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The number of executions in Iran in 2025 is set to more than double compared to the amount which took place across the country in 2024, BBC reported. 

Norwegian-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group told the BBC it had verified at least 1,500 executions up until the start of December, adding that many more have taken place since.

Last year, IHR was able to verify 975 executions - although the exact number is never completely clear as Iranian authorities do not give official figures, according to BBC. 

The Election Commission has sanctioned the Election Code of Conduct 2082 BS, which will be implemented for the forthcoming House of Representatives elections slated for March 5. 

The code of conduct, which was published on the Commission's website today, is set to take effect in the first week of Magh (Mid-January). 

To ensure that the elections are clean, free, fearless, respectful, and credible, the Commission has revised certain aspects of the previous code. 

The approval of this code followed the incorporation of suggestions received on the draft. 

According to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the spokesperson for the Commission, the code will be applicable to the Government of Nepal and its Ministers, Provincial Governments and their Ministers, constitutional bodies and officeholders, as well as bodies and officials under the Government of Nepal or Provincial Governments, local executives and their members, and employees at federal, provincial, and local levels. 

This code of conduct for elections will extend to the Government of Nepal and its Ministers, provincial governments and their Ministers, constitutional bodies and officials, agencies of the Government of Nepal or provincial governments and their officials, local executive bodies and their members, along with employees of the federal, provincial, and local levels. 

It will also encompass security agencies, security personnel and employees, offices and employees of government, and public institutions, political parties and their affiliated organizations, candidates and related individuals, election representatives and vote counting representatives of political parties and candidates, as well as individuals holding public office, as mandated by the Commission. 

Such a code of conduct is established prior to each election to guarantee cleanliness, fairness, transparency, and a fear-free environment during the elections.

Nepali Congress has urged National Assembly Chairman  Narayan Prasad Dahal to immediately call a session of the upper house of the Federal Parliament. 

A team led by the Nepali Congress National Assembly Chief Whip Krishna Bahadur Rokaya today called on Chairman Dahal to inform him about the decision of the Congress Parliamentary Party and made this request.

National Assembly members Kamala Devi Pant, Kiran Babu Shrestha, Bishnu Sapkota and Padam Pariyar, among others, participated in the meeting.

Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party meeting held on December 25 had decided to urge the National Assembly Chair Dahal  to convene a session, stating that the House of Representatives, the lower house, was dissolved unconstitutionally amid the changed political situation in the country.

The party has demanded the immediate convening of a National Assembly session, saying such a meeting is necessary because the Assembly is the only active body within the sovereign federal parliament that represents the voice of the people.

French film legend Brigitte Bardot has died at 91, her foundation said Sunday, AFP reported. 

During her youth, she was the ultimate sex symbol whose voluptuous figure and libertine lifestyle sent tremors through the straitlaced 1950s, but Bardot soon tired of the male gaze and walked away from it all to care for animals.

In the early days, when her curves, kohl-rimmed eyes and pout were plastered on French film posters, the actress known widely by her initials BB drew comparisons with Marilyn Monroe, according to AFP. 

Jeffrey R. Holland, a senior leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a longtime member of its top governing body, has died at the age of 85, the church announced. Holland passed away early Saturday morning in Salt Lake City due to complications related to kidney disease.

Holland served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a powerful council that helps guide church doctrine and oversee its global operations. As the second-most senior apostle, he was next in line to lead the faith under its established succession system. Church President Dallin H. Oaks, 93, assumed leadership in October. Following Holland’s death, Henry B. Eyring, 92, is now next in line for the presidency.

Hospitalized over the Christmas holiday, Holland had faced ongoing health challenges in recent months. His death creates a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve, which is expected to be filled in the coming months. A former president of Brigham Young University, Holland was known for his powerful preaching, emphasis on education, and influence within the global church

Police have arrested Casino Waldo Dynasty Entertainment Chairman Chan Min Ching on Sunday.

Pawan Bhattarai, spokesperson and Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Range Kathmandu, said that Ching, a Chinese national, was arrested on charges of fraud.

He said, "The police had previously arrested four Indians and two Nepalis from the casino on charges of cheating by creating dummy players in the casino and installing lenses in the eyes and chips in the cards. Ching has been arrested for investigation into the same matter."

The police stated that the Indian group ran a fraudulent operation by organizing gambling under the name of 'Casino Event' at the casino operated within the Aloft Hotel premises.

A powerful winter storm sweeping across the Nordic region has left at least two people dead in Sweden and caused widespread disruption to transport and electricity supplies. Storm Johannes brought strong winds and severe weather, prompting the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute to issue alerts across much of the country’s northern half. One man in his 50s was killed after being hit by a falling tree at the Kungsberget ski resort in southern Sweden. Separately, a regional energy company confirmed that one of its employees died in a work-related accident during the storm.

Tens of thousands of homes across Sweden, Norway, and Finland were left without electricity. In Sweden alone, more than 40,000 households lost power, while rail services and flights were cancelled. Norway’s Nordland region reported over 200 weather-related incidents and major outages. In Finland, where the storm is known as Hannes, more than 33,000 homes lost power, though no injuries were reported.

In response to the harsh cold, local authorities in Mahottari have declared school closures. 

The prevalent cold weather, cold wave, and thick fog have disrupted daily activities, prompting all 15 local levels in Mahottari to suspend classes temporarily. 

Currently, a holiday of two to three days has been announced, which will be subtracted from the annual vacation days. 

According to a statement from the local authorities, the intense cold has begun to impact students, leading to the closure of schools within the municipalities. 

In the Tarai-Madhes region, cold waves and chilly winds have been prevalent in recent days. 

The extreme cold has particularly affected children and the elderly.