Emergency, Evacuations in Parts of Russia's Far East in Typhoon Aftermath

As the typhoon crossed the Russian continent over 32 settlements were cut off, 543 residential houses and large swathes of roads were flooded in the Russian Far East by Saturday morning. (AP)
As the typhoon crossed the Russian continent over 32 settlements were cut off, 543 residential houses and large swathes of roads were flooded in the Russian Far East by Saturday morning. (AP)
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Emergency, Evacuations in Parts of Russia's Far East in Typhoon Aftermath

As the typhoon crossed the Russian continent over 32 settlements were cut off, 543 residential houses and large swathes of roads were flooded in the Russian Far East by Saturday morning. (AP)
As the typhoon crossed the Russian continent over 32 settlements were cut off, 543 residential houses and large swathes of roads were flooded in the Russian Far East by Saturday morning. (AP)

A state of emergency was declared and evacuations ordered in parts of Russia's Far East on Saturday after heavy downpours flooded villages in the aftermath of Typhoon Khanun that pummelled Japan earlier this week, local authorities said.
After lashing southern Japan, Khanun weakened to a tropical depression as it crossed into North Korea on Friday from South Korea, Reuters said.
In the Russian Far East, a region in the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent, 32 settlements were cut off, 543 houses and large stretches of roads were flooded by Saturday morning, said authorities in the Primorye region.
Evacuations were in place in the cities of Ussuriysk and Spassk-Dalny in Primorye, the region of which the port of Vladivostok is the administrative center.
"The water is quickly rising in the riverside parts of the (Spassk-Dalny) city," the Primorye government said on the Telegram messaging app, showing a video of swaths of land and buildings partially submerged.
The Spassovka and Kuleshovka rivers cross the territory of Spassk-Dalny, a city of just over 44,000 people.
Evacuations were also in place of parts of Ussuriysk, a city of more than 150,000 people about 100 km (60 miles) north of Vladivostok, where a dam built to contain floods was breached, officials said.
A state of emergency was declared in nine municipalities in Primorye, the region's government said.
Double the normal monthly rainfall has been forecast for some areas of the region through the weekend.



France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
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France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)

France accused Iran on Monday of "repression and intimidation" after a court handed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a new six-year prison sentence on charges of harming national security.

Mohammadi, sentenced Saturday, was also handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for "propaganda" against Iran's system, according to her foundation.

"With this sentence, the Iranian regime has, once again, chosen repression and intimidation," the French foreign ministry said in a statement, describing the 53-year-old as a "tireless defender" of human rights.

Paris is calling for the release of the activist, who was arrested before protests erupted nationwide in December after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony.

The movement peaked in January as authorities launched a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Over the past quarter-century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her vocal campaigning against Iran's use of capital punishment and the mandatory dress code for women.

Mohammadi has spent much of the past decade behind bars and has not seen her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015.

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 50,000 people as part of their crackdown on protests, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).


Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
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Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week.

Since the revolution, "foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation", Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the United States, AFP reported.

"National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: "Show it again and frustrate the enemy."


UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
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UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan resigned on Monday, a day after Starmer's top aide Morgan McSweeney quit over his role in backing Peter Mandelson over his known links to Jeffrey Epstein.

The loss of two senior aides ⁠in quick succession comes as Starmer tries to draw a line under the crisis in his government resulting from his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the ⁠US.

"I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," Allan said in a statement on Monday.

Allan served as an adviser to Tony Blair from ⁠1992 to 1998 and went on to found and lead one of the country’s foremost public affairs consultancies in 2001. In September 2025, he was appointed executive director of communications at Downing Street.