http://rt.com/news/bangladesh-protest-violence-election-645/

2 killed, 200 injured as Bangladesh protest turn violent (PHOTOS)

Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shout slogans as they set fire to tyres during a nationwide blockade in Dhaka December 9, 2012.(Reuters / Andrew Biraj)

Rioting takes place in stores in Argentina:

http://rt.com/news/argentina-looting-vandals-killed-620/

Idle No More Protests go global.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/01/01/idle-no-more-global-rallies...

Northern Ireland is experiencing more protests.

http://rt.com/news/clashes-violence-police-injury-402/

Police have blocked major roads and are using tear gas and stun grenades against anti-government protesters in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21200984

http://rt.com/news/iran-nuclear-attack-israel-576/

Hundreds of protesters to march in Spain against new wave of cuts

Hundreds of thousands march against US in Iran
http://rt.com/news/iran-revolution-rally-us-850/

Bulgarian Government Resigns Amid Protests

The Bulgarian premier and his whole government is resigning from office after nationwide protests against austerity.

Prime Minister Boiko Borisov had tried to calm protests against high electricity prices by sacking his finance minister, pledging to cut power prices and punish foreign-owned companies but the measures failed to defuse discontent.

Twenty-five people were taken to hospital after protesters clashed with police in the capital Sofia late on Tuesday while tens of thousands hit the streets over the weekend.

Many Bulgarians are also unhappy over power monopolies, low living standards and corruption in the European Union's poorest country.

"I will not participate in a government under which police are beating people," said Mr Borisov who will hand in his resignation after a regular Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

"We have dignity and honour. It is the people who put us in power and we give it back to them today," the prime minister told parliament, adding that he would not participate in an interim government.

The premier did not say if a parliamentary election scheduled for July would now be brought forward.

Source

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21515012

Greeks in fresh general strike against austerity

Greece is being hit by the first general strike of 2013 as workers renew their protest over austerity measures.

The 24-hour strike is forcing the closure of schools and state-run offices and leaving hospitals working with emergency staff.

The strike has been called by Greece's two biggest labour unions, representing half the four million-strong workforce.

It comes days before international lenders are due in Athens to discuss the next instalment of a bailout.

The debt-ridden country is being kept afloat by billions of euros from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund.

In return, the government has imposed waves of unpopular spending cuts and tax rises, hitting pay and pensions and sending unemployment soaring to more than 26%.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/world/europe/madrid-city-of-protests/...

Madrid (CNN) -- Loud chants rise up from the street below, the noise bouncing off the wall of the building across the way and pouring in to an apartment on the top floor of a block in Vicalvaro, a working class suburb of Madrid.

"The people, united, will never be divided!" yells the crowd, angrily waving banners and placards. "To fight is the only way!"

Rocio pokes her head out of the window, watching the commotion below with interest, as dog-walkers, mothers with strollers, and pensioners carrying shopping bags join the throng.

The scores of people gathering on the sidewalk are no nosey neighbors -- indeed, many of them are complete strangers to the family living on the fifth floor -- but they are all here to protect Rocio from eviction.

The mother-of-one, with brightly-dyed hair, braces on her teeth, and worry etched on her face, hangs her head as she explains how she got here: The move from Ecuador in 2003, when times were good and jobs plentiful in Spain, the decision to invest in a home for Rocio and her son, now 17 and in high school.

Eurozone crisis: Portugal protests against austerity

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests across Portugal against government austerity measures.

Huge crowds gathered in the capital Lisbon to demand the government resign.

Many carried placards condemning the "Troika" of the IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank, which demanded budget cuts in return for a financial bailout.

'Austerity kills'

On Saturday, organisers said as many as 500,000 protested in Lisbon, and hundreds of thousands more in other towns and cities.

The rallies coincide with a visit by inspectors from the EU and the IMF, which demanded austerity measures as a condition for a 78bn-euro (£64bn) bailout in 2011.

Source

Protesters carried banners with slogans such as "Austerity Kills" and "Screw the Troika".

They also chanted a popular song "Grandola" associated with the 1974 "Carnation Revolution" that brought an end to dictatorship.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21646233

Bangladesh deaths rise as Jamaat protest strike begins

Clashes have broken out in cities including the capital, Dhaka

At least 16 people have died in clashes in Bangladesh at the start of a strike called over a death sentence given to an Islamist party leader.

Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, of Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced on charges including murder, rape and torture during the war of independence in 1971.

Thursday's sentence sparked riots that have left about 60 people dead.

The Islamists say the tribunal is politically motivated, something the Bangladesh government denies.

Jamaat-e-Islami called a two-day strike across the country, beginning on Sunday, in protest at the court ruling.

Troops were called in in the northern district of Bogra, where police said thousands of Jamaat activists armed with sticks and home-made bombs attacked police outposts early on Sunday.

At least eight people were killed and dozens hurt in clashes in the district.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/wilding-episode-strikes-fe...

28 teens arrested in chaotic wilding assault along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile

Pedestrians in the Windy City’s famous shopping district were attacked by a group of 300 to 400 teens who overran the streets. Community activist Andrew Holmes urges parents to discipline their kids instead of pointing the finger at Chicago Police Dept.

Thousands of anti-capitalists block access to European Central Bank...

The situation in Turkey is really.... violence. Police using gas bomb bullets for head shot,  torturing their own people, police vehicle run over a girl..... and looks like people will not quit until government resigns.

Anti-austerity protests: Spain, Germany, Portugal

MADRID — Anti-austerity protesters on Saturday took to the streets of dozens of European cities, including Madrid, Frankfurt and Lisbon, to express their anger at government cuts they say are making the financial crisis worse by stifling growth and increasing unemployment.

Thousands marched peacefully toward Madrid's central Neptuno fountain near Parliament, chanting "Government, resign."

Around 15,000 people gathered outside the International Monetary Fund's headquarters in Lisbon shouting "IMF, out of here."

Many protesters were carrying banners saying, "No more cuts" and "Screw the Troika," a reference to the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the three-member group that bailed out the governments of Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus.

The bailout loans were given on the understanding that governments enact stringent austerity measures to rein in their heavily indebted finances.

Spain came perilously close to needing a sovereign bailout last year and was forced to negotiate a 40 billion euro ($52 billion) loan for its stricken banking system when its borrowing costs soared.

The country has been in recession for most of the past four years and has a record 27.2 percent unemployment rate. The percentage is twice that high for Spaniards under 25 years old.

Spain has since seen almost daily protests by people angry over money-saving cuts and reforms in the education and health sectors while failing banks received billions.

"It's obvious that the intention of those governing us is not to take a single step back," said Madrid fireman Eduardo Oliva, 43. "So, it's in our hands, in all European citizens' hands, to demand change. Otherwise life's going to become impossible for us."

Portugal pledged to cut its debt in return for a 78 billion euro ($101 billion) bailout two years ago, but tax hikes and pay cuts have contributed to a sharp economic downturn. The country is forecast to post a third straight year of recession in 2013 while unemployment has climbed to 17.7 percent and is forecast to keep on rising.

Also Saturday, German police and thousands of anti-capitalist protesters engaged in a standoff near the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

Other protests Saturday took place in European cities including Barcelona, Brussels, Bilbao and Valencia.

"Like so many people, I'm really upset at the behavior of our governments because they have totally caved in just to prop up the banks," said Jesus Alonso, 63, in Madrid.

Source

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2278951970628&set=o.103...

Tel-aviv, Israel, tonight. 5th June 2013

half a million protesters against the economic&political system - and that in a country of 7 million inhabitants.
Jews, Arabs, Foreign workers, Refugees and students marched together chanting "The People demand social justice".    Source:  Facebook

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/11/18895842-hundreds-of-...

Hundreds of riot police enter Taksim Square as clashes in Turkey intensify

Kostas Tsironis / AP

A protester throws a gasoline bomb toward riot police during clashes in Taksim Square in Istanbul on Tuesday.

By Richard Engel and John Newland, NBC News

ISTANBUL – Hundreds of riot police clashed with protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Tuesday, as protests against the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan intensified.

The latest violence began Tuesday morning when police moved past barriers and into the square to scatter a small number of people who have been camped there to protest redevelopment of the square.

Hundreds more protesters nearby, many wearing gas masks, joined to charge toward police, throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks, and police responded with round after round of tear gas canisters and frequent blasts from water cannons.

Tourists fled hotels near the square, covering their mouths with napkins, as clouds of noxious gas spread over a large area downwind of the center of the protests.

As the protests grew Tuesday morning, hundreds more riot police arrived, wearing gas masks and carrying plastic shields.

Police used megaphones to urge protesters to keep back and stop throwing missiles, but their pleas had little effect.

Slideshow: Anger in Turkey

/

Protests that started as an outcry against a local development project in Taksim Square have snowballed into widespread anger against what critics say is the government's increasingly conservative and authoritarian agenda.

Launch slideshow

A police vehicle and a water cannon burned as Molotov cocktails, or gasoline bombs, found their targets.

The protests began May 31 after police cracked down on what had been a peaceful demonstration against redevelopment of the park, which would remove a considerable chunk of rare green space in the sprawling city.

The clashes have grown since, with the square becoming symbolic of greater dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s government.

The prime minister has recently imposed restrictions on the sale of alcohol, altered social security, separated children by sex in primary and secondary schools and emphasized religious holidays over national ones.

Initial clashes grew after Erdogan returned from a trip abroad and ordered an immediate end to the protests. His tone toward them has been dismissive, and he has called them them looters who are “arm in arm with terrorists.”

Protests have spread to other cities as Erdogan has remained defiant and police have cracked down.

NBC News’ Jim Maceda contributed to this report.

Turkey clashes for social change documentary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22946736

Brazil protests spread in Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio

Protesters gathered outside the National Congress building in Brasilia and climbed on the roof

As many as 200,000 people have marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, as protests over rising public transport costs and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup have spread.

The biggest demonstration was in Rio de Janeiro, where 100,000 people joined a mainly peaceful march.

In the capital, Brasilia, people breached security at the National Congress building and scaled its roof.

The protests are the largest seen in Brazil for more than 20 years.

'Not satisfied'

In Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, about 65,000 people took to the streets.

The wave of protests kicked off earlier this month when Sao Paulo residents marched against an increase in the price of a single bus fare, from 3 reals ($1.40, £0.90) to 3.20.

Authorities said the rise was well below inflation, which since the last price increase in January 2011 has been 15.5%, according to official figures.

The way these initial marches were policed - with officers accused of firing rubber bullets and tear gas at peaceful protesters - further incensed Sao Paulo residents and shifted the focus from rising transport costs to wider issues.

"For many years, the government has been feeding corruption, people are demonstrating against the system," Graciela Cacador told Reuters news agency.

Others complained about vast sums of money spent on hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics instead of being invested in health and education.

Update 2: Night of protests draws vast crowds in cities across Brazil, with a total turnout estimated at two million.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/21/brazil-protests-preside...

Update on the protests in Brazil:

On the streets of Brazilian cities over a million protesters

bit.ly/12QBwwA

Most mass protests were in Rio de Janeiro, where police also used tear gas. The government has convened an extraordinary session.

Brasilia - On the streets of more than 100 Brazilian cities, yesterday afternoon local time gathered a record number of protesters, who are increasingly vocal demand strong anti-corruption and a significant improvement in public services. In the late afternoon, according to foreign media reports security forces increasingly difficult to maintain peace on the streets.

According to the French news agency AFP in the protests that took place in more than ten cities, killing three people. In Rio de Janeiro, where the town hall together more - about 300,000 - of protesters by the police against a small group of rioters who threw stones, used tear gas.

...

Protests in Sau Paulo, and was attended by around 110,000 people have otherwise gone relatively smoothly. Minor clashes broke out between a group of extreme leftists and protesters who oppose the presence of any political party. "This is a social, not a political movement. It has nothing to do with ideology, "said 28-year-old Maria Vidal.

As @KM pointed out a lot of this resentment towards government compounded with the bids for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics which show that the government has the money to help those in need but chooses not to help:

"Others complained about vast sums of money spent on hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics instead of being invested in health and education."

Here is a great video that explains quite clearly the reasons behind this outrage over the World Cup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApBgNQgKPU

There are conflicting arguments to the total cost of this event but there are reports that one of the stadiums alone will cost in excess of $600Million dollars.

http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/06/17/2165721/brazil-world-cup...

Essentially people in Brazil know that most of the money from these events DO NOT help the people but go into the pockets of the Corporations and the FIFA governing body.

One can only assume that based on what has been happening in Brazil lately, things are only going to escalate going forward.

Egypt Erupts with Protests Demanding Morsi Ouster (June 30)

Hundreds of thousands thronged the streets of Cairo and cities around the country Sunday and marched on the presidential palace, filling a broad avenue for blocks, in an attempt to force out the Islamist president with the most massive protests Egypt has seen in two-and-a-half years of turmoil.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/06/30/egypt-protests.html

It was a LOT more than thousands...from BBC " The demonstrations that began Sunday in Cairo, Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood government of President Mohamed Morsi have attracted "millions" of supporters and many counter-demonstrators as well, making the protest the largest political event in the history of the world, according to the BBC."

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2013/07/01/several-news-out...

Everywhere is resistance’: Police use teargas and water cannon to d...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23303727

Belfast trouble: Police attacked for second night

The police have come under attack in north Belfast for a second night

The police have been attacked with petrol bombs in north Belfast as trouble flared for the second consecutive night.

Stones, bottles and fireworks have also been thrown at officers in the Woodvale area. Water cannon have been deployed.

It follows serious rioting on Friday night when 32 police officers and an MP were injured.

Chris Buckler reports from the scene of Saturday's clashes

Another 400 police officers have been brought into Northern Ireland to assist the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

BBC Northern Ireland reporter Mark Simpson said on Saturday: "Hundreds of police officers are trying to stop the violence spreading.

"So far, they are succeeding but the trouble does not seem likely to stop any time soon."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2379657/Egypt-Morsi-More-10...

More than 100 people killed and 1,000 injured in clashes in Egypt as deposed president Morsi is formally accused of murder and conspiracy with Hamas

• Hundreds of thousands turned out across Egypt for pro-army demonstrations but clashed with counter protests
  
• At least 70 people have died in clashes as supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi also lined the streets
• Morsi has been formally accused of conspiring with Palestinian group Hamas and of murdering prison officers
  

By Rosie Taylor and Anthony Bond

PUBLISHED: 00:12 GMT, 27 July 2013 | UPDATED: 15:17 GMT, 27 July 2013

More than 100 people are believed to have been killed at a protest in support of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

Security forces are reported to have started shooting demonstrators shortly before pre-dawn morning prayers at a round-the-clock vigil in Cairo being staged by backers of Morsi, who was removed from power by the army three weeks ago.

Makeshift field hospitals around the area near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque were overwhelmed, with one doctor telling the BBC that more than 1,000 had been injured.

The state health ministry said 20 people had died and 177 suffered injuries.

Followers: This image released by the Egyptian army of Friday evening's pro-army rally shows the strength of support for the security forces and against the ousted president Morsi

Protests continue to rage across the globe:

Egypt: Over 80 dead, hundreds injured in Egypt clashes (27, 28 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/news/egypt-dead-clashes-brotherhood-664/

Peru: Thousands of anti-govt protesters teargassed by Peru police (28 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/news/peru-riots-government-humala-692/

Brazil: Brazilian activists ransack banks in protest of govt corruption (27 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/in-vision/sao-paulo-protest-rio-govenor/

Tunisia: Tunisian police fire tear gas to disperse violent protests (26, 27 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/news/tunisia-police-tear-gas-690/

Source: http://rt.com/news/tunisia-opposition-leader-killed-601/

Brazil: Brazilians protest splurge on papal tour (23 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/in-vision/brazilians-pope-visit-clashes/

Turkey: Turkish police fire tear gas at protesters (21 July 2013)

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/07/2013720182057563185.html

India: Police clash with protesters in Kashmir (21 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/in-vision/india-kashmir-police-clashes/

Spain: Spanish anti-corruption protests call for PM's resignation (19 July 2013)

Source: http://rt.com/in-vision/spanish-corruption-rajoy-protest/

More back-up regarding this weeks ZT (Zeta's right again!) about why embassy's are closing...

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/04/19859813-interpol-iss...

Interpol issues global alert after al Qaida-linked prison breaks

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/10/us-irish-violence-idUSBRE...

Northern Ireland clashes leave 56 police, 2 civilians injured                       

 

                                             

                

1 of 2. People walk past a burning car after loyalist protesters attacked the police with bricks and bottles as they waited for a republican parade to make its way through Belfast City Centre, August 9, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton

 
By Ian Graham

BELFAST (Reuters) - Fifty-six police officers and two civilians were injured in clashes in central Belfast in the latest flare-up in tensions between Northern Ireland's Protestant and Catholic communities, authorities said on Saturday.

Many of the injuries were minor, but four officers were taken to hospital after the clashes late on Friday, during which police fired plastic bullets and water cannon after being pelted with missiles for a second successive night.

Belfast remains divided between pro-British Protestants and Catholics who generally favor unification with Ireland, despite a 1998 peace and power-sharing deal that put an end to the worst of the "troubles" in the British province.

Protestants tried to block a march on Friday evening along the city's main thoroughfare, Royal Avenue, by the nationalist side of the community and when police moved in to clear them, they threw bricks, bottles and fireworks.

Burnt-out cars and rubble littered the city centre and shop fronts were damaged. Police said seven people were arrested.

"It was sheer thuggery," said Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton, who commanded Friday night's police operation.

"There were all sorts of weapons and equipment being used against the police including scaffolding and masonry. People were pulling up the paving stones from the busiest shopping precinct in Belfast."

The Catholic parade, marking the anniversary of the 1971 introduction of internment without trial by British authorities, eventually had to pass along a different route.

Eight were hurt on Thursday night when a crowd at a bonfire to mark the anniversary in a Catholic-dominated part of Belfast threw paint bombs, bottles and masonry at police.

Forty-two years ago, soldiers swept into Catholic districts and arrested more than 340 people as the British government sought to halt growing Irish Republican Army (IRA) violence aimed at extinguishing rule from London.

"Last night's violence and attacks on police officers were shameful," Britain's minister for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, said in a statement. "Disorder on the streets is a hugely regrettable step backwards."

In all, more than 3,600 people died in a sectarian conflict that began in the late 1960s, including more than 1,000 members of the British security forces. More than 36,000 were injured.

(Writing by Sam Cage; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Venezuela kicking out 3 US diplomatic officials

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/world/americas/venezuela-us-diplomats...

with the US punching back

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/01/politics/venezuela-diplomats-expelled...

8 of 10 sociological changes

Italians go on strike to protest austerity measures

Thousands protest against austerity in Italy, Portugal

Image Source  October 19, 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131019/thousands-protes...

Tens of thousands of people protested against austerity in Italy and Portugal on Saturday, with clashes between riot police and dozens of activists outside the finance ministry in Rome.

"We are laying siege to the city!" a group of students chanted as they marched through Rome, while others waved rainbow peace flags and held up banners from a variety of leftist movements.

"We are protesting a one-way austerity that is bringing the country to its knees," said Piero Bernocchi from Italy's Cobas trade union group.

"And it hasn't achieved what it was meant to by bringing down debt," he said, adding: "Meanwhile politicians continue with their privileges."

Italy is struggling to shake off a two-year recession that has pushed unemployment to record levels, shut down thousands of businesses and forced many young Italians to leave the country.

Several people were seen being detained during the protest in Rome after around 100 militants threw rocks at police guarding the finance ministry, who charged and chased them into side streets.

The window of a branch of UniCredit bank, Italy's biggest lender, was also smashed in by protesters and the hacker group Anonymous took down several institutional websites to coincide with the rally.

Organisers said 70,000 people were taking part, while police put the number at around 50,000.

Police had seized potential weapons including chains, helmets, clubs and cobblestones and detained 14 people ahead of the protest.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 police officers have been deployed for security, local media reports said.

Meanwhile in Lisbon thousands of protesters boarded around 400 buses rented especially to get around an interior ministry ban on marching on foot across the city's famous April 25 bridge.

"Government out!" and "Liars, liars, we want new elections!" they shouted, voicing exasperation over an austerity programme in place in Portugal for over two years as part of its bailout deal.

In Porto, the capital of the northern part of the country, organisers said "between 50,000 and 60,000 people" were taking part in a protest there, but police put the number at 25,000.

"This is a great day of struggle," said Armenio Carlos, secretary general of the CGTP, a trade union confederation close to the Communist party.

This was the first major street mobilization seen in Portugal since the government unveiled its budget plans on Tuesday, which will hit public servants and pensioners in their pocketbooks.

One of the most contested measures is a plan to cut civil service salaries by between 2.5 percent and 12.0 percent, as well as reducing pensions for former civil servants by 10 percent.

The cuts would not apply for salaries or pension payments below 600 euros ($820) gross a month.

The demonstration in Rome brought together various groups including migrant rights advocates, campaigners for affordable housing and protesters against a new high-speed rail link in the Alps.

Some of the protesters had camped out overnight on Piazza San Giovanni square following a trade union demonstration and transport strike on Friday.

They were planning another unsanctioned protest camp on Saturday night close to the infrastructure and transport ministry which they blame for failing to build affordable housing and wasting money on large-scale construction projects.

Many shops in that area of the Italian capital have remained shuttered for the protest in a bid to minimize potential damage to property.

Clashes between police and activists in Rome

http://gma.yahoo.com/photos/clashes-between-police-and-activists-in...

Clashes between police and activists broke out in Rome on Thursday during a demonstration by protesters demanding rights to have a home. Violence broke out once police prevented the marchers from reaching a location where a meeting between representatives from the government was taking place to discuss housing policies. (AP)

Over 1,000 protesters occupy Thailand’s Finance Ministry – witnesses

Thai PM declares emergency law to help quell largest protests in years
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/11/25/336616/thailand-pm-declares...
Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has declared a special emergency law for Bangkok after riot police and anti-government protesters scuffled in the capital city.

Shinawatra's government invoked special security law in and around Bangkok after protesters seized the compounds of two ministries.

Police and anti-government protesters have scuffled in the capital Bangkok, after demonstrators tried to break up a police barricade near the Government House.

The demonstrators stormed the Foreign Ministry and Finance Ministry compounds as part of their protest.

“Go up to every floor, go into every room, but do not destroy anything,” Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister and opposition lawmaker, told the crowd before he entered the ministries, adding, “Make them see this is people’s power!”

This is the second day of rallies seen as the biggest in years.

http://qz.com/151141/philippines-government-limits-coastal-rebuildi...

Philippines President Benigno Aquino will restrict construction on some of the country’s coastline after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed half a million homes and killed thousands, a move that could dramatically improve the country’s resilience to the next major storm. “Part of the President’s orders is to establish a ‘no-build zone’ along coastlines to ensure the safety of those living in resettlement areas,”  Herminio B. Coloma, the President’s communications operations secretary, said in a radio interview on Sunday.

http://rt.com/news/thai-protesters-power-police-428/
Thailand protests escalate

Police in Egypt clash with protesters in Cairo

http://news.yahoo.com/police-egypt-clash-protesters-cairo-141416058...

Friday Nov 29, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — A top Egyptian government official strongly denounced a new protest law Saturday as police fired tear gas and used batons to beat back stone-throwing demonstrators in Cairo.

The violence came as a 50-member panel amending the country's 2012 Islamist-drafted constitution is scheduled to begin voting on its final recommendations Saturday. An expected referendum on the changes is widely seen as a key milestone in Egypt's transition to democratic rule after a popularly-backed military coup toppled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July.

Speaking about the new protest law, Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa-Eldin said he opposed it because it restricts the right to demonstrate and was not adopted by an elected parliament. The liberal politician called on authorities to review the law to show that the state was ready to listen to the country's secular activists, who have been staging several protests in defiance of the law.

"It is not a shame and it does not detract from the prestige of the state to reconsider a law that will only widen the gap between the state and the youth," Bahaa-Eldin said on his official Facebook page.

The law enacted Sunday allows security agencies to bar protests not previously reported to the country's Interior Ministry, while also setting prison terms and high fines for violators. It appears aimed at breaking the back of the near-daily protests by Islamists supporting Morsi and others who oppose the country's military-backed interim government. However, it has angered secular allies of the current government who have been largely mute since Morsi's ouster.

Since the law's adoption, security forces forcefully dispersed several rallies and detained protesters. A student was killed Thursday when police put down a march by Islamists from Cairo University. Saturday, some 130 professors and administrative staff of the university's engineering department called for a strike over the student's death.

In this tense atmosphere, Egypt's constitutional panel is expected to start voting Saturday on a final draft of the document. The voting session will be aired live on state television, unlike previous sessions held behind closed doors.

Hours before voting began, panel leader Amr Moussa told reporters he hoped everyone supported the constitution.

"It is the transition from disturbances to stability and from economic stagnation to development," Moussa said.

The panel has a Tuesday deadline to send the draft to the presidency. Interim President Adly Mansour then has one month to put the constitution to a public vote. Authorities plan to hold parliamentary and presidential elections early next year.

A few kilometers (miles) from the constitutional committee headquarters, brief clashes broke out when riot police with shields, batons and helmets chased protesters amid a thick cloud of gas. The demonstration was held near a Cairo court to condemn the detention of 24 activists arrested Tuesday while taking part in a protest that was not authorized by authorities.

Among protesters Saturday was Ahmed Maher, leader of the April 6 youth group that had a leading role in the 2011 uprising against longtime president Hosni Mubarak. He later turned himself into prosecutors over an arrest warrant for him on charges of inciting demonstrations against the new protest law. State television said prosecutors ordered Maher held until Sunday as investigators examine his case.

Meanwhile, in the restive southern province of Minya, unknown gunmen shot dead a Christian, days after three people died in sectarian clashes, authorities said.

Pro-EU Ukrainians protest in Kiev

http://news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-protesters-besiege-government-build...

Facing huge anti-government demonstrations after spurning a deal with the European Union, Ukraine's embattled president sought Monday to quell public anger by moving to renew talks with Brussels.

The opposition, meanwhile, scrambled to secure enough votes in parliament to oust the Cabinet and try to force an early presidential election, in the biggest unrest in the country since the 2004 Orange Revolution.

President Viktor Yanukovych struggled to reaffirm his grip on power as thousands of demonstrators besieged government buildings in Kiev, his party suffered defections and three cities in the west of the country openly defied the central government. (AP)

With Seven Workdays Left, House Committee Holds Hearing On Space Aliens

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/house-hearing-aliens_n_437...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-09/singapore-clamps-down-o...

Lee Clamps Down on Rioters After Violence in Singapore

Riot police stand guard in Little India, Singapore, on Dec. 8, 2013. Photographer: Mark Cheong/EPA

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ordered an inquiry into Singapore’s first riot in more than four decades as tensions rise over the influx of foreign workers in the city state.

“There is no excuse for such violent and criminal behavior,” Lee said in a statement yesterday. A Committee of Inquiry will look into the reasons for the riot and how it was handled, and review how the government manages areas where foreign workers congregate, he said.

The riot involving about 400 people broke out on the night of Sunday, Dec. 8, in the Little India district after a traffic accident, the Singapore police said in a statement on its Facebook page yesterday. Little India, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from city state’s central business district, attracts thousands of foreign workers on their Sunday days off.

Discontent in Singapore over foreign workers has risen after years of open immigration spurred complaints on social media about congestion and infrastructure strains at a time of widening income inequality. A four-year government campaign to encourage companies to employ fewer overseas workers has in turn led to a labor shortage, prompting some companies to seek cheaper locations.

The riot was “a new thing, that’s definitely a watershed of a kind,” Bilveer Singh, an associate professor at National University of Singapore’s department of political science, said by phone. “I don’t think we have seen this for decades now.”

Driver Arrested

The violence began after a bus ran over and killed a 33-year-old Indian national, Deputy Commissioner of Police T. Raja Kumar said in a briefing hours after the incident. The bus driver, a 55-year-old Singaporean, was arrested for causing death by negligent act and is assisting with investigations, the police said in a statement on Facebook yesterday.

Thai government considers state of emergency after weekend violence

http://news.yahoo.com/thai-government-considers-state-emergency-wee...

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities are "very seriously" considering a state of emergency after a weekend of violence in the capital where protesters have been trying for more than two months to bring down the government, the security chief said on Monday.

Though the size of the demonstrations has declined, protesters have managed to shut down some government offices, forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to shift her workplace and snarl Bangkok's traffic.

"We're prepared to use the emergency decree... Everyone involved including the police, the military and the government is considering this option very seriously but has not yet come to an agreement," National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattantabutr told Reuters after a meeting with Yingluck.

"The protesters have said they will close various government offices. So far their closures have been symbolic, they go to government offices and then they leave. But if their tactics change and they close banks or government offices permanently then the chance for unrest increases and we will have to invoke this law," he said.

The emergency decree gives security agencies broad powers to impose curfews, detain suspects without charge, censor media, ban political gatherings of more than five people and declare parts of the country off limits.

One man was killed and dozens of people were wounded, some seriously, when grenades were thrown at anti-government protesters in the city center on Friday and Sunday.

"I think these attacks have been designed to provoke an army reaction," said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs in Chiang Mai, predicting a measured increase in the violence.

That in turn could prompt the Election Commission to refuse to oversee the February 2 election called by Yingluck and which the main opposition has said it will boycott, he said.

The protests, led by 64-year-old anti-government firebrand Suthep Thaugsuban, were triggered by Yingluck's moves last year to grant amnesty to her brother, the self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Protesters accuse the billionaire businessman Thaksin of rampant graft and want to remove the influence of family, promising ill-defined political reforms.

The government has mostly avoided direct confrontation with protesters while the army, which has staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years of on-off democracy, has stayed neutral.

The violence is the worst since 2010 when Suthep, at the time a deputy prime minister, sent in troops to end mass protests by pro-Thaksin supporters.

Suthep faces murder charges related to his role in the 2010 military crackdown when more than 90 people were killed, and for insurrection in leading the latest protests.

Yingluck faces legal challenges with the country's anti-corruption agency saying last week it would start investigating her role in loss-making government rice purchase scheme.

The scheme has won her party huge support in the rural north and northeast of the country. But there are signs of growing discontent among farmers who say they have not been paid for their rice and are threatening to block major roads.

Chambers said the rise in violence could suck the police into the fray.

"(That would provide) Suthep with an excuse to accuse Yingluck of repressing the demonstrators, the army may suggest that the Yingluck government step aside or judicial cases against Yingluck's government may be expedited to push (her party) Puea Thai from power," he said.