
Courthouse attacked in Iran's Baluchistan province, Iranian media reports
(Reuters) -An armed attack was reported on Saturday on a courthouse in Iran's southeastern province of Baluchistan, Iranian media reported.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by William Mallard)

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The Star
24 minutes ago
- The Star
Thailand returns two wounded soldiers to Cambodia but continues to hold 18 of their comrades
A Cambodian soldier walks past a building, damaged by an artillery, during a visit of delegation of foreign diplomats to inspect a damaged area along the Thailand-Cambodia's border, following a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, in Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia, August 1, 2025. -- REUTERS/Soveit Yarn PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK (AP): Cambodia on Friday welcomed the return of two wounded soldiers who had been captured by the Thai army after the two sides had already implemented a ceasefire to end five days of combat over competing territorial claims. Their repatriation comes amid accusations and bickering over whether either side had targeted civilians and breached the laws of war, and sharp nationalist feuding on social media. The rest of a 20-member group of Cambodian soldiers captured on Tuesday in one of the disputed pockets of land over which the two sides were fighting remain in Thai hands, and Cambodian officials are demanding their release. The two countries have given differing accounts of the circumstances of the capture. Cambodian officials say their soldiers approached the Thai position with friendly intentions to offer post-fighting greetings, while Thai officials said the Cambodians appeared to have hostile intent and entered what Thailand considers its territory, so were taken prisoner. Cambodian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the two wounded soldiers had been handed over at a border checkpoint between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, and urged the Thai side to promptly repatriate the remaining personnel in accordance with "international humanitarian law.' Thailand says it has been following international legal procedures and was holding the remaining 18 soldiers until it could investigate their actions. A statement issued Friday by Thailand's 2nd Army Region identified the two repatriated Cambodian soldiers as a sergeant with a broken arm and a gash on his hip, and a second lieutenant who appeared to be suffering from battle fatigue and needed care from his family. It said both men had taken an oath not to engage in further hostilities against Thailand. Neither man has been made available for interviews by neutral third parties. There were other peaceful activities on Friday on both sides of the border as both countries staged tours of the former battle areas for foreign diplomats and other observers, highlighting damage allegedly caused by the other side. The two countries continue to accuse each other of having violated the laws of war with attacks on civilians and the illegal use of weapons. More than three dozen people, civilian and soldiers, were killed in the fighting, which in addition to infantry battles included artillery duels and the firing of truck-mounted rockets by Cambodia, to which Thailand responded with airstrikes. More than 260,000 people in total were displaced from their homes. Under the terms of the ceasefire, military representatives of both sides are supposed to meet next week to iron out details to avoid further clashes. However, the talks are not supposed to cover the competing territorial claims that are at the heart of decades-long tension between the two countries. Partisans of both sides are also waging a war of words online, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of also carrying out malicious hacking. Both countries' professional journalism societies have accused each other of spreading false information and other propaganda. -- Associated Press writer Jintamas reported from Bangkok


New Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
UK ninja sword ban begins as 1,000 weapons surrendered in knife crime crackdown
LONDON: At least 1,000 weapons have been surrendered under a British government amnesty launched last month to combat knife crime, the Interior Ministry announced today, as a new ban on ninja swords came into effect. Overall, knife crime in England and Wales has risen 87 per cent over the past decade, with 54,587 offences recorded last year alone, a two per cent rise from 2023 and among the highest rates in Europe. On July 29, 2024, a teenager attacked a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance event in the northern English town of Southport, killing three girls and stabbing 10 people in one of Britain's most harrowing knife assaults. Since then, the government has pledged tougher age checks for knife buyers, warned social media firms they could face fines for failing to curb sales and promotion of weapons, and banned zombie-style knives, machetes and ninja swords. Over the month of July this year, the government urged young people to drop off weapons, including bladed ones, at "amnesty" bins or a mobile van -- part of efforts to control knife crime, particularly when it involves youths. The government said at least 1,000 weapons have been handed in. A mobile van will be deployed at the Notting Hill Carnival in London later this month in response to past knife-related violence by a small number of attendees. It is unclear whether the "amnesty" bins will stay in place once the month-long campaign comes to an end. Charities and experts call the government's efforts a step forward but say they fail to address the root causes. The Interior Ministry said that knife-related robberies have fallen in seven highest-risk areas, dropping from 14 per cent of all robberies in the seven highest-risk areas in the year ending June 2024 to six per cent in the same period to June 2025. The ban on buying and selling ninja swords is part of the government's pledge to introduce Ronan's Law, named in honour of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was fatally stabbed with a ninja sword in 2022. Campaigner Martin Cosser, whose son was killed in a knife attack two years ago, previously told Reuters that the issue was not just about the weapon itself, but about the "emotional drivers" that lead people to carry knives in the first place. — REUTERS


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
South Korea's ex-leader Yoon refuses questioning, lies on cell floor
SEOUL: South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in detention while on trial and facing various criminal probes, lay on the floor of his cell on Friday and refused to leave it for questioning, a spokesperson for a special prosecutor said. Yoon was removed from office in April by the Constitutional Court over his botched attempt last year to declare martial law and is now being investigated by a special prosecution team formed under new President Lee Jae Myung. Prosecutors investigating influence-peddling allegations connected to Yoon and his wife had tried to get him to comply with an arrest warrant and attend questioning voluntarily, a spokesperson for the special prosecution said. 'But the suspect stubbornly refused to do so, while lying on the ground, not dressed in a prison uniform,' Oh Jung-hee told a news briefing. She said investigators would try again to bring him in, even if they had to use force. Yoon was dressed only in his undershirt and underwear when prosecutors came to his cell, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the special prosecution. Yu Jeong-hwa, one of Yoon's lawyers, told Reuters that bringing up what he was wearing in a small space where the temperature was close to 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) was a public insult to his dignity and showed how the state was violating inmates' human rights. The former president was put back in a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Center in July, as prosecutors investigating his short-lived declaration of martial law in December sought additional charges against him. Yoon is already on trial for insurrection, a charge which is punishable by death or life imprisonment. He also faces a string of other investigations led by special prosecutors including one into scandals surrounding his wife, former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, where the couple allegedly exerted inappropriate influence over elections. Yoon has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers have accused prosecutors of conducting a politically-motivated witch hunt. The former president has repeatedly rejected requests by prosecutors to appear for questioning, citing health issues. His lawyers said on Thursday that he was unwell due to preexisting conditions, including a condition that meant there was a risk of him losing his eyesight. In a reference to Yoon's position as a former top prosecutor, Oh, the spokesperson for the special prosecution, said the case was being closely scrutinised by the public. 'The suspect has consistently highlighted the importance of laws, principles, fairness and common sense and through this case people are watching if the law applies equally to everyone,' Oh said. Separately, investigators requested that Yoon's wife Kim, who has also denied any wrongdoing, attend questioning on August 6. Kim's lawyers have said she would cooperate with the investigation. - Reuters