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Iran after Khamenei: What happens next?

After 36 years in power, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, but a provisional leadership council is to secure his regime's hold on power and continue the war.

Legal framework for Northern Metropolis to be tabled at Legco in late March

A “relatively flexible” legal framework for Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis will be introduced to the Legislative Council in late March to fast-track the megaproject’s development, a minister has said. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho shared the update on the planned framework on Sunday, days after the city’s latest budget sought to allocate HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) for the megaproject set to span 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) in the New Territories. Authorities will seek...

Khamenei killed: Trump talks regime change in Iran after strikes

Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, is our guest.

Emergency meeting of the Security Council after US-Israeli attacks on Iran

Secretary-General António Guterres told the council that everything must be done to prevent an escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.” Guterres said the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran forms interim council to oversee transition after Khamenei’s killing

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi appointed to the temporary council along with Iranian president and chief justice.

With Khamenei dead, who will be Iran’s next supreme leader?

The death of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei raises paramount questions about the country’s future. And while a clerical panel is tasked with replacing him, succession is a complex matter in Iran’s theocracy. Here is what to know: A clerical council selects a new supreme leader An 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts appoints the supreme leader. The panel can remove one as well, although that has never happened. The panel consists entirely of Shiite clerics who are...

US, Iran representatives clash at UN Security Council meeting

American and Iranian representatives had a terse exchange Saturday at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, hours after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Middle Eastern country with a barrage of missile strikes. "I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite," Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani...

Who is Ali Shamkhani, Iran official reportedly killed in US-Israel attacks?

The former defence minister and secretary of Iran's Defence Council was involved in US-Iran nuclear negotiations.

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting after Iran strikes

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss joint strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran early Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron called for the meeting after the attack. He warned of "grave consequences for international peace and security" if the situation continues to escalate. "The ongoing...

Emmanuel Macron seeks UN Security Council meeting on Iran-US conflict

Andrew Hilliar has more.

UN rights chief slams violence against women, calls it ‘a global emergency’

The UN rights chief on Friday decried mounting threats to women’s rights worldwide, highlighting rampant femicide and horrific abuse exposed in cases like that of US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk denounced “social systems that silence women and girls” allowing powerful men to abuse them with impunity. “Violence against women, including femicide, is a global emergency,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the UN’s...

Right - wing troll appears as caricatured Indian persona at Plano City Council meeting

Published: 20260227T210000Z

Decisions taken by the Governing Council of the ECB (in addition to decisions setting interest rates)

Retiree jailed for 8 months over seditious online posts against Hong Kong government

A Hong Kong court has jailed a retiree for eight months for posting speeches on his social media account in which he seditiously criticised authorities and called on voters to boycott last year’s Legislative Council election. Lam Ming-chung, 68, on Friday admitted to posting seditious content on his Facebook account between September 2024 and November last year, in violation of the domestic national security law. According to the prosecution, the defendant spread hatred against authorities in...

Malaysian politician Fahmi Zainol charged with hurting wife in domestic dispute

Penang’s youngest executive councillor Fahmi Zainol has been charged at the Magistrate’s Court in the Malaysian state with voluntarily causing hurt to his wife. The 35-year-old, who is the Pantai Jerejak assemblyman, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting. Based on the charge sheet, he is charged with purposely causing injury to his wife, Nur Hidayah Abd Jabar, 35, at a house in Bayan Lepas at around 10pm on Sunday. The charge was framed under...

Israeli attacks on police sites kill five in southern, central Gaza

Hamas says latest attacks show Israel's 'blatant disregard for the efforts of mediators' and 'the Peace Council'.

County Council scraps its climate change strategy , references to the global issue and net zero no longer part of aims

Published: 20260227T033000Z

Melania Trump to preside over UN Security Council meeting, White House says

United States first lady Melania Trump is set to chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday, the White House announced, marking the first time a spouse of a serving world leader has done so. “First lady Melania Trump is set to make history at the United Nations, taking the gavel as the United States assumes the Security Council Presidency to emphasise education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace,” the White House said. The US assumes a monthly...

Pause the lunacy : Caithness councillor says communities are up against ludicrously impenetrable planning system

Published: 20260226T233000Z

Power plant pollution rose last year, green group analysis finds

U.S. power plant pollution rose last year, according to a green group’s analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. Emissions of sulfur dioxide increased by 18 percent in 2025, according to an analysis of the EPA data by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. The group found that plants’ nitrogen oxide emissions increased...

Hong Kong ignites next wave of global innovation as Start-up Express 2026 opens for application

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong’s trade promotion body has opened applications for the 2026 edition of its Start-up Express programme, as efforts are stepped up to help local tech ventures break into overseas markets and secure commercial partnerships. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Start-up Express is positioned as a curated development scheme for early-stage companies offering innovative and tech-driven...

More than 1,000 UK councillors sign Palestine pledge as local polls loom

The campaign aims to pressure local authorities to divest from Israeli weapons manufacturers.

Authorities open to backing universities issuing bonds to fund megaproject campuses

Hong Kong authorities are open to supporting universities in issuing bonds to fund the development of the proposed University Town in the Northern Metropolis, with lawmakers calling for a dedicated approval and credit rating mechanism. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po told a meeting of the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee on Thursday the issuance of a “tertiary education bond” to support the University Town’s construction would be considered. The University Town, which will include the...

Birmingham election tensions heat up as councillor says you wont know what hit you

Published: 20260226T120000Z