Asia Iran 30.000 Iranian pilgrims will be received by Iraq for Arbaeen rites provided they have a negative Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before arrival in the country
Asia Iran Over 900 people have been executed in Iran in 2024, of whom at least 31 women; most of the executions were linked to drug-related offences, but also to the mass protests of 2022 and included political dissidents, the UN human rights office reported
Asia Iran The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play has been lifted; it was imposed over two years ago during the mass protests against the government that began in reaction to the death of Mahsa Amin
Asia Iran President Massoud Pezeshkian, who has a reformist orientation, is explicitly criticising a law that tightens controls and penalties for women who do not wear the veil properly, supported by parliament and the Guardian Council
Asia Iran The country said it intends to keep military advisers in Syria after Aleppo, its ally's second city, was overrun by militants in a surprise offensive