Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drug charges.

According to state-owned al-Ahram newspaper, they were part of a criminal gang which imported ingredients used to make drugs with the intent of selling them.

They also had illegal firearms and munitions.

Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime issues. She has denied the charges.

Nine fellow defendants have been sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven have been acquitted.

Khalifa’s lawyer said she would appeal the death sentence.

The verdict was first announced last month.

However, it was only confirmed a month later after the court obtained a religious opinion from the grand mufti of Egypt – a legal requirement in death sentence cases.

During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750kg (1,653lbs) of narcotics and the imported raw materials to make them.

Twenty witnesses had given statements to the prosecutors, al-Ahram said, in addition to electronic evidence that included conversations and video clips.

According to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, when asked by the judge about her alleged role during a court appearance last September, Khalifa said she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices.

According to a 2025 Amnesty International report, there were 492 death sentences in the course of the year, 23 of which were carried out.

The defendants were found guilty of drug trafficking and rape, “crimes that did not amount to ‘intentional killing’ to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards”, the report said.

Marcus Trescothick has insisted he wants to continue working with England’s Test team even though Mike Hussey has revealed an approach by incoming head coach Stephen Fleming to effectively replace him.

Trescothick has been a member of England’s backroom staff since 2021 and is currently leading the Test side on an interim basis ahead of Fleming’s arrival.

Former opening batsman Trescothick and returning captain Joe Root oversaw an innings and 103-run thrashing of Pakistan in the first Test at Headingley on Friday as the hosts went 1-0 up in a three-match series.

Former Australia international Hussey has said he is considering an offer to work as England’s Test batting coach, effectively Trescothick’s role, after being approached by Fleming, his former boss at Chennai Super Kings.

“I’d love to carry on, of course,” said Trescothick.

The 50-year-old, a member of England’s 2005 Ashes-winning team, added: “I’ve a huge amount of respect for Stephen and what he’s done in the game, he was a fantastic captain and leader, and has done a brilliant job doing what he’s done as a coach.

“It’s really not in my job (description) or position to judge that. We’ll wait until we get the tap on the shoulder.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent memorandum of understanding as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of “neither war nor peace.”

In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, he said members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum represented the best possible agreement based on what he described as dignity, wisdom and the national interest.

“There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.

The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that US President Donald Trump signed in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program. That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no signs of compromise on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.

Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran’s economic prospects, saying the country could not attract investment in this stalled phase.

“Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk,” he said. “We have to remove this risk from the country.”

Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, the Iranian economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade.

Pezeshkian acknowledged that his country’s citizens face “many problems,” after the United States launched a new wave of sanctions seeking to further isolate its economy.

“I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian said that, thanks to Trump, Iran was “in a full-scale economic, military and security war.”

“He says he is imposing the most crushing and terrifying sanctions on Iran,” Pezeshkian said.

Meanwhile, the hard-line new leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warned Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new US effort to hurt Iran’s economy.

“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.

Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.

Rezaei said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz — if neighbors join what he described as the economic war against Iran.

Trump in the past week has vowed to increase Iran’s pain by imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation. Iran has lived under sanctions for years.