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Tag: Protests

  • Dozens injured after Eritrean government supporters, opponents clash at protest in Israel

    Dozens injured after Eritrean government supporters, opponents clash at protest in Israel

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    Hundreds of Eritrean government supporters and opponents clashed with each other and with Israeli police Saturday, leaving dozens injured in one of the most violent street confrontations among African asylum seekers and migrants in Tel Aviv in recent memory.

    Among those hurt were 30 police officers and three protesters hit by police fire.

    Eritreans from both sides faced off with construction lumber, pieces of metal, rocks and at least one axe, tearing through a neighborhood of south Tel Aviv where many asylum seekers live. Protesters smashed shop windows and police cars, and blood spatter was seen on sidewalks. One government supporter was lying in a puddle of blood in a children’s playground.

    Israeli police in riot gear shot tear gas, stun grenades and live rounds while officers on horseback tried to control the protesters, who broke through barricades and hurled chunks rocks at the police. Police said officers resorted to live fire when they felt their lives were in danger.

    The clashes came as Eritrean government supporters marked the 30th anniversary of the current ruler’s rise to power. The event was held near the Eritrean embassy in south Tel Aviv. Eritrea has one of the world’s worst human rights records. Asylum seekers in Israel and elsewhere say they fear death if they were to return.

    Israel Eritrea
    Eritrean protesters clash with Israeli riot police in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

    Ohad Zwigenberg / AP


    Police said Eritrean government supporters and opponents had received permission for separate events Saturday, and had promised to stay away from each other.

    At some point, the promises were broken, said Chaim Bublil, a Tel Aviv police commander.

    “A decision was made by the government opponents to break through the barriers, to clash with the police, to throw stones, to hit police officers,” Bublil told reporters at the scene.

    He said the police had arrested 39 people and confiscated tasers, knives and clubs.

    The Magen David Adom rescue service said at least 114 people were hurt, including eight who were in serious condition. The others had moderate or mild injuries. Of those hurt, 30 were police officers, said Bublil.

    A spokesperson for Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital said it was treating 11 patients for gunshot wounds. Police said three protesters were wounded by police fire.

    By late Saturday afternoon, the clashes had stopped. Police were still rounding up protesters, putting them on buses.

    Israel Eritrea
    A supporter of the Eritrean government lies injured and covered in blood after he was hurt by an Anti-Eritrean government activist, during a protest against an event organized by the Eritrea Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

    Ohad Zwigenberg / AP


    Many of the anti-government protesters wore sky blue shirts designed after Eritrea’s 1952 flag, a symbol of opposition to the government of the east African country, while government supporters wore purple shirts with a map of Eritrea.

    Eritreans make up the majority of the more than 30,000 African asylum seekers in Israel. They say they fled danger and persecution from a country known as the “North Korea of Africa” with forced lifetime military conscription in slavery-like conditions. Eritrea’s government has denounced anti-government protesters as ” asylum scum ” who have marched against similar events in Europe and North America.

    President Isaias Afwerki, 77, has led Eritrea since 1993, taking power after the country won independence from Ethiopia after a long guerrilla war. There have been no elections and there’s no free media. Exit visas are required for Eritreans to leave the country. Many young people are forced into military service with no end date, human rights groups and United Nations experts say.

    Israel Eritrea
    Eritrean protesters clash with Israeli riot police in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. 

    Ohad Zwigenberg / AP


    In Israel, they face an uncertain future as the state has attempted to deport them. But despite the struggle to stay, in often squalid conditions, many say they enjoy some freedoms they never would have at home — like the right to protest.

    Eritrean asylum seekers are often “hunted and harassed” by the Eritrean government and its supporters inside Israel, said Sigal Rozen, from the Tel Aviv-based human rights organization Hotline for Refugees and Migrants.

    Events like the one held in Tel Aviv on Saturday are controversial because they raise money for the heavily sanctioned government and are used to pressure Eritreans far from home, said Elizabeth Chyrum, director of the London-based Human Rights Concern — Eritrea.

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  • Niger coup supporters call for France ambassador, troops to leave country

    Niger coup supporters call for France ambassador, troops to leave country

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    Protesters rally outside a French military base calling for the ambassador and about 1,500 soldiers to leave.

    Large demonstrations are taking place outside a French military base in Niger’s capital, Niamey, as pressure mounts on France’s ambassador and soldiers to leave the country.

    Niger’s military government, which seized power on July 26, has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of using divisive rhetoric in his comments about the coup and seeking to perpetrate France’s neocolonial relationship with its former colony.

    Sylvain Itte, France’s ambassador, remained in Niger despite a 48-hour deadline to leave the country more than a week ago, a decision Macron said he “applauds”.

    Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Niamey, said demonstrators – expressing frustration there is still a French presence in the country – were beginning to take matters into their own hands.

    According to security personnel, the protest was scheduled to begin at about 3pm (14:00 GMT), but thousands of demonstrators had already gathered by 10am (09:00 GMT), taking police and security forces by surprise.

    Idris said the protests that have taken place over the past few days have been “relatively calm and organised”. But earlier on Saturday demonstrators were seen “breaking the barriers set up by the security forces, the police and the military”, and approaching the army base with some “trying to gain access forcefully”.

    The military has since reinforced the area around the French base, which contains about 1,500 French troops, and warned against forceful entry and the repercussions that would follow.

    ‘I speak every day to President Bazoum’: Macron

    Niger’s military regime has accused Paris of “blatant interference” by backing the country’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

    Comments by Macron in support of Bazoum “constitute further blatant interference in Niger’s domestic affairs”, military spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a statement read on nationwide TV.

    Macron said on Friday he spoke daily with Bazoum after he was removed from power in the coup.

    “I speak every day to President Bazoum. We support him. We do not recognise those who carried out the putsch. The decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum,” said Macron.

    The Sahel state is also embroiled in a standoff with the West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to intervene militarily if diplomatic pressure to return Bazoum to office fails.

    On Monday, Macron said: “I call on all the states in the region to adopt a responsible policy.”

    France, he said, “supports [ECOWAS’s] diplomatic action and, when it so decides, [its] military” action, he said, describing this as “a partnership approach”.

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  • Strike, protests in Syria’s Sweida enter second day

    Strike, protests in Syria’s Sweida enter second day

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    A general strike and civil disobedience in Syria’s southern Sweida governorate have continued for a second consecutive day, with more than 20 protests recorded.

    Routes into and out of the city of Sweida were closed by authorities on Monday, and several offices and institutions of the Syrian government, including the main building of the ruling Baath Party in the governorate, were shut down, according to local media sources.

    Hundreds of civilians had gathered on Sunday at the city’s Karama Square, in protest against rising prices for food and goods, as well as the Syrian government’s decision to increase fuel subsidies, but some also called for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

    More than 42 protests were reported across the whole of Sweida governorate, the Sweida 24 media network said.

    Protesters in Sweida are angry about rising prices [Al Jazeera]

    “We are protesting against economic decline, the state of chaos that the country is experiencing, and the widespread corruption in all state institutions, from the presidency to the smallest government department,” said Jameel, a 25-year-old resident of Sweida city.

    Another protester, Mohammed, told Al Jazeera that al-Assad had consolidated state resources within the hands of his closest associates, a continuation of the approach of his father and predecessor as president, Hafez.

    “By exerting economic pressure on people, selling the country’s resources to Russia, and enabling Iranian influence in Syria, al-Assad is pushing people in various provinces to divide the country into regions and adopt a self-administration system,” Mohammed said.

    There has been no comment from the Syrian government on the rare protests.

    Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the spiritual leader of the unified Druze sect, issued a statement on Saturday expressing deep concern about the current economic situation. He called for action to achieve change and justice.

    The Druze, members of a minority religious group in Syria and other parts of the Levant, make up the majority of Sweida’s residents.

    Protests demanding al-Assad’s fall began in different parts of Syria in 2011 and soon spiralled into an armed conflict, after government forces attacked protesters. Sweida itself has always been controlled by the government – although anti-government protests have taken place, most notably in 2020.

    General strike and civil disobedience in Syria's southern Sweida province
    More than 20 protests were recorded across the province [Al Jazeera]

    Despite the focus on the economic problems Syria faces, many demonstrators also had political demands.

    “The main reasons that led me to the streets with the protesters are to demand the release of all detainees, in addition to the soaring cost of living, the lack of medicines for children and the elderly, and the absence of electricity and water,” said Adam.

    The 25-year-old told Al Jazeera that al-Assad’s government had since 2012 been trying to divide the Syrian people.

    “We are the children of this country, and we don’t want to leave it or be second-class citizens while Russian soldiers and Iranian militias enjoy the riches of our country,” he said.

    Daraa returns to the forefront

    While opposition groups only retain control of territory in the northwest of Syria after being defeated in other areas by government forces and their Russian and Iranian allies, dissent has continued to flare up in government-controlled regions – despite the government’s intolerance for criticism.

    Daraa, which neighbours Sweida and was previously a stronghold for opposition forces being recaptured by the government in 2018, has also seen protests in recent days.

    On Saturday, dozens of protesters gathered in front of the historic Umayyad Mosque in Daraa city and raised the flag of the Syrian revolution, before chanting slogans demanding the release of detainees and the overthrow of the al-Assad government.

    “We participated in a demonstration to demand the release of our detainees who have been held in al-Assad’s prisons for over 10 years, in addition to highlighting the deteriorating economic situation we are facing,” said Abu Mohammed, a farmer from western Daraa countryside.

    Daraa is considered the cradle of the Syrian revolution and the first city from which protests erupted in Syria. Armed opposition factions had control of most of the wider governorate by the end of 2011.

    After years of battles with the government, a settlement agreement under Russian supervision was reached in which the opposition forces agreed to hand over their heavy weaponry and dissolve themselves, while allowing members to retain light arms.

    The outcome was markedly different in other parts of Syria, where opposition fighters and supporters were either killed, imprisoned or forcibly displaced upon the return of government control to their areas.

    However, opposition supporters in Daraa, like Abu Mohammed, point out that a more underhanded crackdown has continued in the governorate.

    “Since the al-Assad regime took control of Daraa, the assassinations of activists have not ceased, in addition to security crackdowns and extortion we face at al-Assad regime checkpoints,” he said, adding that the government has, since taking control of Daraa, pushed people to flee through systematic shelling of cities and villages, and conducted a widespread arrest campaign.

    “If this regime doesn’t fall, our living conditions won’t improve, the security grip won’t be loosened, and we won’t live peacefully in our country,” said Abu Mohammed.

    “We welcome the uprising of our people in Sweida,” he added. “And we call upon our people in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and all Syrian provinces to rise up against this regime once again.”

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  • Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, expelled Tennessee House members, win back seats

    Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, expelled Tennessee House members, win back seats

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    Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the “Tennessee Three,” reclaimed their legislative seats Thursday after they were expelled for involvement in a gun control protest on the House floor.

    The young Black lawmakers were reinstated by local officials after being booted from the GOP-dominated Statehouse, but only on an interim basis. They advanced Thursday through a special election to fully reclaim their positions. Both faced opponents in districts that heavily favor Democrats.

    Jones, who lives in Nashville, was up against Republican candidate Laura Nelson. Meanwhile, Pearson, from Memphis, faced independent candidate Jeff Johnston.

    “Let’s send a clear message to everyone who thought they could silence the voice of District 86,” Pearson tweeted earlier this month. “You can’t expel a movement!”

    Voices For A Safer Tennessee Hosts Linking Arms For Change In Support Of Gun Control Laws
    Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson are seen during a demonstration in support of gun control laws sponsored by Voices for a Safer Tennessee at Legislative Plaza on April 18, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Getty Images


    Thursday’s election came as lawmakers are preparing to return to Nashville later this month for a special session to address possibly changing the state’s gun control laws. While Jones and Pearson’s reelection to their old posts won’t make a significant dent to the Republican supermajority inside the Legislature, they are expected to push back heavily against some of their GOP colleagues’ policies.

    Jones and Pearson were elected to the Statehouse last year. Both lawmakers flew relatively under the radar, even as they criticized their Republican colleagues’ policies. It wasn’t until this spring that their political careers received a boost when they joined fellow Democrat Rep. Gloria Johnson in a protest for more gun control on the House floor.

    The demonstration took place just days after a fatal shooting in Nashville at a private Christian school where a shooter killed three children and three adults. As thousands of protesters flooded the Capitol building to demand that the Republican supermajority enact some sort of restrictions on firearms, the three lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn, and joined the protesters’ chants and cries for action.

    Republican lawmakers quickly declared that their actions violated House rules and moved to expel their three colleagues — an extraordinary move that’s been taken only a handful of times since the Civil War.

    Expelled Lawmakers Tennessee Election
    From left, Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville; Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis; and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville; leave the West Wing to speak to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023.

    Andrew Harnik / AP


    The move briefly left about 140,000 voters in primarily Black districts in Nashville and Memphis with no representation in the Tennessee House.

    Ultimately, Johnson, who is white, narrowly avoided expulsion while Pearson and Jones were booted by the predominantly white GOP caucus.

    House Republican leaders have repeatedly denied that race was a factor in the expulsion hearings. Democrats have disagreed, with Johnson countering that the only reason that she wasn’t expelled was due to her being white.

    The expulsions drew national support for the newly dubbed “Tennessee Three,” especially for Pearson and Jones’ campaign fundraising. The two raised more than $2 million combined through about 70,400 campaign donations from across the country. The amount is well beyond the norm for Tennessee’s Republican legislative leaders and virtually unheard of for two freshman Democrats in a superminority.

    Meanwhile, more than 15 Republican lawmakers had funneled cash to fund campaign efforts of Jones’ Republican opponent, Nelson. Nelson has raised more than $34,000 for the race. Pearson’s opponent, Johnston, raised less than $400 for the contest.

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  • Bud Light sales slump following boycott over Anheuser-Busch promotion with Dylan Mulvaney

    Bud Light sales slump following boycott over Anheuser-Busch promotion with Dylan Mulvaney

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    For Anheuser-Busch Inbev, the aftereffects of a marketing promotion involving Bud Light and transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney is lingering like a bad hangover. 

    The brewing giant on Thursday reported that its U.S. revenue in April-to-June quarter fell 10.5% from a year ago, attributing the decline “primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light.” It has lost its place as America’s best-selling beer after more than two decades, slipping into second place in June behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial, which is also owned by the Belgium-based ABInBev.

    The company faced backlash after sending a commemorative Bud Light can to Mulvaney, who posted it to her millions of social media followers.

    Conservative figures and others called for a boycott of Bud Light, while Mulvaney’s supporters criticized the beer brand for not doing enough to support her. Mulvaney has said she faced bullying and transphobia, criticizing the brand for not reaching out to her amid the furor over their partnership.

    In the month ending July 15, Bud Light’s U.S. sales were down 26.5%, while Modelo’s were up 13.5%. Bud Light held a 6.8% share of the U.S. beer market in that period, while Modelo held an 8.7% share. 

    Still, the company topped Wall Street forecasts, with its overall revenue rising 7.2% in the second quarter to $15.1 billion from the same period a year ago as global brands such as Stella Artois and Corona offset the loss in Bud Light sales. It said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 5%, to $4.9 billion.

    Customers “want to enjoy their beer without a debate,” CEO Michel Doukeris told Wall Street analysts on Thursday in a call to discuss the latest earnings. “They want Bud Light to focus on beer.”

    Anheuser-Busch also has been at the center of political attacks. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently suggested the state could take legal action against Anheuser-Busch over the tie-in with Mulvaney. DeSantis told Fox News that the state’s pension fund contained over $50 million worth of Anheuser-Busch shares and that the controversy had hurt the value of its holdings. 


    Anheuser-Busch CEO on Bud Light boycotts, his company’s reponse and comeback strategy

    09:04

    DeSantis also also sent a letter to Florida’s State Board of Administration, which manages its pension fund, asking staff “to review how AB InBev’s conduct has impacted and continues to impact the value of SBA’s AB InBev holdings.” 

    Anheuser-Busch InBev said last week is laying off roughly 2% of workers “across every corporate function.” That represents about 380 of AB InBev’s roughly 19,000 employees. 

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  • Why Israel’s judicial overhaul is causing such upheaval

    Why Israel’s judicial overhaul is causing such upheaval

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    Why Israel’s judicial overhaul is causing such upheaval – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    The reaction to Israel’s judicial overhaul has for months been loud, and at times chaotic, but that did not stop the country’s right-wing government from approving the first phase of the plan Monday. The law limits the ability of Israel’s Supreme Court to overturn government decisions, and public response has only intensified since Monday’s vote. Steven Zipperstein, a professor in Jewish culture and history at Stanford University, joined CBS News to unpack the significance of the protests, and how they are affecting relations with the West.

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  • Netanyahu hospitalized again as Israel reaches new levels of unrest

    Netanyahu hospitalized again as Israel reaches new levels of unrest

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recovering in a hospital on Sunday after an emergency heart procedure, while opposition to his government’s contentious judicial overhaul plan reached a fever pitch and unrest gripped the country.

    Netanyahu’s doctors said Sunday the heart pacemaker implantation went smoothly and that Netanyahu, 73, felt fine. According to his office, he was expected to be discharged later in the day. But tensions were surging as lawmakers began a marathon debate over the first major piece of the overhaul, ahead of a vote in parliament enshrining it into law on Monday.

    Mass protests continued, part of seven straight months of the most sustained and intense demonstrations the country has ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Israel on Saturday night, while thousands marched into Jerusalem and camped out near the Knesset, or parliament, ahead of Monday’s vote.

    Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization added another dizzying twist to an already dramatic series of events that are certain to shape Israel’s future. It comes as the longest-serving Israeli leader faces the worst domestic crisis of his lengthy tenure, which has shaken the economy, forged cracks in the country’s military and tested the delicate social fabric that holds the polarized country together.

    Lawmakers began their debate despite the hospitalization. In a fiery speech launching the session, Simcha Rothman, a main driver of the overhaul, denounced the courts, saying they damaged Israel’s democratic fundamentals by arbitrarily striking down government decisions.

    “This small clause is meant to restore democracy to the state of Israel,” Rothman said. “I call on Knesset members to approve the bill.”

    An aerial view shows right-wing demonstrators backing the Israeli government and its reform plans rallying in Tel Aviv, the epicenter of 29 straight weeks of anti-government protests, on July 23, 2023.
    An aerial view shows right-wing demonstrators backing the Israeli government and its reform plans rallying in Tel Aviv, the epicenter of 29 straight weeks of anti-government protests, on July 23, 2023.

    JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images


    Still, Netanyahu’s health woes disrupted his routine. The weekly Cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday morning was postponed. Two upcoming overseas trips, to Cyprus and Turkey, were being rescheduled, his office said.

    Netanyahu’s office said that he was sedated during the implantation and that a top deputy, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, stood in for him while he underwent the procedure. Levin, a close confidant of the prime minister, is the mastermind of the overhaul.

    In a video from his hospital room on Sunday afternoon, Netanyahu, wearing a white dress shirt and dark blazer, said he felt fine. He said he was pushing forward with the legislation but also pursuing a compromise with his opponents.

    “In any case, I want you to know that tomorrow morning I’m joining my colleagues at the Knesset,” he said, without saying when he would be released.

    Israeli media said last-ditch efforts were underway to find a solution out of the impasse. But it wasn’t clear whether those would bear fruit.

    Legislators are set to vote on an overhaul measure that would limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers by preventing judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.” Monday’s vote would mark the first major piece of legislation to be approved.

    Proponents say the current “reasonability” standard gives judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. Critics say removing the standard, which is invoked infrequently, would allow the government to pass arbitrary decisions, make improper appointments or firings and open the door to corruption.

    The overhaul also calls for other sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions, to changing the way judges are selected.

    Speaking in parliament, opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Netanyahu to resume compromise talks and lauded the protesters for standing up to the government.

    “The government of Israel launched a war of attrition against the citizens of Israel and discovered the people can’t be broken. We won’t give up on our children’s future,” he said.

    The valley beneath the Knesset was dotted with silver-colored tents, many draped with Israeli flags. A large protest against the overhaul was expected later Sunday in Jerusalem, as was a counter-protest of government supporters in Tel Aviv.

    Protesters, who come from a wide swath of Israeli society, see the overhaul as a power grab fueled by personal and political grievances of Netanyahu — who is on trial for corruption charges — and his partners who want to deepen Israel’s control of the occupied West Bank and perpetuate controversial draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

    Netanyahu was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night a week after being hospitalized for what doctors said was dehydration.

    They released him then after implanting a device to monitor his heart but he was hospitalized again Sunday because it showed anomalies, prompting the need for a pacemaker.

    Professor Roy Beinart, senior physician and director at the Davidai Arrhythmia Center at Sheba Medical Center’s Heart Institute, said doctors had decided to monitor Netanyahu because he had suffered from a “conduction disorder,” or irregular heart beat, for years.

    He said in a video that the prime minister needed the pacemaker because he experienced “a temporary arrhythmia,” or irregular heartbeat, Saturday evening.

    “The implantation went smoothly, without any complications. He is not in a life-threatening condition,” Beinart said. “He feels great and is returning to his daily routine.”

    Further ratcheting up the pressure on the Israeli leader, military reservists in fast-rising numbers have been declaring their refusal to serve under a government taking steps that they see as setting the country on a path to dictatorship. Those moves have prompted fears that the military’s preparedness could be compromised.

    Among them are essential fighter pilots and ground air force personnel. Some 10,000 reservists from across the military announced Saturday night that they too would stop showing up for duty. Over 100 retired security chiefs publicly supported the growing ranks of military reservists who plan to stop reporting for duty if the overhaul is advanced.

    “These are dangerous cracks,” military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi wrote in a letter to soldiers Sunday meant to address the tensions. “If we will not be a strong and cohesive military, if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will no longer be able to exist as a country in the region.”

    Netanyahu and his far-right allies announced the overhaul plan in January, days after taking office. They claim the plan is needed to curb what they say are the excessive powers of unelected judges. Critics say the plan will destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and put it on the path toward authoritarian rule. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to halt the plan and seek a broad consensus.

    Netanyahu paused the overhaul in March after intense pressure by protesters and labor strikes that halted outgoing flights and shut down parts of the economy. After talks to find a compromise failed, he said his government was pressing on with the overhaul.

    Netanyahu keeps a busy schedule and his office says he is in good health. But over the years, it has released few details concerning his well-being or medical records.

    A pacemaker is used when a patient’s heart beats too slowly, which can cause fainting spells, according to the National Institutes of Health. It can also be used to treat heart failure. By sending electrical pulses to the heart, the device keeps a person’s heartbeat at a normal rhythm. Patients with pacemakers often return to regular activities within a few days, according to NIH.

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  • Peru’s Boluarte denounces protests as ‘threat to democracy’

    Peru’s Boluarte denounces protests as ‘threat to democracy’

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    President Dina Boluarte has faced criticism for her government’s heavy-handed response to anti-government protests.

    Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has denounced a series of protests scheduled to begin this week as a “threat to democracy”, as tensions continue to simmer in the South American nation.

    Boluarte’s remarks came on the eve of what is being called the third “Toma de Lima” or “Taking of Lima”, a march on the capital city that is expected to attract thousands of protesters.

    In Tuesday’s statement, Boluarte called for a “peaceful march” without “violence, chaos or crisis”. She also criticised the protesters as being out of touch with the average Peruvian and accused her opponents of “waving their war flags”.

    Boluarte’s administration has faced widespread anti-government demonstrations since December, when she was sworn in.

    Her inauguration came shortly after former President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve parliament, in violation of the constitution. He was subsequently impeached and held on charges of “rebellion”.

     

    Supporters of Castillo initially took to the streets to protest his removal, but the demonstrations have since grown, driven by discontent with the government overall.

    Protesters have called for the dissolution of Congress, the drafting of a new constitution and the resignation of Boluarte, who formerly served as Castillo’s vice president.

    Boluarte has also been criticised for the government’s harsh crackdown on the demonstrations, which blocked highways and shuttered airports and rail stations earlier this year.

    The office of Peru’s ombudsman has estimated that more than 60 people have died in the protests, most of them demonstrators.

    Demonstrators gather in front of the Congress building in Lima, Peru, on June 14 to call for justice for those killed in recent anti-government protests, among other things [Martin Mejia/AP Photo]

    Human rights groups have denounced the government violence as disproportionate.

    The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released a report in May concluding that the government’s actions included extrajudicial killings and could constitute a “massacre”.

    Amnesty International likewise said the violence showed evidence of “racial and socio-economic bias”. It accused state security forces of targeting people of “poor, Indigenous and campesino backgrounds” when deploying lethal weapons.

    On Tuesday, ahead of this week’s demonstrations, Amnesty International renewed its call for Peru’s law enforcement to respect the rights of protesters.

    “The police and the military have repeatedly used force unlawfully in recent months, costing the lives of dozens of people,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, the Americas director at Amnesty International, said in the statement.

    “These horrific scenes of state repression must not be repeated.”

    About 24,000 police officers are expected to be deployed during the upcoming protest in Lima.

    Jose de Echave, leader of the environmental nonprofit CooperAccion, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that members of Peru’s copper mining industry are expected to travel to the capital to join the marches.

    Boluarte has blamed much of the violence on the protesters themselves, criticising some of them as terrorists and agitators. A recent poll found that Boluarte and the opposition-led Congress have approval ratings of 14 percent and six percent, respectively.

    While Boluarte has expressed support for fast-tracking elections, Congress has turned down efforts to do so.

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  • Protests swell in Israel as Netanyahu advances judicial plan

    Protests swell in Israel as Netanyahu advances judicial plan

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    Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied in the streets of Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, promising “days of disruption”, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government advanced its plan to overhaul the judiciary.

    The rallies on Saturday marked the 28th straight week of demonstrations against Netanyahu’s plan and come days after his government gave initial approval to a key bill which is part of the overhaul.

    The bill, which was approved in its first reading, would reduce the “reasonability” clause through which the judiciary can strike down government decisions.

    It would also give the government a greater say in the appointment of judges.

    The bill still needs to be approved in two more votes, expected by the end of the month, before it becomes law.

    In Tel Aviv, protesters unrolled a large banner reading “SOS” and threw paint powder into the sky, streaking it pink and orange.

    “Handmaids” – women dressed in red robes as characters from the dystopian novel and TV series The Handmaid’s Tale – once again took to the streets. Their jarring appearance is meant to drive home the notion that, if the overhaul passes, women could be stripped of their rights.

    “This is a battle for the country, we want to keep Israel democratic and the dictatorship laws won’t pass here,” protester Nili Elezra, 54, told the AFP news agency.

    Passing the laws would harm Israel’s financial and global standing, she said.

    “Things will be bad. People are already leaving, money is being lost, investors are fleeing, the world doesn’t want to talk to us, nobody is happy with what’s going on here,” she said.

    Saturday’s protesters in Tel Aviv were joined by others across the country. Protesters brandished lit torches outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem and demonstrated in the coastal cities of Herzliya and Netanya.

    Protest organisers also said they would hold a “day of disruption” on Tuesday if the Israeli leader continues to move ahead with the plan.

    The protests came as Netanyahu remained in hospital after getting admitted earlier on Saturday for dehydration. The 73-year-old sought treatment after suffering a dizzy spell and having spent the previous day in the sun without drinking water.

    He later released a video from the Tel Aviv hospital saying he felt good.

    Netanyahu was to spend the night in the hospital, according to his office, and a weekly Cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday was pushed to Monday.

    His government’s decision to push ahead with the judicial overhaul – which the Israeli leader suspended in March amid protests and international criticism – came after cross-party dialogue on the matter collapsed last month.

    Opposition to the plan, however, remains strong.

    After more than six months of protests, the movement shows little sign of abating. Israel’s national labour union and its medical association have joined a long list of groups speaking out against the bill. Military reservists, fighter pilots and business leaders have all urged the government to halt the plan.

    Arnon Bar-David, the head of the country’s national labour union, the Histadrut, threatened a possible general strike that could paralyse the country’s economy.

    “If the situation reaches an extreme, we will intervene and employ our strength,” Bar-David said, calling on Netanyahu to “stop the chaos.”

    The Histadrut called a general strike in March as the government pushed the judicial overhaul legislation through parliament after weeks of protest. The move shut down large swaths of Israel’s economy and helped contribute to Netanyahu’s decision to suspend the legislation.

    The Israeli Medical Association, which represents 90 percent of Israeli physicians, joined the Histadrut on Friday, voting to “employ all available means, including significant organisational measures” to oppose the reasonableness bill.

    The law will “devastate the healthcare system,” the chairman of the association, Professor Zion Hagay, said.

    To protester Elad Ziv, the upcoming weeks will be crucial in stopping the legal reform.

    “We have two and a half weeks to the end of parliament’s summer session and we have to block them, otherwise Israel will become a worse place,” the 45-year-old programmer told AFP.

    “We do see the protest working in supporting people who are fighting,” he said.

    “The numbers make a difference.”

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  • Violent protests continue in wake of French teen’s fatal shooting by police

    Violent protests continue in wake of French teen’s fatal shooting by police

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    Violent protests continue in wake of French teen’s fatal shooting by police – CBS News


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    Hundreds of protesters squared off with riot police in France amid escalating violence after a police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old delivery driver in Paris. Elaine Cobbe has the latest.

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  • Protests continue across France after teen fatally shot by police

    Protests continue across France after teen fatally shot by police

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    Protests continue across France after teen fatally shot by police – CBS News


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    Widespread and violent demonstrations continued Thursday in France after the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old delivery driver by a police officer in Paris.

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  • Hundreds of thousands march in Poland anti-government protests

    Hundreds of thousands march in Poland anti-government protests

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    Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Poland on the 34th anniversary of the eastern European country’s first post-war democratic election – a march the liberal opposition billed as a test of its ability to end nearly eight years of nationalist rule later this year.

    The enormous anti-government march in the capital Warsaw on Sunday was attended by citizens travelling from across the country to voice their anger at the right-wing administration.

    Large crowds gathered in Krakow and other cities across the nation of 38 million, showing frustration with a government that critics accuse of violating the constitution and eroding fundamental rights in the country long hailed as model of peaceful and democratic change.

    Crowds stretching for at least two kilometres marched with banners reading “Free, European Poland” and “European Union yes, PiS no”, referring to the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

    People gather in the Old Town of Warsaw, Poland [Slawomir Kaminski/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via Reuters]

    Some held masks of ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski that had the word “shame” written on them. Organisers said one million people were marching, but police and city officials did not give an estimate.

    “I took part in many marches but I’ve never seen a protest of this size with such energy. I feel this is a breakthrough like [the] June 4, 1989 [democratic election] was,” Jacek Gwozdz, 51, an IT specialist from Nowy Sacz, said in Warsaw.

    Opinion polls show an election due after the summer will be closely fought, with Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine giving a boost to the Law and Justice government, which has emerged as a leading voice against the Kremlin in Europe.

    The opposition has struggled to galvanise support despite widespread criticism at home and abroad of the PiS, which has been accused of eroding the rule of law, turning state media into a government mouthpiece, and endorsing homophobia.

    Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s government denies subverting any democratic norms and says its aim is to protect traditional Christian values against liberal pressures from the West and to make the economy more fair.

    ‘Silence is over’

    Donald Tusk, head of the Civic Platform party and a former European Union council chief, welcomed supporters by saying the voice of Poles could not be silenced.

    “Democracy dies in silence but you’ve raised your voice for democracy today. Silence is over, we will shout,” he said in a speech at the end of the march.

    “There’s half a million people in the streets of Warsaw, it’s an absolute record,” he told the crowds filling Castle Square in the capital.

    Tusk called for unity despite political differences in the opposition and promised victory in elections that will be held in October or November.

    “Today, I’m vowing to win, to make those in power accountable, to mend injustice so that in the end people can be reconciled,” he said.

    Donald Tusk Poland
    Donald Tusk, leader of the main opposition party Civic Platform, promised victory in this year’s elections [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]

    In June 1989, a partially free vote handed victory to a government led by the Solidarity trade union and triggered a series of events culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall that November.

    On Sunday, hundreds of buses arrived in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. Some said they were motivated by a row over legislation proposed by PiS to weed out undue Russian influence from the country.

    The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witch-hunt against political opponents.

    In an unexpected turnaround, President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, said on Friday that he would propose amendments to the law, which has also drawn criticism from lawyers, as well as the United States and the European Commission.

    The EU’s executive said the legislation could effectively ban individuals from holding public office without proper judicial review.

    “It’s beyond comprehension,” said Andrzej Majewski, 48, from Slupca in western Poland, who was in Warsaw to join Sunday’s march.

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  • Pakistani government to try violent protesters under army laws

    Pakistani government to try violent protesters under army laws

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    People on the streets were seen burning and attacking police, government buildings, official and public vehicles, military assets and installations.

    Rioters and their backers who attacked Pakistan’s state assets and military installations during protests that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be tried under army laws, the country’s civilian and military leaders have said.

    The decision was announced on Tuesday after a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    Thousands of Khan’s supporters took to the streets after his arrest in a graft case on May 9. People were seen burning and attacking police, government buildings, official and public vehicles, military assets and installations.

    “The meeting endorsed to bring the miscreants, the planners who incited for violence and their facilitators to dock by trying them under constitutional provisions of concerned laws, including Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act,” said a statement issued by Sharif’s office.

    Sharif condemned the violence, saying that it came under the category of “terrorism” and adding that the army’s headquarters, an air force base and an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency were attacked.

    “Whoever are the planners and whoever incited these miscreants … they don’t deserve any leniency,” Sharif said.

    The decision amounted to an endorsement of the military, which said on Monday that the rioters and their handlers had been identified and would be tried under army laws.

    Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent civil rights group, strongly opposed the use of those laws to try civilians.

    “While those responsible for arson and damaging public and private property during the recent protests should be held to account, they remain entitled to due process,” the group said in a statement after Tuesday’s announcement.

    Military courts, which proceed under the Army Act and related legislation, do not have to hold to the standard of evidence and process that regular courts are obligated to uphold, lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii told Reuters news agency.

    Trying civilians in military courts is contrary to international law, according to Amnesty International’s Dinushika Dissanayake, who called the military’s intention of trying the rioters under army laws “alarming”.

    “It is alarming to note that the Pakistani Army has stated its intention to try civilians under military laws, possibly in military courts,” said Dissanayake, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for South Asia.

    “This is purely an intimidation tactic, designed to crack down on dissent by exercising fear of an institution that has never been held to account for its overreach.”

    Khan’s party blames intelligence agencies

    On Tuesday, ex-PM Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party accused intelligence agencies of being responsible for the shootings and arson during the violence.

    “We have ample amount of evidence to present to any inquiry that the arson and, in some places, shootings were done by [intelligence] agencies men who wanted to cause mayhem and blame it on PTI so the current crackdown would be justified,” the party said in a statement.

    “PTI believes that identification of elements involved in this unusual incident of violence and chaos through a credible investigation is inevitable,” the statement said, without offering any evidence for the claim.

    Khan, Pakistan’s 70-year-old former cricket World Cup-winning captain, has waged a campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, which controls the intelligence services, since being ousted from power last April through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

    Open criticism of the military, which has staged three coups and heavily influences domestic politics and foreign policy, is rare in Pakistan’s political mainstream.

    At least 19 senior PTI officials have been arrested, some in overnight raids on their homes, after being accused of instigating the recent violence.

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  • United Airlines pilots picket for higher pay before busy summer travel season:

    United Airlines pilots picket for higher pay before busy summer travel season:

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    United Airlines pilots picket, ask for raises, better work-life balance


    United Airlines pilots picket, ask for raises, better work-life balance

    01:08

    As experts forecast record-breaking summer travel numbers, pilots from United Airlines arranged picket lines at major airports on Friday as they push for higher pay. 

    The pilots, who fly for one of the world’s biggest airlines, have been working without a raise for more than four years while negotiating with airline management over a new contract. 

    Even though the pressure is building, the United pilots are unlikely to strike anytime soon. Federal law makes it very difficult for unions to conduct strikes in the airline industry, and the last walkout at a U.S. carrier was more than a decade ago.

    The coast-to-coast protests by United pilots come on the heels of overwhelming strike-authorization votes by pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. United pilots could be the next to vote, according to union officials.

    Pilots at all three carriers are looking to match or beat the deal that Delta Air Lines reached with its pilots earlier this year, which raised pay rates by 34% over four years.

    Top scale at United for a captain is $369 an hour on two-aisle planes, called “widebodies,” which are generally used on international flights, and $297 an hour on “narrowbodies” such as Boeing 737s. Airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month, according to the Labor Department.

    APTOPIX United Pilots Picketing
    Members of the Air Line Pilots Association International walk an informational picket on behalf of United Airline pilots at O’Hare International Airport Friday, May 12, 2023, in Chicago.

    Charles Rex Arbogast / AP


    United has proposed to match the Delta increase, but that might not be enough for a deal.

    “We still have a long ways to go to resolve some of the issues at the table,” said Garth Thompson, chair of the United wing of the Air Line Pilots Association.

    Thompson said discussion about wages has been held up while the two sides negotiate over scheduling, including the union’s wish to limit United’s ability to make pilots work on their days off.

    United spokesman Joshua Freed said, “We’re continuing to work with the Air Line Pilots Association on the industry-leading deal we have put on the table for our world-class pilots.”

    Pilots argue that United should reward them for helping the airline survive the coronavirus pandemic.

    “We made quite a few sacrifices during the pandemic, and we feel it is now time for the company to step up to the plate and to give us a contract, acknowledging the sacrifices and the contributions that we have made,” said pilot Arzu Delp, as he picketed at San Francisco International Airport.

    The Delta contract that United pilots are using as their starting point will cost Delta $7.2 billion over four years. All airlines are dealing with rising labor costs, which could show up in the price of a ticket, but fares are also set by supply and demand, notes Blaise Waguespack, who teaches airline management and marketing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

    United Pilots Picketing
    Members of the Air Line Pilots Association International walk an informational picket on behalf of United Airline pilots at O’Hare International Airport Friday, May 12, 2023, in Chicago.

    Charles Rex Arbogast / AP


    Giselle Ascione, a United passenger in San Francisco, said the airlines are making a lot of money, and “the pilots as well as the attendants should be paid. It’s common sense.”

    Even if the airlines and their unions fail to reach agreements quickly, strikes are unlikely in the next few months — when millions of Americans hope to fly over summer vacation. Under U.S. law, airline and railroad workers can’t legally strike, and companies can’t lock them out, until federal mediators determine that further negotiations are pointless.

    The National Mediation Board rarely declares a dead end to bargaining, and even if it does, there is a no-strikes “cooling-off” period during which the White House and Congress can block a walkout. That’s what President Bill Clinton did minutes after pilots began striking against American in 1997. In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill that Congress passed to impose contract terms on freight railroad workers, ending a strike threat.

    The last strike at a U.S. carrier occurred at Spirit Airlines in 2010.

    Thompson, the union leader at United, said his pilots “will continue to work in 2023” despite challenges including an “aggressive” summer flight schedule.

    Over the years, airline workers have conducted job actions that fell short of a strike but disrupted flights anyway. A federal judge fined the American Airlines pilots’ union $45 million for a 1999 sickout that crippled the airline’s operations, although the amount was later reduced. In 2019, a federal judge ordered unions representing American’s aircraft mechanics to stop what the airline termed an illegal work slowdown.

    Earns United Airlines
    A United Airlines jetliner taxis to a runway for take off from Denver International Airport.

    David Zalubowski / AP


    Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University, said Congress would not permit an airline strike because of the economic harm it would cause, but unhappy pilots could still cause disruptions in other ways.

    “They always have ‘work to rule.’ They could say, ‘We’re not working any overtime,’” Wheaton said. “I don’t anticipate the pilots trying to screw up travel for everybody intentionally, but bargaining is about leverage and power … having the ability to do that can be a negotiating tactic.”

    Airlines are vulnerable to work-to-rule protests because they depend on finding pilots and flight attendants to pick up extra shifts during peak travel periods.

    Regardless of the legal hurdles to a walkout, unions believe that strike votes give them leverage during bargaining, and they have become more common. A shortage of pilots is also putting those unions in particularly strong bargaining position.

    Chicago-based United has roughly 14,000 pilots, and the union expects at least 2,000 will picket Friday at 10 airports from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles. The union is also distributing leaflets that highlight the pilots’ desire for better work-life balance in their scheduling but make no mention of pay.

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  • Pakistan Supreme Court orders ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s immediate release after 2 days of deadly riots

    Pakistan Supreme Court orders ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s immediate release after 2 days of deadly riots

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    Islamabad — There was a major turn of events in Pakistan Thursday as the country’s highest court ordered the immediate release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and declared his Tuesday arrest illegal. Major cities were paralyzed this week by violent protests and riots sparked by the arrest of Khan, a national cricket legend-turned political opposition leader, on corruption charges. Khan remains hugely popular in the country of 230 million despite being forced out office last year with a no-confidence vote in Pakistan’s parliament, and his arrest has infuriated his supporters.

    The streets were quieter Thursday after two days of violence that left at least eight people dead. But the nuclear-armed Asian nation remained on tenterhooks after most leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) political party were taken into custody. The nation’s powerful army and current prime minister, who’s backed by the military, warned protesters Wednesday that any further unrest would be dealt with harshly.

    APTOPIX Pakistan Imran Khan
    A supporter of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan throws a stone at police officers near a pile of burning tires during clashes in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 10, 2023.

    AP


    Here’s what to know about the chaos, how Pakistan got here, and what may come next:

    Pakistan’s Supreme Court orders Khan’s release

    Pakistan’s Supreme Court heard a petition Thursday from Khan’s lawyer, who demanded the politician’s release and called his Tuesday arrest illegal. The court expressed displeasure over the way Khan was taken into custody in another courtroom earlier in the week, and it ordered authorities to bring him before the high court bench within an hour.

    When Khan was brought in, the court declared his Tuesday arrest unlawful for the way in which it was carried out, and then quickly ordered the 70-year-old politician’s  immediate release. 

    Khan was detained in a lower court Tuesday after appearing on corruption charges brought by Islamabad police. As he showed up in court, dozens of agents from the National Accountability Bureau, backed by paramilitary troops, stormed the courtroom, breaking windows after Khan’s guards refused to open the door.

    Amid speculation ahead of his appearance Thursday that the Supreme Court could order his release, national Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told reporters in Islamabad that it would be “unfair” for the top court to intervene is such a manner. Aurangzeb noted the violence instigated by Khan’s supporters this week and said a release order would be tantamount to a “license to kill to everyone.” 

    Who is Imran Khan?

    Imran Khan, 70, is was the Prime Minister of Pakistan for four years, until his ouster in November 2022. He remains the leader of the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which means Movement for Justice in English.

    Khan established the party after retiring from a glittering career as the captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team. He led the team to win the Cricket World Cup in 1992, cementing his status as a national hero.


    Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan injured in shooting

    03:29

    Disillusioned by widespread corruption in Pakistani politics, he left the sporting world to set up his political party in 1998. A decade later, he was finally elected as prime minister in 2018, enjoying the backing of the country’s all-powerful military. But he has since fallen spectacularly out of favor with the army’s leaders, and was voted out by parliament last year.

    Why was Imran Khan arrested?

    Ironically, having been an ardent campaigner against corruption and bribery, Khan now faces a series of graft and corruption cases.

    Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters Khan was arrested this week on the orders of the country’s main anticorruption body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He said Khan and his wife Bushra were suspected of receiving land worth around $24.7 million from a developer that had been charged with money laundering by British authorities.

    Sanaullah said U.K. authorities had returned $240 million to Pakistan in connection with the case, and that Khan was accused of returning that money to the land developer instead of keeping it in the national treasury when he was the premier.

    Khan vehemently denies all wrongdoing and insists all the charges against him — which include more than 100 separate cases brought against him since his 2022 ouster — are a ruse to keep him from contesting elections scheduled to be held in November this year.

    Khan is the seventh Pakistani prime minister in the country’s history to be arrested on corruption charges.

    What happens next, and why does it matter?

    The confrontation between Khan’s supporters and the ruling coalition government is likely to intensify again ahead of his next court appearance on May 17, when his pre-trial detention will be reviewed. If the judge decides to release Khan, he and the PTI may be emboldened and he would likely return to his home in the city of Lahore, where his supporters could more effectively try to shield him from another arrest.

    If the political turmoil around Khan continues, it could derail the national elections planned for November. 

    PAKISTAN-POLITICS-KHAN-ARREST-PROTEST
    A policeman holding a machine gun walks past a burning car during a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activists and supporters of former Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran over the arrest of their leader, in Peshawar, May 10, 2023.

    ABDUL MAJEED/AFP/Getty


    Pakistan’s military has ruled the country for the majority of its 75-year history, and most observers believe the army generals still pull the strings of its civilian government. Many Pakistanis fear the army could move to overthrow the civilian government and impose martial law if the unrest continues and military facilities again come under attack.

    The impoverished country is mired in a deep and deepening economic crisis, meanwhile, with food inflation running above 36%. Many experts believe the government is on the verge of defaulting on its international debt payments, which could trigger a complete economic meltdown. The value of the Pakistani rupee hit an all-time low against the U.S. dollar Wednesday, and it continued its precipitous fall as trading began on interbank markets Thursday.

    The instability sparked by Khan’s arrest has added to a sense of impending disaster in the country, and the immediate question is how the military will respond to any new flare-up of the protests. 

    If the generals take a heavy-handed approach to the unprecedented challenge to their power, it could lead to a wider internal conflict, and a stability crisis in a nuclear-armed nation that has tense relations with its nuclear-armed neighbor India would be a cause for concern around the world.

    CBS News’ Tucker Reals contributed to this report.

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  • Protests rage across Pakistan after former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested

    Protests rage across Pakistan after former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested

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    Protests rage across Pakistan after former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested – CBS News


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    Following the dramatic arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on corruption charges, protestors and police have clashed across the country. Imtiaz Tyab reports.

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  • Rights commission says Peru crackdown may qualify as a ‘massacre’

    Rights commission says Peru crackdown may qualify as a ‘massacre’

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    A new report says that the killing of protesters amid widespread unrest may constitute ‘extrajudicial executions’.

    A human rights commission has stated that the Peruvian government committed abuses as it cracked down on widespread unrest following the arrest of former President Pedro Castillo in December.

    In a report released on Wednesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said that the state’s response to nationwide protests could be classified as a “massacre”.

    “There were serious human rights violations that must be investigated with due diligence and an ethnic-racial approach,” IACHR President Margarette May Macaulay said in a report. “The deaths could constitute extrajudicial executions.”

    Peru has continued to grapple with a political crisis, sparked on December 7, when Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree as he faced a third impeachment hearing. Those actions led to his arrest and subsequent protests, which called for his release, new elections and a revised constitution.

    Reuters reported that more than 60 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters since December, the overwhelming majority of them protesters.

    But the administration of Castillo’s successor, President Dina Boluarte, has dismissed the violence as the product of “terrorists” and agitators, and called for a national “truce”. Peruvian authorities have denied committing abuses, despite criticism of the government’s response.

    IACHR said that a large number of those killed and injured in the protests had been targeted with firearms. It also found that many of the harshest responses took place in rural Andean regions such as Ayacucho and Puno, both of which have large Indigenous populations.

    A previous report by the human rights group Amnesty International called the government’s crackdown “systemically racist” for disproportionately targeting Indigenous populations that have already endured a history of neglect, disenfranchisement and state violence.

    In a statement on Wednesday, Amnesty called on the Canadian government to halt weapons exports to the Peruvian government.

    “The state’s callous disregard for people’s lives and rights should sound the alarm for any country that has sold or plans to sell arms to Peru,” Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru, said in the statement.

    The IACHR report was written after the commission visited Peru to meet relatives of victims, government officials and civil society members over two days in January. It follows a recent Human Rights Watch report that concluded that government forces had killed protesters.

    In January, Peru’s attorney general launched a series of inquiries into protest-related deaths. Demonstrators continue to call for Boluarte’s resignation and early elections.

    However, such calls have yet to translate into accountability or a path out of the country’s political crisis. Boluarte herself has urged the legislature to fast-track a new round of elections, but Congress has rejected efforts to do so.

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  • Clashes erupt in France on May Day as hundreds of thousands protest Macron’s pension reforms

    Clashes erupt in France on May Day as hundreds of thousands protest Macron’s pension reforms

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    Protesters clashed with security forces across France on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for Labour Day to vent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

    Unions had been hoping for a vast turnout across France for the May 1 protests to further rattle Macron, who has been greeted by pot-bashing and jeers as he toured the country seeking to defend the reforms and relaunch his second mandate.

    Macron last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill.

    French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne slammed as “unacceptable” violence that erupted in several cities.

    “In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilisation and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable,” she wrote on Twitter.

    Paris’s city hall told Le Parisien that the protests in the capital since January have caused $1.75 million worth of damage to public property.

    General views of protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.
    General views of protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.

    Onur Coban/dia images via Getty Images


    In Paris, radical protesters threw projectiles at police and broke windows of businesses such as banks and estate agents, with security forces responding with tear gas and water cannon, AFP correspondents said.

    One policeman, hit by a Molotov cocktail, has suffered severe burns to the hand and face, Paris police told AFP. The police said 46 people have been arrested in the capital alone so far.

    Police had been given a last-minute go-ahead to use drones as a security measure after a Paris court rejected a petition from rights groups for them not to be used.

    Police deployed tear gas in Toulouse in southern France as tensions erupted during demonstrations, while four cars were set on fire in the southeastern city of Lyon.

    In the western city of Nantes, police also fired tear gas after protesters hurled projectiles, AFP correspondents said. The windows of Uniqlo clothing store were smashed.

    “Even if the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, in Paris, Lyon and Nantes in particular the police face extremely violent thugs who came with one objective: to kill cops and attack the property of others,” said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter.

    Protesters briefly occupied the luxury Intercontinental hotel in the southern city of Marseille, breaking flower pots and damaging furniture.

    Some 782,000 people protested across France, including 112,000 in Paris alone, the interior ministry said. The CGT union said it counted 2.3 million protesters across France, including 550,000 in the capital.

    Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.
    Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.

    Onur Coban/dia images via Getty Images


    The turnout was massively higher than May Day last year but smaller than the biggest protests seen against the pension reform this year.

    Macron and his government have tried to turn the page on the months of popular discontent, hoping to relaunch his second term after the reform was signed into law.

    “The page is not going to be turned as long as there is no withdrawal of this pension reform. The determination to win is intact,” said CGT chief Sophie Binet at the Paris protest.

    “The mobilisation is still very, very strong,” added Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union.

    “It is a sign that resentment and anger are not diminishing.”

    Monday marked the first time since 2009 that all eight of France’s main unions joined in calling for protests.

    Radical ecological activists from Extinction Rebellion earlier sprayed orange paint on the facade of the glitzy Fondation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, which is backed by the LVMH luxury goods giant.

    In a separate action by a different environmental protest group, activists sprayed orange paint around the Place Vendome in central Paris, known for its jewelry shops, targeting the facade of the ministry of justice.

    France has been rocked by a dozen days of nationwide strikes and protests against Macron and his pension changes since mid-January, some of which have turned violent.

    When Macron attended the final of the French football cup on Saturday, he was met with activists waving red cards.

    Almost three in four French people were unhappy with Macron, a survey by the IFOP polling group found last month.

    Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, with Macron’s support, invoked in March the controversial article 49.3 of the constitution to ram the pension reform through parliament without a vote in the hung lower house.

    In the Place de la Republique where the march started in the French capital, a huge vest with the slogan “Macron resign” was fixed to the giant statue symbolising the French republic at its centre.

    Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.
    Police attend protests during Labor and Solidarity Day on May 1, 2023 in Paris, France.

    Onur Coban/dia images via Getty Images


    “The law has been passed but has not been accepted, there is a desire to show discontent peacefully to have a reaction in response that shows a certain level of decency,” said Celine Bertoni, 37, an academic in the central city of Clermont-Ferrand.

    “I still hope that we are going to be told it will be withdrawn,” she added.

    “Macron has the impression that as he was elected he has all the power! But I want him to cede his place to the people,” added Karine Catteau, 45, in the western city of Rennes.

    May Day demonstrations on a smaller and less fractious scale took place across Europe, including Spain where flag-waving demonstrators joined more than 70 rallies under the slogan: “Raise wages, lower prices and share profits”.

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  • Bud Light fumbles, but inclusive advertising is here to stay

    Bud Light fumbles, but inclusive advertising is here to stay

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    Bud Light may have fumbled its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with a transgender influencer. But experts say inclusive marketing is simply good business — and it’s here to stay.

    “A few years from now, we will look back on this ‘controversy’ with the same embarrassment that we feel when we look back at ‘controversies’ from the past surrounding things like interracial couples in advertising,” said Sarah Reynolds, the chief marketing officer for the human resources platform HiBob, who identifies as queer.

    On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page. She showed off a can with her face on it that Bud Light had sent her — one of many corporate freebies she gets and shares with her millions of followers.

    But unlike past items gifted her, like a dress from Rent the Runway or a trip to Denmark from skincare brand Ole Henriksen, the backlash to the beer can was fast and furious. Two days after Mulvaney’s post, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light. Shares of Bud Light’s parent, AB InBev, temporarily plunged.

    This week, Anheuser-Busch — AB InBev’s U.S. subsidiary — confirmed that Alissa Heinerscheid, its vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake, are taking a leave of absence. The company won’t say when they will return or whether they’re being paid.


    Budweiser releases new ad amid backlash over partnership with Dylan Mulvaney

    06:39

    “Just make beer”

    For some, the partnership went too far at a time when transgender issues — including gender-affirming health care and participation in sports — are a divisive topic in state legislatures.

    “Whether the issue is trans people or anything else, the majority of consumers are pretty vocal about the fact they don’t want brands lecturing them or stuffing politics or social issues down their throat,” said John Frigo, the head of digital marketing for Best Price Nutrition. “If you sell beer, just make beer and leave it at that.”

    But others — including Heinerscheid herself — say reaching out to younger and more diverse consumers is crucial. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, 21% of people in Generation Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, compared to 3% of Baby Boomers. Gallup has also found that younger consumers are the most likely to want brands to promote diversity and take a stand on social issues.

    “I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light. And it was, this brand is in decline. It’s been in decline for a very long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” Heinerscheid said last month in an episode of Apple’s “Make Yourself at Home” podcast.

    Bud Light and Mulvaney declined requests to talk to The Associated Press for this story.

    Rapid decline in sales following controversy

    Bud Light has long been America’s best-selling beer. But its U.S. sales are down 2% so far this year, part of a long-running decline as younger consumers flock to sparking seltzers and other drinks, according to Bump Williams Consulting. Those sales declines accelerated rapidly in April. The week ending April 15, Bud Light’s sales dropped 17% compared to the same week a year ago. Meanwhile, rivals Miller Lite and Coors Lite both saw their sales jump more than 17%.

    Marketing experts say it’s possible Bud Light’s experience will cause other brands to rethink using transgender people in their advertising. Joanna Schwartz, a professor at Georgia College and State University who teaches a course on LGBTQ+ marketing, said companies will still want to reach transgender consumers and their supporters, but might shift to social media and more targeted ads.

    “They’re walking an extremely fine line. They want to appeal to everyone, but that includes people who don’t like each other,” Schwartz said of Bud Light.

    Successful ads featuring inclusivity

    Still, Schwartz said, there are plenty of brands that have successfully featured transgender or nonbinary people in their marketing. In 2016, Secret deodorant ran an ad featuring a transgender woman in a bathroom stall, debating whether to walk out and face other women at the sink. Pantene shampoo has run ads and short films supporting transgender people in 2021 as part of its Hair Has No Gender project. And Coca-Cola’s 2018 Super Bowl ad featured young people using different pronouns to describe themselves.

    Thomas Murphy, an associate professor of branding at Clark University, said he tells brands that want to be inclusive to run ads with real people who can talk about the company’s efforts.

    “They can have employees who say, ‘I love Bud Light. I have worked here for 20 years, there are inclusive programs and I came here because I wanted a company that would embrace me,’” he said. “Who couldn’t see and hear that person and say, ‘What a great company’?”

    Both sides alienated

    Instead, Bud Light wound up alienating even transgender customers because it didn’t support Mulvaney after the boycott calls began, Schwartz said. Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on April 14 but it didn’t specifically mention the controversy.

    “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said.

    By comparison, Nike — which also faced some boycott threats after sending workout clothes to Mulvaney — supported the transgender community in an Instagram post, encouraging followers to be kind and inclusive. Nike didn’t respond to requests for comment.

    Manveer Mann, an associate professor of marketing at the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University, said Bud Light should have anticipated the backlash and had a plan in place to handle it.

    Nike learned that lesson in 2018, when it featured football player Colin Kaepernick — who had protested police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem — in its ads. Mann said Nike briefly faced boycott threats, but it stood by Kaepernick and its sales quickly recovered.

    Mann thinks Bud Light’s sales will ultimately recover, too. But in the meantime, it’s alienating everyone, she said.

    “The communication from Bud Light is not clear. Is this coming from your value set or are these things just trending?” Mann said. “You have to know what your values are and what are the values of the customers you are trying to reach.”

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  • Montana House cancels Tuesday’s session after rally for transgender lawmaker

    Montana House cancels Tuesday’s session after rally for transgender lawmaker

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    Montana’s House speaker canceled a Tuesday floor session a day after seven protestors were arrested for disrupting proceedings with demands that Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender Democrat silenced by lawmakers for comments against bans on gender-affirming care, be allowed to speak.

    The cancellation is the latest development in a standoff over whether Montana Republicans will let the lawmaker from Missoula speak unless she apologizes for her remarks last week on a gender-affirming care ban proposal.

    Speaker Matt Regier did not take questions on Tuesday or explain why lawmakers were not returning to the floor, but in a brief statement called the disruptions a “dark day for Montana.”

    “Currently, all representatives are free to participate in House debates while following the House rules,” Regier told reporters. “The choice to not follow the House rules is one that Rep. Zephyr has made. The only person silencing Rep. Zephyr is Rep. Zephyr. The Montana House will not be bullied.”

    Under Regier’s leadership, the House has not allowed Zephyr to speak since last week when she said that those who voted to ban gender-affirming care for young people would have “blood on their hands.” He and other Republicans said the remark was far outside the boundaries of appropriate civil discourse and demanded she apologizes before being allowed to participate in legislative discussions.

    Zephyr’s remarks, and the Republican response, set off a chain of events that culminated in a rally outside the Capitol and seven arrests Monday after protestors interrupted House proceedings demanding Zephyr be given the right to speak. The scene at the Statehouse galvanized both those demanding she is allowed to speak and those saying her actions constitute an unacceptable attack on civil discourse.

    Much like developments in the Tennessee Statehouse weeks ago — where two lawmakers were expelled after participating in a post-school shooting gun control protest that interrupted proceedings — Zephyr’s punishment has ignited a firestorm of debate about governance and democracy in politically polarizing times.

    It has showcased the growing power of the Montana Freedom Caucus, a group of right-wing lawmakers that has spearheaded the charge to discipline Zephyr. The caucus re-upped its demands and rhetoric Monday. In a statement, they said that Zephyr’s decision to hoist a microphone toward the gallery’s protesters amounted to “encouraging an insurrection.”

    It’s unclear if Regier and House leaders will follow the Freedom Caucus’s demand. Rep. Casey Knudsen, a rancher and a Freedom Caucus member, said the cancellation gave leadership time to respond to Monday’s events. House Democratic Leader Kim Abbott said she saw leadership’s decision to cancel as giving lawmakers “some time to regroup.”

    Though several resisted law enforcement officers trying to arrest them, Abbott pushed back at characterizing the activity as violent. She acknowledged it was disruptive, but called the demonstration peaceful. She said public protests were a predictable response to a lawmaker representing more than 10,000 constituents not being allowed to speak and questioned bringing in officers in riot gear to handle the chanting protestors.

    “It was chanting, but it absolutely was not violent,” she said. “Sometimes extreme measures have a response like this.”

    There were no reports of damage to the building and lawmakers were not threatened.

    On Monday, Zephyr said the seven arrested were “defending democracy” and in an earlier speech said that the sequence of events that followed her remarks illustrated how they had struck a chord with those in power.

    “They picked me in this moment because I said a thing that got through their shield for a second,” she told a crowd of supporters gathered on the Capitol steps near a banner that read “Democracy dies here.”

    She said she does not intend to apologize and argued that her “blood on your hands” remark accurately reflected the stakes of such bans for transgender kids.

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