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Three sons of Iran’s slain leader pray at funeral

QATAR RESUMES MARITIME ACTIVITIES DOHA: Qatar said yesterday maritime activities would resume with immediate effect. This reverses a June 29 advisory that had urged the suspension of sailing and fishing boats until further notice, though commercial shipping was exempted. Its Transport Ministry yesterday urged all maritime vessel operators and users to “abide by maritime regulations and instructions to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for all trips”. Qatar did not provide a reason behind the June 29 measure, but it came a day after it said one of its nationals had been killed after sustaining injuries from shrapnel due to “military operations”. – Reuters ‘SPECIAL’ HORMUZ FEE TREATMENT BEIJING: Iran’s ambassador to China said new fees would be charged to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while assuring that “friendly” nations would receive special treatment. The deal between Iran and the United States stipulated that commercial ships would transit the strait free of charge for 60 days. Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told the World Peace Forum in Beijing that his country was working with Oman on new arrangements. “We will charge service fees,” Azli said, while insisting such fees would not be a “toll”. – AFP GAZA PHYSICIAN’S LIFE IN DANGER RAMALLAH: Physicians for Human Rights has alleged that the health of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, has deteriorated following his transfer to Israel’s Nitzan Prison. The organisation said its lawyer, Nasser Odeh, documented severe injuries, signs of physical assault, breathing difficulties, and repeated episodes of loss of consciousness during a visit on Thursday. He said Hussam was brought to the meeting with his hands and feet shackled. He had fresh and serious injuries and bruises to his head, around his eyes, ears, and neck. It renewed its call for the release of Hussam and other doctors. – Bernama PEACE COMES FIRST, SAYS EGYPT CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said there will be no normalisation with Israel unless a just peace is achieved that ends the Israeli occupation and leads to an independent Palestinian state. “There will be no lasting peace, no true stability and no popular normalisation except with a just peace that ends the occupation, puts an end to injustice and aggression, restores rights to their rightful owners and provides security for all. A just peace would provide the peoples of the region with an opportunity to live in stability and prosperity”, he said. – Bernama

BR I E F S

o Successor makes no public appearance

TEHRAN: Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members yesterday, but Mojtaba, the son who has succeeded him as Iran’s supreme leader, did not make an appearance. State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex. In a show of public devotion to the theocratic state and revolutionary zeal, the Islamic Republic is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, including taking his remains to Shi’ite religious sites in neighbouring Iraq. After a day lying in state indoors for senior Iranian leaders and foreign officials to visit, Khamenei’s coffin was displayed outdoors on Saturday under glass, along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in law and 14-month-old granddaughter. There has still been no public sighting or image released of Mojtaba, said to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and the other family members on Feb 28, when Israel and the US bombed

Iranian targets at the start of the war. Mojtaba Khamenei’s face was disfigured and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, people close to his inner circle told Reuters. A ceasefire has suspended the four-month-old war under an agreement with Washington that Iran’s authorities say will ultimately bring huge economic benefits, in line with what they describe as a victory over a superpower. President Donald Trump told the Axios news website that peace talks had been paused for a week for the events surrounding the funeral. President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf prayed yesterday behind the coffins. Masoud Khamenei was seen crying and wiping his tears with a keffiyeh – the chequered scarf that is a symbol in Iran of revolutionary ideals and solidarity with Palestinians – as an imam recited funeral prayers. Crowds of Iranians, many weeping and some beating their chests, have thronged the Mosalla. The Iranian metro railway network said it had clocked 7 million trips from late Saturday to yesterday as people flocked to the centre.

A child holding an image of Ayatollah Ali in Tehran on Saturday. – REUTERSPIC

on Wednesday. It will return to Iran on Thursday for another procession in Mashhad, to be buried near the tomb of another of the medieval Shi’ite imams. Authorities plan to mobilise millions of people for big processions over the coming days, offering transport, food and lodging. – Reuters

After what authorities are billing as a massive procession in central Tehran today, the remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom, the centre of Iran’s Shi’ite hierarchy, for ceremonies tomorrow. From there the body will be flown to Iraq for ceremonies in the Shi’ite holy shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala

Venezuela quake death toll at nearly 3,000 CARACAS: Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes killed nearly 3,000, updated official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations. capital Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened. Ten days after the double shocks, which came just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the wreckage. profound grief gripping our people, where families still hold out hope of finding loved ones alive, people who have lost everything”, Rodriquez said. International disaster teams,

government’s saying thousands of troops and officials had been dispatched. In La Guaira, workers with heavy machinery were starting to knock down collapsed structures while in others, families were still trying to remove bodies for funerals. “We’re still working, still searching for bodies. We’re still going. It hasn’t been easy,” said Venezuelan volunteer Francisco Sasquia helping dig out a collapsed residence. “We found two bodies that have been released to their families.” The United Nations has estimated that the twin earthquakes caused US$6.7 billion (RM27.3 billion) in physical damage, equivalent to 6% of GDP for Venezuela. – AFP response, and exempt from disclosure rules. He has also said the money was intended to fund his personal security. The donation was not publicly disclosed until reported by a newspaper in April. Farage is awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation. If he is found to have committed a serious breach of parliamentary disclosure rules, he could be suspended from the House of Commons. A suspension of 10 days or more could trigger a recall petition, potentially forcing a by election in his constituency. – Reuters

including some US squads, and some South American teams were starting to finish up rescue operations. The Los Angeles County fire department team is ending operations after its searches showed no signs of life, and teams from Florida and Virginia were packing up to leave. Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as their government’s slow response, saying families spent initial hours digging out loved ones themselves before international teams arrived. Rodriguez has defended her

Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that has left thousands homeless. Tens of thousands more are still reported missing. The government has not given any estimates, but the United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude shocks. One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the

The critical window for rescues in disasters like earthquakes usually ends after 72 hours, though a few people have been found alive this week. In an apparent sign that rescue missions were closing up, interim President Delcy Rodriquez held a ceremony to hand out medals to international teams, including their rescue dogs. Venezuela is experiencing “a

British politician denies parliamentary rules broken LONDON: A spokesman for British politician Nigel Farage has denied allegations that the Reform UK leader may have broken parliamentary rules after the Sunday Times reported he had not declared some benefits provided to him. was provided with security services, social media support and accommodation by George Cottrell, a long-standing ally, who in 2017 went to prison in the United States after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare financial interests and “registrable benefits” received in the previous 12 months, although personal gifts are exempt. 2029 election, and raising scrutiny of the party and leader’s finances.

Farage’s spokesperson said the story was “baseless and contrived”. “Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken,” he said. The right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party tops national opinion polls, making Farage a possible future prime minister after a

“I think a lot of questions come up in relation to his (Farage’s) finances,” Health Minister James Murray said. Farage has said the £5 million he received from Thailand-based crypto investor Christopher Harborne before he announced he would stand as an MP in 2024, was an unconditional gift

Farage is under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog over whether he should have declared a £5 million (RM27.2 million) donation from a billionaire he received before entering parliament. The Sunday Times reported that, in the year before his election, Farage