Tehran, Aug 16: The Iranian Intelligence Ministry warned the French government against “illegal interference” in Iran’s internal affairs.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said on Saturday that two French diplomats took part in a secret meeting in Tehran in July with suspects of a “major case involving foreign infiltration and interference.”

Following an investigation, it said the diplomats had “extensive records of violations and behaviors in contradiction with Iran’s domestic law and their diplomatic obligations.”

The ministry stressed it will not allow foreign diplomats in Iran to engage in “illegal interventionist” actions, warning that any repeat of such conduct would draw “fitting” responses, Xinhua news agency reported.

On July 20, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said two French embassy officials had been detained and mistreated in Tehran.

Both were “detained for several hours without reason, interrogated, and one of them was physically abused” before they were able to return to the embassy, he said.

They were now safe and expected to return to France within hours, Barrot added.

“The assault is all the more shocking given these two officials oversee our programmes supporting civil society, particularly Iranian artists and scientists,” he said.

In a statement, he called the incident “shocking,” adding he had warned Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi that the “serious and unacceptable” incident “cannot go without consequences”.

Araghchi later protested in a phone call with Barrot, saying the two French diplomats’ “unconventional” actions “contradicted diplomatic norms and were unacceptable.”

United Nations, Aug 13: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners continue to support the government-led response to the devastating earthquake in Colombia, said the office.

Widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure has also been reported, OCHA said in its daily news update.

Humanitarian assessments are ongoing, particularly in the hardest-hit areas, where disruptions to communications, transport and public services continue to hinder relief efforts. Emergency shelter, food assistance, access to safe drinking water and health care for affected communities are among the top priorities, the office said.

The United Nations and its partners are also mobilising resources. The World Food Programme is sending food, while the World Health Organization is dispatching medical supplies from its warehouses in the country, OCHA said.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Wednesday that an allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund is in the works.

The United Nations will launch an appeal for quake relief in Colombia once information is available about the extent of damage, said Haq, noting that the needs are expected to be very severe, Xinhua news agency reported.

The death toll from Monday’s earthquake in Colombia has risen to 265, with 3,494 people injured and 496 still missing, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Wednesday.

The president said more than 53,000 people had been affected by the disaster.

He said he would declare a state of economic emergency to speed up assistance to those affected, saying the government’s efforts remain focused on searching for the missing.

Earlier on Aug 11, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had extended condolences to Omar Bula Escobar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, on the devastating earthquake in the South American nation.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and the destruction caused by the earthquake in Colombia. Extend heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. Also pray for the swift recovery to those injured. India stands ready to extend all possible assistance,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.

Kolkata, Aug 12: Wahab Alam, the Pakistani national arrested in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was sent by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to collect information about the Indian Army, Navy and Railways in the eastern sector of the country.

Alam was arrested in the Habra area of the district.

Insiders from the state police said that during the marathon interrogation by the sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, he had admitted that he entered India through the India-Nepal border in 2012 and has since been staying in different pockets of the state, shifting bases from time to time.

After his arrest, the STF sleuths also seized forged Indian identity documents from his possession, like an Aadhaar card, PAN card and EPIC card. It is learnt that he managed these forged identity documents through another person, Muhammad Izaz, who was also arrested by the STF in the Topsia area in East Kolkata following Alam’s interrogation.

In fact, state police insiders said that before shifting to Habra, from where he had been arrested, Alam used to stay at Izaz’s residence in Topsia. However, as per information collected by the STF sleuths, he left the Topsia area immediately after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise started in West Bengal earlier this year before the recently concluded Assembly polls.

STF sleuths found that Alam was probably planning to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, and hence decided to shift to Habra, which is fairly close to the India-Bangladesh border. The STF sleuths are currently interrogating Alam and Izaz to know about their other associates in the state.

Interrogation is also ongoing to find out the kind of information that Alam has already passed on to his handlers in Pakistan.

Reacting to media persons on the arrest of the Pakistani national, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, Agnimitra Paul, said that such elements could make their roots deeper in West Bengal because of the “nurturing by the previous Trinamool Congress regime”.

“My appeal to people is to be alert. If any suspicious persons or any suspicious activity is detected in your locality, kindly contact the local police station immediately,” she said.