The Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza has started sailing out of Tunisia. Al Jazeera’s Hassan Massoud is on board one of the vessels in the fleet aiming to challenge Israel’s blockade of the territory.
Tehran, Iran – Iran is trying to pass a resolution prohibiting attacks on nuclear installations at the United Nations global nuclear watchdog as its Supreme National Security Council backed nuclear inspections after strikes by the United States and Israel during a 12-day conflict in June.
Iran’s top nuclear officials are now in Vienna to participate in the 69th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which starts later on Monday and ends on Friday.
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They have said they will table a resolution that bans attacks on any nuclear facilities, but have not publicly revealed the language or full text of the document.
After arriving in the Austrian capital, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told Iranian state media that the conference is a good opportunity to direct attention to IAEA moves, particularly its director, Rafael Grossi, that have raised questions about the agency’s credibility.
“We witnessed the agency’s lack of professional conduct, as this body, without taking any position, did not condemn [attacks on Iran] and instead acted in a very neutral manner – it applied a double standard to perfection,” Eslami said, pointing out that Grossi has repeatedly and explicitly condemned attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“Even if this resolution is not adopted, it shows that the Charter of the United Nations has, in the truest sense of the word, been damaged.”
Iranian officials plan to hold negotiations with some of the 180 member states of the conference, but they have admitted it is possible the resolution will not even be put to a vote.
According to Iran’s deputy nuclear chief Behrouz Kamalvandi, who is also in Vienna, the US is putting pressure on member states to block the resolution and has “even threatened the agency that they will cut off assistance to the organisation”.
But Kamalvandi said there is precedent for resolutions, issued by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the IAEA, similar to what Tehran is proposing.
He named UNSC Resolution 487, which was adopted in 1981 to explicitly condemn Israel’s air strikes on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor as a violation of the UN Charter, called on Israel to refrain from such acts, and recognised the right of all states to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards.
Kamalvandi also pointed to two IAEA General Conference resolutions, one passed in 1985 and another adopted in 1990, which emphasised the principle of protecting safeguarded nuclear facilities and urged member states to support universal respect for the prohibition of attacks.
Since the US reneged on Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers under President Donald Trump in 2018 and unilaterally imposed sanctions, the Board of Governors of the IAEA has adopted four Western-backed censure resolutions against Iran, which maintains its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Neither US intelligence nor the IAEA found that Iran was pursuing an atomic weapon earlier this year.
Israel started attacking Iran on June 13, a day after the agency found Iran noncompliant with its commitments to international nuclear safeguards, prompting Tehran to accuse the watchdog of paving the way for the 12-day war that killed more than 1,000 people and inflicted damage estimated at billions of dollars across Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reached an agreement with the IAEA in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, last week to restart nuclear inspections that have been halted after the bombings by the US and Israel.
He emphasised that the deal, which the agency said will comprise all facilities, including those bombed, was greenlit by the country’s Supreme National Security Council.
The council, which includes representatives appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the president, parliament and judiciary chiefs, several ministers, and military commanders, will have to give case-by-case permission for inspections.
But hardliners within the establishment, especially those dominating the parliament, have been voicing opposition to any more inspections, claiming they could lead to more attacks by the US and Israel.
This prompted the council to issue a statement on Sunday, emphasising that its nuclear commission has endorsed the deal with the IAEA.
The council stressed that IAEA inspectors currently have no access beyond the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, and that Iran’s nuclear authorities are assessing whether the bombed sites – which are buried deep underground – are safe to visit in terms of contamination and possibility of access.
“Should any hostile action be taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its nuclear facilities – including the reactivation of previously terminated Security Council resolutions – the implementation of these arrangements will be suspended,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council stated.
Aerial video from the Philippines shows dozens of shanty homes burning in the Tondo area of Manila, where a fire displaced more than 1,100 families. Fire crews worked through Saturday night before declaring the blaze under control in the early hours of Sunday.
Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton, one of the sport’s most beloved figures, has died at the age of 46.
Hatton was discovered deceased at his Greater Manchester home, according to Britain’s Press Association. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Tributes poured in as the boxing world mourned his loss.
Former champion Amir Khan wrote on Facebook, “Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton.”
Tyson Fury posted on Instagram, “RIP to the legend Ricky Hatton may he RIP. There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. Can’t believe this, so young.” His brother Matthew shared, “I love you Richard.”
Hatton’s death comes just two months after he had announced a surprising comeback fight scheduled for December in Dubai against Eisa Al Dah, following a decade-long retirement since his 2012 loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Throughout his illustrious career, Hatton captured world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight, facing boxing giants including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao paid tribute: “He was not only a great fighter inside the ring but also a brave and kind man in life. Ricky fought bravely, not just in the ring, but in his journey through life. He truly had a good fight, and we are all blessed to have been part of his wonderful journey.”
Hatton’s everyman appeal, combined with his all-action fighting style and candid struggles with weight between bouts, earned him a massive following. Football star Wayne Rooney shared, “Devastated. A legend, a warrior, and a great person.”
Following retirement, Hatton spoke openly about his mental health challenges.
“As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan noted.
Hatton’s career-defining moment came in 2005 when he defeated the formidable Kostya Tszyu for the IBF world super lightweight title before 22,000 fans in Manchester. This victory catapulted him to international stardom, with thousands of British fans following him to the United States for his biggest fights.
Former manager Frank Warren called him “superbly talented” and someone who “inspired a generation of young boxers and fans in a way very few had done before”.
Though Hatton suffered his first career defeat against Mayweather in 2007 and later lost to Pacquiao in 2009, his 2012 comeback after battling depression, alcohol issues, and weight gain was considered a personal triumph despite ending in defeat.
A lifelong Manchester City supporter, Hatton was honoured with a minute’s appreciation before Sunday’s derby against Manchester United, with fans from both sides applauding in tribute. Manchester City’s statement read: “Ricky was one of City’s most loved and revered supporters, who will always be remembered for a glittering boxing career that saw him win world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight.”
Qatar’s prime minister pledged to continue its efforts to stop Israel’s war on Gaza, ahead of an emergency international summit to discuss a joint response after the Israeli attack in the Qatari capital Doha.
Alphonce Felix Simbu snatched gold in the first photo finish at a major championship marathon on Monday, edging out German Amanal Petros in a dramatic race to the line to give Tanzania its maiden world title.
The photo finish showed the 42.195km race was decided by three hundredths of a second as Simbu surged past the diving Petros at the line, closer than the 0.05-second gap between the gold and silver medallists in the men’s 100m final on Sunday.
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Simbu and Petros were given the same time of two hours, nine minutes and 48 seconds, the German taking the silver despite heading the field as the leaders entered Tokyo’s National Stadium. Italian Iliass Aouani took the bronze in 2:09.53.
“When we entered the stadium, I was not sure if I would win,” the 33-year-old Simbu said. “I did not know if I had won. But when I saw the video screens and me on the top of the results, I felt relieved.
“I made history today – the first Tanzanian gold medal at a world championships.”
The finish was closer than at the 2001 championships in Edmonton, when Ethiopian Gezahegne Abera edged Kenyan Simon Biwott by a single second.
South African Josia Thugwane won the closest Olympic men’s marathon by three seconds from South Korean Lee Bong-ju at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
It was a first global title for Simbu, who won bronze in the marathon at the London world championships in 2017 and finished second in the Boston marathon in April.
Simbu struck back for East African distance running the morning after Frenchman Jimmy Gressier became the first man born outside the region to win the 10,000km title for more than 40 years.
The early morning event opened with another incident more reminiscent of sprints than endurance races when Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich of Kenya jumped the gun, forcing a restart.
More shocks followed as two of the fastest runners in the field, Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele and Deresa Geleta, who took gold and silver at the Tokyo city marathon in March, dropped off with less than 10km to go.
The race was wide open for much of the distance, with a couple of dozen runners in the leading cluster some 90 minutes in.
The pack then gradually thinned out as some faded in the morning heat, leaving Simbu, Petros and Aouani clear of the field coming into the stadium.
Eritrean-born Petros looked set to take the title back to Europe until Simbu found a late kick and ran him down at the line.
“It’s like the 100 metres,” said Petros. “Coming into the finish I was thinking about winning so a bit of me is feeling very sad.
“But I have to accept it. As an athlete you have to learn for tomorrow, train hard, keep going and be thankful for the silver.”
