Page 9 - Protests

Iran sees widespread protests in weeks over govt's execution of two men

Protesters in Iran marched through the streets of multiple cities overnight in the most widespread demonstration in weeks amid the monthslong unrest that's gripped the Islamic Republic, online videos purported to show Friday. The demonstrations, marking 40 days since Iran executed two men on charges related to the protests, show the continuing anger in the country. The protests, which began over the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country's morality police, have since morphed into one of the most serious challenges to Iran's theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Videos showed demonstrations in Iran's capital, Tehran, as well as in the cities of Arak, Isfahan, Izeh in Khuzestan province and Karaj, the group Human Rights Activists in Iran said. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the videos, many of which had been blurred or showed grainy nighttime scenes. In Iran's western Kurdish regions, online videos shared by the Hengaw .

Activists protest outside Twitter HQ in support of laid-off workers

Some of the laid-off employees filed a class-action lawsuit against Twitter and Musk, alleging the sacking violated state and federal labour laws

Climate change protesters fined over Vinci's Last Supper protest in London

Five climate change protesters were fined Wednesday for glueing themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in the Royal Academy of Arts. The five activists from the group Just Stop Oil glued their hands to the painting's border and one sprayed graffiti on the wall at the London museum in July, as part of a series of disruptive protests aimed at raising awareness about climate change. On Wednesday, following a two-day trial, District Judge William Nelson ordered all five to pay 486 pounds each for criminal damage. He said the protesters were "reckless" because they knew they would damage the painting's frame but also said that the "primary cause" of the protest "was to gain media attention and not to cause damage to a work of art." The 16th-century painting, which was unharmed, is attributed to one or more of Da Vinci's pupils and is believed to be the most accurate record of the original. Just Stop Oil said it wanted to put pressure on Britain's ...

Google workers stage rallies against job cuts, low wages on US coasts

The protest in New York, which drew about 50 employees outside a Google store on Ninth Avenue, began just minutes after parent company Alphabet Inc. reported fourth-quarter results

United Forum of Bank Unions to go on two-day strike from January 30

The decision was taken at a meeting of UFBU held in Mumbai on Thursday

Amid protests in Brazil, Elon Musk hopes they resolve matters 'peacefully'

Reports had surfaced in November last year that Musk personally moderated posts related to the Brazilian election

Democratic traditions must be respected: PM Modi on Brazil protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed deep concerns over reports of rioting in Brazil by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro and asserted democratic traditions must be respected by everyone. The supporters of far-right leader Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the Brazilian capital on Sunday, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva. Modi tweeted, "Deeply concerned about the news of rioting and vandalism against the State institutions in Brasilia. Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone. We extend our full support to the Brazilian authorities.

Varun Gandhi says sugar mills should clear farmers' dues or face protest

BJP MP Varun Gandhi has asked sugar mills to clear dues they owe to farmers or be ready to face protests. At a public function in Arsiaboj village in Baheri assembly segment, which falls under his parliamentary constituency of Pilibhit, Gandhi said if sugar mills don't start paying dues to farmers immediately, a protest meet by cane-growers will be organised at their gates. He named two sugar mills in particular. He also raised questions over the unemployment scenario in the country. "One crore government posts are lying vacant, the government should fill these posts. We are ready to help," he said. The farmers also told the MP that stray animals were harming their crops. Gandhi responded by saying the government and the administration should solve this problem soon. He also said he was getting many complaints of police torture.

Peru judge orders 18-month detention for ousted president Castillo

A Peruvian judge on Thursday ordered ousted President Pedro Castillo to remain in custody for 18 months, approving a request from authorities for time to build their rebellion case against him. The judge's decision came a day after the government declared a state of emergency as it struggles to calm violent protests. The protests erupted after Castillo was voted out of power by lawmakers last week, following his attempt to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. Judge Cesar San Martin Castro ruled days after Congress stripped Castillo of the privilege that keeps Peru's presidents from facing criminal charges. Castillo and his legal team refused to participate in Thursday's virtual hearing, arguing it lacked minimum guarantees. He was represented by a public defender.

2 dead in Peru protests as demonstrators demand president's resignation

Thousands of demonstrators took to streets around Peru for another day on Sunday to demand new President Dina Boluarte resign and schedule elections to replace her and Congress, and at least two deaths were reported amid the protests. Many of those demonstrating in the ongoing political crisis are demanding the release from custody of Pedro Castillo, the center-left president ousted on Wednesday by lawmakers after he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. Hundreds of people also protested in Lima, the capital, where riot police used tear gas to push protesters back. The protests rocking Peru heated up particularly in rural areas, strongholds for Castillo, a former schoolteacher and political newcomer from a poor Andean mountain district. Protesters set fire to a police station, vandalized a small airport used by the armed forces, and marched in the streets. A 15-year-old boy died of an injury suffered during a protest in the remote Andes community of Andahuaylas,

'Free China!': Protesters near White House demand end of Covid curbs

About 200 protesters lit candles and shouted Free China! two blocks from the White House on Sunday in a show of support for demonstrations in China calling for an end to severe anti-virus controls and for political change. Protesters in Freedom Plaza held up signs saying, No Dictatorship, No Censorship, demanding that President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party give up power. They held up blank sheets of paper, a symbol of opposition to the party's pervasive censorship. Some yelled, Free China! The protests erupted Nov. 25 after at least 10 people died in a fire in Urumqi, a city in China's northwest. Authorities rejected suggestions firefighters or people trying to escape might have been blocked by anti-virus controls. But the disaster became a focus for public frustration with curbs that confine millions of people to their homes. I did not care much about these public issues before as it did not happen to me, said a Chinese student who would give only her surname, Liu, due

Iran accuses US of seeking to cause chaos to force concessions in nuke deal

'We do not let anybody incite riots and terrorism in our country'

Iran morality police status unclear after 'closure' comment due to protests

An Iranian lawmaker said Sunday that Iran's government is paying attention to the people's real demands, state media reported, a day after a top official suggested that the country's morality police whose conduct helped trigger months of protests has been shut down. The role of the morality police, which enforces veiling laws, came under scrutiny after a detainee, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, died in its custody in mid-September. Amini had been held for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress codes. Her death unleashed a wave of unrest that has grown into calls for the downfall of Iran's clerical rulers. Iran's chief prosecutor Mohamed Jafar Montazeri said on Saturday the morality police had been closed," the semi-official news agency ISNA reported. The agency did not provide details, and state media hasn't reported such a purported decision. In a report carried by ISNA on Sunday, lawmaker Nezamoddin Mousavi signalled a less confrontational approach toward the ...

China security apparatus well honed to deal with Covid policy protests

When it comes to ensuring the security of their regime, China's Communist Party rulers don't skimp. The extent of that lavish spending was put on display when the boldest street protests in decades broke out in Beijing and other cities, driven by anger over rigid and seemingly unending restrictions to combat COVID-19. The government has been preparing for such challenges for decades, installing the machinery needed to quash large-scale upheavals. After an initially muted response, with security personnel using pepper spray and tear gas, police and paramilitary troops flooded city streets with jeeps, vans and armored cars in a massive show of force. The officers fanned out, checking IDs and searching cellphones for photos, messages or banned apps that might show involvement in or even just sympathy for the protests. An unknown number of people were detained and it's unclear if any will face charges. Most protesters focused their anger on the zero-COVID policy that seeks to eradicat

Protests in China are not rare - but the current unrest is significant

Street protests across China have evoked memories of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations that were brutally quashed in 1989

Chinese protests not just about politics and freedom; also about Covid

'Xi is actually more worried that a relaxed policy will lead to more deaths among the elderly'

US continues to support right of peaceful protest: White House on China

The United States continues to stand up and support the right of peaceful protests in China, the White House said Monday. The United States is closely watching the developments in China, White House's National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters at a news conference. Our message to peaceful protesters around the world is the same and consistent: People should be allowed the right to assemble and to peacefully protest policies or laws or dictates that they take issue with, Kirby said Protests have erupted across China against the Chinese government's hash Covid rules. "We're watching this closely, as you might expect we would. And again, we continue to stand up and support the right of peaceful protest. And I think we're going to watch this closely, and we'll see where things go," he said in response to a question. Kirby said the US has not offered any aid to China at this time. We are the largest supplier of COVID vaccines around the

Clashes in Shanghai as protests over China's zero-Covid policy continue

Hundreds of demonstrators and police have clashed in Shanghai as protests over China's stringent Covid restrictions continued for the third day and spread to several cities

BBC journalist beaten by authorities as China boils over zero Covid policy

BBC has expressed concern over the treatment meted out by Chinese authorities, to its journalist, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering a similar ongoing protest in Shanghai

BJP holds mega rallies, protests against JMM-led govt in Jharkhand

The BJP held mega rallies in Dumka and East Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand on Friday, appealing to the people to oust the JMM-led government in the state. The 'Aakrosh Rallies' were part of the party's five-day state-wide protest against the government, which concluded on Friday. Senior BJP leaders, including former chief minister Raghubar Das, former Union minister Jayant Sinha and Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato took part in the demonstration outside the East Singhbhum district collectorate. Das, the BJP's national vice-president, claimed that the state government did not fulfil the "tall promises" that were made before the election. He alleged that corruption was widespread in the state. Hazaribag MP Jayant Sinha said the implementation of central welfare schemes was visible in the state but the state government lagged in development works. Another rally was held in Dumka and it was led by BJP leader Babulal Marandi. He was accompanied by Dumka MP Sunil Soren and former Du