It’s no surprise, and no big change, that global politics are a bit tumultuous of late. But many of those responsible for shaking things up in the last few days are women, which means, of course, that over here at iksplor, we’ve been paying a lot of attention.

To that end we bring you, first, a few stories about the protests roiling in Iran. They all started after the arrest, and death in custody about two weeks ago, of a young Kurdish Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini, 22. Iran’s morality police detained her for not wearing her headscarf correctly. Her family claims she was then beaten to death. In response, thousands of Iranians—of all ages, genders and classes; from urban and rural areas alike—have taken to the streets in dozens of cities. Many of the women protestors are tearing off their own headscarves and burning them publicly. It’s been a stunning display of unity, and opposition, against an autocratic regime. Their chant? “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Authorities are cracking down violently. For more on the bravery of these women, and the crucial role they have long played in Iran’s street politics, check out this story from Vox. And, to understand why these protests mean so much more than just a headscarf, you might also read this New York Times story. As the author writes, “with the explosion of protests, the conversation has moved beyond the hijab to the system itself.” The Times podcast, The Daily, also ran an episode dedicated to the protests, which would be the perfect audio accompaniment to all your reading.