Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: At least 20 people, including three children, have been killed during anti-government protests across Iran, according to the United Nations and international human rights groups, as demonstrations over soaring prices and economic stagnation spread nationwide. Death toll and casualties Several international human rights organizations, including the UN, have documented multiple casualties during the protests. Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), a Norway-based organization, confirmed at least 19 protesters&#39; deaths from gunfire and violence by security forces across seven provinces during the first week of unrest. The group reported that authorities deployed military-grade weapons, including AK-47 rifles, to suppress demonstrators, with one particularly deadly incident occurring on January 3 in Malekshahi County, Ilam Province, where five protesters were killed by live ammunition. Meanwhile, the UN reported at least 20 deaths, including three children, with hundreds detained. Protests spread across the country While a UN spokesperson reported that demonstrations had occurred in a &quot;large majority of Iranian provinces,&quot; AFP documented demonstrations in at least 45 cities spanning 23 provinces. Meanwhile, other international media outlets reported broader participation, with protests reaching approximately 250 separate locations across the country. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), through its Iranian service Radio Farda, provided the most comprehensive tally as of January 6, reporting that protests had extended to at least 78 cities and 222 locations across 26 of Iran&#39;s 31 provinces. Iranian state-affiliated media outlets, including Fars News Agency and Mizan News Agency, have also reported on the protests. Describing the protests as &quot;limited&quot; or &quot;sporadic,&quot; these outlets reported demonstrations in several Tehran districts, including Narmak, Tehransar, and Naziabad, as well as in other cities such as Lordegan, Azna, and Qom. UN chief urges caution Earlier, on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Iranian authorities to respect demonstrators&rsquo; right to protest peacefully. The UN chief &quot;underscores the need to prevent any further casualties,&quot; his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. &quot;He also calls on the authorities to uphold the right of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,&quot; and that &quot;all individuals must be allowed to protest peacefully and express their grievances.&quot;

Middle East

At least 20 people, including children, have been killed in nationwide protests over high prices, rights groups say, as demonstrations spread across the country.

Iran: Protests spread to over 26 provinces as rights groups report rising death toll

PARIS: Iran will offer no leniency to &quot;rioters&quot;, though the public has a right to demonstrate, the head of the country&#39;s judiciary said on Monday, following more than a week of sometimes-deadly protests. The remarks came after US President Donald Trump warned Iran would &quot;get hit very hard by the United States&quot; if the authorities killed more demonstrators. The protests began on December 28 when shopkeepers in Tehran staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation, but they have since spread to other places and expanded to include political demands. &quot;I instruct the attorney general and prosecutors across the country to act in accordance with the law and with resolve against the rioters and those who support them... and to show no leniency or indulgence,&quot; Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said, according to the judiciary&#39;s Mizan news agency. He went on to add that Iran &quot;listens to the protesters and their criticism, and distinguishes between them and rioters&quot;. Demonstrations have taken place in 25 of Iran&#39;s 31 provinces and affected, to varying degrees, at least 45 different cities, most of them small or medium-sized and concentrated in the west, according to an AFP tally based on official statements and media reports. At least 12 people have been killed since December 30 in localized clashes, including members of the security forces, according to official announcements. Since the protests began, officials have publicly struck a conciliatory tone when it comes to protesters&#39; economic demands, while vowing to take a hard line against any chaos or destabilization. Iran&#39;s economy has been hit hard by tough international sanctions, with the national currency, the rial, losing more than a third of its value against the US dollar over the past year and inflation in double digits. On Sunday, the government announced a monthly allowance for every citizen to alleviate economic pressure, equivalent to around 3.5 percent of the average monthly wage. The reformist newspaper Arman Melli said Monday that the authorities had &quot;heard the voices of the protesters&quot;, while the conservative papers Javan and Kayhan accused the United States and Israel of financially supporting rioters. Watching &#39;very closely&#39;&nbsp;Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the US was watching the situation &quot;very closely&quot;. &quot;If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they&#39;re going to get hit very hard by the United States,&quot; he said on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said his country stood &quot;in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom&quot;. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said at a press conference attended by AFP journalists that Israel was trying &quot;to exploit the slightest opportunity to sow division and undermine our national unity&quot;. Iran&#39;s prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi-Azad last week warned against &quot;externally designed scenarios&quot; to harness the protests, promising a &quot;decisive response&quot;. Israel fought a 12-day war with Iran in June, which the US briefly joined with limited strikes on nuclear facilities. &#39;Movement by movement&#39;The Fars news agency said on Monday that &quot;the trend observed on Sunday night shows a notable decrease in the number of gatherings and their geographic reach compared to previous nights&quot;. Local media&#39;s accounting of the protests is not exhaustive, and state-run outlets have downplayed their coverage of the demonstrations, while videos flooding social media are often impossible to verify. On Monday, most shops in Tehran were open and residents were going about their business after the end of a four-day weekend on Sunday, according to AFP reporters in the capital. However, riot police were deployed at major intersections and officers were stationed in front of some schools. Several universities have resumed classes, but only online. Protests have also taken place among the Iranian diaspora. At a demonstration in Paris on Sunday, 29-year-old French-Iranian translator Sahar Aghakhani told AFP: &quot;With each new protest, Iranian men and women gain ground. Movement by movement, we&#39;re getting closer to the end of the regime.&quot; Iran has experienced several outbreaks of nationwide protests in recent years, most notably in 2022 over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini over the alleged breach of Iran&#39;s Islamic dress laws for women. So far, the current protests have not reached the same scale.

Iran will offer no leniency to "rioters," though the public has a right to demonstrate, the head of the country's judiciary said 

Iran says no leniency for 'rioters' as protests persist

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is &quot;locked and loaded&quot; to respond if Iran kills protesters, after cost-of-living demonstrations in the country turned deadly. Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six people reported killed in the first deaths since the unrest escalated. Shopkeepers in the capital Tehran went on strike Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, actions that have since spread to other parts of the country. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that &quot;if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.&quot; &quot;We are locked and loaded and ready to go,&quot; the Republican leader added. Iran warns of response to any US interventionIran on Friday warned against any US intervention in the country, vowing a response after President Donald Trump said he would come to the aid of protesters in the Islamic Republic. &quot;Any interventionist hand that attacks Iran&#39;s security under any pretext whatsoever will be exposed to a response,&quot; Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader, wrote on X. &quot;Iran&#39;s security is a red line.&quot; Iran&#39;s Fars news agency reported Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province. State television reported earlier that a member of Iran&#39;s security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht. The demonstrations are smaller than the last major incident in 2022, triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran&#39;s strict dress code for women. Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that left several hundred people dead, including dozens of members of the security forces.

US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Dec. 22, 2025 (AFP)

Americas

US president threatens action if Tehran violently suppresses cost-of-living protesters, saying America will 'come to their rescue'; Iran says any intervention attacking the country's security will invite a response.

Trump vows US 'locked and loaded', Iran says any intervention a 'red line'

TEHRAN: Some shopkeepers in Tehran shut their stores for the second day in a row Monday in protest against economic hardships and sharp swings in Iran&#39;s embattled currency, media reports said. The rial has hit new lows on the unofficial market, with the US dollar trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday -- compared to 820,000 rials a year ago -- and the euro nearing 1.7 million rials, according to price monitoring websites. The rates eased somewhat on Monday, with the dollar at around 1.39 million rials, and the euro at about 1.64 million rials. A journalist from the pro-labour news agency ILNA reported &quot;demonstrations&quot; at several bazaars in the centre of the capital on Monday, the agency said. It said protesters &quot;are demanding immediate government intervention to rein in exchange-rate fluctuations and set out a clear economic strategy&quot;. Price fluctuations are paralysing the sales of some imported goods, with both sellers and buyers preferring to postpone transactions until the outlook becomes clearer, AFP correspondents noted. &quot;Continuing to do business under these conditions has become impossible,&quot; ILNA quoted protesters as saying. State news agency IRNA reported: &quot;Many shopkeepers preferred to suspend sales in order to prevent potential losses.&quot; It added that some protesters on Monday &quot;chanted slogans&quot;. The conservative-aligned Fars news agency released images showing a crowd of demonstrators occupying a major thoroughfare in central Tehran, known for its many shops. Another photograph appears to show tear gas being used to disperse protesters. &quot;Minor physical clashes were reported... between some protesters and the security forces,&quot; Fars said, warning that such gatherings could lead to instability.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Judicial warning</h2>On Sunday, the ISNA news agency said a group of shopkeepers and mobile phone vendors at a main shopping centre in the city &quot;protested against sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate and the damage caused to the mobile phone market&quot; by briefly shutting up shop. On Monday, Iranian Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei called for &quot;the swift punishment of those responsible for currency fluctuations&quot;, the justice ministry&#39;s Mizan agency reported. The government has also announced the replacement of the central bank governor. &quot;By decision of the president, Abdolnasser Hemmati will be appointed governor of the Central Bank,&quot; presidency communications official Mehdi Tabatabaei posted on X. Hemmati is a former economy and finance minister who was dismissed by parliament in March because of the sharp depreciation of the rial. On Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered the budget for the next Persian year to parliament, vowing to fight inflation and the high cost of living. Notably, the budget provides for a 20 percent increase in wages, a rate that is nonetheless well below that of inflation. In December inflation stood at 52 percent year-on-year, according to official statistics. But this figure still falls far short of many price increases, especially for basic necessities. Iran&#39;s economy, already battered by decades of Western sanctions, was further strained after the United Nations in late September reinstated international sanctions linked to the country&#39;s nuclear programme that were lifted 10 years ago. Western powers and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Negotiations with the United States on the issue are at a standstill, and uncertainty stemming from 12 days of war in June against Israel is also affecting the economic outlook. Pezeshkian in an interview published on Saturday accused the United States, Israel and Europeans of waging &quot;total war&quot; against Iran.

Asia

Shopkeepers in Tehran closed shops for a second day, protesting sharp rial depreciation and economic hardships. Demonstrations disrupted markets as authorities used tear gas, while the government replaced the central bank governor and promised inflation-fighting measures.

Tehran shopkeepers shut stores over economic conditions

DHAKA: Violence broke out in Bangladesh&#39;s capital early Friday after a youth leader of the country&#39;s 2024 pro-democracy uprising who was injured in an assassination attempt died in a hospital in Singapore. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was announced, to demand that his killers be arrested. Several buildings in the capital, including those housing the country&#39;s two leading newspapers, were set on fire, according to authorities, with staff trapped inside. Hadi was a key figure in last year&#39;s uprising that ended the autocratic rule of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and sent her fleeing to India. He was running for a parliament seat in the February 2026 national election. On December 12, Hadi was shot by masked assailants as he was leaving a mosque in Dhaka. He was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. At least three cases of arson were reported in Dhaka after the news of his death spread, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade and Civil Defence force told AFP, including a fire at the Daily Star building and another at a building housing the Prothom Alo newspaper. The two papers are the largest in the South Asian country, but protesters accused them of being aligned with neighbouring India, where Hasina has taken refuge. Zyma Islam, a reporter for the Daily Star said she was trapped inside the burning building. &quot;I can&#39;t breathe anymore. There&#39;s too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me,&quot; she wrote on her Facebook page. The house of India&#39;s deputy ambassador to Bangladesh was also surrounded by hundreds of people who were trying to demonstrate in a sit-in, but police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, according to local news reports. In addition, protesters blocked a key highway connecting the capital with the central city of Mymensingh and attacked the residence of a former minister in Chittagong in the country&#39;s southeast, according to footage shown on local television. - Activist&#39;s death announced -Earlier Friday, Singaporean authorities announced that Hadi had died in a local hospital. &quot;Despite the best efforts of the doctors..., Mr Hadi succumbed to his injuries,&quot; Singapore&#39;s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement, adding that it was assisting Bangladeshi authorities with repatriating his body. In Dhaka, the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus confirmed Hadi&#39;s death. &quot;His demise is an irreparable loss for the nation,&quot; Yunus said in a televised speech. &quot;The country&#39;s march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed.&quot; The government also announced special prayers at mosques on Friday and a half-day of mourning on Saturday. Hadi, a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, was an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile. - Manhunt for gunmen -Bangladeshi police meanwhile have launched a manhunt for Hadi&#39;s shooters, releasing photographs of two key suspects and offering a reward of five million taka (about $42,000) for information leading to their arrest. Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner leading Bangladesh until the February 12 vote, has called the shooting a premeditated attack carried out by a powerful network aimed at derailing the election. Muslim-majority Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, will directly vote for 300 lawmakers for its parliament, with another 50 selected on a women&#39;s list. The last elections, held in January 2024, gave Hasina a fourth straight term and her Awami League 222 seats, but were decried by opposition parties as a sham. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by three-time former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is widely tipped to win the upcoming vote. Zia is in intensive care in Dhaka, and her son and political heir Tarique Rahman, is set to return from exile in Britain after 17 years on December 25.

Sharif Osman Hadi, a pro-democracy leader critical of India, died from gunshot wounds after an assassination attempt; protesters block highways and surround the residence of India’s deputy ambassador.

Violence erupts in Bangladesh after wounded youth leader dies

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.

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

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.

Articles tagged with "Protests"