Iran executes three men over January anti-government protests
Iran has executed three men accused of participating in armed attacks during January’s anti-government protests, according to state media, as authorities continue a crackdown on people linked to the unrest.
The men, identified as Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh, were accused of throwing petrol bombs and grenades, using firearms and bladed weapons, and setting fire to public facilities in Karaj, west of Tehran. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the Supreme Court upheld their convictions for allegedly carrying out operations on behalf of Israel, the United States and hostile groups.
The executions are the latest in a series of death sentences linked to the protests, which began in December over rising living costs before escalating into widespread demonstrations against the government. The unrest peaked on January 8 and 9, with Iranian authorities reporting more than 3,000 deaths and blaming the violence on what they described as terrorist acts backed by Washington and Tel Aviv.
Foreign-based rights groups have reported higher death tolls, while accounts received by the BBC indicate that security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. The number of executions in Iran has also increased since US and Israeli strikes on the country began in late February.
Houthi media report 33 killed in Saudi air strikes in Yemen
At least 33 people, including women and children, have been killed in air strikes in Yemen’s al-Shariyah district, east of Sanaa, according to media outlets affiliated with the Houthi movement.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah television station broadcast footage of rescuers pulling bodies from the rubble of damaged buildings and carrying injured people to nearby hospitals. The group’s Saba news agency said 39 people were injured in the attacks, which it blamed on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and the coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government had not commented on the reported strikes. The Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis for more than a decade, although hostilities had remained relatively subdued for several years before the conflict escalated again following the Iran war.
The renewed fighting has included Houthi attacks on Saudi targets and vessels using the Red Sea as an alternative oil export route to the Strait of Hormuz. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since hostilities resumed, while responsibility for a separate deadly market attack in Taiz province remains disputed.
White House refuses to ease immigration crackdown after midterm losses
Donald Trump, US President’s administration has vowed to continue its mass deportation campaign despite the Republican Party’s losses in last week’s midterm elections, rejecting suggestions that the results could prompt a change in immigration policy.
The White House said the administration would not slow efforts to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants accused of criminal activity. The Department of Homeland Security also insisted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would continue enforcing immigration laws under Trump’s leadership.
The president’s decision to promote immigration hardliner Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff had already signalled that the administration was unlikely to soften its approach. Exit polls showed immigration was the third most important issue for voters, behind the economy and the state of democracy.
However, US officials told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the administration attributed its electoral losses mainly to concerns about the economy, the cost of living and the war with Iran rather than its immigration crackdown. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis maintained that Trump had been stronger on immigration enforcement than any previous president.
Poland mourns six killed in Krakow shooting
Poland has begun two days of national mourning after a gunman killed six people and wounded 16 others in a shooting in Krakow’s historic main square, prompting tighter security and renewed concern over extremist violence.
The attack on Saturday left the suspected gunman, a 24-year-old Polish man, and two police officers among those injured. The suspect remains in critical condition in hospital, according to local authorities, while the government said the shooting may have been inspired by far-right ideology.
The incident has shaken public confidence in a country often regarded as safer than many of its Western European neighbours. It also follows school stabbings in October that officials linked to inflammatory material circulating online.
Opposition nationalist politicians have questioned the government’s suggestion of a far-right motive, challenging the evidence behind the claim. Investigators are continuing to establish the circumstances of the attack, which took place in Krakow’s UNESCO-listed old town, a major tourist destination.
Eisenkot seeks broad Israeli government as Netanyahu’s path to power remains uncertain
Gadi Eisenkot, former Israeli military chief, has pledged to form a broad government after President Isaac Herzog gave him the mandate to try to build a coalition following last month’s inconclusive election.
Herzog formally handed Eisenkot the task on Sunday, making him the first candidate to attempt to form a government after the October 27 vote left both his camp and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc short of a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot described the negotiations as extraordinarily complex and called for a national emergency government.
He said Israel was approaching a critical point and needed new leadership capable of addressing security and political challenges. Herzog highlighted the threat from Iran, the need to advance peace efforts in Gaza and negotiations with Lebanon and other neighbouring countries.
Eisenkot could seek support from Arab parties, negotiate with ultra-Orthodox factions or attempt a unity government with Netanyahu. However, each option faces significant political obstacles, making his chances of securing a majority uncertain.
Seven killed, more than 100 injured in train collision near Egypt’s Giza
At least seven people have been killed and more than 100 injured after two passenger trains collided near Giza, south of Egypt’s capital Cairo, causing several carriages to derail.
Egypt’s railway authority said one train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of another service heading from Cairo to Aswan, which was stationary on the tracks. Several carriages overturned and fell down an embankment, prompting a large emergency response.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered authorities to investigate the accident and hold anyone found negligent accountable. The public prosecutor’s office warned that the death toll could rise as rescue and recovery operations continued.
Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Health Minister said hospitals in the area had been placed on high alert, with injured passengers receiving treatment for fractures and head injuries. The Egyptian Red Crescent also deployed teams to provide assistance and psychological support to victims and their families.
ANC suffers worst-ever local election result in South Africa
South Africa’s African National Congress has recorded its worst performance in local government elections since the end of apartheid, securing 30.76 percent of the national vote and suffering major losses across provinces and cities.
The result marks a sharp decline from the 46 percent the party won in 2021 and the 64.82 percent recorded two decades ago. The ANC retained a majority in only one of the country’s nine provinces, Limpopo, compared with six in the previous local elections, and secured the most votes in just two of the eight major cities.
The Democratic Alliance came second with 24.64 percent, retaining control of Cape Town, while former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party won 9.76 percent and emerged as the leading party in Durban. The Economic Freedom Fighters secured 6.22 per cent, placing fourth.
Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary-general described the outcome as catastrophic, citing the high cost of living and growing discontent among middle-class voters. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the party accepted the electorate’s verdict, as the result deepens pressure on the ANC following its loss of a parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections.
Somalia’s Supreme Court rejects president’s term extension
Somalia’s Supreme Court has ruled that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unlawfully extended his tenure, escalating a political confrontation between the presidency and judiciary over the country’s electoral process.
The court said constitutional changes approved by parliament in March could not be applied retrospectively to extend Mohamud’s current term, which expired in May. The administration had added a year to his four-year mandate, a move opposition groups condemned as an attempt to prolong his stay in power.
The ruling also declared the dismissal of Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed null and void, saying the president lacked the authority to remove him outside established constitutional procedures. Mohamud had appointed Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, a former chief justice, as Ahmed’s replacement, arguing that the decision followed complaints about the administration of justice.
The court ordered political leaders to agree on an electoral plan within 30 days and hold elections within 90 days, potentially disrupting the government’s plans for nationwide polls next year. Mohamud says his proposed reforms are intended to replace Somalia’s clan-based electoral system with direct democratic elections, which the country has not held nationwide since 1969.
Kenyan court sentences doomsday cult leader to 200 years for 191 deaths
A Kenyan court has sentenced doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the deaths of 191 people, most of them children, in one of the country’s deadliest cases of cult-related killings.
Mackenzie and 28 others were convicted after prosecutors established that he instructed members of his religious group to starve their children and themselves to death in the belief that they would meet Jesus. Judge Diana Mochache said Mackenzie bore primary responsibility for directing the fasting and that the sentence was intended to reflect the gravity of the crimes.
The court imposed 100 years for homicide and another 100 years for offences related to starvation. The sentences in each category will run concurrently, but the two sets will run consecutively, bringing his total prison term to 200 years.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after more than 400 bodies were discovered in shallow graves in Shakahola forest near Kenya’s coast. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but the judge declined to impose it, saying imprisonment preserved the possibility of rehabilitation. Mackenzie also faces separate manslaughter and terrorism charges, which he denies.
Egypt reopens embassy in Libya’s Tripoli after 12 years
Egypt has reopened its embassy in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, after a 12-year closure, signalling closer engagement with the country’s western-based administration and a shift in Cairo’s diplomatic approach.
Egypt’s foreign ministry announced the reopening on Saturday, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attending the ceremony. He said the embassy’s historical significance reflected the longstanding cultural and human ties between the two countries.
The move marks a change for Cairo, which has been a prominent supporter of eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces and political allies rival the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli. Egypt closed its embassy in 2014 as fighting intensified and rival administrations emerged in the country’s east and west.
Libya has remained divided since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, with competing political and military authorities exercising control over different parts of the country. The reopening could strengthen Egypt’s diplomatic engagement with the Tripoli administration as efforts to resolve Libya’s political divisions continue.
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Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.
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