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US President Donald Trump says he's ordered the justice department to produce some additional documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, BBC reported.

"Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval," Trump said in a social media post.

It's unclear whether Trump is authorising the public release of these documents or when that could come - though such action would typically require the approval of a court.

The development comes after days of sustained pressure from some of Trump's most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case, according to BBC.

Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national electionas part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday, Associated Press reported.

The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain’s Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections.

Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament.

The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics, according to Associated Press.

The final season of global phenomenon "Squid Game" helped Netflix beat Wall Street earnings targets for the second quarter, and the streaming service raised its revenue guidance for the year, Reuters reported.

Some investors had hoped for more from the dominant movie and TV streaming service, analysts said. Netflix shares had risen nearly 44% this year ahead of the earnings report on Thursday. The stock fell 1.8% to $1,251.86 in after-hours trading.

Netflix has been building an ad-supported service to reel in price-sensitive viewers, though it has said advertising will not be a primary driver of revenue growth this year. The company also has added live events such as WWE wrestling to draw advertisers and viewers.

For April through June, Netflix posted diluted earnings per share of $7.19. That topped the $7.08 consensus estimate of analysts polled by LSEG, according to Reuters.

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month supports the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, said a source briefed on U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence, Reuters reported.

The first officer was at the controls of the Boeing 787 and asked the captain why he moved the fuel switches into a position that starved the engines of fuel and requested that he restore the fuel flow, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the matter remains under investigation.

The U.S. assessment is not contained in a formal document, said the source, who emphasized the cause of the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people remains under investigation.

There was no cockpit video recording definitively showing which pilot flipped the switches, but the weight of evidence from the conversation points to the captain, according to the early assessment, according to Reuters.

Laxman Datt Pant, Founder and Executive Director of Media Action Nepal (MAN), has been elected to the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), the world’s largest community of journalism support and media development organizations. The official confirmation was made during GFMD’s General Assembly held on Wednesday, July 16, marking the induction of 17 newly elected members from across the globe.

A total of 54 members submitted their candidacies, twice the number from the previous election held four years ago. The election ran for a month, from June 12 to July 14. Of the 215 general members, 76% participated in the voting process. Laxman Datt Pant becomes the first Nepali ever elected to the Steering Committee of the world’s largest media development community. 

Pant, a reputed communications expert and internationally recognized media rights advocate, will represent the Asia, Pacific, and Oceania region. His election brings Nepal’s and South Asia’s media development agenda to the heart of global policy and strategy discussions on press freedom, media pluralism, and safety of journalists. 

“It’s a great honor to serve not only as a representative of Media Action Nepal but also to bring the voice of the Asian media fraternity into global dialogue with organizations shaping media development, freedom of expression, and press freedom,” said Pant following the announcement.

Under Pant’s leadership, Media Action Nepal has championed independent and accountable journalism through research, capacity building, media rights monitoring, and advocacy. MAN is a member of several global coalitions, including the Media Freedom Coalition–Consultative Network (MFC-CN), theACOS Alliance, the Civil Society Coalition of the Forum on Information and Democracy, and GFMDitself.

Between 2022 and 2024, Pant notably served as Co-Chair of the MFC-CN, playing a pivotal role in fostering collaboration among 51 member states, more than 150 civil society organizations, and key international stakeholders such as UNESCO and the High-Level Legal Panel. An Adjunct Professor of media at the Tbilisi State University in Georgia, Pant has led numerous global efforts on media curriculum development, media training, and policy advocacy for information integrity and journalist protection.

The new Steering Committee’s four-year term will begin with an in-person meeting in Kuala Lumpur on November 20, 2025, coinciding with the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC). During the meeting, members will also elect three key office bearers — Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, and Treasurer, who, alongside the GFMD Executive Director Mira Milosevic, will comprise the Executive Committee and guide GFMD’s strategic direction for 2025–2029.

“I look forward to contributing an Asian perspective on how to safeguard media in crisis, including how to operate during challenges, stay resilient, and respond to new and emerging threats,” said Pant, reflecting on the challenging global environment for journalism.

The newly elected GFMD Steering Committee comprises 17 prominent figures in media development from around the world. These include Catherine Gicheru, Founder of the Africa Women Journalism Project (Kenya); Zoe Titus, Executive Director of NMT Media Foundation (Namibia); Nasr ul Hadi, Founder and Executive Director of PROTO (India); and Milka Domanovic, Regional Director at BIRN – Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (Bosnia & Herzegovina). Also elected are Lina Kushch, First Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine; Lars Boering, Director of the European Journalism Centre (Netherlands); Adriana Garcia, Executive Secretary of Abraji – the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism; and the President and Co-Founder of the Media Institute of the Caribbean (Jamaica/Trinidad & Tobago).

The committee further includes Rawan Damen, Director General of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism – ARIJ (Jordan); Shireen Al Khatib, Acting Director of MADA – Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms; Courtney Radsch, Director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty (USA); Angie Holan, Director of the International Fact-Checking Network (USA); and Toby Mendel, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Democracy (Canada).

Rounding out the group are Caroline Vuillemin, General Director of Fondation Hirondelle (Switzerland); Quinn McKew, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 (UK); Simon Bishop, CEO of BBC Media Action (UK); and Laxman Datt Pant, Executive Director of Media Action Nepal (MAN), representing the Asia, Pacific, and Oceania region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has recommended Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to become prime minister in a significant political shake-up for the war-scarred country, Aljazeera reported.

The announcement on Monday could herald a wider reshuffle in the government, three and a half years into the Russian invasion.

“I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “I look forward to the presentation of the new government’s action plan in the near future."

The recommendation is part of what he called “a transformation of the executive branch” of government in Ukraine, according to Aljazeera.

Women journalists working in various media outlets have emphasized on professional and dignified journalism. Journalists participating in an interaction on ‘Digital Media Management and Journalist Code of Ethics’ held in the capital on Wednesday pointed out the need for accountability in the Nepali journalism sector in recent days. 

In coordination with Working Women Journalists (WWJ), the program was organized by Press Council Nepal. The women journalists participating in the program discussed the need for the Press Council, the body responsible for monitoring and regulating the independent press, to play an important role as there are currently many problems in digital media.

At the program, Press Council member Santarem Bidari informed about the journalist code of ethics and said that it will bind journalists and the media morally. 

Press Council member Nakul Aryal, answering the questions of women journalists, said that the council is a supportive organization for journalists and it will facilitate making journalism professional and dignified. 

Similarly, former member of the council and WWJ advisor Subekchhya Bindu Tuladhar informed about the women-friendly communication guidelines, disability-friendly communication guidelines, senior citizen-friendly communication guidelines issued by the council. 

She recalled that these guidelines were prepared after a detailed study of Nepal's national laws, international treaties and agreements and after collecting opinions and suggestions from relevant stakeholders. 

Chief Officer of the council, Jhabindra Bhusal, informed that the council is working on YouTube regulation and management. 

At the program, WWJ President Ramkala Khadka said that the increasing interference in the press and freedom of expression is a matter of serious concern and emphasized that journalists should follow the code of ethics and promote dignified, responsible and professional journalism. 

She said that in some cases, journalists have complained that the council itself has pressured them to remove news from online portals, and that the council should work in the coming days to eliminate such a trend and create an environment where they can work independently.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said facilities from the local levels will be denied to those compelling menstruating women to isolate and stay in a hut. 

He said that circulars towards that end will be issued for local levels across the country.

During his meeting with office-bearers of the Inter Party Women's Alliance today, the Home Minister said the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration will be requested for issuing the circular. 

"Superstition has a great role in the menstrual discriminations," he said, seeking the support and advice from the Alliance towards the elimination of such discriminations.    

The Minister reiterated that the government is serious about the existence of violence against women including sexual assaults. "The government is serious about the need to work towards the dignity, pride, prestige and security of women," he said, pledging that those responsible for the violence against women will be brought to justice. 

During the meeting Alliance President Mamata Giri submitted a memorandum to the Minister, demanding an end to all sorts of discrimination against women. They expressed their grave concerns over increasing case of violence and discrimination against women.