* “Women, Life, Freedom” has become the battle cry of young men and women in the streets, universities, and schools in Iran, amid protests over the killing of young Mahsa Amini. Protesters say their ultimate goal is to overthrow the Islamic Republic in favor of a secular, democratic system, even if the price is their lives. They face a regime backed by massive institutions, such as the elite Revolutionary Guards and a multi-layered network of loyalists and businessmen whose interests depend on the continuation of the status quo. Yet the protests are a serious warning to Iran's rulers that they are grappling with a different generation, many of whom do not adhere to the regime's ideology and are angry at being denied the daily freedoms and opportunities of their peers in other countries. Their movement has the potential to inspire more demonstrations and strikes as the cost of living crisis deepens, one of the most significant threats to the Islamic Republic's 43-year dominance.

* Mehr News Agency reported that the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei received a group of young elites and senior scientific talents at Imam Khomeini's Husseiniya. He expressed his satisfaction for holding this conference after the circumstances caused by COVID-19, adding that the presence of young elites and scientific talents creates hope in society. He said “that is why those who do not agree with the progress of the country, do not approve of your presence where you ought to be present,” as one of the most prominent points mentioned during the meeting.

* Al-Monitor reported that Tunisian feminists, politicians, and activists decry the Tunisian president’s new electoral law and system, saying it is anti-democratic and undermines the advances made in recent years for women and youth. Among the growing wave of demonstrations against President Kais Saied’s recent draft electoral law is a coalition of 12 women’s and civil society groups, which denounced the electoral law that allows only individual candidates to be elected. They say the new system marginalizes women in political life, rolling back the gains women have made not just since the 2011 revolution, but since the establishment of the republic in 1956.

* The Youth for Positive Change project, which aims to reduce societal extremism and build the capacities of young people in Tafileh Governorate (Jordan), implemented by the Tafila Women’s Charitable Association, and with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, launched the Youth Municipal Council initiative. The Women’s Charitable Association’s president, Dr. Hanan Khreisat, indicated that this youth initiative translates a simulation system for the municipal council by selecting a group of young leaders who undergo various trainings on debates and lobbying, local administration, and electoral campaign management. She added that the second phase of the initiative includes carrying out field visits to the municipality to identify the most important tasks of the municipal council, at a time when an electronic questionnaire will be launched to identify the problem of youth not running for municipal elections and to determine the presence of the problem in the axes (law, society, youth).