Khamenei Calls for Overhaul of Iran’s Cultural System 

A woman walks after the morality police shut down in a street in Tehran, Iran December 6, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman walks after the morality police shut down in a street in Tehran, Iran December 6, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Khamenei Calls for Overhaul of Iran’s Cultural System 

A woman walks after the morality police shut down in a street in Tehran, Iran December 6, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman walks after the morality police shut down in a street in Tehran, Iran December 6, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran’s Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday called for "revolutionary reconstruction of the country's cultural system", state media reported, as nationwide protests kept up pressure on the authorities. 

"It is necessary to revolutionize the country's cultural structure... the supreme council should observe the weaknesses of culture in different fields of the country," Khamenei said during his meeting with a state cultural council. 

Iran has been rocked by unrest since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 in police custody after her arrest for “inappropriate Islamic attire”. 

The demonstrations have posed one of the strongest challenges to the republic since the 1979 revolution. 



Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)

The second repatriation flight organized by the Brazilian government to assist its nationals left Beirut on Monday, according to a statement from the Brazilian air force.

The plane carrying 227 Brazilians, including 49 children, will stop for fuel in Lisbon before heading to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport, where it is due to arrive Tuesday.

The plane took Lebanon medical and hospital supplies donated by Brazil, Brazil’s foreign ministry said Monday, adding that more will follow in future flights.

The first repatriation flight landed in Sao Paulo on Sunday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was on site to greet those fleeing the violence.

About 21,000 Brazilians live in Lebanon, which is home to the largest community of Brazilians in the Middle East. Two Brazilian adolescents have been killed by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Brazil's foreign ministry called “for the immediate release of all hostages and for negotiations that lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.”