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5 Iran Border Guards Released from Captivity

A Pakistani border security official (R) and an Iranian border official meet at Zero Point in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan. (AFP)
A Pakistani border security official (R) and an Iranian border official meet at Zero Point in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan. (AFP)
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5 Iran Border Guards Released from Captivity

A Pakistani border security official (R) and an Iranian border official meet at Zero Point in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan. (AFP)
A Pakistani border security official (R) and an Iranian border official meet at Zero Point in the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan. (AFP)

Five out of 12 members of the Iranian border guards were released following their abduction in October by militants near the Pakistani border, announced the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

"The five ... who were kidnapped in the Mirjaveh border post by the Jaish al-Zolm (Jaish al-Adl) returned home on Wednesday night. They were released after joint efforts made with the Pakistani side," the Guards said in a statement, Tasnim reported.

The fate of the others remains unknown, but an Interior Ministry official told Iran's ILNA news agency that the others will be freed soon.

The Iranian separatist group Jaish al-Adl said last month it had abducted 12 border guards, which included members of the Guards, on the border with Pakistan in Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province.

The area has seen occasional clashes with Baluch separatists and also drug traffickers.

Details were sketchy and Iran has since twice revised the number of the abducted border force, including some from the vaunted Revolutionary Guard.

Pakistan has promised to help free the Iranian guards.

Jaish al-Adl kidnapped five Iranian border guards in 2014, releasing four of them two months later after mediation by local Sunni clerics.

Iran had threatened to hit militant bases in Pakistan unless Islamabad took action to secure its border area, which Tehran says has become a safe haven for anti-Iran groups to operate.

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World

Israel Tells British Consulate in East Jerusalem to Close Within 30 Days

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Reuters)
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Israel Tells British Consulate in East Jerusalem to Close Within 30 Days

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Reuters)

Israel has told the British consulate in East Jerusalem that it must close and that diplomats assigned there will lose their accreditation within 30 days, an Israeli official and two sources familiar with the matter said.

British representatives assigned to a US-led Gaza coordination mission in Israel, ‌as well as ‌British diplomats based in Ramallah, ‌must ⁠leave within seven ⁠days, the two sources said according to Reuters.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday said Britain must close its consulate in East Jerusalem, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority, in response to Britain imposing sanctions ⁠on Israeli settlements in the ‌West Bank.

Joining ‌Britain, France and Canada also said they ‌would ban the import of goods from ‌settlements.

Israel's government, which expected the sanctions, is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss its response to countries who also signed ‌Britain's action, said three sources familiar with the matter.

All sources spoke ⁠on ⁠the condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.

France and Sweden, which endorsed Britain's action, also have consulates in Jerusalem accredited to the Palestinian Authority.

Israel has in the past forced the closure of diplomatic offices in Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority. Canada has an office in Ramallah.

World

Netanyahu Will Make Quick Trip to Speak at UN After Mamdani Urged His Arrest, Diplomat Says

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, speaks during the party's presentation of new team members for the upcoming elections, in Jerusalem, Israel, 08 September 2026. (EPA)
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, speaks during the party's presentation of new team members for the upcoming elections, in Jerusalem, Israel, 08 September 2026. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Will Make Quick Trip to Speak at UN After Mamdani Urged His Arrest, Diplomat Says

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, speaks during the party's presentation of new team members for the upcoming elections, in Jerusalem, Israel, 08 September 2026. (EPA)
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the Likud party, speaks during the party's presentation of new team members for the upcoming elections, in Jerusalem, Israel, 08 September 2026. (EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a whirlwind 24-hour trip to speak at the annual UN gathering of world leaders this month because “there is no option” after New York’s mayor urged his arrest over the war in Gaza, Israel’s UN envoy said Tuesday.

Ambassador Danny Danon accused Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “doing politics” when he called the prime minister a “war criminal” and called for his arrest, which he had to withdraw because New York City does not have authority to take Netanyahu into custody.

“You know, it became very trendy to do politics by blaming Israel,” Danon added. He stressed, “For us, it’s important the prime minister will come.”

Netanyahu has become an increasingly polarizing figure over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Mamdani, whose office did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday, has pointed to the arrest warrant issued by the world’s top war crimes tribunal against Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him and another Israeli official of crimes against humanity.

The International Criminal Court warrant said there was reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a weapon of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in the campaign against Hamas — charges Israel denies.

While New York City does not have legal authority to execute an ICC arrest warrant, Mamdani has encouraged the federal government to do so. The US and Israel are not members of the court, and the Trump administration has imposed a series of sanctions on ICC staffers in a campaign to dismantle the tribunal.

Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in New York late on Sept. 23, address the UN General Assembly the afternoon of Sept. 24 and fly back to Israel that night, Danon said.

Danon noted that the meeting of leaders from the 193 UN member nations is taking place during the Jewish holidays and an election campaign as Netanyahu tries to keep his job as prime minister.

Danon said protests against Netanyahu would “create more chaos” on New York streets during the high-level meetings the week of Sept. 22-28.

Last year, there was a mass walkout from the UN General Assembly hall when Netanyahu started to speak from the podium. This year, Danon said, “I expect that there will be something like another show.”

But the ambassador said Netanyahu is experienced, “and I’m sure he will deliver his speech despite those attempts.”

World

Trump Hails ‘Really Big Night’ After Far-Right Win in Germany

(L-R) Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and parliamentary group co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, top candidate of the AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt Ulrich Siegmund, and AfD party and parliamentary group co-chairwoman Alice Weidel pose for the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 07 September 2026. (EPA)
(L-R) Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and parliamentary group co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, top candidate of the AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt Ulrich Siegmund, and AfD party and parliamentary group co-chairwoman Alice Weidel pose for the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 07 September 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Hails ‘Really Big Night’ After Far-Right Win in Germany

(L-R) Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and parliamentary group co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, top candidate of the AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt Ulrich Siegmund, and AfD party and parliamentary group co-chairwoman Alice Weidel pose for the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 07 September 2026. (EPA)
(L-R) Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and parliamentary group co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, top candidate of the AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt Ulrich Siegmund, and AfD party and parliamentary group co-chairwoman Alice Weidel pose for the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 07 September 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed what he called a "really big" victory by Germany's far-right movement after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a dramatic upset in state elections.

"Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, before going on to bash the country's immigration regulations.

"They finally got tired of the absolutely horrible Immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly."

Trump's celebratory post -- which did not name the party specifically -- came two days after the AfD emerged as the largest party in elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The anti-immigration, Russia-friendly and pro-Trump AfD party took almost 44 percent of the vote, and has vowed a "remigration and deportation offensive" targeting migrants.

The prospect of the first far-right government taking charge of a German state since World War II has deeply unsettled many migrants and minority groups.

The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is labelled a "right-wing extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, and its triumphant lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund's staff are known former members of a since-banned neo-Nazi organization.

Trump supporters have cheered on the AfD, with former US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell celebrating the results as "a new day in Germany" and tech billionaire Elon Musk rushing to be among the first to celebrate AfD's victory with a resounding "Well done!"

"THEY ARE ON THE RISE, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!!," Trump posted on social media, a German variation on his "Make America Great Again" platform.