May 27 – The number of people who have died after a tower block collapsed in southwestern Iran on Monday has risen to 19, according to the country’s state media.
The 10-story Metropol building in Abadan which was under construction when it subsided in Khuzestan province — one of Iran’s poorest regions — left scores of people trapped under the rubble.
At least 10 people have been arrested in connection with the building’s collapse, including the mayor and two former mayors, and an investigation into the incident has been opened. A search and rescue operation is ongoing.
Hacking group Edalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice), shared documents with media outlet Iran International which suggested that Iran’s judiciary had asked the regime’s intelligence services to prepare for anti-government protests ahead of a sharp rise in food prices.
The seven-page document said protests were caused by “internal traitors, dissidents and foreign media,” and advised authorities to take arrested protestors to Evin prison within a 24-hour period.
The removal of an import subsidy in May increased the price of basic goods including bread and wheat, leaving many Iranians unable to feed their families.
And soccer body, Canada Soccer, cancelled a friendly match with Iran following an outcry by family members of those killed in the downing of a plane by Iranian officials in 2020. More than 50 Canadians died on the flight.
Canada Soccer’s statement did not give a reason for the match’s cancellation.
The news of the match drew condemnation from the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, who called for the game to be cancelled immediately. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the match “wasn’t a very good idea.”
