Major General Mohammad Bagheri made the remarks during a phone call with the Defense Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov on Wednesday, local Azeri media “APA” reported.
Bagheri stressed that information regarding the amassing of troops on the border with Azerbaijan is baseless.
Major General Bagheri reiterated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy, affirming the region of Karabakh belonging to the land of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
He also declared the readiness of the Islamic Republic to assist in resolving any disputes related to that region.
Both sides also expressed their opposition to the presence and interference of foreign countries in regional affairs. At the end of the telephone conversation, Hasanov extended an invitation to Major General Bagheri for a visit to Azerbaijan.
Earlier in September, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for International Cooperation Brigadier General Mohammad Ahadi dismissed as “baseless” reports about the deployment of its troops on the northern border with Azerbaijan under the current tense circumstances in the South Caucasus.
Earlier in August, Major General Bagheri discussed the development of Tehran-Baku defense and security cooperation with the Azeri minister of defense over the phone during which the two sides emphasized the development of bilateral defense and military relations and cooperation between the two sides.
Rescuers have found more than 2,000 bodies as of Wednesday in the wreckage of a Libyan city where floodwaters broke dams and washed away neighbourhoods
Updated On – 05:41 PM, Wed – 13 September 23
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows flooding in Darna, Libya, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. AP Photo.
Derna: Rescuers have found more than 2,000 bodies as of Wednesday in the wreckage of a Libyan city where floodwaters broke dams and washed away neighbourhoods. Officials fear the death toll could exceed 5,000 in the nation made vulnerable by years of turmoil and neglect.
The flooding caused significant infrastructure damage in the coastal city of Derna and displaced at least 30,000 people, the UN migration agency said. The damage is so extensive the city is almost inaccessible for humanitarian aid workers, the International Organisation for Migration said.
Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding in many eastern towns, but the worst-hit was Derna. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, Derna residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. Floodwaters washed down Wadi Derna, a river running from the mountains through the city and into the sea.
More than 2,000 corpses were collected as of Wednesday morning and over half of them had been buried in mass graves in Derna, said eastern Libya’s health minister, Othman Abduljaleel. Rescue teams were working day and night to recover many other bodies scattered in the streets and under the rubble in the city. Some bodies were retrieved from the sea.
The startling devastation pointed to the storm’s intensity, but also Libya’s vulnerability. The country is divided by rival governments, one in the east, the other in the west, and the result has been neglect of infrastructure in many areas.
The floods damaged or destroyed many access roads to Derna. Of seven roads leading to the city, only two are accessible from its southern edge. Bridges over the river Derna that link the city’s eastern and western parts have also collapsed, according to the UN’s migration agency.
The destruction has hampered the arrival of international rescue teams and humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed or damaged.
“The city of Derna was submerged by waves 7 metres high that destroyed everything in their path,” Yann Fridez, head of the delegation of the International Committee for The Red Cross in Libya, told France24. “The human toll is enormous.” Local emergency responders, including troops, government workers, volunteers and residents, continued digging through rubble looking for the dead. They also used inflatable boats and helicopters to retrieve bodies from the water and inaccessible areas.
“This is a disaster of every sense of the word,” a wailing survivor who lost 11 members of his family told a local television station as a group of rescuers tried to calm him. The television station did not identify the survivor.
Ahmed Abdalla, a survivor who joined the search and rescue effort, said they were putting bodies in the yard of a local hospital before taking them for burial in mass graves at the city’s sole intact cemetery.
“The situation is indescribable. Entire families dead in this disaster. Some were washed away to the sea,” Abdalla said by phone from Derna.
Bulldozers worked over the past two days to fix and clear roads to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and heavy equipment urgently needed for the search and rescue operations. The city is 250 kilometres east of Benghazi, where international aid started to arrive on Tuesday.
Libya’s neighbours, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, have sent rescue teams and humanitarian aid. President Joe Biden also said the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organisations and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the UN to provide additional support.
Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesman for the east Libya interior ministry, on Tuesday put the death tally in Derna at more than 5,300, according to the state-run news agency. Dozens of others were reported dead in other towns in eastern Libya, he said.
Authorities have transferred hundreds of bodies to morgues in nearby towns. In the city of Tobruk, is 169 kilometres east of Derna, the Medical Center of Tobruk’s morgue received more than 300 bodies for people killed in the Derna flooding; among them were 84 Egyptians, according to a list of dead obtained by The Associated Press.
Dozens of bodies of Egyptians killed in the floods were returned to their home country. A funeral for 22 Egyptians was underway Wednesday in their village of el-Sharif in the southern province of Beni Suef. Another four were buried in their hometown in the Nile Delta province of Beheira, local media in Egypt reported.
At least 10,000 people were still missing in the city, according to Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He said 40,000 people have been displaced in Derna and other towns affected by the floods in eastern Libya.
Known for its white-painted houses and palm gardens, Derna is about 900 kilometres east of the capital of Tripoli. It is controlled by the forces of powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter, who is allied with the east Libya government. The rival government in west Libya, based in Tripoli, is allied with other armed groups.
Much of Derna was built by Italy when Libya was under Italian occupation in the first half of the 20th century. The city was once a hub for extremist groups in the years of chaos that followed the NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
‘Feather’ narrates the story of a father and a son who bet on a rooster. An unusual old man enters their lives and their lives change. But this change is not in the way they predicted and wanted.
3,700 films from 123 countries were sent to the festival, among which 130 films have been selected to participate in different sections of the competition.
The festival is one of the most prestigious festivals and is approved by Oscar Academy and ASIFA. The selected film will be qualified to be nominated for the Best Animated Short Film in Oscar.
The 47th International Animated Film Festival will be held in Espinho City Hall, Portugal, from November 13 to 19, 2023.
Earlier, the ANFR released a public statement saying that the iPhone 12 breaches radiation levels, telling the company to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales and release a fix.
Published Date – 05:50 PM, Wed – 13 September 23
London: Apple has refuted claims made by France’s radiation watchdog (ANFR) that iPhone 12 breaches radiation exposure limits.
Apple said, in a statement, that iPhone 12 has been certified by several international regulators as compliant. The tech giant, which just launched iPhone 15 series, said it has independent third-party lab results that show that it complies with all Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) standards globally.
Earlier, the ANFR released a public statement saying that the iPhone 12 breaches radiation levels, telling the company to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales and release a fix.
“The French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) is instructing Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market as of September 12, 2023, after the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit for this model was exceeded,” the French agency said in a statement. “ANFR enjoins Apple to implement all available means to rapidly remedy this malfunction. Failing this, Apple will be required to recall any units already sold,” it added.
The most common EU SAR limit of 2 W/kg represents an average over 10 g of tissue absorbing the most signal, reports TechCrunch. This limit is a bit higher than the FCC limit in the U.S. (1.6 W/kg).
Apple complies with this SAR limit. However, the ANFR measured an SAR of 5.74 W/kg, which is above the limit of 4 W/kg. France’s junior minister for telecommunications, Jean-Noel Barrot, told Le Parisien that Apple has some time to comply with French regulations before further action.
Reza Amiri Moghaddam met and held talks with Shamshad Akhtar in Islamabad on Wednesday, Associate Press of Pakistan reported.
According to a press statement issued by the Pakistani finance ministry, the discussion focused on fortifying the existing ties between the two nations and delving into opportunities for future economic partnership.
Both sides reaffirmed their dedication to boosting mutual cooperation and nurturing economic advancement, the statement added.
Akhtar stressed the importance of bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the necessity of strengthening cooperation in the areas of investment, economy, and border trade.
The 21st session of the Iran-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission was held last summer in Islamabad, and it is planned that the next round of the Joint Economic Commission will be held in Tehran.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been greatly inconvenienced because of the strike. Hundreds of scheduled train journeys were cancelled on both days and only a few trains operated.
Updated On – 08:20 PM, Wed – 13 September 23
Colombo:Sri Lanka‘s government deployed army troops at railroad stations as railway employees continued with their strike that paralysed train services across the country for a second day Wednesday, a day after two passengers were killed while attempting to travel on a packed train.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been greatly inconvenienced because of the strike. Hundreds of scheduled train journeys were cancelled on both days and only a few trains operated.
Passengers were seen risking their lives to get to school and work on the few trains that were operating, Some people were seen travelling on the roof of train compartments, and many were seen barely hanging on to the footboards while braving rain.
Two passengers were killed while travelling on packed trains on Tuesday. One was killed when his head hit an overhead railway bridge when he was travelling on the roof of a compartment while the other succumbed to injuries after he fell down from the train’s footboard.
The strike was launched by the Sri Lanka Locomotive Operating Engineers Union, which includes engine drivers. They are demanding that authorities resolve a number of issues, including the recruitments process and promotions.
Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena condemned the strike and the trade union, saying the union launched the strike in an arbitrary manner when the government had taken steps to hold discussions to resolve the issues. He described the trade union as a terrorist organisation and said the union was responsible for the two deaths.
Trade union activist S.R. Senanayake urged the government to take swift measures to provide solutions to the demands put forward by them, warning that the strike could continue.
Sri Lanka’s train services are substandard, with poorly maintained compartments and tracks because of years of mismanagement and a lack of proper planning. Frequent and sudden strikes have exacerbated the situation, with most trains experiencing delays.
Military spokesman Brig. Ravi Herath said armed troops were deployed “to provide security for the public, railway passengers, employees of the railway and also to protect the government property.”
The confirmation was made in a letter from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to more than 30 Republican lawmakers at the Senate demanding a “full crosscutting” report in January on US military assistance provided to Ukraine, according to Fox 40 Jackson.
The letter, penned by OMB Director Shalanda Young and obtained by Fox News, offers a detailed account of more than $100 billion worth of military assistance the United States has provided to Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24, 2022.
“This support has been critical to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield, as well as the ability of its people to endure under harsh conditions.”
Young claimed that Biden “has made clear” that the United States “will not waver in our commitment to the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom and independence.”
Young also provided the Republican Senators with a “table that details supplemental funding provided in support of Ukraine in addition to current obligation levels, which OMB shared with Congress” in August.
The table showed that a total of $101,198,000,000 has been obligated or executed by the Office of Management and Budget, also outlining plans to spend an additional $9.8 billion.
Apart from more than $100 billion already spent in Ukraine, the White House asked Congress last month to authorize an additional $24 billion, which includes $13 billion for defense and $11 billion for economic and humanitarian aid.
In a statement on Wednesday, Iran’s embassy in Baku reacted to publishing fake videos and news from unknown and biased sources regarding the deployment of troops and military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the northwestern border regions of the country.
“According to official and reliable information, any military transfers by the armed forces of our country in the mentioned areas are strongly rejected,” it added.
Speaking in an interview with Azerbaijani Press Agency (APA) on Sunday, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for International Cooperation Brigadier General Mohammad Ahadi addressed the allegations.
These are “completely groundless” reports, he said, playing down suggestions that Iran sought to dispatch forces for engagement in a possible war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Iran and Azerbaijan enjoy “very good” relations, he said.
On Saturday, the Azerbaijani defense minister received the Iranian delegation and discussed the reconstruction work undertaken in the liberated territories under the leadership of Azerbaijan’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev and the operational situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian conditional border and in the Karabakh economic region.
During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views about the prospects for the development of military cooperation, regional security, and other issues of common interest.
The attack in the port city of Sevastopol, which serves as the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, took place as Moscow launched drones against southern Ukraine’s Odesa region
Published Date – 06:08 PM, Wed – 13 September 23
In this handout photo released by the Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, Razvozhaev speaks on the mobile phone as smoke and flame rise from a burning Sevastopol Shipyard in Crimea. (Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel via AP)
Kyiv: A Ukrainian attack on a strategic shipyard early Wednesday in Russia-annexed Crimea wounded 24 people, damaged two ships undergoing repairs and caused a fire at the facility, Russian authorities reported.
The attack in the port city of Sevastopol, which serves as the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, took place as Moscow launched drones against southern Ukraine’s Odesa region. The pre-dawn onslaught there damaged port and civilian infrastructure in the region’s Izmail district — not far from the Crimean city — and wounded seven people, three seriously, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 32 of 44 Shahed-type drones launched over the country overnight, most of them directed toward the southern parts of the Odesa region.
The fighting occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a summit that the US has warned could lead to a deal to supply Moscow’s depleted troops in Ukraine with arms. Kim offered his full support for Russia’s “just fight” and said the two reached an agreement to deepen their “strategic and tactical cooperation and solidarity in the struggle to defend sovereign rights and security.” The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in an act that most of the world considered illegal, has been a frequent target since Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 18 months ago.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to do all he can to bring back Crimea and has urged international allies to support the effort.
On Monday, Ukraine claimed it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms in the Black Sea that Russia seized in 2015. Russia had used the platforms to stage weapons and launch helicopters, and Ukraine said they would help it regain Crimea.
Wednesday’s attack on the Sevastopol Shipyard attack appeared to be one of the biggest in recent weeks. Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine launched 10 cruise missiles at the shipyard and three sea drones at Russian ships in the Black Sea.
The shipyard is of strategic importance to Russia because vessels in its Black Sea fleet are repaired there.
Seven missiles were shot down, and all the sea drones were destroyed, the Russian military said, but some of the missiles damaged two ships that were being repaired at the shipyard.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, said on Telegram that the resulting fire injured 24 people. He posted a photo showing the shipyard in flames with smoke billowing over it.
Ukraine’s RBC-Ukraine news outlet reported, citing unnamed sources in Ukrainian military intelligence, that an amphibious landing ship and a submarine were damaged in the attack. Some Russian messaging app channels made the same claim.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has acknowledged past attacks on Crimea but avoided claiming responsibility for drone attacks on Moscow and other regions of Russia.
Major General Hossein Salami made the comments in a gathering of Basij voluntary forces held at the Shahid Bahonar Trainain Camp in the northeast of Tehran on Wednesday.
“One of the most fascinating features that appeared in our revolution is that wherever we engaged with a powerful enemy, we built up power and succeeded,” General Salami said.
He added, “So far, the enemy has tried all the scenarios and has experienced all different strategies,” but it has failed against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The IRGC chief further noted that the enemies have now targeted the beliefs and trust of the young Iranians in the Islamic government with their media campaign and psychological, calling for amending the education system and school textbooks to awaken the young students against enemy plots.
