Foreign News
Iran executes four convicted of Israeli bomb plot
Iran has executed four men it says were linked to an Israeli intelligence operation.
The death sentences were carried out on Monday after the Supreme Court rejected appeals, according to Iranian state media. The quartet was accused of planning a bomb attack ordered by Israel’s Mossad agency.
The men were convicted of illegally entering Iran from Iraq’s northern Kurdish region to attack a factory in the central city of Isfahan that produces equipment for the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. The operation was planned for summer 2022 but was averted by Iranian intelligence.
“The death sentence of four members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organisation, was carried out this morning,” the Iranian judiciary’s website Mizan Online reported.
Iran and Israel are longtime foes. They’re currently locked in a row over Iran’s nuclear programme. Israel accuses Iran of backing armed groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, with which it is fighting. Iran says Israel has carried out a number of killings of Iranian officials and scientists, accusations that Tel Aviv neither confirms nor denies.
Iran executes more people per year than any other country except China, according to Amnesty, and usually does so by hanging. In late December, it put to death three men and one woman convicted for alleged links to Mossad. Last week, Mohammed Ghobadlou, an Iranian man sentenced for his participation in anti-government protests in late 2022 was execued. Critics said the defendant had suffered from mental health issues.
“We are alarmed by reports of unfair trial proceedings in the case of Mr Ghobadlou, as well as in other cases, which fell far short of due process and fair trial standards required by international human rights law by which Iran is bound,” experts from UN’s human rights agency after the sentence was carried out.
“We are dismayed by the unprecedented rise in executions in Iran and note that at least 834 people were executed in 2023, including 8 people associated with the nationwide protests,” the experts said. “We urge the Iranian government to stop this horrific wave of executions.”
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said last year that Iran had an abominable track record of executions, with an average of more than 10 people hanged each week.
Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for two weeks, has had an “isolated” breathing crisis in hospital, the Vatican has said.
It led to an episode of vomiting and a “sudden worsening of his respiratory condition” on Friday following the coughing “bronchospasm”.
The 88-year-old received gas through a face mask to help him breathe.
In an update on Saturday, the Vatican said the Pope had a “peaceful night and is resting”.
[BBC]
European leaders have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump’s furious exchange with the Ukrainian president in the White House.
The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine – with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.
The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who “retains unwavering support for Ukraine”, Downing Street said.
It comes after extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office on Friday as US President Trump clashed with Zelensky, telling him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
[BBC]
Three people have died in Reunion after Cyclone Garance swept through the French Indian Ocean territory with gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph).
The tropical cyclone left more than 180,000 homes without power and 170,000 without running water after making landfall on Friday morning.
The remote island’s entire population – including emergency services and police – were ordered to stay indoors as the maximum alert level was imposed.
Heavy storm rains were expected to continue on Friday evening, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warning on X that the cyclone remained a threat.
The “brutal and violent” conditions were worse than Cyclone Belal, which killed four people on the island in January 2024, Prefect Patrice Latron said.
Garance made landfall in the north of Reunion at 10:00 local time (06:00 GMT), before sweeping south and exiting the island by late afternoon, according to weather agency Meteo France.
Local authorities reduced the alert level by midday to allow emergency services and police to leave their shelters.
The top wind speed of 234km/h had not been recorded on the island since Cyclone Hollanda in February 1994.
Vincent Clain, 45, a resident of the island’s northern coast, told news agency AFP: “This is the first time I’ve seen a cyclone this powerful, and also the first time I’ve been afraid.”
Some 100 troops and firefighters were on standby to be dispatched from the French territory of Mayotte nearly 1,500km (930 miles) away when conditions eased, as well as 100 from mainland France.
Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man went missing in nearby Mauritius on Wednesday after going swimming in rough seas.
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday that Garance was of a “rare intensity”, while Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said armed forces stood ready to provide assistance.
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