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Sadeq Larijani Named Chairman of Expediency Discernment Assembly

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appoints the new head of powerful Expediency Council (AFP/file photo)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appoints the new head of powerful Expediency Council (AFP/file photo)
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Sadeq Larijani Named Chairman of Expediency Discernment Assembly

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appoints the new head of powerful Expediency Council (AFP/file photo)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appoints the new head of powerful Expediency Council (AFP/file photo)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has appointed Sadeq Larijani as the new chairman of the Expediency Discernment Assembly and a member of Guardian Council.

The appointment was made less than a week after the death of the council's former chief Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.

Khamenei said that there is no substitute of the role of Expediency Discernment Assembly in the regime's management, strength, and directness.

On August 14, 2009, Shahroudi left the post of chief justice of service and was succeeded by Larijani. However, Khamenei hinted that Larijani would leave work in the justice field soon.

Leaks by reliable sources informed Iranian media that Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri confirmed last week the appointment of Ibrahim Raesi as chairman in place of Larijani.

The Iranian Supreme Leader names the 44 members of the council every five years – the current term terminates in summer 2022.

Eyes are now on the first meeting of the council that will include key rival of Larijani former ex-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who slammed the chief justice of service and called on Khamenei to change the two brothers: Sadeq and Ali Larijani.

Dolate Bahar, a website promoting Ahmadinejad, published on Telegram Sunday the decree of appointing Larijani without commenting on it.

US President Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions on Larijani, among other Iranian officials, in January 2018 over his role in human rights abuses – further, he is also on the EU sanctions list since March 2012.

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World

UK Government Was Hacked in October, Minister Confirms

A pedestrian shelters from the rain while walking along the South Bank with the River Thames and the office buildings of the City Of London shrouded in fog on December 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
A pedestrian shelters from the rain while walking along the South Bank with the River Thames and the office buildings of the City Of London shrouded in fog on December 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
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UK Government Was Hacked in October, Minister Confirms

A pedestrian shelters from the rain while walking along the South Bank with the River Thames and the office buildings of the City Of London shrouded in fog on December 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
A pedestrian shelters from the rain while walking along the South Bank with the River Thames and the office buildings of the City Of London shrouded in fog on December 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

British trade minister Chris Bryant said the government had been hacked in October, partly confirming a report in the Sun newspaper, which said a Chinese group had breached systems to access foreign office data.

"There certainly has been a hack," Bryant ‌told Times ‌Radio on Friday, according to Reuters.

"I'm not ‌able ⁠to say ‌whether it is directly related to Chinese operatives, or indeed, the Chinese state," he added.

The Sun named Storm 1849 as the Chinese cyber gang responsible for the breach, ⁠which it said was understood to possibly ‌include tens of thousands ‍of visa ‍details.

The group has been accused ‍of targeting politicians and groups critical of the Chinese government, the newspaper said.

Bryant said that some of the reporting was speculation, and that the government was "on top of" ⁠the incident.

"We're fairly confident that there's a low risk of any individual actually being affected by this," he told Sky News.

A government spokesperson said that it had been working to investigate a cyber incident.

"We take the security of our systems and data ‌extremely seriously," the spokesperson said.

World

Ukraine's Zelenskiy to Meet Poland's Trump-backed President at Key Moment in War

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
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Ukraine's Zelenskiy to Meet Poland's Trump-backed President at Key Moment in War

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT

Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet Poland's President Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw on Friday, as the Ukrainian leader tries to shore up relations with a key ally at a crucial moment for Kyiv's war effort.

The visit comes just as European Union leaders that United States President Donald Trump recently branded "weak" have agreed to borrow cash to fund Ukraine for the next two years, ensuring it can continue its fight against Russia's invasion.

While there is broad agreement in Warsaw that aid for Kyiv is essential in ‌order to keep ‌Russian forces away from Poland's borders, hardening attitudes towards ‌Ukrainian ⁠refugees have fueled ‌simmering tensions.

In a nod to rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some right-wing voters, nationalist Nawrocki had insisted that Zelenskiy should visit Warsaw to thank Poland for its support before he would consider visiting Kyiv.

"We should support Ukraine, and we do," Nawrocki said in an interview with the wp.pl news website published on Monday.

"At the same time, we should... ensure that Ukraine treats Poland as a partner. The conflict has been going on for nearly four ⁠years, and I have the impression that we, Poles, often don't feel like partners in this relationship."

Nawrocki's approach ‌to relations with Kyiv is much cooler than that ‍of his predecessor Andrzej Duda, and ‍reflects the increasing fractures on the right of Polish politics.

POLITICAL DIVISION

Zelenskiy said maintaining ‍relations with Poland was "very important" when confirming Friday's visit.

Wojciech Przybylski, head of the Res Publica Foundation think tank, believes that Nawrocki, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, could prove valuable to the Ukrainian president.

"Zelenskiy needs allies and circles who have some ties to Donald Trump... so here, Nawrocki is showing that he holds the cards and is thus trying to establish himself as a significant player in Ukraine," he said.

While Nawrocki's ⁠presidential election campaign this year was backed by Poland's largest nationalist opposition party PiS, his eventual victory in June's run-off vote owed much to supporters of far-right parties who say Poland has given Ukraine too much support.

Such views are becoming increasingly common. A Pollster survey for the Super Express tabloid published on Tuesday found that 57% of respondents had a negative opinion about Poland's decision to spend $100 million on US arms for Ukraine.

Poland's approach to the war in Ukraine also forms part of the bitter feud at the heart of Polish politics between MAGA-enthusiast Nawrocki and centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council president.

Tusk said on Thursday that he would meet Zelenskiy in Warsaw after returning ‌from the summit.

He has previously berated right-wing parties over their attitude to Ukraine, telling them to "stand by Ukraine's side in its war with Ukraine with no 'buts'".

World

Zelensky Says EU's 90 Bn-euro Loan 'Truly Strengthens' Ukraine Defense

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 18, 2025. European Unions leaders meet in Brussels on December 18 and 19, 2025, to discuss in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU's strategic autonomy. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 18, 2025. European Unions leaders meet in Brussels on December 18 and 19, 2025, to discuss in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU's strategic autonomy. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
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Zelensky Says EU's 90 Bn-euro Loan 'Truly Strengthens' Ukraine Defense

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 18, 2025. European Unions leaders meet in Brussels on December 18 and 19, 2025, to discuss in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU's strategic autonomy. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 18, 2025. European Unions leaders meet in Brussels on December 18 and 19, 2025, to discuss in particular the need to support Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the EU's strategic autonomy. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday thanked the EU for its 90 billion-euro loan to plug the country's looming budget shortfalls, saying it "truly strengthens" Kyiv's defense.

"This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience," Zelensky said on X.

"It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years."

European Union leaders decided on Friday to borrow cash to loan 90 billion euros ($105 billion) to Ukraine to fund its defense against Russia for the next two years rather than use frozen Russian assets, sidestepping divisions over an unprecedented plan to finance Kyiv with Russian sovereign cash.

The leaders also gave the European Commission a mandate to keep working on a so-called reparations loan based on Russian immobilized assets but that option proved unworkable for now, above all due to resistance from Belgium, where the bulk of the assets is held.

"Today we approved a decision to provide 90 billion euros to Ukraine," EU summit chairman Antonio Costa told a press conference early on Friday morning after hours of talks among the leaders in Brussels. "As a matter of urgency, we will provide a loan backed by the European ‌Union budget."