Wide demonstrations erupted as Iran’s deteriorating economy sparked unrest in the Islamic republic’s rural provinces on Thursday, resulting in at least six deaths in the first clashes between security forces and protesters, officials said.

The deaths could mark the beginning of a tough response by Iran’s theocracy to the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital Tehran but have spread elsewhere.

One death on Wednesday and five on Thursday occurred in three cities primarily home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

Protests in Iran became largest since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022. Nationwide demonstrations began over police custody.

However, demonstrations remain localised and less intense than those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained for not wearing a hijab or headscarf as authorities preferred.

In the latest protests based on economic issues, demonstrators have also been heard chanting slogans against Iran’s theocracy.

The country’s leaders are still reeling after Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June. The US also bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the war.

“The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered for too long at the hands of the Ayatollahs,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said in a statement. post on X earlier this week.

He said, “We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a fundamentalist regime that has given them nothing but economic recession and war.”

The most intense violence occurred in Azna, a city in Iran’s Lorestan province, about 185 miles southwest of Tehran.

There, online videos reportedly showed objects on the street burning and gunshots echoing as people shouted, “Shameless! Shameless!”

The semi-official Fars news agency reported the deaths of three people.

Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for reports, while state-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere.

Uncertainty surrounded the lack of additional reporting on the unrest, but in 2022, journalists faced arrest for their reporting.

Online video captured protesters gathering on a street in Lordegan, a city in Iran’s Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, while gunshots echoed in the background.

The footage matches known features from Lordeghan, about 290 miles south of Tehran.

Fars, citing an unnamed official, reported the deaths of two people during Thursday’s protests.

Boroumand Centre for Human Rights in Iran,

The Abdurrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights in Iran, based in Washington, confirmed the death of two protesters there. The report also featured a still image of an Iranian police officer, clad in body armour and wielding a gun.

In 2019, the area around Loredan saw widespread protests, which reportedly damaged government buildings.

This followed a report indicating that people in the area had contracted HIV from contaminated needles used at a local healthcare clinic.

A 21-year-old volunteer from the Basij force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard reportedly died during a separate demonstration on Wednesday night.

The state-run IRNA news agency reported the guard member’s death but did not provide details.

Student News Network, an Iranian news agency considered close to the Basij, directly blamed protesters for the death of the Guard member, citing comments by Saeed Pourali, the deputy governor of Lorestan province.

“The Guard member was martyred at the hands of rioters during protests in this city to protect public order,” he reportedly said. He reported that 13 other Basij members and police officers sustained injuries.

“The protests that have taken place are due to economic pressures, inflation, and currency fluctuations, and they are an expression of livelihood concerns,” Pourali said. “

The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not be pressured into their demands by profit-seeking individuals.”

The protest took place in the city of Kouhdasht, 250 miles southwest of Tehran. Local prosecutor Kazem Nazari said 20 people had been arrested following the protests and peace had returned to the city, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

Iran’s civilian government, led by reformist President Massoud Pezeshkian, has been trying to signal that it is willing to negotiate with protesters.

However, Pezeshkian admitted he could not do much, as Iran’s rial currency has depreciated sharply, with $1 now worth about 1.4 million rials.

Meanwhile, state television separately reported the arrest of seven people, including five it said were monarchists and two others it said were linked to European-based groups.

State TV also said that in another operation, security forces seized 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.

Iran’s theocracy declared a public holiday across much of the country on Wednesday to draw people out of the capital for the long weekend, citing cold weather.

Iranian weekends are Thursday and Friday, while Saturday is Imam Ali’s birthday, another holiday for many.

Global investment opportunities are set to widen meaningfully in 2026, as easing monetary policy, a weakening US dollar, and profit growth outside the United States reshape capital flows, according to a Franklin Templeton report.

The asset manager report titled ‘Global Investment Outlook 2026 and Beyond’

said that global markets are entering a phase where returns are likely to “broaden” across regions and asset classes,

moving away from the US-centric leadership seen recently, even as American equities—particularly technology stocks—remain resilient.” “In 2026,

opportunities across global capital markets,

we foresee broadening opportunities across global capital markets, driven by attractive profits growth outside the United States and by global monetary policy easing.”

the report said. Franklin Templeton identified three cyclical forces defining the near-term landscape—widening, steepening, and weakening.

‘Broadening’ reflects expanding opportunities across geographies and asset classes; ‘steepening’ points to yield curves as short-term rates fall faster than long-term yields; and ‘weakening’ refers to the US dollar.

which the firm expects to remain under pressure. Yield curves are likely to steepen as central banks cut policy rates, reducing the appeal of cash and pushing investors towards equities, credit and longer-duration fixed income. “

Falling short-term interest rates will incentivise investors to move out of cash holdings and into risky assets.”

The report said that cyclically sensitive sectors, such as finance, industry, and smaller companies, could benefit.

The US Federal Reserve resumed rate cuts in September 2025 after a nine-month pause and is expected to continue easing into the first half of 2026.

even as inflation remains above target. Franklin Templeton said this policy backdrop reinforces its broadening thesis, encouraging investors to look beyond traditional safe assets.

The US dollar has already fallen about 10% on a trade-weighted basis this year, and the report suggested the decline may not be over. “

Weakening of the US dollar tends to reinforce a broadening of returns across capital markets, by region, sector, and asset class.”

it said, highlighting positive implications for emerging market debt and equities.

Looking beyond 2026, Franklin Templeton outlined three long-term themes likely to shape portfolios over the coming half-decade—the age of intelligence,

The report also highlighted the mainstreaming of private markets and the emergence of big government.

Artificial intelligence remains central to the long-term investment case, but the report stressed that AI deployment is still in its early stages. “

Its contribution to growth, social welfare, and investment returns is just beginning.”

Franklin Templeton spoke, pointing to continued opportunities in data centres, advanced semiconductors, and AI-enabling infrastructure.

A key constraint—and opportunity—lies in energy. The need to feed AI’s vast energy appetite is one of the most compelling investment themes.

The report noted, flagging rising electricity demand and spillover benefits for engineering, industrial metals and power infrastructure. Private markets are also expected to play a larger role as investors search for income and diversification in a lower-rate environment.

Franklin Templeton identified commercial real estate debt, infrastructure, and secondary private equity offerings as his preferred areas as cash yields declined. Simultaneously,

The report cautioned that an increase in government intervention could potentially reduce returns. “We have entered an era of big and intrusive government,

which risks lowering returns and increasing risk across capital markets over the remainder of this decade.”

it said. Franklin Templeton said investors will need to adapt their portfolios to a world where leadership is dispersed.

Policy uncertainty remains elevated, and innovation—particularly in technology, private assets, and digital finance—continues to be the dominant long-term driver of returns.

A makeshift memorial has been erected to dozens of people killed in last night’s massive ski resort fire, which killed almost 40 people.

Two teams of police officers, some carrying large bags, entered the cordon shortly after 7 pm local time.

Mourners are leaving flowers and lighting candles at a growing makeshift memorial in a circle on the Rue Central near the bar tonight.

Many people were seen making the sign of the cross in tribute, including dozens of bouquets.

Media from all over Europe, including Italy and France, have begun to arrive at the site, next to a small petrol station in the middle of Crans-Montana.

Swiss ski resort fire update:

At least 47 people died in a Crans-Montana bar blaze. Read more.

‘I escaped a Swiss ski resort fire by breaking a window – but my friends are dead or missing.’

A woman lays flowers near the spot where a fire broke out in a crowded bar (Image: AFP via Getty Images). )

Despite the -4°C temperatures, people stood and stared at the scene for several minutes, clearly stunned.

Hundreds of people, many with tears in their eyes, have gathered around a makeshift memorial near the bar.

They stand in a circle around it, more than 20 people deep in some places. Others stand on top of a nearby parking garage and an elevated intersection to get the view.

A temporary monument emerged in Crans-Montana (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the crowds, it is incredibly quiet, with most people standing silent, while others occasionally whisper.

They include 42-year-old Ivan Wiesen and his wife Julianne, who drove about 20 minutes from their home to show solidarity with the victims.

Ivan, 40, told the Mirror: “We saw emergency vehicles at around 2am this morning. It’s very terrible. People here are in shock. I think a lot of young people have died.”

People crying at the scene of the fire at “Le Constellation” bar (Image: AP)

Mourners can be seen hugging each other in a circle, some in tears. Antonio Somma, an 18-year-old ski instructor, is a regular at the bar and lives a few yards away.

He and his friends were on their way from the second bar when the accident happened.

Antonio told the Mirror: “A friend of mine was in the bar. He is in a coma in a hospital in Stuttgart. He is 18 years old.

Local residents Julian and Evan Wyson are heartbroken (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

“I found out this morning. It was difficult to hear. We don’t have any information other than that he’s in a coma, but we’re hopeful he’ll get better. We arrived at 1.30 a.m.,

shortly after it happened. It was shocking. We didn’t believe it was real at first.

A mourner gestures in front of flowers and candles placed near the spot where a fire broke out in a crowded bar (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“I go to this bar often. It’s usually for people over 18 but we know they let underage people in.

A friend of my mother’s works at the hospital and says some of the victims are between 14 and 17 years old. Everyone here is hurting. We’re here to think about the people inside.

I don’t know how we’ll recover.”

Witnesses said they saw waitresses come in with flares before the fire broke out (Image: X)

Nearly 40 people have been killed and 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire broke out during New Year’s celebrations at a bar in a Swiss alpine resort, police said.

Authorities did not immediately have an accurate count of the dead.

Mourners gather in front of flowers and candles placed near the site (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Crans-Montana resort is known as an international ski and golf resort, and overnight,

Its crowded Le Constellation bar transformed from a scene of revelry into the site of possibly one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.

Valais canton police commander Friedrich Geisler said during a news conference that work was underway to identify the victims and notify their families, adding that the community was “devastated”.

A video shows the ceiling catching fire after a waiter allegedly placed a sparkler in a champagne bottle.’ (Image: X)

Valais canton Attorney General Beatrice Pillaud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, which broke out less than two hours after midnight Thursday. Experts had not yet been able to go inside the debris.

Scenery in Crans-Montana (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

“There is no question of any attack at any time,” Ms Pillaud said. He later said it was “completely unknown at this time”

how many people were in the bar, adding that its maximum capacity would be part of the investigation.

When asked if anyone had been arrested in connection with the fire, he said, “At this point, we don’t have any suspects.”

“The investigation has been launched, not against anyone, but to shed light on the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”

Mexican authorities have seized dozens of motorcycles worth about $40 million in the search for a former Olympic snowboarder on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.

Canadian Ryan Wedding, 44, has been accused of running a multinational drug trafficking network and also faces charges in connection with the murder of a federal witness.

US officials believe he is staying in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel, and up to $15 million (£11 million) has been offered for information leading to his arrest.

Mexican authorities executed multiple search warrants this month and seized a large number of motorcycles believed to belong to Wedding.

The FBI estimated the bike’s value at around $40 million (£30 million) in a statement this week.

Other items seized include artefacts and medals.

The FBI said the seizures were made with the assistance of Mexican authorities.

the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Wedding competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he finished 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom event.

The former player has been compared to other famous drug kingpins, including Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar.

Last month, a wedding took place, and the accused is charged with conspiring to murder a witness in Colombia to help avoid extradition to America in January.

Ten other defendants were arrested on charges in the federal indictment, which was unsealed in California.

Read more from Sky News:
Four people were killed in a US attack on an alleged drug boat.
A decade of county lines leaves its mark on children

Authorities have accused Wedding of working with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport large quantities of drugs into the United States and Canada.

Wedding, whose aliases include El Jefe, Public Enemy and James Conrad King, was accused in 2024 of running a drug gang that moved about 60 tonnes of cocaine a year.

They used long-haul lorries to transport drugs between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California, and Canada.

Authorities say he and his co-conspirators used a Canadian website called The Dirty News to post a photo of a witness so he could be identified and killed.

The witness was then followed to a restaurant in Medellin and shot in the head in January.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said last month, “Whether you’re a street-level drug dealer… or an international drug kingpin, we’re coming for you.”

The incoming mayor uses a symbolic version of New York City history to use two family Qurans in public ceremonies on Friday.

Zohran Mamdani on Thursday became the first New York City mayor to be sworn in using the Quran.

Mamdani is the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the largest metropolis in the United States.

Mamdani used his grandfather’s Quran and a 200-year-old copy borrowed from the New York Public Library (NYPL) for the private swearing-in ceremony held at a disused subway station beneath Times Square.

He then planned to use two copies of the Quran that belonged to his grandfather and grandmother for a day-long ceremony at New York City Hall on Friday.

The historic Quran, on loan from the library, once belonged to Arturo Schomburg, a Black historian and author who sold his collection of 4,000 books to the NYPL in 1926.

His collection became the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Schomburg was born in Puerto Rico in the 1870s to parents of German and Afro-Caribbean descent

. He later moved to New York and was a major player in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s—a period of intense cultural and intellectual flourishing within New York’s Black community.

The Library praised Mamdani’s decision to use Schomburg’s Quran due to its association with “one of New York’s foremost scholars and its simple, functional qualities.”.

The library said the Quran’s small size and its black and red ink suggest it was designed for everyday use.

The edition is neither signed nor dated, but its “minute naskh” script and its binding, which includes a gilt-stamped medallion filled with a floral composition,

suggest that it was made in Ottoman Syria in the 19th century,” the library said.

“The importance of this Quran goes beyond the beauty of its pages,” said Hiba Abid, curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. “

The Quran is close to the people because of its simple craftsmanship and its place in the country’s largest public library system.

Anthony W. Marks, president and CEO of the library, said the selection of Curran and its association with Schomburg “symbolises a larger story of inclusion, representation and civic-mindedness”.

Mayors in New York are not required to take the oath.

Mamdani is one of the few American politicians who took the oath with the Quran.

Mayors in New York are not required to take the oath of office by placing their hands on a religious scripture, but several past mayors have used a copy of the Bible.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg used a 100-year-old family Bible during a ceremony, while Mayor Bill de Blasio used a Bible that once belonged to US President Franklin D.

Roosevelt. Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, also used the family Bible for his oath.

Mamdani’s faith and her background as a Ugandan-born American of South Asian descent were front and centre during her campaign, which focused on celebrating New York’s diversity.

In the viral social media video, Mamdani also spoke candidly about the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the subsequent rise in Islamophobia in the US.

Other videos depict the everyday experiences of New Yorkers, including its many Muslim and immigrant communities.

Mamdani has also been a strong critic of Israel’s policies towards Palestinians and its genocidal war in Gaza.

Critics, such as New York Representative Elise Stefanik, emphasised Mamdani’s background as a democratic socialist and leftist politician and called the incoming mayor a “jihadi communist” and a “terrorist” sympathiser.

However, Mamdani pledged to never hide from his background during a campaign speech. He said during his campaign,

“I wouldn’t change who I am, how I eat, or the beliefs I’m proud to call mine.” “I will no longer find myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”