Four Killed in Armed Attack on Shiite Shrine in Iran

The attack Sunday on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz (Fars)
The attack Sunday on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz (Fars)
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Four Killed in Armed Attack on Shiite Shrine in Iran

The attack Sunday on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz (Fars)
The attack Sunday on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz (Fars)

An attack on a Shiite Muslim shrine in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz on Sunday killed four people and injured at least eight others, Iranian media outlets said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine, which state news agency IRNA said had been carried out by terrorists.

Later, Iranian Khabar TV channel said ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

One of the suspected assailants was arrested while the other went on the run, according to Tasnim news agency.

At least seven people were wounded, including two workers at the shrine and two pilgrims, and shops in the area had been closed. State TV said the shrine area had been cordoned off by security forces.

At the site of the attack, the head of the judiciary in Fars province, Kazem Mousavi, said in statements to Iranian television that the attacker was “subject to preliminary interrogation,” adding that “the situation is under control.”

Later, the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament announced it will hold a session Monday to discuss details of the attack.

Last October, ISIS said it had launched an attack on the shrine in which 15 people were killed.

The group has claimed previous attacks in Iran, including the deadly twin bombings in 2017 that targeted Iran's parliament and the tomb of former supreme leader, Khomeini.

Last July, the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website said Iran hanged two men in public over the October attack in Shiraz.

It said Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hashem Qatali were hanged after being convicted of “corruption on earth, armed rebellion, and acting against national security” as well as “conspiracy against the security of the country.”

The nationalities of the two men were not revealed. But, authorities earlier said people from other countries including neighboring Afghanistan were involved in the attack.

Last month, IRNA said the two men were hanged at dawn on July 8 on a street near the shrine in Shiraz, the capital of Fars province.

Rashidi had confessed to having collaborated with ISIS to carry out the shooting, Mizan stated.

Meanwhile, Mousavi said three other defendants were sentenced to prison for five, 15, and 25 years for being members of ISIS.

Iranian authorities said that the main assailant in the attack was identified as Hamed Badakhshan, a man in his 30s. They said he died of injuries sustained during his arrest.

In November last year, Tehran stated that 26 people from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan had been arrested in connection with the attack.



Australian Lawmakers Back Stricter Gun, Hate Crime Laws

A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Australian Lawmakers Back Stricter Gun, Hate Crime Laws

A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Australian politicians voted in favor of tougher hate crime and gun laws Tuesday, weeks after gunmen targeting Jewish people on Bondi Beach killed 15 people.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives backed the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at the famous Sydney beach.

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation's worst mass shooting for 30 years.

The attack has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism, anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm, and promises to protect the country with stiffer legislation.

The hate crime and gun control legislation must still be approved by the upper house Senate, which was expected to vote later in the day.

"The terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they also had high-powered rifles in their hands," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament.

"We're taking action on both -- tackling antisemitism, tackling hate, and getting dangerous guns off our streets."

Legislative reforms on guns and hate speech were voted on separately.

The hate speech legislation would toughen laws and penalties for people seeking to spread hate and radicalization, or to promote violence.

It creates aggravated offences for offenders who are preachers, other leaders, or adults seeking to radicalize children.

The reform would also make it easier to reject or cancel visas for people suspected of terrorism or espousing hatred on the basis of race, color, or origin.

On firearms, Australia would set up a national gun buyback scheme, tighten rules on imports of firearms and expand background checking for gun permits to allow input from intelligence services.

The legislation was debated in a special session of parliament, ahead of a national day of mourning on Thursday for the Bondi Beach victims.

Gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the Bondi Beach attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.

Police and intelligence agencies are facing difficult questions about whether they could have acted earlier.

Naveed Akram was flagged by Australia's intelligence agency in 2019, but he slipped off the radar after it was decided that he posed no imminent threat.


Macron Sent Message to Trump Offering to Host G7 Meeting in Paris Thursday

French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
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Macron Sent Message to Trump Offering to Host G7 Meeting in Paris Thursday

French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT

Emmanuel Macron has sent a "private message" to Donald Trump offering to organize a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday in which Russia could be invited on the sidelines, the French president's entourage confirmed.

Trump posted this message on his Truth Social network in which Macron also proposes inviting Ukraine to the meeting as well as Denmark to discuss disagreements over Greenland.

The offer comes as Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland.

"My friend, we are completely aligned on Syria. We can do great things in Iran. I don't understand what you are doing in Greenland," Macron said in his message.

"I can organize a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday afternoon after Davos," Macron wrote, referring to the gathering of global elites in Switzerland where the US president is set to be in attendance.

"I can invite the Ukrainians, the Danes, the Syrians and the Russians on the sidelines" of the meeting, he added.

Trump's relations with Macron hit a new low Monday when the US president threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine over France's intention to decline an invitation to join his "Board of Peace".

"Tariff threats to influence our foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective," a source close to Macron told AFP on Tuesday.


ISIS Claims Deadly Blast at Chinese-run Restaurant in Afghan Capital

Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
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ISIS Claims Deadly Blast at Chinese-run Restaurant in Afghan Capital

Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL

ISIS claimed an explosion that officials said killed a Chinese national and six Afghans, while injuring several more as it tore through a Chinese-run restaurant in a heavily guarded part of Afghanistan's capital.

Monday's blast took place in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area that is home to offices, shopping complexes and embassies, police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said.

It is considered one of the safest neighborhoods in the city.

According to Reuters, the Afghan branch of ISIS claimed responsibility, saying in a statement it ‌was carried out ‌by a suicide bomber.

The restaurant serving the Chinese ‌Muslim ⁠community was jointly run ‌by a Chinese Muslim man, Abdul Majid, his wife, and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, Zadran said.

"The nature of the explosion is unknown so far and is being investigated," he said.

A Chinese national, identified only as Ayub, and six Afghans were killed in the blast near the restaurant's kitchen, while several others were injured, Zadran added.

The Amaq news agency said the domestic arm of ISIS had put Chinese citizens on its list of targets, citing "growing crimes by the Chinese government against ‌Uyghurs".

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, ‍a mainly Muslim ethnic minority group ‍numbering about 10 million who live in China's far western region of ‍Xinjiang.

Beijing denies any abuse and has accused Western countries of interference and peddling lies.

The blast injured five Chinese nationals, and China has requested that Afghanistan spare no effort to treat the injured, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

China also requested that Afghanistan take effective measures to protect the safety of ⁠its citizens and investments, and investigate, Guo said.

On Monday, videos shared on social media showed smoke billowing from a large hole torn in the facade of the restaurant building, while debris littered the street outside.

"We have received 20 people at our hospital," Dejan Panic, the Afghanistan director of humanitarian group EMERGENCY, said in a statement, adding that seven were dead on arrival. "Among the wounded are four women and a child."