RABAT:&nbsp;Morocco&#39;s GenZ 212 youth collective said Saturday it was temporarily suspending protests after two weeks of demonstrations calling for reforms in health and education. The weekend pause was &quot;a strategic step to strengthen organization and coordination, so the next phase of the movement is more effective and influential&quot;, the group said in a statement. Discord platform&nbsp;GenZ 212 said its demands were unchanged, citing &quot;accountability for the corrupt&quot; and government responsibility for worsening social and economic conditions. A new call for mobilization would be announced later Saturday, it said, adding the next protest would &quot;target the government and all those blocking the aspirations of the Moroccan people&quot;. Formed in late September, GenZ 212 has built a large online following, with more than 200,000 members on the Discord platform. Deaths of pregnant women&nbsp;Its rallies, held almost nightly across the North African country, have attracted crowds ranging from dozens to several hundred people. The protests erupted after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a public hospital in Agadir, in southern Morocco, sparked anger over conditions in the health sector. GenZ 212 has appealed directly to King Mohammed VI to deliver reforms. &lsquo;A steady path&rsquo;&nbsp;In a speech on Friday, the monarch urged the government to accelerate development in education and health, without directly referring to the protests. He said Morocco was &quot;paving a steady path toward greater social and territorial justice&quot;, and called for special attention to the country&#39;s poorest regions.

Middle East

Says weekend pause "a strategic step to strengthen organization and coordination, so the next phase of the movement is more effective and influential"; new call for mobilization to be announced later Saturday.

Morocco's GenZ 212 says suspending protests temporarily

<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">JERUSALEM: Israel said it deported on Monday 171 more activists who were detained while taking part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The foreign ministry said in a post on X that &quot;171 additional provocateurs from the Hamas-Sumud flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, were deported today from Israel to Greece and Slovakia&quot;.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">It added that the deportees were citizens of several countries, including Greece, Italy, France and the United States.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Photos shared with the post showed Thunberg alongside two other women walking through Tel Aviv&#39;s Ben Gurion International Airport wearing the grey tracksuits used in Israeli prisons.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The Israeli foreign ministry told AFP that 138 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla were still in Israeli custody.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The 45-vessel flotilla had been aiming to break an Israeli blockade to deliver aid to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has taken hold after two years of devastating conflict.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Israel started intercepting the flotilla vessels in international waters on Wednesday. An Israeli official said on Thursday that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the Palestinian territory.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">International activists who arrived in Istanbul after being deported from Israel said on Saturday they had been subjected to violence and &quot;treated like animals&quot;.<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In its post on X on Monday, Israel&#39;s foreign ministry said that &quot;all the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld.&quot;<p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> <p style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign,&quot; it added.

 Israel said it deported 171 more activists who were detained while taking part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.

Israel deports Greta Thunberg, 170 others from Gaza flotilla

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TBILISI: Georgia&rsquo;s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tens of thousands marched in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on polling day against the government&rsquo;s repressive policies, and what they see as Georgia&rsquo;s steady drift into Moscow&rsquo;s orbit. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobakhidze&rsquo;s Georgian Dream party late on Saturday claimed victory in every municipality across the South Caucasus country in local elections boycotted by the two main opposition blocs as a sham. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protests and political unrest have rocked Georgia since the Georgian Dream halted talks on joining the European Union last November, despite the goal being a cherished aspiration for many Georgians that has been enshrined in the country&rsquo;s constitution.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This move triggered waves of protests that have been met with mass arrests and police violence. It came after the longtime ruling party declared victory in a parliamentary election, the opposition said was rigged. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rallies, big and small, have continued despite a multipronged crackdown by the government through laws that target demonstrators, rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, and independent media. Critics say some have been modeled on legislation passed in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has harshly stifled criticism. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgian Dream accuses &#39;foreign agents&#39;</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riot police used water cannons and tear gas on Saturday to drive protesters out of the presidential palace, after they smashed the gates and attempted to enter the building. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The opposition had painted the latest march as part of a &ldquo;peaceful revolution&rdquo; to restore democratic values, but in a press briefing on Sunday, Kobakhidze cast it as the culmination of months of attempts to overthrow his government. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgian officials have repeatedly sought to present the protests as coordinated and funded from abroad, often citing statements from European officials in support of the movement.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobakhidze referenced this rhetoric on Sunday, as he pledged to &ldquo;completely neutralize foreign agents.&quot;&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also implied that EU officials and diplomats have meddled in Georgian politics by voicing support for the protests. However, he stated that Georgian Dream was prepared for dialogue with Tbilisi&#39;s Western partners. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I am ready to forget everything, to reset relations, to start from a clean slate. &hellip; We are ready for friendship and relations with everyone,&rdquo; he said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an online statement on Sunday, the EU&rsquo;s diplomatic service said the bloc &ldquo;firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation against the EU&rsquo;s role in Georgia.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five activists, including celebrated opera singer Paata Burchuladze, were detained following Saturday&rsquo;s rally. According to Georgia&rsquo;s Interior Ministry, they were accused of calling for the violent overthrow of the government as well as &ldquo;organizing, leading and participating in group violence.&rdquo; The interior ministry also vowed to find all those who tried to force entry into the presidential palace. <h4 style="line-height: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EU warns of impact on elections</h4><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Georgians went to the polls on Saturday to elect the mayors of five major cities, including Tbilisi, the heads of over 50 other municipalities, and members of municipal councils. Georgia&rsquo;s two main opposition blocs and several other parties critical of Georgian Dream boycotted the vote. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The statement released Sunday by the EU&rsquo;s diplomatic service said Georgian Dream&rsquo;s repressive policies had &ldquo;drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections.&rdquo; It was signed by the bloc&rsquo;s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;We call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained. We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period and call on the authorities to uphold citizens&rsquo; rights to freedom of assembly and expression. A constructive and inclusive dialogue involving all political actors and civil society is essential, and we call on every side to refrain from violence,&rdquo; the statement said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than 50 international and local groups were registered to observe the municipal vote. But none of the major international watchdogs that monitored the previous local vote in 2021 &mdash; including delegations from the European Parliament, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and major US nonprofits &mdash; were present this time.

A demonstrator with a Georgian national, EU and other flags walks in front of police line during an opposition rally in the city center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, boycotting the municipal elections and calling for the release of polit

Europe

Asia

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after the ruling party claimed a landslide win in local elections snubbed by its main rivals.

Georgia's PM vows crackdown after local election results spark mass protests 

RABAT: Youth-led demonstrators in Morocco took to the streets on Thursday for a sixth straight night despite fears of more violence after police killed three people the night before. According to their official website, the name &quot;GenZ212&quot; comes from Morocco&#39;s international dialing code (212), symbolizing unity and action for Morocco&#39;s future.&nbsp; The protesters in at least a dozen cities, including Casablanca, demanded better schools and hospitals, with some calling for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to resign. The call for resignation came after police killed three people on Wednesday as largely peaceful protests turned into riots, with banks looted and cars set ablaze. Though Morocco&rsquo;s king is the country&rsquo;s highest authority, protests in Morocco routinely focus on the government charged with carrying out his agenda. On Thursday, hundreds chanted for King Mohammed VI to intervene against the government. Crowds shouted, &ldquo;The people want to topple Akhannouch&rdquo; and &ldquo;Government out!&rdquo; as demonstrations unfolded peacefully. In his first public remarks, Akhannouch said earlier on Thursday that he was mourning Wednesday&rsquo;s deaths. He praised law enforcement for its efforts to maintain order and indicated that the government was prepared to respond favorably to the protesters, without detailing reforms under discussion. &ldquo;The approach based on dialogue is the only way to deal with the various problems faced by our country,&rdquo; Akhannouch said. Escalating tensions The pledge for new efforts to address the protests came a day after authorities said armed rioters had stormed public buildings, and the youth-led anti-government demonstrations showed few signs of abating. Security forces opened fire at demonstrators on Wednesday, killing three people in Leqliaa, a small town outside the coastal city of Agadir. Morocco&#39;s Interior Ministry said the three were shot and killed during an attempt to seize police weapons, though no witnesses could corroborate the report. The ministry said 354 people &mdash; mostly law enforcement &mdash; had sustained injuries. It said hundreds of cars were damaged, as well as banks, shops, and public buildings in 23 of the country&#39;s provinces. Throughout the country, roughly 70% of the demonstrators were minors, according to ministry estimates. The demonstrations, organized by a leaderless movement known as Gen Z 212 dominated by internet-savvy youth, have taken the country by surprise and emerged as some of Morocco&rsquo;s biggest in years. By midweek, they appeared to be spreading to new locations despite a lack of permits from authorities. Frustrations simmer Those taking part in the Gen Z protests decry what they see as widespread corruption at everyday people&rsquo;s expense. Through chants and posters, they have contrasted the flow of billions in investment toward preparation for the 2030 World Cup, while many schools and hospitals lack funds and remain in a dire state. &ldquo;Health care first, we don&rsquo;t want the World Cup&rdquo; has emerged as one of the week&rsquo;s most popular refrains on the street. Pointing to new stadiums under construction or renovation across the country, protesters have chanted, &ldquo;Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?&rdquo; The recent deaths of eight women in a public hospital in Agadir have become a rallying cry against the decline of Morocco&rsquo;s health system. As Morocco prepares to host soccer&rsquo;s Africa Cup of Nations later this year and politicians gear up for a parliamentary election in 2026, the link has drawn attention to how deep disparities endure in the North African kingdom. Despite rapid development, according to some metrics, many Moroccans feel disillusioned by its unevenness, with regional inequities, the state of public services, and lack of opportunity fueling discontent. &ldquo;The right to health, education, and a dignified life is not an empty slogan but a serious demand,&rdquo; Gen Z 212 said in a statement. Officials have denied prioritizing World Cup spending over public infrastructure, saying health sector problems were inherited from previous governments. Clashes and arrests Chants were fewer as violence broke out in several cities on Wednesday evening, following days of mass arrests in more than a dozen cities, particularly in places where jobs are scarce and social services lacking. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights has said that more than 1,000 people have been apprehended, including many whose arrests were shown on video by local media and some who were detained by plainclothes officers during live television interviews. The chaos came despite warnings from authorities, political parties in government and the opposition, and the organizers themselves. In a statement published on Discord, the Gen Z 212 protest movement earlier on Wednesday implored protesters to remain peaceful and blasted &ldquo;repressive security approaches.&rdquo; Still, the protests have escalated and become more destructive, particularly in cities far from where development efforts have been concentrated in Morocco. Local outlets and footage filmed by witnesses show protesters hurling rocks and setting vehicles ablaze in cities and towns in the country&#39;s east and south. The Gen Z protests mirror similar unrest sweeping countries like Nepal, Kenya, and Madagascar.

People protest against corruption and calling for healthcare and education reform, in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo)

Africa

Youth-led demonstrators in Morocco took to the streets on Thursday for a sixth straight night despite fears of more violence after police killed three people the night before.

Morocco Gen Z 212 protests: Three dead amid unrest over public services

PARIS: Protesters took to the streets of more than 200 towns and cities across France on Thursday to denounce spending cuts and demand higher taxes on the rich. In Paris, thousands of workers, retirees, and students marched on Thursday afternoon from Place d&#39;Italie. The Eiffel Tower informed visitors in a statement that it was closed due to the strikes. The nationwide strikes, called by France&rsquo;s major unions, are the latest of a series of protests that started last month, fueled by political turmoil and heated budget talks. Unions are urging Prime Minister S&eacute;bastien Lecornu to abandon draft budget measures proposed by his predecessor, which include social welfare freezes and austerity measures that many say will further erode the purchasing power of low-paid and middle-class workers. They also call for higher taxes on the wealthy. Lecornu, appointed last month, has not yet unveiled the details of his budget plans and has yet to appoint his government ministers, which is expected in the coming days. The deeply divided parliament is to debate the budget bill by the end of the year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s true, it&rsquo;s the first time that there are three days of strikes and protests in a month without a government or budget. It shows the level of social anger,&quot; Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union, said Thursday. Speaking on BFM TV news broadcaster, she was asked about the timing of the latest action: &ldquo;Why are we protesting now? Because we feel that it&rsquo;s now that the decisions are being made, and we want to be heard.&rdquo; The French Interior Ministry said 195,000 protesters have taken to the streets across the country, including 24,000 in Paris. SNCF, the national rail company, said high-speed train services were running normally on Thursday while some regional lines were affected by partial disruptions. In Paris, metro traffic was close to normal, but many commuting trains were running at reduced capacity. Some teachers and healthcare workers have also joined the strikes, but overall, figures appeared to show that fewer people responded to the unions&rsquo; call than last month. On Sept. 18, more than 500,000 demonstrators marched in France&rsquo;s small towns and big cities, including Paris, according to figures from the police and interior ministry. Unions reported more than one million strikers and protesters nationwide. The week before, a day of anti-government action across France saw streets choked with smoke, barricades in flames, and volleys of tear gas amid the &ldquo;Block Everything&rdquo; campaign.

Protesters in over 200 French cities rallied against spending cuts, demanding higher taxes on the wealthy. Unions led nationwide strikes, urging Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to scrap austerity measures amid ongoing political turmoil and budget debates.

Eiffel Tower closed as nationwide strikes held against austerity

LOS ANGELES: An elderly US man who was body slammed to the ground as immigration agents raided his Los Angeles car wash said Thursday he is lodging a $50 million damages claim against the government. Surveillance video shows Rafie Shouhed being violently manhandled by several masked and heavily armed agents, who then took him into custody where he says he was held for nearly 12 hours without medical attention. &lsquo;I was begging (them)&rsquo;&quot;The way they treated me, the way they attacked me. I was begging (them), &#39;I have a heart condition.&#39;&quot; Shouhed told reporters. Shouhed said he had gone out to speak to the men to find out what was happening. &quot;They told me nothing. The only word they say: &#39;You do not f... with ICE,&#39;&quot; said Shouhed, who moved to the United States from Iran in the 1980s. ICE refers to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The raid on Shouhed&#39;s car wash this month was part of President Donald Trump&#39;s ramped-up program against undocumented migrants as he looks to fulfill an election pledge to deport millions of people. The raids have been controversial, particularly in multiethnic Los Angeles, in part because they appear to target people simply because they speak Spanish or are working at locations like car washes. &lsquo;I cannot breathe&rsquo;Video shows three masked men pinning Shouhed to the ground, with one of them appearing to put a knee on his neck. The 79-year-old said he told agents &quot;I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe.&quot; Attorneys acting for Shouhed said their client&#39;s pleas, including his explanation that he had recently undergone heart surgery, were ignored. &quot;He was held nearly 12 hours without medical attention. Even after agents admitted they knew he was a US citizen, he was kept in custody,&quot; the claim says. Shouhed, a Trump voter, was released without charge. He was later treated in hospital for broken ribs, serious elbow injuries and traumatic brain injury, lawyers said. The legal claim is a precursor to a lawsuit. &#39;Cooperative&#39;A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told AFP the September 9 raid had resulted in the arrest of &quot;five illegal aliens from Guatemala and Mexico who broke our nation&#39;s immigration laws, including one who was removed from the country twice in 2015.&quot; &quot;The owner of Valley Car Wash, a US citizen, impeded the operation and was arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer.&quot; Shouhed&#39;s lawyer, Jim Desimone, said surveillance video showed that his client had been co-operative. &quot;How many more people have to be seriously injured or die before we have a change in the way these ICE officers are... using brutal force first and asking questions later?&quot;

Americas

A 79-year-old US citizen is seeking $50 million in damages after being violently arrested by ICE agents during a raid, despite his medical pleas and citizenship; he suffered serious injuries.

US citizen claims $50 million over violent ICE arrest

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh turned violent on Wednesday, with demonstrators clashing with police, torching a local office of ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and setting a police van on fire, according to Indian media reports. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges to disperse stone-throwing protesters. By evening, several injuries had been reported, with visuals from central Leh showing flames at the BJP office and heavy police presence on the streets. The unrest follows weeks of peaceful demonstrations, including a hunger strike led by local activists calling for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under India&rsquo;s Sixth Schedule. A constitutional provision that grants special protections to tribal regions. Talks and tensions The protests escalated after two hunger strikers were hospitalized, prompting widespread anger and calls for urgent action. Talks between the Union Home Ministry and Ladakhi representatives are scheduled for October 6 in New Delhi, but local leaders are urging the Centre to bring the meeting forward in light of Wednesday&rsquo;s violence. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two key negotiating groups, have both expressed a desire for meaningful and time-bound dialogue with the government. The latest unrest is part of a broader movement that has been building since Ladakh was designated a Union Territory in 2019, following the revocation of Article 370. Since then, civil society groups and local leaders have voiced concerns over the region&rsquo;s lack of political representation and the need for legal protections for land, jobs, and cultural identity. Appeals for Calm Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist and one of the leading voices behind the hunger strikes, ended his fast on Wednesday amid the violence. He issued an emotional appeal to the youth to maintain non-violent discipline. &ldquo;My message of peaceful path failed today&hellip; I appeal to the youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,&rdquo; he said in a statement to local media. In response to the unrest, security has been increased across Leh, with additional police deployments and monitoring of protest hotspots. Authorities remain on alert to prevent further escalation ahead of the upcoming talks.

India

Protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards turned violent, with clashes, arson, and injuries reported in Leh. Local groups seek urgent talks with New Delhi as unrest escalates ahead of scheduled negotiations.

Ladakh protesters torch BJP office amid statehood, rights demands

ROME: Thousands of workers and students across Italy joined a general strike and widespread demonstrations on Monday in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.&nbsp;Italy&rsquo;s grassroots unions called for the 24-hour general strike in both public and private sectors, including public transportation, trains, schools and ports.&nbsp;The strike caused disruptions across the country, with long delays for national trains and limited public transport in major cities, including Rome and Milan.&nbsp;The transit of goods was slowed or partially blocked by workers&rsquo; sit-ins and rallies in Italy&rsquo;s main ports of Genoa and Livorno. More than 20,000 people gathered in front of Rome&rsquo;s central station to protest the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.&nbsp;Unions and student organizations denounced &ldquo;the inertia of the Italian and EU governments.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Italian government, headed by conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni, a close Israeli ally in the EU, has more recently adopted a harsher tone on Israeli policies as domestic pressure mounted over the war. Italy, however, is not among the countries, including France, that will formally recognize a Palestinian state at this week&rsquo;s U.N. General Assembly.&nbsp;The creation of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza has long been seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict, which began more than a century before Hamas&rsquo; Oct. 7, 2023, attack sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel&rsquo;s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 65,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza&#39;s Health Ministry, displaced some 90% of the population, left much of the territory uninhabitable and pushed some areas into famine.

Thousands across Italy joined a general strike and widespread demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Thousands of Italian workers strike in solidarity with Gaza

Reuters

ATHENS: Several hundred people rallied outside the Greek Parliament on Saturday to denounce Israel&rsquo;s actions in Gaza and demand that the Greek government cut ties with Tel Aviv.&nbsp; Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans, such as &ldquo;Freedom to Palestine&rdquo;, and held banners reading &ldquo;No to the genocide.&rdquo;&nbsp; One protester said Greece should end all military, trade and cultural cooperation with Israel, while a student spoke of solidarity with Palestinian peers whose schools have been bombed.

Hundreds protest outside Greece’s Parliament, denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza and urging Athens to cut military, trade, and cultural ties.

Articles tagged with "Protests"

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Morocco Gen Z 212 protests: Three dead amid unrest over public services

Eiffel Tower closed as nationwide strikes held against austerity

US citizen claims $50 million over violent ICE arrest

Ladakh protesters torch BJP office amid statehood, rights demands

Thousands of Italian workers strike in solidarity with Gaza

Pro-Palestinian Greek protesters call on government to cut off ties with Israel

Morocco's GenZ 212 says suspending protests temporarily