Page 2 - Protests

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

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