Iran warns it will retaliate if US attacks, as hundreds killed in protests
Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the US, as BBC sources and activists report hundreds of protesters have now been killed in an escalating government crackdown, BBC reported.
"Things here are very, very bad," a source in Tehran said on Sunday. "A lot of our friends have been killed. They were firing live rounds. It's like a war zone, the streets are full of blood. They're taking away bodies in trucks."
The BBC counted about 180 body bags in footage from a morgue near Tehran. The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency says it has verified the deaths of 495 protesters and 48 security personnel nationwide, according to BBC.
Actor T.K. Carter dies
Veteran actor and comedian T.K. Carter, known for his roles in The Thing and the television series Punky Brewster, has died at the age of 69, authorities said. Carter was pronounced dead Friday evening after sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive man at a residence in Duarte, California. Officials said no foul play is suspected, and the cause of death was not disclosed.
Born Thomas Kent Carter in New York City and raised in Southern California, he began his career in stand-up comedy before moving into film and television. His breakout role came in John Carpenter’s 1982 cult horror classic The Thing, where he played Nauls, the base cook. He later became a familiar face on television in the 1980s.
Carter also appeared in films including Runaway Train, Ski Patrol and Space Jam, leaving behind a diverse body of work.
Director Busfield faces abuse charges
Authorities in New Mexico have issued an arrest warrant for director and Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield in connection with alleged child sex abuse, police said Friday. The warrant follows a complaint filed by an Albuquerque Police Department investigator accusing Busfield of inappropriate sexual contact with a minor on the set of the television series The Cleaning Lady.
The complaint includes that the child alleged the incidents occurred when he was 7 and 8 years old, between late 2022 and early 2024. The child’s mother reported the allegations to Child Protective Services, prompting an investigation that began in November 2024 after a referral from a hospital doctor.
The warrant lists two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor. Court documents say the child has since been diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Busfield’s attorney and agent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The actor has denied the allegations through legal filings.
Protester climbs on to balcony of Iranian embassy in London
A protester has climbed on to the balcony of the Iranian embassy in west London as hundreds gathered outside the building, waving flags and shouting anti-government slogans, BBC reported.
The Metropolitan Police said two arrests had been made at the protest and that officers were also seeking another individual for trespass.
Anti-government protests erupted in Iran on 28 December, with two human rights groups reporting that at least 50 protesters have been killed, according to BBC.
