Nine more reported dead in Iran as protests enter sixth day
It is estimated that 21 people have now been killed in demonstrations that have spread across the country
Nine more people have died in overnight clashes between protesters and security forces in Iran, state television has reported, as unrest in the country entered a sixth day.
State TV said six protesters were killed as they tried to storm a police station in the town of Qahderijan in the central Isfahan region. It also said an 11-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man were killed in the town of Khomeinishahr, while a member of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed in the town of Najafabad. All three were shot by hunting rifles, which are common in the Iranian countryside, the report said. None of the reports could be confirmed independently.
It is estimated that 21 people have now died nationwide in unrest linked to the demonstrations, the largest in Iran since its disputed 2009 presidential election.
South Korea sees 'groundbreaking' chance in talks with North
South Korea has suggested a meeting to talk about the North's participation in the Winter Olympics, claiming there is a "groundbreaking" chance to improve relations. North Korea's leader has also suggested dialogue.
South Korea on Tuesday said an improvement in relations with the North must be linked to Pyongyang's nuclear program, but offered high-level diplomatic talks with the North on January 9.
"The improvement of relations between North and South Korea cannot go separately with resolving North Korea's nuclear program, so the foreign ministry should coordinate closely with allies and the international community regarding this," South Korean President Moon Jae-In said in a statement.
South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon meanwhile proposed that the two sides meet in the village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone on January 9 to discuss North Korea's participation in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Israel law tightens hold on occupied Jerusalem sectors
Israel's parliament on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation aimed at making it more difficult for the government to hand the Palestinians parts of Jerusalem under any future peace deal.
The bill, approved by a 64 to 51 vote, is the latest blow to remaining hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Formulated by Shuli Moalem-Refaeli of the far-right Jewish Home party, it comes weeks after US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital sparked deadly protests in the Palestinian territories.
Australian child sex abusers on notice in Thailand
Australian paedophiles hoping to stay under the radar in Thailand are facing tougher scrutiny from a Royal Thai Police-led unit tasked with policing sex crimes against children.
Up to 180 suspected foreign child sex abusers, including Australians, regularly visit or live in Pattaya, a city notorious for its seedy nightlife, according to a child protection organisation.
Supagon Noja, director of Thailand's Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Abuse Centre, says most of the suspects escape justice using increasingly sophisticated ways to interact with children, including through the internet.
Recreational pot sales roll out in California, with celebratory 'blunts' and big crowds
Legal sale of recreational marijuana began in California on Monday with fanfare, celebratory 'blunts' and some anxiety.
Companies began selling pot in a relatively small number of businesses Monday, with more expected to join in the coming days and weeks.
The state has issued dozens of permits for retailers to begin recreational sales this week, expanding a market that is expected to grow to $7 billion annually by 2020. Several of those retailers are in West Hollywood, but they won't open until Tuesday at the city's request. That makes Santa Ana's licensed stores the closest option for Angelenos who want to buy recreational marijuana on New Year's Day. Buyers could also trek to San Diego or the Palm Springs area to purchase pot.
2017, as seen through President Trump’s tweets
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It might be hard to remember now, but presidential Twitter accounts used to be anodyne things, serving up inoffensive sentiments only occasionally written by the chief executive himself.
Then came 2017, the year Americans started to wake up wondering what the president would do on Twitter that day. Rail against his defeated opponent? Muse about the causes of the Civil War? Raise concerns that he was about to start a nuclear conflict?
Trump’s tweets reacted to the news and created more news. Each tweet bred a frenzied news cycle full of outrage and analysis and confusion. North Korean missile launches and the Congressional agenda dictated his output as much as Times scoops and Fox & Friendssegments.
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