Iran’s academic community was in shock over the death of Kavous Seyed Emami, 63, one of the country’s most revered professors and head of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation.

He was arrested along with seven colleagues from the wildlife NGO on January 24, and his death was announced by the family on social media late on Saturday.

“The news of my father’s passing is impossible to fathom,” wrote his son Ramin Seyed Emami, a well-known singer, on his Instagram page.

He said police had informed his mother on Friday.

“They say he committed suicide. I still can’t believe this.”

The Iran Sociology Association, of which Emami was an active member, released a statement on Sunday questioning the claim that Emami took his own life.

“The information published about him is not believable and we expect officials to respond and to provide the public with information concerning his death,” the statement said.

A source close to the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation told AFP that the other seven were still in jail.

Among them is Hooman Jokar, who headed a programme to save the endangered Asiatic cheetah.

Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-American businessman who was a member of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation board, is also in detention.

– Multiple ‘suicides’ –

In November, the conservative-linked Tasnim news agency accused Tahbaz of being a big-game hunter who was trying to seize control of national park land in northern Iran.

Tahbaz comes from a wealthy family who made their fortune before the 1979 revolution and once owned the renowned Kayhan newspaper, which is now controlled by the Islamic authorities.

Emami’s death follows reports of at least two other “suicides” in detention that were linked to the week-long protests in late December and early January.

Mahmoud Sadeghi, an outspoken lawmaker, had claimed a 23-year-old protester named Sina Ghanbari died in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

The judiciary denied the claim, saying Ghanbari was involved in drug-trafficking and had committed suicide.

Another man died after being arrested in the city of Arak in central Iran. Local officials said he had stabbed himself to death.

Tehran’s chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi had said on Saturday that several people linked to environmental causes had been arrested on espionage charges, without giving names.

“These people collected classified information in strategic sectors of the country in the name of scientific and environmental projects,” he said, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan Online news agency.

It was not clear if he was referring to Emami and his colleagues.

– ‘Loved Iran, the environment’ –

“Everyone is in shock,” an academic who knew Emami well told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“He was one of the best professors. He was very profound, very composed, not at all political. He loved Iran and the environment.

“He came back recently from Canada where he was doing research. On his return, he was called in several times” by the authorities.

Emami had taught at the Imam Sadegh University, where many of the regime’s leading figures were educated including nuclear negotiator Said Jalili.

Ali Shakourirad, head of the reformist Islamic Union Party, tweeted that the death “has caused a wave of questions and concerns among the public”.

“The Tehran prosecutor’s incomplete and vague information has added to these concerns. What is going on in this country? Why doesn’t the judiciary give out information in time and transparently?” he wrote.

Emami is the second Iranian-Canadian citizen to die in Iran’s prisons following the murder of 54-year-old Zahra Kazemi in 2003, who had been arrested for taking photos outside Evin Prison.

The vice-president at the time, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, stated she died from “a brain haemorrhage caused by a beating”.

The case overshadowed relations with Canada for years.

Canada severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012, after its government criticised the Islamic republic’s support for the Syrian regime, its “incitement to genocide” against Israel and its leaders’ failure to account for their nuclear programme.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality and treats those arrested as Iranian citizens only.

After a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2015, Canada announced the lifting of economic sanctions on the country and said it was reviewing its wider relations.//AFP

Ma’s e-commerce giant in January launched a multimillion-dollar partnership until 2028 with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) designed to propel the Olympics headlong into the digital era.

The deal was particularly significant with the 2022 Winter Olympics taking place on Alibaba’s home turf of China, and with firms from the country becoming increasingly prominent in sponsoring major global sports tournaments.

Alibaba became the cloud-services and e-commerce partner for the Olympics, starting with the current Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea, effectively charged with helping the IOC modernize, run smoother and reach its ideal of saving money.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Olympics on Saturday, a day after the official opening, the charismatic Ma said that Alibaba would be taking the experience from South Korea to help improve Tokyo 2020 and particularly Beijing 2022.

“President Bach had a vision. He said that the Olympics should be for the next stage — more people, more fans, better sports,” said Ma, seated next to IOC chief Thomas Bach and with Chinese former NBA star Yao Ming among the dignitaries.

“We will start from here and then we will do more things at the Tokyo Olympics and then in Beijing, probably what we will launch will be even better.”

Speaking at the official opening of Alibaba’s showcase suite in the Olympic Park, Ma added: “What you see today, most of the things will be realized in Beijing and we want to enable host cities to be much more cost-effective and much more economic.”

Ma said that fans and competitors would also benefit from advances in technology.

Bach gave the example of athletes from minor nations being able to milk data to nail down exactly where they need to catch up the rest — and that would make it better for the crowd too, he said.

“We want to enable athletes to do better in their competitions, help them compete well and train well,” pledged Ma. “We want to enable fans so they can learn and communicate directly to the athletes they love and more people can get involved.

“If someone has an idea, technology can make it happen.”//AFP

Cathey’s death was first reported late Friday on Twitter by “The Wire” creator David Simon. No cause of death was given.According to the TMZ celebrity website, Cathey died at his New York home of lung cancer.

A nine-time Emmy nominee, Cathey won the coveted award in 2015 for a role in the Netflix series “House of Cards” as Freddy Hayes, owner of a barbecue restaurant that Kevin Spacey’s character Frank Underwood frequents. In the show, Hayes ends up with a job in the White House.

Cathey, gifted with a deep baritone voice, was also known for his role as Baltimore political operative Norman Wilson in the HBO series “The Wire,” and as warden Martin Querns in the prison drama “Oz.”

“Reg Cathey, 1958-2018,” Simon tweeted. “Not only a fine, masterful actor — but simply one of the most delightful human beings with whom I ever shared some long days on set. On wit alone, he could double any man over and leave him thinking.”

Cathey was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and spent his formative years in Germany with his military family. He later studied acting at Yale.

After working in theatre he began taking roles in Hollywood productions in the 1990s, with appearances in TV shows and movies like “The Mask.”

“Reg was the kindest man, the most giving actor, a true gentleman,” Netflix said in a statement about Cathey’s death.//AFP

Mennel Ibtissem, a 22-year-old student who wears a head wrap, was one of the top contestants on The Voice, where her English and Arabic version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah caused a sensation.

But within days of Saturday’s performance she was under pressure to bow out over old Facebook messages that appeared to question the terrorist nature of attacks that claimed scores of lives in France in 2016.

The posts have been deleted but screen grabs of the remarks have been circulated on far-right websites.

In one post after the July 2016 truck attack in the city of Nice, in which 86 people were killed, she said: “Here we go, it’s become a routine, an attack a week, and, as usual, the ‘terrorist’ takes his ID with him. It’s true that when you’re plotting something nasty you never forget to take your papers with you.”

She was referencing a series of jihadist assaults in France in which police quickly named the killers through documents found on their bodies, including the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

In another post, days after two jihadists slit the throat of a priest in his Normandy church, she wrote: “The real terrorists are our government.”

The singer had apologized over the remarks, saying members of her family had been celebrating Bastille Day in Nice when the driver struck and that she had been “upset” by the failure of the authorities to prevent the attack.

– ‘Never meant to hurt’ –

But the apology failed to quell the controversy.

With private broadcaster TF1 under pressure to pull her out of the competition, including from relatives of the victims of the Nice attack, she quit on Friday.

“I never meant to hurt anyone and the mere thought that my remarks hurt others hurts me, so I have taken the decision to quit this adventure,” she said in a Facebook video that has been viewed over 860,000 times.

The production company behind The Voice, ITV Studios France, said that despite her earlier apology the atmosphere on the show had become “too heavy” and hoped her decision to withdraw would “soothe tensions”.

But some of her fans expressed disappointment, amid allegations of anti-Muslim bias.

On Ibtissem’s Facebook page, Jihene Ferchiou wrote: “We must not delude ourselves. Your turban, your religion, your origins were the obstacle.

“Clearly we have reached an unprecedented level of racism in France. It’s a disgrace.”//AFP

In a statement, IJN said the 92yearold Pakatan Harapan chairman was being treated in the general ward following a bad bout of cough.

“Dr Mahathir will be warded for a few days to allow for treatment and observation. Visits are only for close family members,” it said. His daughter Marina Mahathir tweeted a picture of her visiting him at IJN and sitting on a couch smiling.

“Went to visit Dad this morning. He’s good, just needs some rest. He’ll be back to kick some butts again soon!” she tweeted.

Dr Mahathir was supposed to be at a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia programme in Bentong yesterday but cancelled his appearance the night before following doctors’ advice.

Among those who sent their greetings was Umno vicepresident Hishammuddin Hussein who said he prayed for Dr Mahathir’s speedy recovery before the general election.

On Facebook, netizen Colin Choong urged Dr Mahathir to take time off to relax and recharge before going back to politics.

“God bless you with a good and speedy recovery. We are looking forward to seeing you,” said Lee Sophia.

Jeffrey Lee Sgi wished for Dr Mahathir to have a good rest while Aru Arumugam hoped that he would be back to good health as soon as possible.

Agence France Presse reported that Mahathir Mohamad has been picked to lead an opposition bid for election victory.

He who has joined forces with his former protege-turned-nemesis Anwar Ibrahim in an attempt to topple scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak, “is being treated in the general ward for chest infection following a bout of cough,” the National Heart Institute said in a statement.

Mahathir was admitted late Friday and would remain for a few days for “treatment and observation”. In recent weeks, Mahathir has been crisscrossing the country to beef up support for the opposition with polls fast approaching.

Mahathir has undergone two coronary bypass surgeries, in 1989 and 2007.

Political analysts say with Anwar, the country’s most popular opposition leader and currently in jail, Mahathir is regarded as the biggest threat for Najib, who must call an election by August but is facing a massive corruption scandal over the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Mahathir, who during his 22year tenure as prime minister earned the reputation of being an authoritarian, could emerge as the world’s oldest leader if the opposition wins.

But political observers say it will be a tough battle to oust Najib’s Barisan Nasional which has been in power since independence in 1957 because the opposition is split.

In civil lawsuits, the US Justice Department has alleged that about $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the 1MDB fund founded by Najib.

Both 1MDB and Najib have denied any wrongdoing.

Jose Luis Gascon, chief of the Commission on Human Rights, also urged the police and justice ministry to cooperate with the ICC in its “preliminary examination” into whether Duterte has committed a crime against humanity in conducting his brutal crackdown on drugs.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced earlier this week that her office would analyse the alleged crimes carried out since July 1, 2016.

Since Duterte took office in mid-2016, he has overseen a crackdown that has left nearly 4,000 drug suspects dead at the hands of the police. But rights groups say the actual toll is three times that number.

“The CHR is ready, if requested, to assist in any way with the process of preliminary examination. The government, as a party to the Rome Statute, is duty-bound to fully cooperate with the ICC,” Gascon said in a statement.

Gascon’s comments came after Duterte on Friday declared himself beyond the jurisdiction of the probe, saying that while a previous administration had ratified the treaty establishing the ICC it had not become local law because of a technicality.

The outspoken leader has publicly called on police to kill drug suspects while vowing to protect officers from prosecution, maintaining the anti-crime operations are tough but legitimate.

Gascon’s commission has also sought to investigate the drug war killings but has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from other government agencies like the police as well as limited resources.

Angered by the commission’s criticism of Duterte’s drug war, the president’s congressional allies last year tried to slash its budget to just 1,000 pesos (about $20) until a public outcry forced them to reverse the move.

Duterte on Friday issued a veiled warning to ICC prosecutor Bensouda, telling her: “Do not go into that adventure. It’s a messy one.”

“You will know. You will get your comeuppance.”

The ICC’s initial inquiry is designed to help prosecutors determine if there is enough evidence of crimes that fall into its jurisdiction. It could lead to a full probe and eventually charges.

The 92-year-old, who has joined forces with his former protege-turned-nemesis Anwar Ibrahim in an attempt to topple scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak, “is being treated in the general ward for chest infection following a bout of cough,” the National Heart Institute said in a statement.

Mahathir was admitted late Friday and would remain for a few days for “treatment and observation”.

In recent weeks, Mahathir has been criss-crossing the country to beef up support for the opposition with polls fast approaching.

Mahathir has undergone two coronary bypass surgeries, in 1989 and 2007.

Political analysts say with Anwar, the country’s most popular opposition leader and currently in jail, Mahathir is regarded as the biggest threat for Najib, who must call an election by August but is facing a massive corruption scandal over the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Mahathir, who during his 22-year tenure as prime minister earned the reputation of being an authoritarian, could emerge as the world’s oldest leader if the opposition wins.

But political observers say it will be a tough battle to oust Najib’s Barisan Nasional which has been in power since independence in 1957 because the opposition is split.

In civil lawsuits, the US Justice Department has alleged that about $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the 1MDB fund founded by Najib.

Both 1MDB and Najib have denied any wrongdoing.

The volcano, located about 75 kilometres (46 miles) from the tourist hub in Kuta, has been periodically spewing molten clouds of ash and smoke for months, forcing more than 100,000 people to flee the area and prompting the closure of the island’s international airport.

But on Saturday, Indonesia’s volcanology centre lowered Agung’s alert level from four to three, citing a decline in its activity.

“The volcanic earthquakes are now… declining significantly. The deformation is deflating and getting more stable and the concentration of the volcanic gas spewing into the air is also declining,” the centre’s senior volcanologist Gede Suantika told AFP.

Under the new alert level, the no-entry zone has been reduced to four kilometres from Agung’s peak, an area with no residents, allowing all evacuees to return home, authorities said.

“The public activities as well as the tourism in Bali have been declared safe, there is no more disturbance from Mount Agung’s activities,” Indonesia’s energy minister Ignasius Jonan said in a statement.

Agung rumbled back to life last September. The volcano’s activity slowed down in late October, before the eruption threat reared its head again in November, sparking travel chaos and pounding Bali’s lucrative tourism industry and its wider economy.

Currently nearly 20,000 evacuees are sheltering in 180 locations across the island.

The volcano’s last eruption was in 1963, killing around 1,600 people.

Indonesia, the world’s most active volcanic region, lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Santa Marta anti-trafficking group, said: “We estimate there are 42 million victims worldwide.”

The Santa Marta Group is formed of both religious and non-religious figures, bringing together international police chiefs and church leaders in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery.

“What struck me particularly was the extent of modern day slavery on the seas,” Nichols said.

“There are around 4.4 million fishing vessels in the world, and on most of those or many of those, there will be people in enslaved labour.”

The conference focused on finding tailored solutions for each region with greater cooperation between countries facing similar challenges.

Pope Francis, who has made the fight against human trafficking one the priorities of his papacy, held an audience with conference participants on Friday morning.

“We ask you Holy Father to urge financial and business institutions to do all they can to eliminate slavery and its profits from their transactions,” said the group.

The International Labour Organisation estimated that in 2016 over 40 million people were victims of modern slavery globally.

During the audience the pope said that “these modern forms of slavery are much more widespread than one can imagine, including, to our great shame, within the most prosperous of our societies”.