The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday closed New Delhi Metro station until further notice, taking the total number of Metro stations shut across the national capital to 18, The Times of India reported. 

In a fresh advisory, the DMRC said entry, exit and interchange facilities at New Delhi Metro station will remain unavailable until further instructions.

Earlier in the day, the Metro operator had announced the closure of 17 stations from 7.30 am on Friday, citing "security reasons", as restrictions continued for the third consecutive day amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest at Jantar Mantar.

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell has said that Australia is disappointed in the US's decision to raise tariffs on Australia's exports.

Speaking at a press conference in Adelaide, Mr Farrell says the tariffs are "completely unjustified".

He has defended Australia's anti-modern slavery regime, which he says is taken seriously.

"We continue to maintain that these tariffs are unjustified. Australia is a country that deals with the issue of modern slavery seriously," Mr Farrell said.

"And from my point of view, the government's point of view, we will continue to argue very strongly for the removal of these tariffs."

Independent UN human rights investigators on Thursday called for Iran to immediately halt the execution of 10 men who took part in a protest in the central city of Isfahan earlier this year, warning that some of their relatives have already been called for final visits.

The appeal by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran follows the 19 July execution of two other men in the same case – Erfan Esfandiari, reportedly 18-years-old, and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan national – which it strongly condemned. 

The development is unfolding against a backdrop of longstanding UN concern over the surge in the use of the death penalty in Iran and ongoing hostilities in the region which began in late February.  

All 12 men were arrested in connection with protests on 8 January in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square that led to the killing of four members of the security forces.  

“According to credible information, the families of at least two of the remaining 10 men have been summoned for final visits, suggesting that more executions are imminent,” the rights experts said. 

Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented the escalation of strikes and counterstrikes by the United States and Iran this month, warning of “devastating consequences in the region and across the globe” if there is no reversal, according to UN news.

“The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of [the] unimaginable,” he told a meeting on dispute resolution.

“One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next. As this dynamic spreads, the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself. It is time to step back.”