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Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan following clashes on the border of the Central Asian republics, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

"Vladimir Putin urged the sides to prevent further escalation and to take measures to resolve the situation exclusively by peaceful, political and diplomatic means as soon as possible, and confirmed Russia's readiness to provide the necessary assistance to ensure stability in the Kyrgyz-Tajik border region." (reuters)

Protests persisted on Sunday and #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags ever on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of a young woman in the custody of morality police enforcing strict hijab rules.

Amini, 22, died on Friday after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran earlier in the week. The case has put a spotlight on women's rights in Iran.

Police rejected suspicions aired on social media that she was beaten, saying she fell ill as she waited with other detained women.

"Authorities have said my daughter suffered from chronic medical conditions. I personally deny such claims as my daughter was fit and had no health problems," Amini's father told pro-reform Emtedad news website on Sunday.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Sunday around the University of Tehran, shouting "Woman, Life, Freedom", according to online videos.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

Under Iran's sharia, or Islamic law, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines or arrest. But in recent months activists have urged women to remove veils despite the hardline rulers' crackdown on "immoral behaviour".

SURGING HASHTAG

By Sunday afternoon the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini had reached 1.63 million mentions on Twitter.

Amini was from the country's Kurdistan region, where there were also protests on Saturday, including at the funeral in her hometown Saqez.

Between 8 to 10 million Kurds live in Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in the country’s Kurdish areas for decades, and the hardline judiciary has sentenced many activists to long jail terms or death.

Police repressed the demonstrations in Saqez. According to videos posted online at least one man had a head injury. Reuters could not authenticate the videos.

Behzad Rahimi, a member of parliament for Saqez, told the semi-official ILNA news agency that a few people were wounded at the funeral. "One of them was hospitalised in the Saqez Hospital after being hit in the intestines by ballbearings," he said.

Kurdish rights group Hengaw said, however, that 33 people were injured in Saqez. Reuters could not independently confirm the number. (Reuters)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that mass graves found in Ukraine were evidence of Russia's war crimes and that full accountability for its actions was needed.

Trudeau, in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, told reporters that he had met with British Prime Minister Liz Truss and that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was at the top of their agenda.

"Obviously the UK and Canada have been two of the strongest countries in standing up in support of Ukraine and pushing back against Russia's illegal actions," Trudeau said.

Those actions "increasingly, clearly include war crimes, include absolutely unacceptable crimes, whether we think of what we found in Bucha or the discovery of mass graves in the reclaimed territories by Ukraine," he said.

Ukrainian officials said last week that they had found 440 bodies in the woodlands near Izium in northeastern Ukraine, a town recaptured by Ukrainian forces. They said most of the dead were civilians and the causes of death had not been established. The Kremlin has not commented on the discovery of the graves, but Moscow had repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians or committing atrocities.

"There needs to be a proper investigation and transparency and Vladimir Putin, his supporters and the Russian military need to be held to account for the atrocities they have and are continuing to commit in Ukraine," Trudeau said.

Trudeau, who was due to meet Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Sunday evening, said Canada strongly supported Ukraine and would continue to provide aid.

Trudeau said his talks with Truss also touched on trade relations between their countries.

They discussed a Canada-UK trade deal that is being negotiated and advancing "well," Trudeau said, as well as Canada's support for Britain to potentially join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). (Reuters)

France will recognise a state of natural disaster for Guadeloupe after heavy rain tied to the powerful storm Fiona caused flooding in the French Caribbean island, killing one man, President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter on Sunday.

"In the aftermath of storm Fiona my thoughts go to Guadeloupe, to our compatriot who was swept away and to all those affected. The state of natural disaster will be recognised and the aid fund for Overseas Territories mobilised," Macron said, adding he had asked junior Overseas Territories Minister Jean-Francois Carenco to head to Guadeloupe.

A man was found dead on Saturday after his house was swept away by floods in the Basse-Terre district on Friday night, local authorities said on Saturday.

Official recognition of natural disaster also allows access to insurance claims for natural disasters for residents and businesses who are cleaning up and starting to repair property. (Reuters)