Page 14 - Protests

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

Farmers unions to march to Raj Bhavans across country on Saturday

Farmer unions will take out marches to Raj Bhavans across the country on Saturday to mark two years since they launched their agitation against three farm laws of the Centre that have since been scrapped. The marches will also register the farmers' protest against non-fulfilment of various promises by the government, farmer leaders said on Friday. Farmer leaders claimed that the government had given to them in writing that it would hold a discussion and bring a law for minimum support price (MSP) of crops, but nothing has been done so far. Thousands of farmers, particularly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, protested at the borders of the national capital for over a year demanding the repeal of the three farm laws. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced repealing the three laws in November. The protest was called off subsequently. "They gave us in writing and agreed to our many demands but nothing has been done. The government has proved it is a traitor who has cheat

Iran's elite technical university emerges as hub of anti-govt protests

The aging brick campus of the Sharif University of Technology, Iran's elite technical school, has long been a magnet for the nation's brightest minds, with a record of elevating its students to the highest reaches of society. Thousands of Sharif University alumni power Iran's most sensitive industries, including nuclear energy and aerospace. One of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's closest advisors has taught there for decades. But as demonstrations erupt across Iran first sparked by the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police the scientific powerhouse known as Iran's MIT has emerged as an unexpected hub for protest, fuelling Iran's biggest anti-government movement in over a decade. We've become politically active because there is nothing to lose, said an electrical engineering major and activist in Sharif University's student association who spoke on condition of anonymity. Like others who insisted their identities be .

At least 60 people killed by security forces amid protests in Chad

Chadian security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators in the country's two largest cities killing at least 60 people, the government spokesman and a morgue official said. Authorities imposed a curfew after the violence, which came amid demonstrations in the central African nation against interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby's two-year extension of his power. Thursday's unrest was unprecedented in Chad, which saw little public dissent during the previous regime of Deby's father, who ruled for more than three decades until his assassination last year. France, the African Union and others swiftly condemned the security crackdown on the demonstrators. Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's regional director for West and Central Africa, called on the Chadian authorities to immediately cease the excessive use of force against protesters. The authorities must take immediate steps to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for unlawful killings, she said. Chadian .

Agitating TET candidates should withdraw sit-in protest: Bengal edu min

West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said the agitating candidates of Teacher Eligibility Test 2014 should withdraw their sit-in demonstration near the state primary education board office. Hinting that the sit-in protest, which began on October 17 in Salt Lake area, was instigated by some political parties, Basu told reporters here on Wednesday, "There are people who want the impasse to continue." "Is it feasible that everyone who has sat for a test automatically gets recruited? Does everyone in the NET, NEET, WBJEE panel (merit list) get job at the outset?" he said on the candidates' demand that they be given direct recruitment despite not having cleared the interviews. Basu alleged the agitation appeared to have been instigated by those who don't want the recruitment process to begin. "I have been asked not to accept anyone's instruction, not from any higher-ups the entire interview process will be strictly based on merit. Don't the agitators favour merit-based recruitment

Panel blames police for firing on 'unarmed' anti-Sterlite protestors

Faults them for shooting without warning, recommends a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to kin of the deceased, including Rs 20 lakh already paid

Iran's celebrities face arrest and travel bans for supporting protests

At least seven public figures have been detained inside the country, most of whom were released on bail and could face charges, according to Iranian news outlets.

Iran says it has arrested nine foreigners over anti-hijab protests

Iran's intelligence ministry says it has arrested nine foreigners over recent anti-hijab protests sweeping the country. In a statement carried by the state-run news agency IRNA, the ministry said Friday that those arrested included citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Sweden. The death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly wearing the mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely, has triggered an outpouring of anger at Iran's ruling clerics. Her family says they were told she was beaten to death in custody. Police say the 22-year-old Amini died of a heart attack and deny mistreating her, and Iranian officials say her death is under investigation. Iran has claimed that the daily protests that have swept the country for the past two weeks were instigated by foreigners. Protesters have denied such claims, portraying their actions as a spontaneous uprising against the country's strict dress code, including the compulsory hijab for women in ...

Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe honoured at divisive state funeral

Japan's assassinated hawkish former leader, Shinzo Abe, was given a rare state funeral Tuesday that was full of military pomp and surrounded by throngs of mourners as well as by widespread protests, with thousands taking to the streets in opposition. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the publicly financed ceremony was a well-deserved honour for Japan's longest-serving modern political leader, but it has deeply split public opinion. The event was attended by US Vice President Kamala Harris, Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and other foreign and Japanese dignitaries. It began with Abe's widow, Akie Abe, in a black formal kimono, walking slowly behind Kishida into the funeral venue, carrying an urn in a wooden box wrapped in a purple cloth with gold stripes. Soldiers in white uniforms took Abe's ashes and placed them on a pedestal filled with white and yellow chrysanthemums and decorations. Attendants stood while a military band played the Kimigayo national anthem, then observed a momen

WB CM accuses BJP workers of violence, says not against democratic protests

Banerjee also claimed that BJP had brought workers from other states for the protests. She also defended the police action against the protestors.

Maharashtra state bank employees union protests govt loan melas

The federation's secretary, said in a statement the Congress government before "distributed hundreds of crores" by organising loan melas and now the present government is on the same lines

Congress workers dropped at protest sites, no one detained: Delhi Police

Dismissing reports of detention of Congress workers, Delhi police said that the party workers were dropped at the designated protest sites and no one was detained