as it left Oslo University Hospital, where Harald passed ‌away, to ‌reach the royal palace.

At a later point, Norwegians ‌will ⁠be able to ⁠pay their respects in front of his coffin inside the royal chapel.

When that happens, his coffin will stand on a purple-draped catafalque, with the family wreath attached and the symbols of monarchy, a crown, sword, scepter and orb, placed on top until the funeral takes place. The date has not yet been made public.

Flags were flying ⁠at half-mast throughout the country and portraits of ‌the late king in gala uniform ‌were everywhere, from bus stops and metro stations to shops, offices and ‌public buildings.

TOLERANCE AND INCLUSIVITY

Many mourners who came on Friday praised Harald's ‌spirit of inclusiveness.

One referred to a speech he delivered in 2016 that went viral worldwide, in which he said: "Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys and girls and boys who love each other".

"It embodies ‌the way he felt about people and the way he wanted us Norwegians to feel about each ⁠other," said ⁠Mari Eidsvaag, 32, a well-wisher who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with that sentence, a rainbow and a drawing of King Harald.

"I think it's a very important statement, especially these days," she told Reuters outside the palace.

As Norwegians mourned Harald, the transition to a new reign began immediately.

Harald's 53-year-old son became Norway's new king the moment his father passed away. He said he would be known as King Haakon VIII.

King Haakon, who is expected to speak to the nation in a televised address, will take the oath in front of parliament on Tuesday, when he will swear to defend Norway's constitution and laws.

World

Anti-Migrant Protests in Ceuta Escalate into Clashes with Police

Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Anti-Migrant Protests in Ceuta Escalate into Clashes with Police

Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Protests over security in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta escalated into clashes between locals and police Thursday, a month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Police charged protesters at a beach after a group of demonstrators moved into the area where migrants have been sleeping, with some belongings set on fire during the disturbances, images broadcast on Spanish public television showed.

Earlier on Thursday, dozens of protesters staged a sit-in to temporarily prevent Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach to distribute food to hundreds of migrants staying in the area.

Demonstrators, many waving Spanish flags, chanted “They should leave” and “Out with the Red Cross”, before they were dispersed by police.

The incidents come after police late on Wednesday fired tear gas to prevent confrontations between protesters and migrants camping on the beach.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July, swimming or crossing on foot from neighboring Morocco in a chaotic influx that left scores dead and fueled fresh tensions within the European Union over migration.

Although the vast majority returned to Morocco within hours, thousands remain in the territory, many living rough on the streets.

Residents of Ceuta, which is just 18 square kilometers in size, have held regular demonstrations over what they say are security and hygiene problems linked to the influx.

But tensions have risen after a military vehicle carrying four soldiers was “ambushed” in the early hours of Thursday by about 70 migrants, who attacked it with stones and other objects, a police spokesman in Ceuta told AFP.

The soldiers fled and called for police assistance. Police detained 12 migrants, all Moroccan, the spokesman said.

One soldier suffered minor injuries after being struck by a stone. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

“The tension in the city of Ceuta is very high” because there is “no response” from the government and “we feel abandoned,” Kissy Chandiramani, the autonomous city's finance councilor, told news radio SER Thursday.

But she appealed for calm, saying people had the right to protest but warning that growing hostility would not resolve the crisis.

Also, Justice Minister Felix Bolanos appealed for calm, telling lawmakers in Madrid that authorities were working “without rest” to restore normality to the territory.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced mounting criticism from Ceuta's authorities and residents, who say Madrid reacted too slowly to the mass arrival.

The government has in recent days moved to expand shelter for migrants and speed up efforts to determine who can be returned to Morocco.

The head of Ceuta's local government, Juan Vivas, said peaceful protests “to demand the return to normality” were justified, but warned that authorities would take action against anyone who commits acts of vandalism.

“We totally reject the use of any kind of violence,” he said in an institutional address.

“No one can or should take the law into their own hands. The defense of Ceuta and the interests of its people can only be pursued through legality,” Vivas added.

 

 

World

Trump Says Russia ‘Is Not Going to Attack NATO Territory’

US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
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Trump Says Russia ‘Is Not Going to Attack NATO Territory’

US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Russia is “not going to attack” NATO territory, pushing back against media reports that Washington is concerned about a possible Russian move on Europe.

“I've had good talks with him. He's not going to be attacking a NATO territory,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to do so.

Trump's comments came two days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow for surprise talks that the Wall Street Journal and CBS News had said was an attempt to dissuade Russia from attacking NATO members, amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance.

Last Wednesday, Trump said that Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Russia was “semi-routine,” downplaying the visit amid speculation that the spy chief had an urgent reason to make an appearance in Russia's capital.

In the interview with Glenn Beck, Trump instead talked about trying to end the Ukraine war, a goal he has pursued without success since returning to office last year.

A senior EU official told AFP on Thursday that European intelligence agencies see no sign Russia is planning a military attack on European NATO countries, after US reports that the head of the CIA warned Moscow not to strike the alliance.

“European services in general do not see any risk of an attack from Russia to the European countries, and this assessment has not changed,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine with missiles and drones in an overnight onslaught that ran into the daylight of hours Thursday, when explosions echoed around Kyiv through the morning.

Ukraine is desperately short of US-made Patriot air defense missiles that can counter Russia’s ballistic missiles, and Moscow’s fast-flying jet-powered drones have brought another challenge since the Russian military’s full-scale invasion began 4½ years ago.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has struck a Russian Tu-95MS missile-carrying aircraft at the Engels base.

“These are the aircraft that are carrying out strikes against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said on X, adding the strike was carried out by the Alpha unit of Ukraine’s SBU domestic security service.

Ukrainian officials say Russia builds up missile stocks and launches major attacks every few days, hoping to exhaust Ukrainian defenses through the sheer weight of numbers.

In response, Ukraine has hit high-profile targets on Russian soil as the countries inflict mutual destruction.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out a “massive” strike on targets in nine Ukrainian cities that began after nightfall on Wednesday.

It described the targets as military-related, including industrial facilities, oil refineries, logistics hubs and port infrastructure.

“Russia continues to invest in missiles and in expanding its war, and that means more countermeasures are needed,” Zelenskyy said on social media, noting promises earlier this week by European countries to provide more air defense assistance.

“It is important that these (measures) are also supplemented by additional ballistic missile defense packages” through European purchases of weapons from the United States, he said.

Though the Russian Defense Ministry insisted only war-related targets were attacked, Russia appears determined to hurt Ukrainian businesses and dent the country's economy through attacks on private enterprise after Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes caused financial difficulties for Moscow.

Russian drones hit three major distribution centers, destroying depots belonging to a toy store chain and a confectionery company, and damaging another run by an electronics retailer, the companies said.

In addition, Moscow continued its efforts to wreck the Ukrainian power grid before the freezing winter months.

Also, people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson were urged to leave due to intensifying Russian attacks that risked cutting electricity and heating supplies for an extended period.

“I am once again addressing the residents of Kherson, especially families with children and elderly people: if you have the possibility.., please leave,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

“The enemy is intensifying its attacks every day on the region’s critical infrastructure,” he added.

“Last night, Russian forces again attacked Kherson’s district heating plant with glide bombs... the facility sustained very serious damage. Kherson may find itself without electricity or heating not for hours or days but for a long period,” he said.

Prokudin also wrote that, “Currently, there is no way to destroy these types of drones or the aerial bombs in any region of our country.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine's budget deficit in 2027 could be larger than forecast, requiring additional aid from the European Union as a result, Bloomberg wrote, citing sources.

Talks between Kiev and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have faced headwinds due to “politically sensitive demands” from the country’s second-largest lender, sources said.

In July, the IMF projected that Ukraine’s deficit would total 17.8% of GDP in 2027 - 3.3 percentage points lower than in 2025. However, this forecast presumes that the Ukraine conflict will end in 2026, the agency noted. “As the war drags on, the figure is expected to be revised upward,” Bloomberg said, citing one of its sources.