Iran President Hails 'Freedoms' as State Body Reports 200 Dead in Protests

Protests were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. Reuters
Protests were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. Reuters
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Iran President Hails 'Freedoms' as State Body Reports 200 Dead in Protests

Protests were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. Reuters
Protests were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. Reuters

President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday hailed Iran's “Islamic Republic” as a guarantor of rights and freedoms, defending the ruling system amid a crackdown on anti-government protests that the United Nations says has cost more than 300 lives.

A top state security body meanwhile said that 200 people, including members of the security forces, had lost their lives in the unrest, a figure significantly lower than that given by the world body and rights groups.

The protests, in their third month, were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police enforcing strict mandatory hijab rules.

“Iran has the most progressive constitution in the world” because it marries “ideals with democracy,” Raisi said in a speech to parliamentarians, quoting an unidentified African lawyer he said he met several years ago.

“The constitution guarantees the (existence) of the Islamic system,” he said, adding that it also “guarantees fundamental rights and legitimate freedoms.”

The judiciary's Mizan news agency quoted the interior ministry's state security council as saying 200 people lost their lives in the recent "riots".

Amirali Hajizadeh, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying on Monday that 300 people, including security force members, had been killed in the recent unrest.

Javaid Rehman, a UN-appointed independent expert on Iran, said on Tuesday that more than 300 people had been killed in the protests, including more than 40 children.

Rights group HRANA said that as of Friday 469 protesters had been killed, including 64 minors. It said 61 government security forces had also been killed. As many as 18,210 protesters are believed to have been arrested.



Strong Earthquake Shakes Central Japan, Shattering Store Windows and Injuring at Least 22

 Shattered windows are seen at a car dealer following a strong earthquake in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
Shattered windows are seen at a car dealer following a strong earthquake in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Strong Earthquake Shakes Central Japan, Shattering Store Windows and Injuring at Least 22

 Shattered windows are seen at a car dealer following a strong earthquake in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
Shattered windows are seen at a car dealer following a strong earthquake in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture, central Japan Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

A strong earthquake shook central Japan early Sunday, shattering store windows, causing people to flee buildings and leaving at least 22 people injured, according to local media.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency put the quake’s magnitude at 5.7, while the US Geological Survey reported it at magnitude 5.5. Smaller aftershocks were reported.

A wide area near Aichi Prefecture was affected, including the city of Hamamatsu, the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara and nearby prefectures of Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji is located, as well as Gifu.

Japanese TV footage showed shattered store windows and scattered shards of glass on the streets. A bookstore was left with mounds of books that had flown off the shelves. The injuries included people who fell from stairs while they were trying to flee.

The quake, which struck at 1:04 a.m., was located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the earth's surface in Shizuoka Prefecture. Aichi and Shizuoka are neighboring regions. They are far enough from Tokyo that the quake was not felt there. The most violent shaking was felt in Aichi, according to official seismic assessments.

The meteorological agency warned people to brace for possible strong quakes in the coming week, especially the next two to three days.

“Please be on the lookout for mudslides, falling rocks and the possible effects from rainfall,” Ayataka Ebita, an agency official, told reporters.

He said no apparent change was detected so far to the Nankai Trough plate, where scientists say a megaquake can possibly hit.

The Shinkansen bullet trains were running at slower speeds in the affected areas as a precautionary measure. Sometimes quakes can damage the railways the trains run on.

Japan is located in an area that is prone to earthquakes. Authorities frequently instruct people to stock up on bottled water, food and batteries, have plans ready to hide under tables and keep comfortable walking shoes at hand.


Gunman 'Fascinated by Far-right' Kills Six in Krakow, Poland

Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland,on November 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. Beata Zawrze, AP
Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland,on November 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. Beata Zawrze, AP
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Gunman 'Fascinated by Far-right' Kills Six in Krakow, Poland

Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland,on November 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. Beata Zawrze, AP
Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland,on November 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. Beata Zawrze, AP

Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic center of Poland's second city of Krakow, in the country's deadliest shooting in decades.

Three bodies -- of two women and a man -- were later found at the suspect's home, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, adding there was "much to suggest that they are members of the (suspect's) immediate family".

Tusk also announced Poland would hold two days of mourning over the shooting that he called an act of "terrorism".

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the gunman appeared to be "fascinated by far-right ideologies".

A British national was among the killed, according to Polish police chief, Marek Boron, and five foreigners were among the wounded in hospital, the authorities said.

"Two people who have not yet been identified," Boron said referring to the victims killed.

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "shocked and saddened by the appalling shooting".

"My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives, everyone injured and all those affected by this senseless violence," he wrote on X.

The suspect -- a Polish citizen born in 2002 -- drove a car onto Krakow's Main Market Square and began shooting at random people, said police.

Two officers were wounded as they tried to stop the man, the police said, before shooting the suspect who was later detained and taken to a hospital.

An AFP reporter at the scene saw ambulances and multiple police cars as personnel cordoned off the area -- one of Poland's landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

"Everything suggests that the perpetrator held very, very radical views. A number of weapons were found in the car he was driving," Kierwinski said.

"Everything suggests that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies" and held "ultra-nationalist views," he added.

The man was wearing military-style clothing at the time of the attack, said Kierwinski.

- Tusk praises 'heroic' police -

Andrzej Fijolek, spokesman for the chief of police, said the attacker had used a semi-automatic rifle similar to the American AR-15.

The authorities have not yet disclosed the nationalities of all the victims of the attack, Poland's deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989.

"Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty," Tusk said.

On Saturday evening, AFP reporters saw the usually bustling Main Market Square sealed off, with heavily armed police and forensic investigators inspecting the site of the attack.

Witnesses told AFP they saw people take refuge in shops and restaurants in the surrounding streets.

"I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square," Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP.

"It's a tragedy for Krakow, we've never seen anything like this before," she added.

"I saw one person who was dead... and several others lying a bit farther away, whom people were still trying to resuscitate. They were taking off their clothes, trying to stem the blood with those clothes," said musician Daniel Wolny, 32.

"It's very frightening to think that there are still risks in Europe -- risks of a terrorist nature," Stella, a 22-year-old tourist from Rennes, northwest France, told AFP.

"Krakow has always been an extremely safe city... this is probably the first situation of this kind we can remember in our lifetime," said 33-year-old Gabriel Bogdan, an employee at a bar near the square.

- 'Dramatic events' -

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people.

But the country has been on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a "cult of violence".

Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.

Poland is also seeing a sharp rise in the number of firearms licenses. In 2025, more than 50,000 new licenses were issued, bringing the total to 411,000, according to police figures.

The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland was once the country's capital and attracts millions of tourists every year.

In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people.

Poland's conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was awaiting "a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events".

"The safety of Poles is an absolute priority," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences, saying that "Ukraine stands in solidarity with Poland and the Polish people. People have the right to safety."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X that "Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Poland as a friend and partner during these difficult times."

The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, described the shooting as "a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland".


Impeached Paraguay Leader Charged over Shock Implosion of Bank

This handout picture released by Paraguay's Palace of Justice press office shows Paraguayan impeached President Santiago Pena (R) and Judge Humberto Otazu at the court in Asuncion on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Paraguay's Palace of Justice / AFP)
This handout picture released by Paraguay's Palace of Justice press office shows Paraguayan impeached President Santiago Pena (R) and Judge Humberto Otazu at the court in Asuncion on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Paraguay's Palace of Justice / AFP)
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Impeached Paraguay Leader Charged over Shock Implosion of Bank

This handout picture released by Paraguay's Palace of Justice press office shows Paraguayan impeached President Santiago Pena (R) and Judge Humberto Otazu at the court in Asuncion on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Paraguay's Palace of Justice / AFP)
This handout picture released by Paraguay's Palace of Justice press office shows Paraguayan impeached President Santiago Pena (R) and Judge Humberto Otazu at the court in Asuncion on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Paraguay's Palace of Justice / AFP)

Paraguayan prosecutors charged ex-president Santiago Pena and took him into custody Saturday over a banking crisis that saw millions of people cut off from their money, sparking major protests.

Pena, Paraguay's youngest-ever president at 47, was removed from office by the Senate on Friday, just three days after the collapse of a leading bank with which he had business links.

He had offered to resign but lawmakers impeached him instead, stripping him of the immunity he would have enjoyed had he stepped down.

In a fast-moving sequence of events, Pena was brought before prosecutors on Saturday and charged with "breach of trust and mismanagement for personal gain."

Ueno Bank was a popular online bank that held accounts for nearly half of Paraguay's 6.5 million people, plus more than $800 million in government funds, AFP said.

Its collapse rocked this small, normally stable country, leading to street protests.

Pena, who came to power in 2023, owned shares in the bank's holding company, Ueno Holding, until he sold them last year.

He is accused of using his influence as president to steer millions in government deposits to Ueno Bank and of hiding or downplaying its financial woes, even though he was warned about questionable loans and solvency issues.

Pena is also accused of a conflict of interest for naming former Ueno Bank director Carlos Carvallo to run Paraguay's Central Bank.

Pena's lawyer Ricardo Preda denied the charges against his client and said that in Paraguay, it is not the president but rather a minister who decides where government money is deposited.

After a hearing with Pena on Saturday, Judge Hernan Otazu told reporters he had ordered the former president taken into pre-trial custody and held at the same Asuncion facility where he was taken after his removal from office on Friday.

The judge froze the assets of Pena and Carvallo, who faces the same charges as the former president, plus one of falsifying government documents.

Pena declined to make a statement during the hearing, Otazu said.

The Central Bank said it has started paying out money to Ueno Bank customers caught up in the collapse and that more than 50 percent have recovered their funds.

Giovanni Catolinom, 40, was not one of them. He trembled as he told AFP that funds from his new travel agency -- around $16,000 -- were still trapped in the bank.

"I lost 16 years of work," he said, crying.

Pena was replaced by Vice President Pedro Alliana, who promised not to abandon the depositors, including pensioners, affected by Ueno's demise.

On the streets of Asuncion there was rejoicing over Pena's ouster.

But news that Alliana, who is from the same right-wing Colorado Party as Pena, would take over angered some demonstrators.

"He's from the same team, he knew about it (the trouble at Ueno)," Edson Vazquez told AFP.

- US ally -

The collapse of Ueno rocked usually stable Paraguay.

Thousands of people took to the streets furiously demanding their money back after the Central Bank took control of Ueno, citing fears for its solvency.

Pena's removal was a further blow for US President Donald Trump's network of allies in South America.

Trump's favorite for Brazilian president, Flavio Bolsonaro, was defeated by left-wing incumbent Lula Inacio Lula da Silva last month.

Alliana will serve out the remainder of Pena's term, which ends in 2028.