Kriszta SatoriDec 9, 2022

Here are some of the day's main news shortly before 11 PM on #BBCWorldService:

The US has warned that #Russia is offering #Iran an unprecedented level of #military #support, transforming their relationship into a fully-fledged #defence #partnership. The spokesman for the US national security council, John Kirby, said the US had seen reports that Moscow and Tehran were considering the joint #production of lethal #drones.

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A #niece of #Iran’s Supreme Leader, #Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison. Farideh #Moradkhani was arrested last month after she called on foreign governments to cut ties with #Tehran. In an online video, Ms Moradkhani accused the #Iranian authorities of knowing no rules except “force and maintaining power". Her lawyer, (Mohammad Hossein #Aghasi,) tweeted that his client was initially sentenced to
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15 years of prison, but after an appeal her #sentence was reduced. Ms Moradkhani is said to have been tried by Iran’s Special #Clerical #Court which is tasked with prosecuting clerics and answers only to the supreme leader. Earlier this week, Badri Hosseini #Khamenei — Moradkhani’s mother and a sister of the supreme leader #Ayatollah #Khamenei — also condemned her brother’s suppression of anti-government #protests.
Dec 9, 2022 at 10:49pmWeb
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The UN says #Belarus will allow the transit of #Ukrainian #grain through its territory for export from #Lithuanian ports. A #UN spokesman said the Belarusian deputy foreign minister, Yury Ambrazevich, made the #offer without #preconditions during a meeting with the UN's Antonio Guterres. Mr Ambrazevich reiterated his govt's request to resume the export of Belarusian #fertilizer products currently subject to intnl sanctions.
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The head of a #Ukrainian human rights organisation that was jointly awarded this year's #Nobel #Peace #Prize has called on nations to set up an international #tribunal to try President #Putin for the war in #Ukraine. Speaking on the eve of the award ceremony in Norway, Oleksandra #Matviichuk of the Center for Civil Liberties said she was confident that Russia's leader would stand trial sooner or later.
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Oleksandra Matviichuk said Vladimir #Putin and #Belarus's authoritarian leader, Alexander #Lukashenko, had to be held accountable, along with -- as she put it -- other #war #criminals. Her organisation shared the Nobel Peace Prize with two other human rights defenders: a Belarusian activist, Ales #Bialiatski, and the
#Russian organisation, #Memorial.
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One of #Russia's leading #opposition politicians has given a #defiant response to being given an 8.5 year #prison #sentence by a #Moscow #court for comments related to the war in #Ukraine. From behind a screen in court, Ilya #Yashin flashed a victory sign and laughed. He'd been found guilty of spreading what the Russian authorities claim is fake information,
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by discussing #evidence of #atrocities carried out by #Russian #troops in #Ukraine (on his YouTube channel). In a post on social media, Ilya #Yashin called the #verdict #hysterical, saying Russia's government was only showing its weakness, by attempting to #intimidate people into silence.