Iranian authorities have stepped up persecution of the Bahais with a wave of arrests of prominent members of the country's biggest non-Muslim minority, leaving the battered community in shock, activists said on Monday.. - 'Not a shred of proof' - Iran's intelligence ministry said Monday it had arrested members of the Bahai minority suspected of spying for a centre located in Israel and of working illegally to spread their religion.
France and parts of England saw their driest July on record, the countries' weather agencies said on Monday, exacerbating stretched water resources that have forced restrictions on both sides of the Channel.. - 'Vicious circle' - Water companies on both sides of the Channel are struggling to respond to the parched conditions.
UN head Antonio Guterres warned Monday that a misunderstanding could spark nuclear destruction as the United States, Britain and France urged Russia to stop "its dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour.". - 'Need to act' - The three also took aim at Russia, urging Moscow to respect its international commitments under the NPT. "Following Russia's unprovoked and unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine, we call on Russia to cease its irresponsible and dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour," they said.
UN head Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world faced "a nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War" and was just "one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.". "Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," he said, calling on nations to "put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons."
Indian authorities reported on Monday Asia's first possible monkeypox fatality after the death of a man who recently returned from United Arab Emirates testing positive.. - Nobody's fault - India has reported at least four cases, with the first recorded on July 15 in another man who returned to Kerala from the UAE. Kerala's health ministry said in its statement on Monday that a high-level team from the state medical board would probe the death.
Serbs in North Kosovo removed barricades on Monday that blocked two crossings along the border with Serbia after authorities in Pristina postponed the implementation of new travel measures that sparked tensions. . Kurti however appeared to back down -- postponing the implementation of the measures for one month -- after meeting with the US ambassador in the capital Pristina late Sunday.
K-pop sensations BTS may be allowed to continue performing and preparing for international concerts even while they undertake their mandatory military service in South Korea, the defence minister said Monday.. Who does -- and does not -- undertake military service is a highly-charged issue in South Korea.
Hong Kong has tipped back into a technical recession, new government figures showed Monday, weighed down by mounting interest rates, weakened global trade and the city's continued adherence to strict coronavirus controls.. "Weakened global demand and continued disruptions to cross-boundary land cargo flows between the mainland and Hong Kong weighed heavily on Hong Kong's exports," the government said Monday.
An American envoy on Monday expressed optimism that Lebanon and Israel could move towards a maritime border deal to settle competing claims over offshore gas fields.. The maritime border dispute between the neighbours escalated in early June, after Israel moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field, which is partly claimed by Lebanon.
Families embraced and cried tears of joy Monday as they reunited at Tonga's airport -- the inaugural arrivals to the Pacific nation after it lifted Covid restrictions for the first time since the pandemic struck.. But with restrictions lifted, Monday's first batch of tourists and returning Tongans -- greeted with colourful garlands and serenaded by a band at the Fua'amotu International Airport -- will not have to undergo quarantine.
