Iran Executed 354 People This Year

“The death penalty is used to create societal fear and prevent more protests,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. “The majority of those killed are low-cost victims of the killing machine, drug defendants who are from the most marginalized communities.”

IHR earlier this year had reported that Iran carried out 582 executions in 2022, the highest figure in the Islamic Republic since 2015.

Iran is the world’s second-biggest executioner after China for which no data is available, according to Amnesty International.

230 Die in Hajj

Iran has hanged at least 354 people in the first six months of 2023, a rights group said Monday, noting that the pace of executions was much higher than in 2022.

Rights groups have accused Tehran of increasing the use of the death penalty to spread fear across society in the wake of the protest movement that erupted last September over the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating strict dress rules for women.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights said the 354 people figure for the first six months up to June 30 was up 36 percent over the same period in 2022, when 261 people were executed.

Emphasizing concerns that non-Per-

More than 1.8 million Muslims went on the Hajj, a five to six-day pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that took place from June 26 to July 1.

This year, the temperatures rose to 118°F, causing over 2,000 people to suffer health conditions caused by extreme heat. More than 230 people have died as a result. According to reports, 209 of the deceased were from Indonesia, eight were from Algeria, four from Morocco, ten from Iran, and eight from Egypt.

Many were afflicted with fatigue, rashes, heat strokes, and cramps, with a 114-year-old Iranian, the oldest pilgrim of the year, reportedly dying from a heart attack.

“It is inaccurate to say that a lot of Indonesian pilgrims died because of heat strokes,” Eko Hartono, the consul-general of Indonesia, said, clarifying that most died from heart and respiratory issues.

Saudi officials issued a warning that pilgrims should stay hydrated and avoid standing in the sun. However, there were few places to stand in the shade during the time of the Hajj, and due to the extreme heat, phones were rendered unusable, making the experience unpleasant for those who made the trek.

Experts from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Climate Change panel say that by 2100, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and other Gulf Arab countries may experience peak temperatures of 122°F, making it impossible to live there.

The Hajj, which is considered one of the five pillars of Islam, is a once-a-year pilgrimage that all capable Muslims must go on at least once in their life. Once the pilgrims arrive in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, they perform various sacrifices and rituals. This year saw the highest number of Hajis since before the pandemic, when 2.5 million participated in 2019. In past years, many more have died during the religious pilgrimage.

No End In Sight For Canadian Wildfires?

In early June, the air quality deteriorated in northern U.S. states due to wildfires in Canada. While the air has since improved in affected areas, alerts are still being issued in many places, as the air quality index (AQI) still often reaches levels that are hazardous, especially for those with respiratory issues. ty, and they’re not threatening anything immediately, then you’re going to have to let them do their thing. weak oil prices. The Saudis were joined by Russia, whose deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, said that Moscow would cut supplies by 500,000 barrels in August.

“These fires are so big that you really can’t put people anywhere near them, the winds kick up, they move very fast, they can start out ahead of you and they can trap crews,” Gray added.

Together, these trims could amount to 1.5% of global supplies.

Over five hundred fires rage in Canada, 262 of which are far too large, chaotic, or far away to stop, and with limited resources to fight the wildfires, Canadian officials must choose their battles wisely. Rather than attempting to fight them all, firefighters are sent to combat the fires that present the most immediate threat to humans, and the wildfires that are unmanageable are left alone.

“If you have limited resources, and you have a lot of fires, what you do is you protect human life and property first. You protect people, infrastructure, watersheds, so there’s a prioritization system,” explained Robert Gray, a Canadian wildland fire ecologist. “If you’ve got these fires that are burning out in the back for-

While other countries, such as the U.S., Mexico, France, Spain, Australia, South Korea, and South Africa, have sent firefighters to help the situation in Canada, the country still has a resources issue, according to experts, many of whom add that it would be wise for Canada to shift its focus to avoiding these wildfires in the first place, rather than dedicating all resources to stopping them after the fact.

One proposed prevention method is to intentionally start small fires, or “prescribed burns,” in order to remove things that allow the wildfire to spread and start more quickly, such as some types of grass, debris, and other flammable natural materials. Canada already has prescribed burning, but experts suggest that the country should do much more of it, while equipping those who start these fires with the knowledge and training necessary to ensure that these minor flames don’t evolve into uncontrollable blazes.

According to the Nature Conservancy, fire “is an essential process for conserving biodiversity” and can be naturally caused by phenomena such as lightning, helping nature rid itself of unwanted shrubbery, for example. With that being said, in excess, fires are destructive and absolutely undesirable.

Saudi Arabia, Russia to Extend Oil Cuts

Oil prices have been under pressure in recent months because of uncertainty about the strength of the global economy as many central banks continue to raise interest rates to stem inflation. There are also doubts about oil’s longer-term future as electric vehicles and other alternatives to consuming oil continue to grow. The Saudis and other members of the producers’ group known as OPEC+ have been gradually dialing back production since last fall.

“This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts” previously made, according to the staterun Saudi Press Agency. The latest round of Saudi production cuts began at the start of this month. Russia’s proposed reduction in exports in August would come “as part of the effort to ensure the oil market remains balanced,” Novak said in a statement.

Monday’s announcements appear to have been coordinated and intended to create the impression that Russia, a cochair of OPEC+, remains committed to the group’s efforts to manage the market.

“The intention here is to signal this isn’t just Saudi Arabia operating alone,” said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, a research firm.

It is not clear how much supply Russia will actually cut. Russia has been under pressure from the Saudis and other members of OPEC+ to go along with output restrictions, but Moscow has been reluctant to sacrifice revenue that could be used to help finance the war in Ukraine. China and India are now buying the bulk of Russia’s seaborne oil exports.

According to Saudi Arabia’s announcement, the kingdom’s oil production will now be just 9 million barrels a day — a drop of close to 2 million barrels from third quarter of last year. The Saudis are investing heavily to increase their production capacity but instead are being forced to throttle back. (© The New York Times)

Saudi Arabia said Monday that it would extend a cut in oil production of 1 million barrels a day that it announced in June through at least August, trying to push up what officials view as stubbornly