Iranian UN Delegation Duo ‘Kicked Out’ of US, Says State Dept

The United Nations headquarters building in New York City, US, June 8, 2021. (AFP)
The United Nations headquarters building in New York City, US, June 8, 2021. (AFP)
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Iranian UN Delegation Duo ‘Kicked Out’ of US, Says State Dept

The United Nations headquarters building in New York City, US, June 8, 2021. (AFP)
The United Nations headquarters building in New York City, US, June 8, 2021. (AFP)

The United States has "kicked out" two members of the Iranian delegation who attended the recent UN General Assembly after they ignored an order to leave the country, the State Department said Saturday.

"Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in (New York) long after the United Nations General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the US," a US official told AFP, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio "means business."

US media reported the State Department had told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave the country Monday and resorted to expelling the two members after learning from the Iranian mission to the UN they remained in the country on Friday.

One member of the delegation left Friday night, while the second departed Saturday morning, according to Axios.

US and Iranian officials had met the week prior in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

US President Donald Trump had rejected a proposal from Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but told US media he expected talks to resume in the coming days.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had no more direct talks scheduled with Washington.



North Korea Says It Conducted Intermediate-Range Strategic Missile Drill

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends to oversee the firing of an intermediate-range missile from the eastern region of the country toward the East Sea during a drill in North Korea, October 3, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends to oversee the firing of an intermediate-range missile from the eastern region of the country toward the East Sea during a drill in North Korea, October 3, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
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North Korea Says It Conducted Intermediate-Range Strategic Missile Drill

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends to oversee the firing of an intermediate-range missile from the eastern region of the country toward the East Sea during a drill in North Korea, October 3, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends to oversee the firing of an intermediate-range missile from the eastern region of the country toward the East Sea during a drill in North Korea, October 3, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)

North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile in a test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.

KCNA said the missile was launched on Saturday from eastern North Korea and hit a target 1,000 km (621 miles) in the sea off the country's east coast. It said the drill was intended ‌to train troops ‌operating a hypersonic strategic weapon system and to ‌assess ⁠the reliability, efficiency ⁠and mobility of the country's war deterrent.

The launch was the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests this year and came as tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated over a landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers.

The KCNA report provided additional details about the missile launch disclosed on Saturday ⁠by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim ‌Jong Un and a senior ‌official in the ruling Workers' Party.

Kim Yo Jong said South Korea and Japan ‌had failed to track the weapon's flight, saying a special "wave-like ‌trajectory mode" had exposed limitations in their tracking capabilities.

South Korea's military said on Saturday it had detected a ballistic missile launch by North Korea and assessed the missile had flown more than 700 km toward the ‌sea off its eastern coast.

According to KCNA on Sunday, Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang must continue ⁠efforts to ⁠make its enemies recognize the "reliability and fatality" of its strategic offensive weapons and reaffirmed that developing its nuclear war deterrent remained essential for national security.

The test came amid heightened tensions after Kim Yo Jong issued a sharply worded statement on Friday rejecting Seoul's demand for an apology over the landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers.

South Korea has blamed North Korea for planting the mines and called for an apology. Kim Yo Jong called Seoul's accusation "groundless" and said North Korea had not deliberately laid mines targeting South Korean troops.

North Korea has carried out more than 10 missile tests this year.


Ten Injured in Australia as Car Crashes into Crowd North of Sydney

Police officers work at a crime scene at Waite Road in Paddington, Sydney, Australia February 23, 2024. AAP Image/Dean Lewins via REUTERS
Police officers work at a crime scene at Waite Road in Paddington, Sydney, Australia February 23, 2024. AAP Image/Dean Lewins via REUTERS
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Ten Injured in Australia as Car Crashes into Crowd North of Sydney

Police officers work at a crime scene at Waite Road in Paddington, Sydney, Australia February 23, 2024. AAP Image/Dean Lewins via REUTERS
Police officers work at a crime scene at Waite Road in Paddington, Sydney, Australia February 23, 2024. AAP Image/Dean Lewins via REUTERS

Ten people were injured when a man drove into a crowd in the Australian city of Newcastle on Saturday after appearing to lose control of the car, authorities said.

The 18-year-old driver was ‌arrested at ‌the scene in ‌the suburb ⁠of Wallsend about ⁠110 km (70 miles) north of the New South Wales state capital, Sydney.

When the incident occurred, fans had lined local streets to send ⁠off the Newcastle ‌Knights rugby ‌league team, due to compete in ‌the country's National Rugby ‌League grand final in Sydney on Sunday.

Two of those hospitalized, a 5-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man, ‌were in a critical condition, authorities said.

Newcastle Mayor ⁠Gavin ⁠Morris said the driver seemed to have lost control of the car. "It appears that he was revving the car in some form," Morris said in televised remarks.

Police said initial indications suggested the incident was not terrorism-related.


Russia Strikes Another Major Bridge in Ukraine Capital

Traffic headed to the left bank of the city  after Russian drone strikes on Kyiv's bridges caused disruptions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Traffic headed to the left bank of the city after Russian drone strikes on Kyiv's bridges caused disruptions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Russia Strikes Another Major Bridge in Ukraine Capital

Traffic headed to the left bank of the city  after Russian drone strikes on Kyiv's bridges caused disruptions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Traffic headed to the left bank of the city after Russian drone strikes on Kyiv's bridges caused disruptions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A Russian strike targeted a major bridge in Kyiv, its mayor said Saturday, in another attack on Ukrainian infrastructure that has brought traffic chaos to the capital.

The attack on the Northern Bridge, which followed a drone alert, came a day after the Southern Bridge was hit in a wave of strikes that city officials say is "tearing Kyiv apart".

The grinding conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has largely focused on ground fighting in the east, with Kyiv mostly spared from the devastation wrought near the frontline, AFP said.

"Northern Bridge has been hit," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram on Saturday. "Emergency services are heading to the scene."

In another update, Klitschko said the attack had damaged the road surface and trolleybus wires on the bridge.

"Traffic across the bridge from the left bank to the right bank is currently blocked," Klitschko said.

The latest strike follows multiple attacks on crossings over the Dnipro river that link the eastern and western parts of the capital.

On Friday, authorities shut the Southern Bridge -- one of Kyiv's main bridges -- and restricted movement on another after a wave of strikes by fast-moving, jet-powered drones, causing severe traffic congestion across the capital.

Long lines of stationary cars and buses clogged major roads as commuters sought alternate routes, with some forced to continue their journeys on foot.

The Southern Bridge is one of eight crossings connecting the two sides of Kyiv.

The cable-stayed structure had already been hit several times since Thursday, according to city officials.

Klitschko warned Friday the capital should now be on a war footing.