Iran's President to Attend BRICS Summit in Russia

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Iran's President to Attend BRICS Summit in Russia

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia, state media cited Tehran's ambassador in Moscow as saying on Sunday, amid tensions with the West over military cooperation between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to use them in Ukraine within weeks. Cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatened wider European security, he said.

The United States, Germany, Britain and France on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, including measures against its national airline Iran Air.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that Tehran did not deliver any ballistic missiles to Russia and that sanctions imposed by the US and the three European countries against Iran were not a solution.

Iran's ambassador in Russia Kazem Jalali confirmed on Sunday that Pezeshkian will attend the summit of the BRICS group of major emerging economies, scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia from Oct. 22 to 24, according to Iran's state media.

Pezeshkian will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin there, Jalali said.

Iran and Russia are set to sign a bilateral comprehensive cooperation agreement.



Eight Die in Channel Crossing Attempt, French Authorities Say

A ferry follows Border Force vessel "BF Volunteer" carrying migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France, as they arrive at the Port of Dover in southeast England, on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
A ferry follows Border Force vessel "BF Volunteer" carrying migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France, as they arrive at the Port of Dover in southeast England, on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
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Eight Die in Channel Crossing Attempt, French Authorities Say

A ferry follows Border Force vessel "BF Volunteer" carrying migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France, as they arrive at the Port of Dover in southeast England, on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
A ferry follows Border Force vessel "BF Volunteer" carrying migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France, as they arrive at the Port of Dover in southeast England, on September 7, 2024. (AFP)

Eight people have died trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French authorities said on Sunday, confirming earlier media reports.

This latest incident follows the deaths of 12 people earlier this month when their boat capsized in the Channel on its way to Britain and highlights the pressure on the British and French governments to find ways to tackle the boat crossings.

Jacques Billant, the Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, said that rescue crews were alerted that a boat with 59 people onboard was in difficulty in waters off the coast of Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais area.

"A new drama took place around one in the morning and we deplore the death of eight people," he told a news conference, adding that the other 51 onboard were now in the care of rescue and medical crews.

The dead were men from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan, he added.

The Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, which makes crossing on small boats dangerous.

The latest incident brings to 46 the number of people who have died trying to cross the Channel from France since the start of the year, Billant said.

On September 14 alone there were eight attempts to cross the Channel from France and some 200 migrants were rescued, he said.