Citywide general strike descends into chaos as officers fire teargas and rubber bullets
Hong Kong protesters have clashed with police and fought off a group of men armed with poles as political unrest continues to roil the city.
A citywide strike accompanied by rallies in seven districts devolved into chaos on Monday evening as thousands of protesters fanned out across the city, occupying roads, disrupting traffic, and vandalising police stations and other public buildings.
Continue reading...Death toll almost half that of US troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, data shows
Killings of environmental defenders have doubled over the past 15 years to reach levels usually associated with war zones, according to a study that reveals how murders of activists are concentrated in countries with the worst corruption and weakest laws.
At least 1,558 people in 50 states were killed between 2002 and 2017 while trying to protect their land, water or local wildlife, says the analysis, which calculates the death toll is almost half that of US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
Continue reading...Chaos erupted on the streets of Hong Kong on Monday as the city entered its ninth consecutive week of anti-government protests. In North Point, protesters clashed with a group of men carrying sticks, while riot police deployed teargas in various parts of the city to disperse demonstrators
Continue reading...For the ninth consecutive weekend pro-democracy protesters rallied on the streets of Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill. As clashes between protestors and police became more violent, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, apologised for introducing the extradition bill and declared it ‘dead’. However protesters – who are calling for Lam’s resignation and for the complete withdrawal of the bill – continued to draw huge crowds
Continue reading...Mass demonstrations continue ahead of city-wide strike and protests in seven districts
Protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong for another round of mass anti-government demonstrations as political unrest continues to roil the city.
Ahead of a city-wide strike and simultaneous protests in seven districts, on Sunday night protesters evaded and frustrated the police by holding flashmob demonstrations. Groups of protesters scattered, switching locations at the last minute and disappearing before riot police were able to arrive en masse.
Continue reading...Tense standoffs follow peaceful march with police resorting to teargas and pepper spray on third consecutive day of mass protest
Demonstrators in Hong Kong have clashed with riot police as the city entered its third consecutive day of mass protests.
On Sunday, the police said they had arrested 20 people during Saturday’s clashes for offences including unlawful assembly and assault.
Continue reading...Protesters light a fire on the steps outside a police station in Hong Kong as anti-government discontent continues. Police said a large group of protesters had marked the police station, in one of Kowloon's shopping districts, with paint and damaged a vehicle inside. The police said officers had told demonstrators 'to stop their illegal act at once and disperse peacefully'. Riot police could be seen outside the police stations in Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok.
Hong Kong police fire teargas in clashes with protesters
Continue reading...Mass walkout from government offices at start of four days of mass demonstrations
Thousands of civil servants in Hong Kong have protested against the government in a rare display of defiance as the city braces for four consecutive days of mass demonstrations.
The public servants, who are normally politically neutral, defied a government order to remain “totally loyal” to Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, and crowded into a public park near government offices.
Continue reading...Move follows police violence during last week’s protests over forthcoming Moscow elections
Russian authorities have threatened protesters in Moscow with lengthy jail sentences in an attempt to dampen an unexpected surge in protest mood before a planned rally on Saturday.
Last weekend police detained a record number of people, some of them violently, for taking part in a peaceful protest in central Moscow over access for opposition candidates to local elections in September.
Continue reading...More than 100 portraits of president removed in symbolic civil disobedience movement
It was a quiet Monday afternoon in the picturesque town hall of Lingolsheim, outside Strasbourg. The school summer holidays had started and it was exceptionally hot. But at 4pm something extraordinary happened.
Eleven people calmly walked in, politely greeted the receptionists, then headed to the room usually reserved for council meetings. They carefully unhooked the picture of the French president, Emmanuel Macron – the type of portrait that hangs in all local administration buildings – gently placing it in a special protective pouch, and then walked out.
Continue reading...Chinese military garrison chief in Hong Kong says army is determined to protect China’s sovereignty, stoking fears of intervention
China has released a dramatic video showing off its army’s capabilities as the head of the armed forces in Hong Kong said the unrest in the province had seriously threatened the life and safety” of the people and should not be tolerated.
The commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) garrison in Hong Kong warned it was “determined to protect national sovereignty, security, stability and the prosperity of Hong Kong”.
Continue reading...Mass protests triggered by leaked text messages have led to the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló. Oliver Laughland discusses his time on the island. And: Larry Elliott on why sterling is at a 28-month low
Hundreds of thousands of people have lined the streets of Puerto Rico over the past couple of weeks in some of the largest demonstrations in the US territory’s history. They began in response to hundreds of pages of leaked text messages between the governor, Ricardo Rosselló, and 11 members of his inner circle, which made homophobic and sexist jokes and mocked the victims of Hurricane Maria.
However, the problems go further back than July. The Rosselló administration has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement during the response to Hurricane Maria. Shortly before the messages were leaked, the FBI arrested five former government officials and contractors accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in federal funds given to the island after the disaster.
Continue reading...Police have clashed with protesters outside Kwai Chung police station where dozens of demonstrators are being held. Protesters gathered outside the police station after authorities announced that 44 arrested protesters would appear in court. One officer was seen brandishing a shotgun at the protesters. On the other side of Hong Kong, at least 10 people were injured after a vehicle launched fireworks at pro-democracy protesters in Tin Shui Wai. The crowd at Tin Shui Wai police station were also calling for the release of three protesters. A black Toyota reportedly shot fireworks at the crowd in the early hours of the morning
Supporters gather outside court where accused appeared, chanting ‘liberate Hong Kong’
More than 20 people have appeared in court in Hong Kong charged with rioting, as hundreds of supporters gathered outside the building chanting “revolution of our time” and “liberate Hong Kong”.
The hearings marked the first time authorities have resorted to the serious charges of rioting since the beginning of a wave of unrest that has plunged the former British colony into its biggest political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Continue reading...Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who made his name as a protester – backs laws that could see activists jailed for 20 years
Mexico’s president – a man who made his name blockading Pemex petroleum installations in southeastern Tabasco state – has been criticised over his support for a state law prohibiting protests.
On Monday, Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s partisans in Tabasco approved legislation that metes out stiff punishment for protests, including prison sentences of up to 20 years for blocking access to businesses and 13 years for impeding work on public works projects.
Continue reading...Politician was taken to hospital from jail where he was detained over call for protests
The Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny remains in hospital after being rushed there on Sunday morning with symptoms that one of his doctors said could indicate poisoning.
Navalny was taken to hospital from jail, where he was serving a 30-day sentence after being arrested last week for calling people to attend an anti-government protest.
Continue reading...Police fired several rounds of teargas at protesters in resdiential areas of Hong Kong in the third day of mass protests as political unrest deepens. Riot police advanced through thick clouds of tear gas as they fired rounds towards protesters, with protesters arming themselves with umbrellas, scrambling to douse the gas canisters with water and throwing them back towards police lines in the city's Sai Wan district. Police were seen arresting a handful of protesters who were led away in handcuffs.
Continue reading...Further action planned to press authorities to let candidates stand in Moscow city elections
Russian opposition politicians have called on their supporters to keep up with street rallies, the day after the most forceful police response to protests in the country for years.
More than 1,300 people were detained by police on Saturday, at a protest called in response to the refusal of electoral authorities to register independent candidates for the Moscow city council elections in September.
Continue reading...Police fire teargas on thousands of protestors in the Hong Kong village of Yuen Long on Saturday, who had gathered despite a police ban. Last week thugs indiscriminately attacked commuters at Yuen Long train station, a move critics see as a covert attempt by the mainland Chinese government to intimidate pro-democracy protesters
Continue reading...A rooftop protest against three executions carried out by Bahrain was held at the country's embassy in London by activists from the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. Police said they arrested one person for trespassing on a diplomatic premises. International rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a UN human rights expert had urged Bahrain to halt the executions on the basis that confessions were allegedly obtained through torture
Bahrain executes three people, despite human rights outcry
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