Aus Bagdad und Teheran
A proposal in Iraq's parliament to lower the minimum age for Muslim girls to marry to nine years old has been withdrawn, the British embassy in Baghdad said.
The amendment stirred outrage among critics who viewed it as a licence "to rape children".
Campaigners across all sects and ethnicities voiced strong opposition against what they called a flagrant violation and backward step for the rights of girls and women.
"This amendment was tried by Islamic parties in 2014, but it failed miserably because of the strong opposition within the parliament.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa declaring that women are forbidden to ride bicycles in public, Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on November 26.
In response to a religious inquiry, Khamenei also said it is prohibited for women to ride bicycles in the presence of strangers and those who are not their immediate family.