Protest

Families protest detention of Venezuelan activists, demand their release

Dozens of relatives and friends of Venezuelan opposition leaders, human rights defenders and others detained for their political activities protested Saturday outside a notorious prison in the capital to demand the immediate release of their loved ones. The demonstration outside Helicoide prison in Caracas comes during mounting pressure on the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez to release all people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked by their families and nongovernmental organisations to their political beliefs. Her government last month announced it would free a significant number of prisoners, but families and human rights watchdogs have criticised authorities for the slow pace of the releases. Rodriguez last month also promised to close Helicoide, where torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse of prisoners have been extensively documented. She said the facility, which was initially built to be a mall, would be turned into a ...

App-based cab, auto drivers strike over fare policy, 'illegal' bike taxis

Drivers of app-based taxis and autorickshaws on Saturday observed a day-long strike in Maharashtra and other parts of the country to draw the government's attention to various demands, including a ban on "illegal" bike taxis and action against "arbitrary" fare policy. The protest affected commuters to some extent as most of the cabs and rickshaws linked to aggregator apps remained off roads. State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik warned of taking action against the ride aggregator companies if they behave unfairly with the drivers and indulge in "injustice" against them. He said the government was ready to support the drivers on their genuine issues. Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha (MKS), a union that had given the strike call, claimed the protest was "successful" as most of the drivers "spontaneously" participated in the strike in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and other regions in the state. It warned to intensify the agitation if their demands were ignored. MKS' head Dr Kesh

Supreme Court agrees to list for hearing plea against UGC regulation

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to list for hearing a plea challenging a recently notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation on the ground that it has adopted a non-inclusionary definition of caste-based discrimination and excludes certain categories from institutional protection. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of a lawyer seeking urgent hearing of the plea. "There is a possibility of discrimination against the general class. My case is 'Rahul Dewan and Ors vs Union'," a lawyer said. "We know what is happening. Make sure defects are cured. We will list it," the CJI said. The new regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13. The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, mandated that these committees must include

Massive armada moving towards Iran, says Trump amid deadly protests

Death toll in protest crackdown tops 5,000

Four PM contenders face off in Nepal's March 5 polls after Gen Z protests

Four months after the Gen Z protests in Nepal, as many as four former prime ministers have filed their nomination papers from different constituencies for the March 5 general elections. Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) chair and deposed Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, is contesting from Jhapa-5 while former prime minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) has filed nomination from Rukum East. Two other former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal of Nepali Communist Party and Baburam Bhattarai representing Pragatisheel Lokatantrik Party have filed nominations from Rautahat-1 and Gorkha-2 constituencies respectively. However, two former prime ministers, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader of Nepali Communist Party Jhala Nath Khanal are not in the race. The general elections in Nepal were necessitated after Oli resigned as prime minister on September 9, following violent protests by the youth-led Gen Z ...

Iran protests: US-based activist agency says it has verified 3,919 deaths

A US-based activist agency said Sunday it has verified at least 3,919 deaths during a wave of protests that swept Iran and led to a bloody crackdown, and fears the number could be significantly higher. The Human Rights Activists News Agency posted the revised figure, up from the previous toll of 3,308. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the toll. Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the protests had left several thousand people dead and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualt

Singur's lost promise and the case for reviving industrial land value

Singur's industrial promise was undone by flawed land acquisition and a costly return to agriculture. Reviving it through farmer-led industrial parks could restore value and growth

Thousands rally in Serbia as students vow to fight against corruption

Thousands of people rallied Saturday in Serbia as university students announced a new stage in their struggle against President Aleksandar Vucic's tenure. They have led more than a year of mass demonstrations that shook his autocratic government in the Balkan country. Protesters in Novi Sad, chanting "thieves," accused the government of rampant corruption that they believe also led to a November 2024 train station disaster in the northern city that killed 16 people and triggered the nationwide movement for change. Vucic has refused to schedule an immediate early election that students have demanded. Hundreds of people have been detained, or reported losing their jobs or facing pressure for opposing the government. University students told the crowd in Novi Sad on Saturday that after last year's protests, they will now offer a plan on how to rid Serbia of corruption and restore the rule of law. They proposed banning corrupt officials from politics and investigating their wealth as ..

Minneapolis protesters win court ruling limiting ICE use of force

US District Judge Katherine Menendez on Friday isssed a temporary injunction limiting when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can deploy chemical irritants into crowds

Trump claims killings in Iran are stopping, executions not planned

Donald Trump claimed he has been assured that Iran will halt killings and not execute protesters, warning of 'very strong action' if hangings resume

Indian mission in Iran asks citizens to leave country by available means

The MEA has also advised Indian nationals from travelling to Iran as the country witnesses massive anti-government protests

Who is Erfan Soltani, the 26-year-old Iran plans to execute over protests?

The National Union for Democracy in Iran, a US-based non-profit organisation of the Iranian diaspora, said that the Islamic Republic told Soltani's family that the 'sentence is final'

Iran says situation under control after crackdown on nationwide protests

Iran's foreign minister said on Monday that the situation has come under total control after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country. Abbas Araghchi also said that the protests turned violent and bloody to give an excuse for US President Donald Trump to intervene. Araghchi offered no evidence for his statements, which came after activists reported more than 500 people in Iran have been killed during the past two weeks of protests the vast majority of them demonstrators. Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Iran edges closer to a revolution that could reshape global order

World leaders and investors are watching closely. US commanders have briefed Trump on options for military strikes, according to a White House official

Death toll in crackdown on protests in Iran spikes to 544, say activists

A crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed at least 544 people and even more are feared dead, activists have said, while Tehran warned that the US military and Israel would be legitimate targets if America uses force to protect demonstrators. Another over 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Sunday, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces. With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the

'Do not abandon streets': Iran's exiled crown prince tells protestors

Pahlavi, the 65-year-old exiled crown prince and son of the late Shah (King), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in a video message posted on X, said that the protesters are being lauded for their courage

Violence in Iran protests kills 116 as demonstrations enter third week

Nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy reached the two-week mark Sunday, as the death toll in violence surrounding the demonstrations reached at least 116 people killed, activists said. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency gave the new figure, saying arrests had reached more than 2,600 people as well. The agency has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest previously. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signalled a coming clampdown, despite US warnings from President Donald Trump that America could intervene to protect peaceful demonstrators. Tehran escalated its threats Saturday, with the Iran's attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warning that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an enemy of God, a death-penalty charge.

Mass blackout in Iran as government severs internet services amid protests

Just after 8 pm Thursday, Iran's theocracy pulled the plug and disconnected the Islamic Republic's 85 million people from the rest of the world. Following a playbook used both in demonstrations and in war, Iran severed the internet connections and telephone lines that connect its people to the vast diaspora in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Until now, even while facing strict sanctions over the country's nuclear programme, Iranians still could access mobile phone apps and even websites blocked by the theocracy, using virtual private networks to circumvent restrictions. Thursday's decision sharply limits people from sharing images and witness accounts of the nationwide protests over Iran's ailing economy that have grown to pose the biggest challenge to the government in years. It also could provide cover for a violent crackdown after the Trump administration warned Iran's government about consequences for further deaths among demonstrators. As the country effectively goes .

Dozens feared dead as Iran faces biggest nationwide protests in years

Separate mobile-camera footage from Fardis, a city about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Tehran, showed at least seven bodies covered in blood inside a building

Exiled Iranian crown prince Pahlavi calls for strikes, plans his return

Iran witnessed fresh protests as Reza Pahlavi urged nationwide strikes, street mobilisation and signalled his readiness to return to the 'homeland at the time of national revolution's victory'