Iran, Indonesia, Cameroon

Today's three stories you should know.

Iran

Tehran has executed what it called “one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran,” according to the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan. Executions of Iranians accused of spying for Israel have escalated, with at least 10 people put to death in recent months. Prosecutors said Bahman Choubi-asl was attempting to infiltrate data centers. He was convicted of “outrages against the state.” Iran and Israel’s shadow conflict erupted into open warfare for 12 days in June. Iran fired rockets at Israel, killing 28 civilians, per Israeli tallies. Israel’s attacks on Tehran killed more than 1,000 people, Iran said, including 140 women and children.

More from AP here.

Indonesia

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rushed to defend an ambitious plan to provide free school meals to children after fury erupted over 6,000 cases of food poisoning. Footage of children in hospital beds was broadcast on TV and local NGOs called for the program to be halted. Subianto, though, said the project was in its early stages, that he had ordered new hygiene equipment for kitchens and that the number of cases represented a fraction of the 30 million recipients to date. Government nerves around the issue were underlined when authorities temporarily revoked a journalist’s credentials for asking Subianto about it.

More from Reuters here.

Cameroon

Campaigning for Cameroon’s presidential election began today with aging leader Paul Biya aiming for another seven years at the helm. The 92-year-old, who has been in power for 43 years, said his decision to run again came after “numerous and insistent” calls from the people. Though there are 12 candidates, Biya’s main challenge will likely come from prominent journalist Cabral Libii, one of the youngest candidates at 45. Negotiations are thorny, but opposition parties are in talks to unite behind one candidate ahead of the October 12 poll.

More from Africa News here.