Iran protests: Women burn headscarves in anti-hijab protests
Female protesters have been at the forefront of escalating protests in Iran and have been burning headscarves, after the death in custody of a woman detained for breaking hijab laws, BBC reported.
Demonstrations have continued for five successive nights, and reached several towns and cities.
Mahsa Amini died in hospital on Friday after spending three days in a coma.
In Sari, north of Tehran, large crowds cheered as women set their hijabs alight in defiant acts of protest.
Ms Amini was arrested in the capital last week by Iran's morality police, accused of breaking the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf, and their arms and legs with loose clothing.
She fell into a coma shortly after collapsing at a detention centre.
There were reports that police beat Ms Amini's head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles, Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif said.
The police have denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered "sudden heart failure". Ms Amini's family has said she was fit and healthy, according to BBC.
The 22-year-old was from Kurdistan Province in western Iran, where three people were killed on Monday as security forces opened fire on protesters.
An aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei paid a visit to Ms Amini's family on Monday and told them that "all institutions will take action to defend the rights that were violated", state media reported.
Senior MP Jalal Rashidi Koochi publicly criticised the morality police, saying the force was a "mistake" as it had only produced "loss and damage" for Iran, BBC reported.
Ukraine war: West condemns Russian plans for 'sham' Ukraine vote
Western nations have condemned Moscow's plans to hold urgent so-called referendums in parts of Ukraine that are currently under Russian control, BBC reported.
The votes have been called by Russian-backed officials in four Ukrainian regions to ask whether they should become part of Russia.
The US, Germany and France have said they would never recognise the results of such "sham" ballots.
The Nato military alliance said the plans spelt an escalation in the war.
Plans to run polls for five days, starting on Friday, have been announced in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk - as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south.
The quartet represent around 15% of Ukrainian territory - or an area the size of Hungary, according to Reuters news agency.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blasted the Russian plans for "sham" votes, while French President Emmanuel Macron labelled them a "parody" of democracy.
"If the Donbas referendum idea wasn't so tragic it would be funny," Mr Macron told reporters in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly.
Any referendum planned by invading forces contravenes international law and will have no legal force, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a statement, according to BBC.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his partners for their support in the face of Russia's "noisy news".
There were reports that Russia's President Vladimir Putin would give his own, rare address on Tuesday evening - potentially discussing the planned votes, or a wider troop mobilisation in Ukraine. But no speech came, and speculation shifted to Wednesday.
The plans to hold votes within a matter of days is widely seen as a push by Mr Putin to accelerate Russia's annexation of Ukraine.
It comes after a sweeping Ukrainian counter-offensive, in which Kyiv claims to have retaken 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq miles) this month, putting Russia on the back foot.
Cementing its control over Ukrainian land could enable Russia to make the claim that its territory - not just its army - was coming under attack from Western weapons as hostilities continue. This is because several western nations have been supplying Ukraine with weapons to help in its defence.
It is feared that this could lead to an intensification of the already-bloody conflict.
Pro-Russian leaders in the four Ukrainian regions have supported the referendums.
The head of the Russian proxy administration in Luhansk, Leonid Pasechnik, said it was "our common dream and our common future".
The deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said that the votes would restore "historical justice" and be irreversible.
Russian proxy administrations have operated in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. Both were controversially recognised as independent by Mr Putin three days before he launched his invasion on 24 February, BBC reported.
The subsequent onslaught saw Russia take full control of Luhansk for a time - although Ukraine has now reclaimed some territory.
The latest moves to call for "referendums" has echoes of Russia's annexation of the southern peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
A vote was also called there in an attempt to legitimise Moscow's rule, however that vote, too, was labelled illegal and condemned by the international community.
PM Deuba calls for investment in Nepal's tourism, hydropower
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged the Indonesian Ambassador to Nepal to facilitate in order to bring in investment from Indonesia in hydropower, tourism and other potential sectors of Nepal. Prime Minister Deuba made this urge during the meeting with the Indonesian Ambassador to Nepal, Heru Hartanto Subolo. The Indonesian Ambassador had reached the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar to pay a courtesy call on PM Deuba today. 'The Prime Minister asked the Ambassador Subolo to facilitate in order to bring in Indonesian investment in tourism, hydropower and other potential sectors of Nepal and promote mountain tourism of Nepal among tourists of Indonesia", said Honorary Consul of Indonesia in Nepal and senior vice-president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Chandra Prasad Dhakal quoting the Prime Minister. On the occasion, Prime Minister Deuba urged the Indonesian government for the establishment of a residential embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Nepal. The Prime Minister through Ambassador Subolo also requested the people of Indonesia to visit Nepal, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. Similarly, Ambassador Subolo said he was positive for the establishment of a residential embassy in Nepal and will convey this message of the prime Minister to the Indonesian government. An agreement would be signed between the two countries soon for visa facilitation for diplomatic and government passport holders, he added. The Indonesian Ambassador shared that he would play a role for bilateral trade and investment between Nepal and Indonesia in course of promotion of 'Trade Expo'. The trade expo is to be organized in Indonesia in October.
Nepal will always be in my heart: US Ambassador Berry
Happiness of the US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry knew no bounds when heritage expert Rabindra Puri presented a stone-statue of god Laxmi Narayan to him as a gift amid a function organized here today to bid a farewell to him, who is returning home a week later after completing his tenure as the Ambassador. The gift was covered in red clothing. Ambassador Berry was visibly cheerful when he entered the building of the Nepal Vocational Academy at Kamalbinayak, Bhaktapur. The four-storey building, which was built from age-old bricks, itself looks like a museum with historic statues of various gods and goddesses inside. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a statue of Lord Buddha in a cross-legged position. Besides it, there lies a standing giant statue of a sage. There are images and statues of various gods and goddesses put up on the walls. The Ambassador seemed happy and excited by seeing the statues of various gods and goddesses and other natural and beautiful scenes of the surroundings. He also managed time to take a picture of himself besides the gifted statue. The Ambassador was very special at the event also by his linkage with ancient statues of gods and goddesses of Nepal. A statue of god Laxmi Narayan that had gone missing from the Narayan Temple at Patko tole in Patan was recovered from Dallas Museum in the US. The repatriation of the recovered statue to Nepal a year ago was done at the 'special' initiatives of Berry. Thereafter, the statue was placed back in the temple in his presence. So far, 17 idols of various gods and goddesses that were stolen from Nepal were recovered from various cities and museums of the US, and repatriated back to Nepal between March, 2021 and August, 2022 at the initiatives of Berry. The farewell event was organized by the Rabindra Puri Foundation for Conservation, an organization working for the protection and conservation of stolen statues of various gods and goddesses. Various dignitaries, foreign guests, culture experts and archeologists attended the programme. "Setting up a 'museum of stolen arts' in Panauti is underway. A replica of the stolen statue of Laxmi Narayan will also be put up in the museum," said Puri, also President of the Foundation. He has also launched the campaign to repatriate stolen idols back home. "We are very happy to be gifting a replica of the stolen statue of Laxmi Narayan to Berry." On the occasion, Ambassador Berry said he would always put Nepal in his heart wherever he goes. "The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation set up in the US Embassy in Kathmandu has worked for the protection and conservation of Nepali heritages. I always want to see the protection and preservation of Nepali arts, culture and heritages," he said.
