عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

UN Observes Minute’s Silence for 101 Staff Killed in Gaza 

Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
TT
TT

UN Observes Minute’s Silence for 101 Staff Killed in Gaza 

Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)
Protesters take part in a rally in support of Palestinians, in front of the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, 11 November 2023. (EPA)

United Nations workers observed a minute's silence on Monday to honor the more than 100 employees killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began last month as UN flags flew at half-mast.

Staff at UN offices in Geneva bowed their heads as a candle was lit in memory of the 101 employees of UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza.

"This is the highest number of aid workers killed in the history of our organization in such a short time," said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva.

"We are gathered here today, united in this very symbolic location, to pay respect to our brave colleagues who sacrificed their lives while serving under the United Nations flag."

UNRWA has said that some staff members were killed while queuing for bread while others were killed along with their families in their homes in Israel's aerial and ground war against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border assault by the group.

Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the densely populated enclave, saying the group uses the population as human shields. Hamas denies the charge.

"I would like to say that we are really facing very challenging times for multilateralism, for the world," Valovaya said. "But the United Nations is more relevant than ever."

Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare and aid. Many of UNRWA's 5,000 staff working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees themselves.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Report: New Anti-Government Chants in Tehran After Giant Rallies Abroad 

Protesters attend a demonstration organized by The Munich Circle, against the Iranian government under the motto "Freedom for Iran", during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Protesters attend a demonstration organized by The Munich Circle, against the Iranian government under the motto "Freedom for Iran", during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Report: New Anti-Government Chants in Tehran After Giant Rallies Abroad 

Protesters attend a demonstration organized by The Munich Circle, against the Iranian government under the motto "Freedom for Iran", during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)
Protesters attend a demonstration organized by The Munich Circle, against the Iranian government under the motto "Freedom for Iran", during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany, February 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Some residents of Tehran on Sunday chanted slogans against the clerical leadership from balconies and windows, reports said, a day after Iranians abroad staged giant opposition rallies in Europe and North America.

The country under supreme leader Ali Khamenei was shaken by a protest movement that peaked in January and which according to rights groups was repressed by security forces in a crackdown that left thousands dead.

While the street protests have petered out in the face of the crackdown, last week residents of Tehran and other cities began shouting slogans against the leadership from the relative safety of their own homes inside vast apartment blocks.

In a new night of chants, residents of the eastern Tehran district of Ekbatan on Sunday shouted "death to Khamenei", "death to the Islamic republic" and "long live the shah", according to the Shahrak Ekbatan social media account which monitors the area.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the revolution, had urged people inside the country to stage such actions in parallel with protests abroad over the weekend.

Police in the southern German city of Munich said 250,000 people attended a rally there Saturday which in an unusual move was personally addressed by Pahlavi.

Other major pro-monarchy rallies were held in diaspora strongholds including Los Angeles and Toronto.

Pahlavi's office said on X that over a million people had attended such rallies worldwide, but it was not immediately possible to confirm the figure.

Speaking in Munich, Pahlavi hailed the rally as the biggest such in years and said he was ready to lead a transition in Iran.

Monarchist supporters were also gladdened by an extremely rare public appearance at the rally by his sole surviving full sibling, his sister the former princess Farahnaz.

Persian-language TV channel Iran International, which is based outside Iran, reported similar actions taking place in other parts of Tehran Sunday, broadcasting images of people chanting "this is the final battle, Pahlavi is coming back" and "death to the Guards" in reference to the authorities' ideological army the Revolutionary Guards.

Slogans hostile to the authorities were also chanted in other cities including Shiraz in the south and Arak in the center of the country, it added.

It was not immediately possible for AFP to verify the videos.

The new actions come two days ahead of talks on Tuesday between the US and Iran focused on the Iranian nuclear program in Geneva which are seen as crucial to determining if Washington goes ahead with military action against Tehran.

According to the latest toll issued by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, over 7,000 people were killed during the protests, the vast majority protesters shot dead by security forces. Almost 54,000 people have been arrested in a crackdown that is ongoing, it added.

World

Suspect in Mass Shooting at Sydney Jewish Festival Appears in Court 

Ben Archbold, legal aid solicitor for accused Bondi shooter Naveed Akram, speaks to the media outside the Downing Centre in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
Ben Archbold, legal aid solicitor for accused Bondi shooter Naveed Akram, speaks to the media outside the Downing Centre in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
TT
TT

Suspect in Mass Shooting at Sydney Jewish Festival Appears in Court 

Ben Archbold, legal aid solicitor for accused Bondi shooter Naveed Akram, speaks to the media outside the Downing Centre in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
Ben Archbold, legal aid solicitor for accused Bondi shooter Naveed Akram, speaks to the media outside the Downing Centre in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)

A man accused of killing 15 people in a mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney's Bondi Beach appeared in court Monday for the first time since his release from the hospital.

Naveed Akram appeared in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court via a video link from the maximum security Goulburn Correctional Center 200 kilometers (120 miles) away.

He did not enter pleas to the charges against him, including murder and committing a terrorist act. The brief court appearance focused on extending a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly.

Defense lawyer Ben Archbold told reporters outside court that Akram was doing as well as could be expected and it was too early to indicate any intention of pleas.

Akram, 24, was wounded and his father Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a gunbattle with police after the attack on a Hanukkah celebration at the beach Dec. 14.

The younger Akram is next scheduled to appear in court April 9.

The police investigation is one of three official inquiries examining Australia’s worst alleged terrorist attack and the nation’s worst mass shooting in 29 years.

One involves the interactions between law enforcement and intelligence agencies before the attack that was allegedly inspired by the ISIS group.

World

Araghchi Says Iran Has ‘Real Ideas’ to Achieve ‘Fair Deal,’ Rejects Threats

08 February 2026, Iran, Teheran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during his weekly press conference in Tehran. Photo: Foad Ashtari/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
08 February 2026, Iran, Teheran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during his weekly press conference in Tehran. Photo: Foad Ashtari/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
TT
TT

Araghchi Says Iran Has ‘Real Ideas’ to Achieve ‘Fair Deal,’ Rejects Threats

08 February 2026, Iran, Teheran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during his weekly press conference in Tehran. Photo: Foad Ashtari/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
08 February 2026, Iran, Teheran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during his weekly press conference in Tehran. Photo: Foad Ashtari/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Geneva on Monday ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States, saying he had “real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal.”

According to Tehran, "indirect" Iran-US nuclear talks mediated by Oman will be held on Tuesday, although Washington has previously pushed for other topics to be discussed including Iran's ballistic missiles and support for regional proxies.

Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations this month after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June.

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran's stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium that was last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors in June.

During his visit to Geneva, Araghchi is expected to hold talks with his Swiss and Omani counterparts as well as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, and other international officials, Iran's foreign ministry said.

Washington has dispatched Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House confirmed on Sunday.

The latest talks follow repeated threats from Trump of military action against Tehran, first over Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, and then more recently over the country's nuclear program.

“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Araghchi said on X.

On February 6, Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect talks with Witkoff and Kushner in Muscat.

Iranian deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Tehran was seeking a deal with the United States that would generate economic benefits for both countries, particularly in sectors such as aviation, mining and oil and gas, the Fars news agency reported.

"For the agreement to be viable, it is essential that the United States also be able to benefit from it in areas with strong and rapid economic return potential," he was quoted as saying.