Life without Iranian activist Mohammadi ‘constant struggle’, says family

Narges Mohammadi, who won peace prize for her activism against oppression of women in Iran, is in prison in TehranThe family of Narges Mohammadi has said the imprisonment of the Iranian women’s rights activist is a “constant and daily struggle” as they…

Narges Mohammadi, who won peace prize for her activism against oppression of women in Iran, is in prison in Tehran

The family of Narges Mohammadi has said the imprisonment of the Iranian women’s rights activist is a “constant and daily struggle” as they prepare to receive the Nobel peace prize in Oslo on her behalf.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris with their two teenage children, said the only help comes from seeing her work internationally recognised and the solidarity she receives from around the world.

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Iranian regime accused of raping and violating protesters as young as 12

Amnesty International report details ‘harrowing’ testimonies of survivors at hands of security forces following nationwide protestsIranian security forces used rape and sexual violence to torture, punish and inflict lasting physical and psychological d…

Amnesty International report details ‘harrowing’ testimonies of survivors at hands of security forces following nationwide protests

Iranian security forces used rape and sexual violence to torture, punish and inflict lasting physical and psychological damage on protesters as young as 12 during the country’s nationwide protests last year, a report says.

The report by Amnesty International is based on the testimonies of 12 women, 26 men, one girl and six boys who survived rape or other forms of sexual violence. Six survivors of rape were subjected to gang rapes by up to 10 male state agents, according to Amnesty.

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The Guardian view on Gaza’s devastation: don’t look away. See the bigger picture too | Editorial

As Israel pursues Hamas, the horrifying cost to civilians demands our attention. The ramifications don’t end thereWe cannot and must not look away from what is happening in Gaza. Half its population was forced from the north by merciless bombardment; n…

As Israel pursues Hamas, the horrifying cost to civilians demands our attention. The ramifications don’t end there

We cannot and must not look away from what is happening in Gaza. Half its population was forced from the north by merciless bombardment; now the Israel Defense Forces’ attacks upon the south have intensified and dozens of tanks have entered. Adults and children alike anticipate their deaths. More than 15,900 people in Gaza have been killed already, the vast majority of them women and children, according to Palestinian officials. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has directed the military to act with “increasing force” in its pursuit of Hamas, this time facing an even larger, denser population in even more desperate circumstances.

The IDF says its concern for civilians is evinced by its evacuation orders. Given the lack of power and connectivity, even the most assiduous would struggle to keep up with complex and fast-changing instructions – and this is a hungry, exhausted, grieving and traumatised population, many of whom have already moved multiple times. In any case, there is nowhere to go: “Safe places have no water, no sanitation, are often not safe anyway … They are not safe in hospitals, they are not safe in shelters,” James Elder, a Unicef spokesperson, said on Monday.

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Iran ‘using Gaza conflict as cover’ for execution of 127 people since war began

Human rights groups record alarming rise in number of prisoners put to death by Tehran regime since 7 OctoberThe Iranian regime has executed more than 127 people, including women and children, since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, according to human ri…

Human rights groups record alarming rise in number of prisoners put to death by Tehran regime since 7 October

The Iranian regime has executed more than 127 people, including women and children, since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, according to human rights groups.

According to data collected by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the Norway-based organisation Hengaw, which have been cross-referenced by the Observer, there has been an alarming rise in executions since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas.

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America’s undying empire: why the decline of US power has been greatly exaggerated

For more than a decade, people have been saying that the era of US dominance is coming to an end. But in reality there are still no other global players to rival itIn recent years, the idea that the United States is an empire in decline has gained cons…

For more than a decade, people have been saying that the era of US dominance is coming to an end. But in reality there are still no other global players to rival it

In recent years, the idea that the United States is an empire in decline has gained considerable support, some of it from quarters that until very recently would have denied it was ever an empire at all. The New York Times, for instance, has run columns that describe a “remarkably benign” American empire that is “in retreat”, or even at risk of decline and fall.

Yet the shadow American power still casts over the rest of the world is unmistakable. The US has military superiority over all other countries, control of the world’s oceans via critical sea lanes, garrisons on every continent, a network of alliances that covers much of the industrial world, the ability to render individuals to secret prisons in countries from Cuba to Thailand, preponderant influence over the global financial system, about 30% of the world’s wealth and a continental economy not dependent on international trade.

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Spanish police investigate possible Iran link to shooting of former politician

Alejandro Vidal-Quadras told police from hospital bed of his links to exiled Iranian opposition, source saysThe Spanish right-wing former politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is recovering in hospital after being shot in the face on a central Madrid stre…

Alejandro Vidal-Quadras told police from hospital bed of his links to exiled Iranian opposition, source says

The Spanish right-wing former politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is recovering in hospital after being shot in the face on a central Madrid street.

Police said they were not ruling out any theories for the attack on Thursday afternoon, including a possible link to the former European lawmaker’s ties with the Iranian opposition.

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Spanish police investigate possible Iran link to shooting of former politician

Alejandro Vidal-Quadras told police from hospital bed of his links to exiled Iranian opposition, source saysThe Spanish right-wing former politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is recovering in hospital after being shot in the face on a central Madrid stre…

Alejandro Vidal-Quadras told police from hospital bed of his links to exiled Iranian opposition, source says

The Spanish right-wing former politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is recovering in hospital after being shot in the face on a central Madrid street.

Police said they were not ruling out any theories for the attack on Thursday afternoon, including a possible link to the former European lawmaker’s ties with the Iranian opposition.

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Human-caused heating behind extreme droughts in Syria, Iraq and Iran, study finds

Millions of people’s lives wrecked by droughts that used to happen once every 250 years but now expected once a decadeExtreme droughts that have wrecked the lives of millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran since 2020 would not have happened without …

Millions of people’s lives wrecked by droughts that used to happen once every 250 years but now expected once a decade

Extreme droughts that have wrecked the lives of millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran since 2020 would not have happened without human-caused global heating, a study has found.

The climate crisis means such long-lasting and severe droughts are no longer rare, the analysis showed. In the Tigris-Euphrates basin, which covers large parts of Syria and Iraq, droughts of this severity happened about once every 250 years before global heating – now they are expected once a decade.

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In a world on fire, Biden struggles to banish the curse of Trump

From Afghanistan and Ukraine to the Middle East, the US president faces the fallout from his predecessor’s foreign policy blundersIs Joe jinxed? In less than three years as US president, Joe Biden has faced more than his fair share of international cri…

From Afghanistan and Ukraine to the Middle East, the US president faces the fallout from his predecessor’s foreign policy blunders

Is Joe jinxed? In less than three years as US president, Joe Biden has faced more than his fair share of international crises. America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan blew up in his hands like a cluster bomb. Then came Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Europe’s biggest war since 1945. Now, suddenly, the Middle East is in flames.

It could just be bad luck. Or it could be Biden, who prides himself on foreign policy expertise, is not as good at running the world as he thinks. But there is another explanation. It’s called Donald Trump. If Biden’s presidency is cursed, it’s by the toxic legacy of the “very stable genius” who preceded him.

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Dozens killed in blaze at drug rehab centre in Iran

Investigation under way after at 32 people reported to have died in fire in Langarud, north of TehranLocal media in Iran says 32 people have died in a fire at a drug rehabilitation centre in the north of the country, up from an earlier count of 27.The …

Investigation under way after at 32 people reported to have died in fire in Langarud, north of Tehran

Local media in Iran says 32 people have died in a fire at a drug rehabilitation centre in the north of the country, up from an earlier count of 27.

The death toll from the blaze at the centre in Langarud, a city in the northern Gilan province, was reported by the local ISNA news agency, quoting the province’s deputy governor, Mohammad Jalai.

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