Iran hangs three men for spying for Israel
Iran hangs three men for spying for Israel
DUBAI - Iran executed three men on Wednesday, after they were convicted of collaborating with Israel's Mossad spy agency and smuggling equipment used in an assassination, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.
The equipment they smuggled was used in the assassination of one unnamed personality, Mizan reported without giving further details.
Entangled in a decades-long shadow war with Israel before the recent open conflict, Iran has put to death many individuals convicted of having links with the Mossad and facilitating the latter's operations in the country.
These range from assassinations of nuclear scientists to acts of sabotage meant to undermine Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Sean Combs trial: Takeaways from testimony
Throughout the nearly seven-week case, three women took the stand to describe details of graphic sexual assault, including rape. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK - Both parties have rested in the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, and now lawyers will address jurors directly with marathon closing arguments. Music mogul Combs, 55, faces federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation with intent of prostitution. He denies all charges and faces life in prison if convicted. As the final stages of the at-times tumultuous proceedings approach, here are takeaways from the Manhattan trial. Key testimony from victims Throughout the prosecution's nearly seven-week case, three women took the stand to describe harrowing details of graphic sexual assault, including rape. The first was Ms Casandra Ventura, the singer who dated Combs for 11 years. She made her dramatic turn as a star witness last month while eight months pregnant with her third child. She recounted degrading, drug-fueled, frequently filmed sex parties with escorts she said Combs coerced her into, and also told jurors he raped her near the end of their relationship. Jurors have repeatedly watched disturbing surveillance footage of Combs brutally beating and dragging Ms Ventura, a video already seared into the public consciousness after CNN published it last year. A former assistant of Combs testified under the name Mia, and described trying to protect Ms Ventura from Combs's fits of rage. Ms Mia told jurors she personally endured abuse, including rape, from Combs. A third woman, Jane, also testified of orchestrated sex parties with paid escorts. She said she felt 'obligated' to acquiesce to Combs's desires, for 'fear of losing the roof over my head' that he was bankrolling. Bad Boy Entertainment or criminal enterprise? Prosecutors say Combs headed a criminal organisation that enforced his power with myriad crimes including forced labor, kidnapping, bribery, witness tampering and arson. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, known by its acronym Rico, encompasses 35 specific offences, including the aforementioned crimes. Prosecutors must prove a criminal pattern involving at least two of them. Government attorneys, who must also show the existence of an enterprise, say Combs's sprawling music, fashion and business empire doubled as a criminal ring that included some high-ranking associates and other employees. Through testimony and evidence, prosecutors have suggested that Combs's chief of staff and his head of security were both key to the alleged enterprise – but neither were called to the stand, nor have they been charged publicly. Many witnesses, including former assistants, were given immunity orders so they could speak truthfully without fear of incriminating themselves. The digital footprint Records of private messages have played a major role in the prosecution's case, a reflection of the paper trail that accompanies society's dependence on digital communication. The government's evidence included thousands of pages of phone and text records, and hours of testimony involved meticulous readings of some of the most explicit and wrenching exchanges. Combs's relationship with Ms Ventura lasted from around 2007 to 2018, and records included many texts as well as e-mails. The testimony of Ms Jane, a girlfriend of Combs from 2021 to 2024, was grounded in voluminous text conversations as well as audio voice messages and diaristic entries into her Notes app. Many of those records appear to indicate distress on the part of the alleged victims. But a lot of the messages also show affection and desire – texts the defence underscored again and again. Jurors have seen video evidence of the sex parties prosecutors say were criminal, while the defence has exhibited exchanges they said imply consent. Also in evidence are reams of financial records – including CashApp payments to escorts – as well as flight and hotel records. Coercion versus consent Core to the prosecution's case is a question of coercion versus consent: were the alleged victims in the case coerced, forced or fraudulently made to engage in drug-addled sex marathons under threat of harm – or were they knowing and willing participants? In its opening statements, the defence said Combs's accusers are 'capable, strong adult women.' 'Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking,' said lawyer Teny Geragos. Ms Ventura and Ms Jane both said they experienced emotional manipulation and threats that were reputational, financial and physical. And a forensic psychologist explained to jurors how the tactics of abusers can keep victims from leaving relationships. Celebrities, influencers and the online gossip machine Jurors are instructed every day not to consume media about the case – a mighty task, as news of the trial has permeated media ecosystems and social platforms. Dozens of news organisations are covering the trial, along with enthusiastic content creators cashing in on the internet's desire for hot takes and celebrity gossip. Combs is incarcerated and does not enter or exit the courthouse publicly. But some of the high-profile attendees and witnesses do, including members of the music mogul's family and figures like Kid Cudi, the rapper who testified that Combs's entourage torched his car. And the brief cameo of Ye, who stopped by to lend his 'support' to Combs, was a particular field day for the chronically online. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Body found in search of Swiss village buried by glacier debris
FILE PHOTO: Police control the entry to the village, near the scene where a crumbling glacier partially collapsed and tumbled, at the village of Blatten, Switzerland June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Cecile Mantovani/File Photo Body found in search of Swiss village buried by glacier debris ZURICH - Search parties combing the Swiss Alpine village that was buried last month after the collapse of a glacier have found human remains, police said. Police did not confirm if the remains were of a 64-year-old man who was reported missing in Blatten after it was engulfed by millions of cubic meters of ice, mud and rock. The village's 300 residents had already been evacuated earlier in May after part of the mountain behind the Birch Glacier began to crumble. "As part of a coordinated search operation in the Tennmatten area of Blatten, human remains were found and recovered," Valais Cantonal Police said late on Tuesday. Formal identification of the remains is now underway, the police said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Spain expects no repercussions from not meeting NATO 5% spending target
FILE PHOTO: Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo poses after talking to media at the G20 finance leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tita Barros/File Photo MADRID - Spain said on Wednesday it did not expect any repercussions from its decision not to meet a defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product that NATO member states are expected to set at a summit in The Hague. "Spain will be a responsible ally," Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told Bloomberg TV in an interview, adding that Madrid would meet all its commitments on its military capabilities despite spending less than 5% of GDP. "No repercussions should derive from making good on our commitments and from being a reliable NATO ally, covering for the capabilities that we did commit to and that are necessary to defend NATO." NATO leaders meeting in The Hague on Wednesday were expected to endorse the higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP in response to a demand by U.S. President Donald Trump. Doing so would also address the security concerns of European countries over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday that Madrid would not spend more than 2.1% of its GDP on defence because its commitments towards NATO on its military capabilities did not require more. Cuerpo also told Spanish radio station RNE that Spain would review its spending when or if the NATO capabilities requirements are revised. "Spain will certainly be up to the task when these necessary capabilities are updated," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
