World News Roundup: NATO ready to send more troops to Kosovo in case of fresh unrest; Ireland to increase state pension for those who work beyond 66 and more

The bill, passed in its second and third readings on Tuesday by the lower house of parliament, the Duma, comes amid debate inside Russia about a possible mobilisation, a step which could significantly escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Aide to Iran's Khamenei visits family of woman killed in custody -media An aide to Iran's supreme leader paid condolences to the family of a woman whose death in police custody has sparked days of protests and promised their rights would not be ignored, Iranian media said on Tuesday, in an apparent effort to defuse tensions.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

NATO ready to send more troops to Kosovo in case of fresh unrest

NATO is ready to ramp up troops in Kosovo if tensions among minority Serbs flare again as a deadline in a spat with the government over car papers approaches, 1the deputy commander of the alliance's peacekeeping mission (KFOR) said on Tuesday. "We are vigilant and ready to act...if we have an increase of tensions, but we can also draw on reserve forces...that we can call in at short notice," Brigadier General Luca Piperni told reporters at KFOR headquarters in the capital Pristina.

Ireland to increase state pension for those who work beyond 66

Ireland will offer anyone over 66 a higher state pension the longer they stay in work, sidestepping a recommendation by a government-appointed commission to gradually increase the retirement age to 68 to help fund the ageing population. Under the proposed flexible model agreed by ministers on Tuesday, people will have the option from 2024 to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension for each additional year they work.

Palestinian police clash with gunmen in West Bank, one killed

Palestinian gunmen clashed with Palestinian Authority security forces in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and one man was killed in the confrontations, which broke out after the arrest of two militants, witnesses and medics said. Islamist militant group Hamas, rival of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), said the PA had arrested one of its senior members wanted by Israel and another gunman, in the city of Nablus.

Russia triggers plan to formally annex occupied Ukrainian regions

Two Russian-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine announced plans to hold referendums on joining Russia later this week and an ally of President Vladimir Putin said the votes would alter the geopolitical landscape in Moscow's favour forever. The move, which seriously escalates Moscow's standoff with the West, comes after Russia suffered a battlefield reversal in northeast Ukraine and as Putin ponders his next steps in a nearly seven-month-old conflict that has caused the most serious East-West rift since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

With pomp and sorrow, world bids final farewell to Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth was laid to rest alongside her beloved husband on Monday after a day that saw Britain and the world pay a final farewell to the nation's longest-reigning monarch, in a dazzling show of pomp and ceremony. Amid formality and careful choreography, there were moments of raw emotion. Late in the day an ashen-faced King Charles held back tears, while grief was etched on the faces of several members of the royal family.

Myanmar military threatens jail for online 'likes' for opponents

Myanmar's ruling junta on Tuesday warned the public against showing moral support for a "terrorist" resistance movement, threatening jail terms of up to 10 years just for liking or sharing its content on social media. Myanmar has been plagued by violence since the military seized power early last year, with clashes on multiple fronts between junta forces and militias allied with a shadow government and pro-democracy groups.

Russian parliament toughens punishment for crimes during military mobilization

Russia's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to toughen punishments for a host of crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination if they are committed during military mobilization or combat situations. The bill, passed in its second and third readings on Tuesday by the lower house of parliament, the Duma, comes amid debate inside Russia about a possible mobilization, a step that could significantly escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

Aide to Iran's Khamenei visits family of woman killed in custody -media

An aide to Iran's supreme leader paid condolences to the family of a woman whose death in police custody has sparked days of protests and promised their rights would not be ignored, Iranian media said on Tuesday, in an apparent effort to defuse tensions. Mahsa Amini, 22, from Iran's Kurdistan province, fell into a coma and died after her arrest in Tehran last week by the morality police for "unsuitable attire", sparking nationwide anger and demonstrations against the authorities in numerous areas, including the capital.

On first international trip, Britain's Truss pledges Ukraine support

British Prime Minister Liz Truss will pledge at a UN summit to meet or exceed the 2.3 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) of military aid spent on Ukraine in 2022 in the next year, doubling down on her support for Kyiv after Russia's invasion. Truss, on her first international visit as prime minister, will call on other leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York to help end Russia's energy stranglehold on Europe, saying it has allowed too many lives to be "manipulated".

Equatorial Guinea scraps death penalty eight years after last execution

Equatorial Guinea has abolished the death penalty, according to a new criminal code signed by veteran President Teodoro Obiang eight years after the last executions took place.

With a population of about 1.4 million split between a mainland on the Central African coast and an island in the Gulf of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea has a poor record on human rights. Campaign groups and foreign powers have accused the Obiang government of torture, arbitrary detentions and sham trials.

(With inputs from agencies.)