Protests over Iran's worsening economy have spread to 111 cities and towns, leaving at least 35 people dead and more than 2,000 arrested
The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday. The figure came from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran's security forces have been killed. The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported late Monday that some 250 police officers and 45 members of the Guard's all-volunteer Basij force have been hurt in the demonstrations.
Widening protests in Iran sparked by the Islamic Republic's ailing economy are putting new pressure on its theocracy. Tehran is still reeling from a 12-day war launched by Israel in June that saw the United States bomb nuclear sites in Iran. Economic pressure, intensified in September by the return of United Nations sanctions on the country over its atomic programme, has put Iran's rial currency into a free fall, now trading at some 1.4 million to USD 1. Meanwhile, Iran's self-described Axis of Resistance a coalition of countries and militant groups backed by Tehran has been decimated in the years since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. A new threat by US President Donald Trump warning Iran that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters, the U.S. will come to their rescue" has taken on new meaning after American troops captured Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran. Here's what to know about the protests and the challenges facing Iran's ...
Violence surrounding protests in Iran sparked by the Islamic Republic's ailing economy killed two other people, authorities said Saturday, raising the death toll in the demonstrations to at least 10 as they showed no signs of stopping. The new deaths follow US President Donald Trump warning Iran on Friday that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their rescue. While it remains unclear how and if Trump will intervene, his comments sparked an immediate, angry response from officials within the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Mideast. The weeklong protests, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the protests have yet to be as widespread and intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The deaths overnight into Saturday ...
Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least seven people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said. The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran's theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities, largely home to Iran's Lur ethnic group. The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran's Lorestan province, some
A commission appointed by Nepal's interim government to probe alleged excessive use of force during the September 89 Gen Z movement will summon ousted prime minister K P Sharma Oli for clarification, officials said on Thursday. At least 19 youths, who were demonstrating against the Oli government in Kathmandu, were killed in police firing on Sep 8, with the total death toll from the two days of unrest reaching 77 people nationwide. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other bodies have alleged that security forces used disproportionate and unlawful force, including firing live ammunition indiscriminately at protesters. The agitation had led to the ouster of Oli's coalition government. The commission chief, Gauri Bahadur Karki, on Thursday told reporters that preparations were underway to seek clarification from CPN-UML chairperson and former prime minister Oli after the process of recording the statement of then home minister Ramesh Lekhak is completed. Karki said the commission is working
A sharp fall in the rial, soaring prices and economic uncertainty have sparked protests across Iran, with demonstrators in several cities calling for regime change
A year of unrest and uncertainty brought Ladakh into the national spotlight, with rare violent protests in Leh over statehood and constitutional safeguards, the postponement of hill council elections, and tourism losses after the Pahalgam terror attack. As 2025 closes, communities look to 2026 with cautious hope for dialogue, inclusivity, and a revival of economic and cultural life under the leadership of Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta who took over in July, replacing Brigadier B D Mishra (retd). The residents of Ladakh described 2025 as a challenging year for the region, also marked by the detention of renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act, now under review in the Supreme Court. Six years after the abrogation of special status to J&K under Article 370 which led to the creation of separate Union Territory for Ladakh in 2019, the defining political story of 2025 was the intensification of a mass movement jointly led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the .
Violence broke out in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong after protests over alleged encroachment on protected grazing land spiralled out of control. Homes were damaged, the ancestral house of a senior KAAC
As police prevented the march from proceeding, protesters squatted on the road and attempted to break through barricades, leading to scuffles
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers Union, said the original proposals represented a "pernicious and cruel tax" that his organisation had fought for 14 months
Unrest in Bangladesh has now spilled into diplomacy. Visa services have been suspended across missions, and the United States has stepped in with a direct call to interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
The move follows protests outside Bangladesh missions in India; the Siliguri visa centre was vandalised on December 22, while a protest was held outside the high commission in Delhi on December 20
India has firmly rejected claims from sections of the Bangladeshi media that a protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi posed a security threat.
Night curfew was also imposed in Karbi Anglong district with restrictions on the movement of any person or groups and private vehicles throughout the district from 5 pm to 6 am
Violent protests in Assam's West Karbi Anglong over demands to remove alleged encroachers saw houses damaged, a BJP leader's ancestral home torched, and prohibitory orders imposed to curb unrest
Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, a 42-year-old leader, was shot in Khulna while preparing for a labour rally, amid unrest in Bangladesh after Osman Hadi's killing
Security has been strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city in the wake of heightened tensions following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, officials said on Saturday. The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that "no third party can exploit the situation", Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper. According to police, security was reinforced from Friday morning at the Assistant High Commission office located in Upashahar area, the residence of the Assistant High Commissioner in the same locality, and the visa application centre in the Shobhanighat area. Members of the security forces also remained deployed throughout the night. Following the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Hadi on Thursday, Gano Odhikar Parishad had announced a programme to besiege the Assistant High
Bangladesh is set to hold the funeral of a prominent youth leader on Saturday amid tight security following unrest in the country triggered by his death. The funeral prayer will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at 2 pm, the press wing of the interim government of Bangladesh has announced. The government imposed a ban on flying drones in and around the Sangsad Bhaban during janaza, Prothomalo news portal reported. Those wishing to attending the funeral have been asked not to carry any bags or heavy objects with them, it added. In a social media post on Friday, Inqilab Mancha said, "Upon the family's wishes, a decision has been taken to bury Hadi beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and to hold his funeral prayer after Zuhr tomorrow at Manik Mia Avenue." The party also announced that there will be no public viewing of the body, and people were requested to pray for Hadi while maintaining order. Bangladesh's interim government on Friday u
Protests erupted in Bangladesh after Sharif Hadi's death, with mobs attacking and setting fire to Prothom Alo and The Daily Star offices in Dhaka, trapping several journalists