عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran Executes 2 Prisoners in Sanandaj Central Prison

Protesters carrying a photo of Mahsa Amini during a march against the regime in Iran (Reuters)
Protesters carrying a photo of Mahsa Amini during a march against the regime in Iran (Reuters)
TT
TT

Iran Executes 2 Prisoners in Sanandaj Central Prison

Protesters carrying a photo of Mahsa Amini during a march against the regime in Iran (Reuters)
Protesters carrying a photo of Mahsa Amini during a march against the regime in Iran (Reuters)

Two prisoners were executed at Sanandaj Central Prison on a charge of "intentional murder," according to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

Iran recorded a significant increase in death sentences and executions of demonstrators.

Widespread protests spread in Iran after the death of Mahsa Aymani, who was arrested by the morality police in Tehran in September 2022.

On Friday, the Iranian Human Rights Organization said that authorities issued 18 death sentences, including six women, and will be carried out in the coming days.

It announced that prison authorities informed the 18 prisoners, including two women in the Dastgerd prison in Isfahan and four others in the Dolat Abad women's prison.

Among the inmates was Samira Abbasi, a child bride who was sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of her husband.

Iran International reported that Iran is among the countries that have the highest number of executions in the world every year.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned Friday of the "dramatic escalation" of executions in Iran in recent weeks, saying it is a "serious violation of the right to life and should bring international condemnation."

The Beirut branch of the human rights organization announced that Iran witnessed during the past two weeks at least 60 executions, including an Iranian-Swedish national, on alleged terror-related charges.

Many of them were executed after unfair trials or for charges such as drug offenses and two executions for "blasphemy," that under international law should never result in the death penalty.

The director of the Iran Human Rights Organization, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, warned of the unprecedented wave of executions in Iran, especially among women.

Amiry-Moghaddam called on the international community to "stop the killing machine," warning that hundreds of people will be victims of this regime in the coming months.

An informed source told the organization that two men and two women were informed of the date of their execution in Dastgerd Prison. They were sentenced to retribution on charges of premeditated murder.

He added that 14 other prisoners were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Zelensky Speaks to US Envoys as Trump Lashes Out

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
TT
TT

Zelensky Speaks to US Envoys as Trump Lashes Out

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with top US envoys Sunday to try to ease tensions, as Donald Trump accused his counterpart of not wanting to end the war with Russia.

Zelensky spoke to US officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as both Russia and Ukraine hit each other's energy sites, with Moscow leaving thousands without power and Kyiv carrying out the largest drone attack on Saint Petersburg since the start of the war in 2022, said AFP.

Trump and Zelensky have clashed as the US president blocked new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, fueling fears in Kyiv and Europe that the White House was steering towards Moscow.

A Wall Street Journal report that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a meeting on Ukraine with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping -- but not Zelensky -- has set off more alarm bells.

On Sunday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he was in the process of negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine and making "great progress," but claimed: "Zelenskyy doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."

"Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States," Trump said.

Earlier, after speaking to Trump's business partner Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner, Zelensky said "a lot depends" on the US position in the war but that "it is clear that there are many things that matter to all of us and that this war must be brought to an end."

Ukraine was ready to work "constructively" and "honestly", he said. "We expect exactly this approach from all our partners -- both from the Europeans and, of course, from the American side."

He said he discussed deliveries of US Patriot air defense systems, as Kyiv struggles to counter Russian missiles.

Zelensky earlier told US broadcaster NBC it would be a "historic mistake" if Washington formally supported Russia and that he hoped Trump would "change his decisions."

But he also said he was "thankful" the United States resumed intelligence sharing after a pause that left his country vulnerable to Russian missile strikes.

- Thousands without power -

A US-led push to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II has so far not brought about a breakthrough and Trump has in the past grown frustrated with both Zelensky and Putin because of their lack of progress.

Zelensky spoke to the American officials as he accused Russia of breaking Trump's "energy ceasefire" 76 times and warning Moscow planned to deprive Ukrainians of heat and electricity before winter.

Russian strikes left "tens of thousands" without power in several regions, he said, with Ukrainian officials reporting three people had been killed.

Ukraine's army launched drones at Putin's hometown of Saint Petersburg late Sunday, setting an oil refinery ablaze and killing one person, Moscow said.

Russia's VKontakte social network said its data center was hit and Ozon -- Russia's second largest retailer -- also reported a strike on its logistics center.

The head of the wider Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said air defense shot down 144 Ukrainian drones, with state media saying this was the largest attack on the city since the start of the war.

- 'Dreadful routine of war' -

The Kremlin, however, said Ukrainian attacks on its cities will not change its war aims.

Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine and, in a fifth year of war, few see a way out of the conflict.

"There's a general feeling: they're attacking, we're attacking -- it's become the dreadful routine of war," 58-year-old Galina told AFP in Saint Petersburg.

Moscow has rained drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities daily and Kyiv says its strikes are fair retribution.

Sergei, another Saint Petersburg resident who is also 58, said he felt his apartment block shake and quickly realized it was a drone attack.

"I don't know if I was scared, what must be will be," he said.

Ukrainian strikes caused nationwide fuel shortages in Russia earlier this year.

World

Iran's Guards Say Oil Tanker on Fire after Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Oil tankers sail near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Oil tankers sail near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
TT
TT

Iran's Guards Say Oil Tanker on Fire after Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Oil tankers sail near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Oil tankers sail near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday an oil tanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine, the latest such incident since Tehran tightened its grip of the waterway.

Iran seized control of the strait after war broke out against the United States and Israel late February, choking off the vital shipping route which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil.

The Iranian republic has demanded that all ships seek its authorization before transiting.

"An oil tanker, which was in violation, struck a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in an explosion and a fire in its engine room," Iranian state media quoted the Guards as saying.

The tanker was travelling in the strait's "unauthorized southern route" and had disabled its positioning and navigation systems, the statement said.

It came a day after the Guards said two oil tankers caught fire in the strait, both after hitting mines.

The Guards' naval commander Admiral Ali Ozmaei warned this week that any vessel that deactivated its navigation systems would be considered "hostile".

The United States has imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian oil exports in response to Tehran's blockade on the waterway.

World

France’s Macron Declines Interior Minister’s Offer to Resign

A French firefighter responds to a street barricade burns as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continue for the second day during nationwide protests against the high cost of living in Paris, France, 18 October 2026. (EPA)
A French firefighter responds to a street barricade burns as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continue for the second day during nationwide protests against the high cost of living in Paris, France, 18 October 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

France’s Macron Declines Interior Minister’s Offer to Resign

A French firefighter responds to a street barricade burns as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continue for the second day during nationwide protests against the high cost of living in Paris, France, 18 October 2026. (EPA)
A French firefighter responds to a street barricade burns as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continue for the second day during nationwide protests against the high cost of living in Paris, France, 18 October 2026. (EPA)

French President Emmanuel Macron has declined Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's offer to resign after widespread weekend rioting, the Elysee presidential office said on Monday.

The demonstrations have been sparked by ‌public anger ‌over rising living ‌costs, ⁠faltering public services ⁠and also the state of schools.

Macron said Nunez should stay to ensure a chain of command is retained within ⁠the police and security ‌forces, ‌and has also asked Nunez ‌to set up as ‌quickly as possible new approaches to deal with looters, the Elysee added.

Nationwide demonstrations erupted ‌into riots on Saturday, with a town hall ⁠torched, ⁠shops pillaged and buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities.

More clashes also broke out in Paris and Marseille on Sunday, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.