As Iranian women bare their heads and burn Islamic veils in demonstrations that have met nationwide repression, hopes and emotions are also running high among those living abroad.

Inside Iran, at least 17 people have died in protests that broke out after Iranian authorities announced the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16.

Amini, who was from the northeastern province of Kurdistan, was arrested by the Islamic republic's feared morality police, enforcers of the strict dress code for women.

At least 17 people have been killed as popular unrest flared Thursday across Iran over the death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, local media reported, as online services were cut in a security crackdown.

Amini, 22, died last week after her arrest by the Islamic republic's feared morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an "improper" way, and news of her death sparked widespread outrage.

Thousands of troops paraded in Sanaa as Yemen's Huthi rebels marked the eighth anniversary of their seizure of the capital with a show of strength, despite a truce in their war with Saudi-led forces.

Drones and missiles that have been hallmarks of the Iran-backed rebels' military campaign filed past a grandstand on flatbed trucks on Wednesday, three weeks after a similar display in rebel-held Hodeida.

Wearing headphones and anti-sweat finger sleeves, gamers from eight countries guided gun-toting avatars through a battle royale in the Saudi capital, as cheering onlookers watched the action on a big screen.

The PUBG Mobile tournament was part of Gamers8, a summer festival spotlighting Saudi Arabia's emergence as a global eSports dynamo -- one that officials hope can compete with powerhouses like China and South Korea.

In a Syria hospital crowded with women and wailing children, Ahmad al-Mohammad writhed in pain beside his wife after they contracted cholera, which is resurging for the first time in years.

During his six days in treatment, Mohammad has watched patients stream into the Al-Kasrah hospital in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where the highly-polluted Euphrates River is a major source of contaminated water used for both drinking and irrigation.

Relatives of the 43 Mexican students who disappeared in 2014 protested outside Israel's embassy, demanding the extradition of a former top investigator wanted in connection with the case.

Hundreds gathered outside Israel's embassy in Mexico City on Wednesday, with no visible police presence.

Some carried pictures of the missing students while others sprayed graffiti on the embassy walls.

Tomas Zeron, who previously led Mexico's Criminal Investigation Agency, is accused of manipulating the probe into one of the country's worst human rights tragedies.

English Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham says he has been told LGBTQ+ fans won't be arrested for holding hands or kissing in public at the World Cup in Qatar.

The LGBTQ+ community had raised concerns over how safe they will be at the tournament in November-December as same-sex sexual activity is illegal in the Gulf state.

Some English LGBTQ+ fans will reportedly stay away from the World Cup because they have not received adequate assurances.

Aviation industry leaders warned Wednesday that travellers must brace for even higher ticket prices as the sector battles fallout from the Covid pandemic, high oil prices and conflict fears.

International Air Transport Association director general Willie Walsh also said that airlines' recovery would be delayed if China maintains its coronavirus travel clampdown into 2023.

The death of Mahsa Amini last week after her arrest by Iran's morality police has sparked anger and anxiety among many women in the Islamic republic.

"I'm frightened," said Nazanin, a 23-year-old nurse from Tehran, who told AFP she is now far more careful about how she wears her headscarf to avoid run-ins with the police unit responsible for enforcing a strict Islamic dress code for women.

Amini, a Kurd, had been detained for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an "improper" way, and died at a Tehran hospital after having spent three days in a coma.

Ukraine on Wednesday announced the exchange of a record-high 215 imprisoned soldiers with Russia, including fighters who led the defence of Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks that became an icon of Ukrainian resistance.

Russia received 55 prisoners including Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin accused of high treason, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address.

The swap was the biggest exchange between the warring sides since the start of Russia's invasion in February.