Asia Iran The 2021 presidential elections are being held today; Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi, close to the line of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with , appears to be the front-runner among seven candidates; this could deter voters from showing up at urns
Asia Iran Journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who had been convicted for reporting on Mahsa Amini's case, were pardoned; freed on bail after 17 months' imprisonment last January, their sentences were reduced on appeal in August
Asia Iran A new ballistic missile, capable of travelling 1.700 kilometres, was unveiled at a ceremony in Tehran attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian
Asia Iran An underground labyrinth city and aqueduct were recently unearthed in the ancient city of Abarkuh, Yazd province; further research into the city's interconnected chambers and tunnels is currently underway
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