Category: Protest and Unrest

U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance met the leader of a German far-right party during a visit to Munich on Friday, nine days before a German election and after lecturing European leaders about the state of democracy. Vance met with Alice Weidel, the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, his office said. Mainstream German parties say they won’t work with the party, a stance often referred to as a “firewall.” Polls put Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in second place going into…

Three senior U.S. Justice Department officials, including Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, resigned on Thursday rather than comply with an order to dismiss corruption charges against New York City’s mayor, according to an internal Justice Department memo seen by Reuters and people familiar with the matter. The departures mark a sign of resistance from career Justice Department officials to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the agency to end what he calls its weaponization against political opponents. Critics say Trump’s changes threaten to subject…

Late Friday night, President Trump abruptly fired at least 12 inspectors general, defying a law that requires 30 days’ notice and detailed rationale to be provided to Congress, according to NYT sources. The firings targeted watchdogs in agencies from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration. Emails from the White House cited “changing priorities” as the reason for the…

A Republican congressman has introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would allow President Donald Trump to seek a third term in office, arguing that it will ensure “we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.” Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee revealed his long-shot measure Thursday that would amend the 22nd Amendment, which sets the current two-term limit for presidents. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s…

As reported by RAI News, Italy: About eighty people are seen lined up, handcuffs on their wrists, boarding military planes and being repatriated to Guatemala. “The expulsions have started,” says the White House spokesman. In El Paso, a city in Texas on the border with Mexico, Bishop Mark Joseph Seitz summons the press before the diocese to denounce the social repercussions of this crackdown: “When the government tramples on human dignity we must react.” In one RAI TG1 report, the…

There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence in Syria and a resurgence of extremism in the country, the European Union’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday, while pointing to positive early signals. Syria’s new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago. Kallas also told a European Parliament committee session that…

Syrian rebels said they had entered Damascus on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime appeared to collapse in the face of the insurgents’ stunning offensive across the country. The rebels said in a statement that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad” and that “Assad has fled”. The whereabouts of Assad were unclear, with reports that he had fled, which would bring an ignominious end to a family dynasty that has ruled Syria for more than…

LISBON – Thousands of people took to the main avenue of downtown Lisbon on Oct 26 to protest police violence, several days after a policeman shot a Cape Verde-born Portuguese resident, triggering a wave of unrest. Rights group Vida Justa, which called the protest, changed the route to avoid clashes with supporters of the far-right anti-immigration party Chega, which held a separate smaller rally also in central ​​​​Lisbon in support of the police. Violence had broken out on the multi-ethnic…

ROME (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in seven Italian cities on Saturday calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, Ukraine and all global conflicts. Peaceful rallies were held in Rome, Turin, Milan, Florence, Bari, Palermo and Cagliari, with the support of hundreds of associations committed to peace, disarmament and human rights. The marches came in response to escalating violence in the Middle East and growing conflicts worldwide and denounced the diminished role…

ROME – Italy’s right-wing government is facing criticism over its celebration of a major World War II battle, after the defence ministry said the defeated fascist soldiers of dictator Benito Mussolini had died for the country’s freedom. In a social media post on Oct 23 commemorating the anniversary of the 1942 battle of El Alamein in Egypt, the ministry described the conflict as “heroic and tragic” and paid homage to Italy’s soldiers “who sacrificed their lives for our freedom”. The…

ROME – Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a pet project of Prime Minister’s Giorgia Meloni party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners. Since taking office in 2022 Meloni has pursued a highly conservative social agenda, looking to promote what she sees as traditional family values, making it progressively harder for LGBTQ couples to become legal parents. The upper house Senate voted into law…

The U.S. is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. currently has about 40,000 troops in the region. On Monday, the aircraft carrier Truman, two…

On Friday, December 15, Al Jazeera journalists Samer Abudaqa and Wael Dahdouh were reporting at the Farhana school in Khan Younis when Israel struck from the air. Dahdouh took shrapnel to his upper arm but was able to apply pressure to the wound and escape to a nearby hospital for help. But Abudaqa was unable to move. Rescue teams tried to reach him, but couldn’t due to Israeli bombardment. For more than five agonising hours, as he lay bleeding, campaigns were…

French President Emmanuel Macron has named a new government, hoping to put an end 11 weeks of political uncertainty after an inconclusive parliamentary election delivered a hung parliament. Conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Saturday put together the government whose first major task will be to submit a 2025 budget plan addressing France’s financial situation, which the prime minister this week called “very serious”. The 38-member Cabinet includes ministers from Macron’s centrist alliance and the conservative Republicans (LR) party. The difficult…