HOT POINT

DUBAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not ​been in contact with U.S. special ‌envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, ‌state media reported on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday another "armada" is floating toward Iran and that he hopes Tehran would make ⁠a deal ‌with Washington.

The U.S. deployed additional military assets in the Gulf following nationwide ‍protests in Iran which led to the country's bloodiest crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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"There was no ​contact between me and Witkoff in ‌recent days and no request for negotiations was made from us," Araqchi told state media, adding that various intermediaries were "holding consultations" and were in contact with Tehran.

"Our stance is ⁠clear, negotiations don't go along ​with threats and talks ​can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands."

Iran's ‍President Masoud ⁠Pezeshkian told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday that Tehran ⁠welcomes any process, within the framework of international law, ‌that prevents war.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; ‌Editing by Sharon Singleton)

BUDAPEST, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Hungarian prosecutors brought ​charges against ‌Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely ‌Karacsony over his role in arranging an LGBTQ+ rights rally ⁠and ‌they were seeking a fine without ‍a trial, prosecutors said in a statement ​on Wednesday.

Tens of ‌thousands of protesters marched through Budapest on June 28 despite a police ban, ⁠turning the ​Pride march ​into a mass anti-government demonstration in ‍one ⁠of the biggest shows of opposition ⁠to nationalist Prime Minister ‌Viktor Orban.

(Reporting by ‌Anita Komuves)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials reached out to the wider Middle East on Wednesday over the threat of apossible U.S. military strikeon the country, a month since the start of protests in Iran that soon spread nationwide and sparked a bloody crackdown.

Two nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have signaled they won't allow their airspace to be used for any attack. But America has movedthe USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyersinto the region, which can be used to launch attacks from the sea.

It remains unclear what U.S. President Donald Trump willdecide about using force,though he laid down two red lines — the killing of peaceful demonstrators and the possible mass execution of detainees. The protests saw at least 6,221 people killed as Iran launched a bloody crackdown on the demonstrations, with many others feared dead, activists said Wednesday.

Iran's state-run media, which now only refers to protesters as "terrorists," remains the sole source of news for many as Tehran cut off access to the global internet some three weeks ago. But Iranians have become angry and anxious in the weeks since, seeing footage of protesters shot and killed while worrying about what may happen next as the country's economy sinks further.

"I feel that my generation failed to give a better lesson to younger ones," said Mohammad Heidari, a 59-year-old high school teacher in Tehran. "The result of decades of teaching by my colleagues and me led to death of thousands, and maybe more injured and prisoners."

Rapid diplomacy between Iran, Arab nations

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said its top diplomat, Badr Abdelatty, separately spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to "work toward achieving calm, in order to avoid the region slipping into new cycles of instability."

The statement offered no details, though Iranian state media quoted Araghchi as saying third-party mediators had been in touch. Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and Trump's friend, had earlier negotiated over Iran's nuclear program. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the White House of the call.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying the kingdom would "not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military actions against Iran or for any attacks from any party, regardless of their origin." That follows a similar pledge by the UAE. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE host American air assets and troops.

However, America's biggest base in the region is Qatar's vast Al Udeid Air Base, which serves as the forward operating headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command. Both Araghchi and Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, reportedly held calls with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar acknowledged the Araghchi call, but offered few details on what was discussed.

Iran attacked Al Udeid in June in response to Trump sending American warplanes to bomb Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.

"Our position is exactly this: Applying diplomacy through military threats cannot be effective or constructive," Araghchi told journalists Wednesday outside of a Cabinet meeting. "If they want negotiations to take shape, they must abandon threats, excessive demands, and the raising of illogical issues. Negotiations have their own principles: they must be conducted on an equal footing, based on mutual respect, and for mutual benefit."

Activists offer new death toll

While the protests have been halted for weeks after the crackdown, information slowly trickling out of Iran via Starlink satellite dishes is reaching activists, who have been trying to tally the carnage.

On Wednesday, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said at least 6,221 dead it counted included at least 5,858 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 100 children and 49 civilians who weren't demonstrating. More than 42,300 have been arrested, it added.

The group verifies each death and arrest with a network of activists on the ground in Iran. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll given that authorities cut off the internet and disrupted calls into the Islamic Republic.

Iran's governmenthas put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest "terrorists." In the past, Iran's theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The protests began on Dec. 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country. They were met by a violent crackdown, the scale of which is only starting to become clear as the country has faced more than two weeks ofinternet blackout— the most comprehensive in its history.

Associated Press writer Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo contributed to this report.

Novak Djokovic won zero sets in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open. He won zero sets in the quarterfinal of the 2026 Australian Open.

And now he's about to play in his 13th Australian Open semifinal.

The 10-time Australian Open champion survived a two-set deficit in the quarterfinal on Wednesday after opponent Lorenzo Musetti, the tournament's No. 5 seed, was forced to retire with an injury in the third set while up 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.

It was a brutal scene for the 23-year-old Italian, who held a 1-9 record against Djokovic going into the match.

Absolute heartbreak for Lorenzo Musetti 💔The Italian was 2-0 up against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-final before being forced to retire with injury 😰pic.twitter.com/qCtSnDt4Ai

— TNT Sports (@tntsports)January 28, 2026

Djokovic praised Musetti as deserving of the winin his post-match interview:

"I don't know what to say except for I feel sorry for him. He was the far better player, I was on my way home tonight. Don't know what to say, these kind of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times. You know, being in quarters of a Grand Slam up two sets to love up and being in full control. I mean, so unfortunate. I don't know what else to say. I wish him a speedy recovery and he should've been the winner today no doubt."

Fortune has been kind recently for Djokovic, who advanced past the fourth round in a walkover after No. 16 seed Jakub Menšík pulled out with an abdominal injury. However, he's about to reach the same stage of the tournament where he's bowed out in the past two years, having retired in 2025 while facing Alexander Zverev and losing to Jannik Sinner in 2024.

Barring an upset in another quarterfinal, it will be Sinner again for Djokovic. The two-time reigning Australian Open champion faces No. 8 Ben Shelton later Wednesday.

Djokovic is in search of an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam men's singles title, but the recent reign of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have caused his current drought to extend into a third year. Djokovic hasn't won a Slam since the 2023 US Open and if he doesn't win this tournament, it will officially be the longest he's gone without a title since his first one in 2008.

Paris opened its Spring/Summer 2026 haute couture season with theatrical runway moments and diverse designer visions.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Fortune is smiling on Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

The fourth-seeded Serbian was down two sets to none in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in Melbourne when his opponent, fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, retired due to an injury.

Musetti was ahead 6-4, 6-3, 1-2 when he got hurt and used a medical timeout to receive treatment on his right thigh. He tried to continue but lost the next game before halting the match.

Djokovic said postmatch, "I don't know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him. He was a far better player, I was on my way home tonight.

"I don't know what to say, these kinds of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times, but being in the quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up, and being in full control, I mean, so unfortunate. I don't know what else I can say. I wish him a speedy recovery. And he should have been the winner today, there's no doubt."

The result means Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, is through to the semifinals even though he hasn't won a set since the third round. He received a fourth-round walkover when 16th-seeded Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

Djokovic, 38, is now two match victories away from capturing his 25th career Grand Slam title, which would break a tie with Margaret Court for the most in tennis history.

Next up for Djokovic will be the winner of the late Wednesday quarterfinal between two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy, the second seed, and eighth-seeded Ben Shelton of the United States.

--Field Level Media

It all started with adesigner handbag. Then two, then a luxury necklace, and more.

Now, it's ending in jail time forSouth Korea'sformer first lady.

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced (and also jailed) former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison on Wednesday for bribery –– in just one of three criminal trials she is facing. Both prosecutors and Kim's team can appeal the ruling.

The court found Kim guilty of accepting bribes from the controversial religious sectUnification Church, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace. But it found her not guilty of stock manipulation and conspiring with her husband to receive free public opinion polls, citing lack of sufficient evidence and expired statute of limitations – and also cleared her for receiving a second Chanel bag.

Prosecutors had estimated that the stocks, bribes and polls altogether were worth 1.15 billion Korean won (about $813,000).

Kim "misused her status as a means of pursuing profit … The defendant was unable to refuse the expensive luxury items provided in connection with special favor, and was thirsty to receive and decorate herself with them," said Seoul District Court Judge Woo In-seong in the ruling.

However, Woo added, Kim had not asked for the gifts, did not relay any requests from the church to her husband, and is now "self-reflecting" on her actions.

It's the latest blow to the former first couple, both of whom have repeatedly denied wrongdoing, though Kim has admitted receiving the Chanel bags from the Unification Church.

Yoon is on trial for insurrection over hisbrief declaration of martial lawin 2024, as well as a number of other allegations. But his wife has been embroiled in scandal for far longer –– with the stock manipulation accusations related to a car dealership going back more than a decade.

She wasarrested last Augustby a special counsel, with prosecutorsrequesting 15 yearsin prison for the various crimes the court ruled on Wednesday.

"Kim Keon Hee used her status as president's spouse to easily receive money and expensive goods, and widely intervened in various personnel appointments and nominations," said Min Joong-ki, who led the special counsel team, on December 29 after concluding its 180-day investigation.

The leader of the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, which began in South Korea and has spread worldwide, is also on trial over the bribes.

Long list of scandals

From the start, Kim wasn't your typical first lady.

She had worked in the art industry, having founded her own exhibition agency, when she married Yoon in 2012. At the time, he was still a prosecutor and had yet to enter politics.

Kim maintained a high profile as first lady, often wearing stylish outfits on overseas presidential trips that won her both praise and criticism back home. That set her apart from other South Korean first ladies – who traditionally were viewed as humble, behind-the-scenes figures.

But suspicions about her conduct had mounted even during Yoon's run for office.

In 2021, Kim apologized for inflating her resume, vowing to "remain focused on my role as a wife" if her husband won the following year's election.

She also faced persistent allegations of academic plagiarism, which resulted in Sookmyung Women's Universityrevoking her master's degreelast summer. Kookmin University, where she earned a PhD,revoked her doctoral degreefollowing the Sookmyung decision, despite having cleared her of misconduct during an earlier probe.

For years,allegations have swirledthat Kim manipulated stocks between 2010 and 2012 related to Korean BMW dealership Deutsch Motors, earning unfair profits. It didn't help optics when Yoon, as president, vetoed a bill that pushed for a special investigation into his wife.

But the straw that broke the camel's back was a $2,200 Christian Dior bag (unrelated to the Chanel bags she was sentenced over on Wednesday.)

In late 2023, a left-leaning YouTube channel released a secretly filmed video in which a Korean-American pastor presented Kim with a calfskin handbag as a gift. Their exchange, which took place in 2022 after Yoon's election, was recorded on a covert camera in the pastor's wristwatch.

During the exchange, Kim is heard saying: "Why do you keep bringing these? Please, you don't need to do this." The footage does not show her taking the handbag – but she also does not appear to reject it, and a Dior shopping bag is seen placed on a coffee table as they talk.

South Korea's anti-graft law bans public officials and their spouses from receiving gifts valued at more than $750 in connection with their public duties.

The scandal exploded, with support for Yoon dropping to new lows. Kim all but disappeared from public view, until the president declared martial law late one Tuesday night in December 2023, launching the nation – and the couple – into a far bigger crisis.

Presidential downfall

Legislators swiftlyoverturned the president's martial law decreeafter fighting their way past armed soldiers into parliament.

Yoon wasimpeached and removed from office, and special investigations soon began into him, his wife, and his deputies, including his prime minister, who wassentenced last weekto 23 years in prison.

Earlier this month, Yoon was sentenced to five years for defying attempts to detain him and for denying Cabinet members the chance to debate his martial law decree. More and longer sentences may follow; he still faces eight criminal trials on other charges, including rebellion.

Throughout his appearances in court and trial hearings, Yoon hasrepeatedly resistedinvestigators' attempts to question him about his wife.

A South Korean president ending up in jail is hardly unusual. Yoon himself, as a prosecutor, helped bring down former President Park Geun-hye, who was imprisoned for corruption and abuse of power.

This, however, is the first time a former presidential couple has been jailed at the same time.

CNN's Nectar Gan and Yoonjung Seo contributed reporting.

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