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The new Israeli coalition government, currently led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, plans to extend Israeli sovereignty to West Bank Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley, representing some 30 percent of all West Bank land. The annexation will be part of President Donald Trump’s controversial peace plan, which has been dismissed by Palestinian leaders as an Israel-designed blueprint for permanent subjugation of the Palestinian people. In a letter sent to Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh published Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his nation would spare no effort in helping to “eliminate the evil threat posed by the fraudulent, usurping Zionist regime,” referring to Israel....

State news agency Tasnim said the commander of the special unit of Isfahan province, Ismail Chiraghi, was “martyred” after being hit by a bullet in the Khaneh neighborhood of Isfahan. Six people were killed in the Isfahan area, Al Jazeera reported, while reports of further deaths in Kurdistan increased Wednesday’s death toll to 15. In the deadliest incident, at least seven people were killed in the city of Izeh, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan....

The U.S. abandoned the 2015 Iran deal under former President Donald Trump, but Russia remains a party to the pact, as do China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Iran itself. The Islamic Republic has stepped down from certain commitments due to non-compliance from other signatories. Moscow has urged Washington to immediately lift sanctions, something Tehran has said would prompt it to reinstate key commitments. But with the two rivals at an impasse, Lavrov issued a recommendation to allow both sides to return to the accord officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, officially known as the JCPOA....

Iranian army chief Major General Abdul Rahim Mousavi oversaw what was described as surprise exercises designed to “measure the readiness, mobility and speed” of his forces in the country’s northwest. Without specifying the exact nature of the maneuvers, Mousavi explained in an official release that the results of the drills were positive. “This is a good message for the great Iranian nation that its soldiers and children are fully prepared to carry out their missions to counter any possible enemy movement,” Mousavi said, saying the troops are “at the peak of their readiness....

IRGC naval, air and land forces have been conducting joint drills this week, Iranian state media reported, which IRGC officials said included the use of indigenous smart bombs, cruise missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles. IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami described the drills—named Payambar-e Azam 17, or “The Great Prophet”—as “precise” and as showcasing the “quality, effectiveness and accuracy of the systems,” according to the Mehr News Agency. The commander of IRGC naval forces, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, told reporters on Tuesday that the second day of exercises were designed to test Iranian defense of islands in the Persian Gulf....

In a recent example, two rockets targeted coalition forces at Mission Support Site Conoco in northeast Syria on Jan. 4. Although no group claimed responsibility, Iran and its partner militias frequently launch munitions from the area where these projectiles reportedly originated. Then on Jan. 20, three drones targeted the U.S. garrison at Al-Tanf, Syria, a frequent focus of Iranian-backed attacks. In that incident, two drones were shot down while the third injured two members the U....

Amini, 22, from the northwestern city of Saqez, was apprehended by the country’s notorious morality police—now reportedly abolished—after she allegedly broke a law that demands women cover their hair with a headscarf as well as their arms and legs. After she died in police custody mass protests erupted on the streets in condemnation of the country’s laws. Outside Iran, activists and protestors marched in front of the Iranian embassy in London and hundreds took to the streets in Istanbul, Turkey, a country with a large number of Kurdish people....

The Iranaian Cheetah Society, a nonprofit conservation group that provides data on the population to the Iranian government, confirmed to Newsweek that it has evidence of only 12 cheetahs remaining in the wild in the last two years. CEO of the Iranian Cheetah Society, Morteza Pourmirzai, said one of the main problems for Iran’s cheetah population continues to be roads running through their habitats. He told Newsweek: “There are lots of roads in the habitats....

IRGC figures are hoping to capitalize on a conservative wave, buoyed by the failure of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, former President Donald Trump’s punitive “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s desire to secure the future of the Iranian theocracy. American sanctions and diplomatic isolation have choked Iran’s economy, which has also struggled to stay afloat amid the chaos unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic....

The U.S. sealed an impressive 0-0 draw against group leaders England last time out with Iran snatching a dramatic late 2-0 win over Wales. Iran’s victory gives them an edge ahead of this game, with four points compared to USA’s three, and they will be looking to create history by clinching their first ever last-16 spot in 2022. Looking to watch the match? Here’s how to tune into the action from across the globe, plus the latest team news and betting odds....

“They are lying that our enemy is America, our enemy is right here,” protesters chanted during the demonstrations, Al Jazeera reported. On Saturday, Iranians had staged similar protests, chanting “death to the dictator,” referring to Khamenei. Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 took off from Tehran’s airport bound for Kyiv last Wednesday, shortly after the IRGC carried out missile strikes against military bases in Iraq that housed U.S. troops. There were 82 Iranians aboard the flight, as well as 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians – including crew members, four British citizens, four Afghans and three Germans....

Last year’s rioters accused Kurdish leaders of exploiting the monument for photo ops but failing to address or even visit Halabja itself, a nearby city of about 60,000 people. Chastened by the outburst, the Kurdish government now plays catch-up with a flurry of road, sewage and housing projects. But distrust runs deep and the monument, so central in presenting the Kurdish case to the world, has become an accidental symbol of Kurds’ outrage at their own leaders....

The Irish Times newspaper first reported Varadkar’s return to medicine amid the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday. Reuters later confirmed that Varadkar had re-registered as a medical practitioner in March to work directly with patients in an effort to assist medical professionals. “Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way,” a spokesperson for the Irish leader told Reuters....

Malaysia goes into a final international friendly against Bhutan today, looking to achieve their first win in over 12 months but the mood in the camp is a positive one despite last Tuesday’s defeat to Lebanon. Having surprised the nation with massive changes to the squad prior to the team flying out to Beirut last week, Tan Cheng Hoe’s boys produced a spirited showing against the group winners and Irfan Zakaria was one of many who shone on the day....

The tiny crystals of iron have formed piles on top of the inner core which measure up to 200 miles thick in some places, according to a study published in the journal JGR Solid Earth. Scientists can’t observe the core of the earth directly, so to understand this region they analyze seismic waves which travel through the planet. However, there are discrepancies between seismic data which has been collected recently and current models of the earth core....

The idea was to spur ratings and give Rather time to do big stories in the field. Chung had long scored high in popularity tests among viewers. But almost from the start this was no Huntley-Brinkley. Newscast ratings have fallen from second to last. While many things contributed to that, “there was just no chemistry between them,” said one CBS executive. As always, the divorce was anything but sweet. With New York’s tabloids in a frenzy, it turned into a bitter series of charges and countercharges....

Kyrie Irving had 31 points and 14 assists and was voted the game's MVP, Carmelo Anthony made an All-Star record eight 3-pointers and scored 30 points, and the East rallied for a 163-155 victory over the West on Sunday night. "It's a great honor," Irving said. "We had a few MVPs. Everyone out here today is an MVP." In addition to Anthony's mark, the East broke — and the West tied — the previous All-Star record for most points scored by one team (155), and the 318 total points scored easily surpassed the previous record of 303 points....

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is set to host SNL for the very first time on Saturday. The hosting gig is just the latest accolade for the Fleabag star and creator following her big win at the 2019 Primetime Emmys in September. The actor cleaned up with awards at the ceremony this year, taking home the gold for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy series....

No one knows just what to make of the phenomenon, but health officials fear it could signal the emergence of a new AIDS virus-an agent that acts like HIV but is different enough to escape detection by any available blood test. That’s not a happy prospect. HIV screening has played a crucial role in AIDS prevention since the first tests were developed seven years ago. If the new cases are the work of a new virus, there is currently no way to track it in the population or the blood supply....