PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said two French citizens, Bernard Phelan and Benjamin Briere, who were detained in Iran are now free.
Ties between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals in what Paris has described as arbitrary arrests equivalent to state hostage-taking.
The French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, said in a separate statement that both men were now on their way to France, adding that she spoke to her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, on Friday morning.
Franco-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan earlier this year was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for “providing information to another country” despite his bad health condition, his family had said.
Benjamin Briere had been held in Iran since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a remote-controlled mini helicopter used to obtain aerial or motion images near the Turkmenistan-Iran border. An Iranian court in March sentenced him to 8 years in prison on spying charges.
“We will continue to work toward the return of those of our fellow nationals who are still detained in Iran,” Macron said in a tweet.
Macron: Two French citizens released in Iran
https://arab.news/ybwzn
Macron: Two French citizens released in Iran
- Ties between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals
- The French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, said in a separate statement that both men were now on their way to France
Two prison officers stabbed by Manchester bombing plotter in stable condition
Hashem Abedi, who in August 2020 was convicted of 22 counts of murder and sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for helping plan the 2017 attack, threw hot cooking oil over three officers on Saturday before stabbing them with “home-made weapons,” according to the Prison Officers Association.
Two male officers sustained life-threatening injuries including burns, scalds and stab wounds in the “unprovoked” and “vicious” attack at Frankland prison in the northeast of England, it added.
A female officer was released from the hospital on Saturday.
The union’s national chairman, Mark Fairhurst, said the attack was carried out in a separation center where inmates are allowed to use cooking facilities.
“To allow that type of prisoner to access the kitchen and use of the utensils that can be used as weapons against staff, and can inflict serious harm on staff, that needs to be removed immediately,” he told the BBC. “We’re now worried about the knock-on effect of this and copycat incidents.”
Abedi was convicted of assisting with the Manchester terror plot, in which his suicide bomber brother Salman Abedi killed 22 people by detonating a a bomb hidden in a knapsack as fans were leaving the Grande concert. In addition to those killed, more than 260 people were wounded and hundreds of others were left with psychological injuries.
Counterterrorism officials are leading the investigation into the attack, with assistance from local police.
Indonesia, Egypt upgrade ties to strategic partnership on Prabowo’s Cairo visit
- Jakarta, Cairo established diplomatic ties in 1947
- Prabowo was on a multi-day tour to Middle East
Jakarta: Indonesia and Egypt elevated their ties to a strategic partnership during President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Cairo, his office said on Sunday.
Prabowo and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi signed the joint declaration following their meeting in the Egyptian capital on Saturday, the Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement.
“The signing of the joint declaration is an important milestone in diplomatic ties between the two countries, signifying Indonesia and Egypt’s strong commitment to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic level,” the statement reads.
“Through this strategic partnership, Indonesia and Egypt are committed to (strengthening) cooperation in various priority fields. From politics, economy, security, defense, culture and education ties, as well as people-to-people relations.”
Subianto was in Cairo as part of his multi-day tour to the Middle East and has visited the UAE and Turkiye. This was his second time in Egypt since taking office in October.
Egypt was one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia’s independence, with the two nations establishing diplomatic ties in 1947.
Both Jakarta and Cairo believe that their “strong and historic partnership” will provide “real benefits” for the country and their peoples, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Egypt ranks third among Indonesia’s top export destinations in the Middle East and North Africa, just after the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
With bilateral trade volume worth around $1.7 billion in 2024, Egypt is Indonesia’s top trade partner in North Africa alone. Palm oil, coffee beans, and coconut oil are some of Indonesia’s main exports to Egypt.
“President Prabowo’s visit to Egypt is very important. The strategic partnership that resulted from it is quite broad and will be beneficial for the future of both countries,” Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert from Padjadjaran University in West Java, told Arab News.
While trade has been a big aspect of bilateral ties, defense cooperation will likely be a focus of the strategic partnership, he said.
“The most likely area of focus will be defense cooperation … since Egypt has experience in facing different kinds of challenges at the border,” Rezasyah said, referring to Egypt’s shared land borders with a number of states, including Libya, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Through the partnership, Jakarta may be seeking to learn more closely from Cairo’s experience in dealing with various issues in the Middle East, alluding to Prabowo’s ongoing trip to the region that was aimed at boosting Indonesia’s role in ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
A staunch supporter of Palestine, the Indonesian government and people see Palestinian statehood as being mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
“(Learning from) Egypt’s experience might allow Indonesia to have an active role when crises occur in the Middle East, and there’s a big chance that Indonesia might get a mandate from the UN to do so,” Rezasyah said.
More than 20 people killed in Russian missile attack on Ukrainian city of Sumy
KYIV: More than 20 people were killed in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, the city’s acting mayor and Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said.
Two ballistic missiles struck the heart of the city at around 10:15 a.m. as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, according to officials. Videos posted from the scene on official channels showed bodies on the ground amid debris and smoke around central Sumy.
“On this bright Palm Sunday, our community has suffered a terrible tragedy,” Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said in a statement on social media. “Unfortunately, we already know of more than 20 deaths.”
At least 21 people were killed and 34 were injured as a result of the enemy attack, including five children, the Prosecutor General’s Office said, citing initial investigation results.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that rescue efforts were ongoing and said “dozens” had been killed in the double missile attack.
“According to preliminary information, dozens of civilians were killed and wounded. Only filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of ordinary people,” he said.
Zelensky also called for a global response to the attack. “Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves,” he said.
The strike comes less than a day after Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the 3-year-old war.
The two countries’ foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects.
“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the US, Turkiye and international bodies with a list of Kyiv’s attacks during the past three weeks.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, fiercely contested that claim, saying Saturday that Russia had launched “almost 70 missiles, over 2,200 (exploding) drones, and over 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, mostly at civilians,” since agreeing to the limited pause on strikes.
China’s Xi vows to Indonesia’s Prabowo to deepen partnership, Xinhua says
SHANGHAI: Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen his country’s strategic partnership with Indonesia in a call with President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi told Prabowo the bilateral partnership had strategic significance and impact globally, as the two exchanged congratulations over the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Xinhua said.
Beijing is trying to persuade other nations to hew to a common line against US import tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.
Xi will visit Indonesia’s fellow Southeast Asian nations Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday, aiming to consolidate ties with some of China’s closest neighbors as trade tension escalates with the United States.
South Korea’s ex-president Yoon to face insurrection trial
SEOUL: Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol will face his first criminal trial on Monday for insurrection after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, which plunged the democratic country into political turmoil.
Yoon sought to impose military rule on the country when he ordered the suspension of political activity and the censorship of media on December 3. The decree lasted just six hours as it was voted down by opposition MPs.
The disastrous attempt led to Yoon’s impeachment by the National Assembly shortly thereafter, with the Constitutional Court fully stripping him of his presidential duties on April 4.
Although he has lost all presidential privileges, Yoon still faces a criminal trial on insurrection charges, which will kick off Monday.
During a preliminary hearing in February, Yoon’s lawyers argued that his detention had been procedurally flawed, an argument accepted by the court, leading to his release 52 days after his arrest.
He was detained in January in a dawn raid after holding out against police and prosecutors for weeks, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
If convicted, Yoon could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
On Friday, the 64-year-old former leader vacated the presidential residence and returned to his private home in Seoul, greeting supporters along the way.
“Now, I return to being an ordinary citizen of the Republic of Korea, and I will seek a new path in service of our country and our people,” he said in a statement.
With Yoon’s removal, South Korea is set to hold a snap election on June 3 to elect his successor. Until then, the country is governed by acting president Han Duck-soo.
