https://www.scmp.com/rss/507991/feed Protests in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020 made headlines around the world. Here’s the latest news and updates from street protests happening elsewhere. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nepal’s former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters in September, police said. The detentions came a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet were sworn in after the first election since the 2025 uprising that toppled 74-year-old Oli’s government. “They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law,” said Kathmandu Valley... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3348224/nepals-ex-pm-kp-sharma-oli-arrested-over-alleged-role-crackdown-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3348224/nepals-ex-pm-kp-sharma-oli-arrested-over-alleged-role-crackdown-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:55:27 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari A high-level inquiry in Nepal has held former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and other senior government officials responsible for criminal negligence over the shootings in last year’s deadly youth uprising that killed 76 people, as the leak of the crucial report to a local publication triggered criticisms due to its sensitive nature. The committee, led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, has recommended investigation and prosecution of Oli, his home minister Ramesh Lekhak, and former Inspector... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348012/nepals-probe-deadly-uprising-finds-ex-prime-minister-officials-reckless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348012/nepals-probe-deadly-uprising-finds-ex-prime-minister-officials-reckless?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:00:10 +0000 dpa dpa Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Berlin on Sunday to protest against online sexual violence and express solidarity with victims, amid heightened attention after a German celebrity came forward with allegations against a former partner. A newly formed group named Feminist Fight Club! called for protesters to assemble at the Brandenburg Gate amid a controversy over pornographic deepfakes in Germany. People held banners that read “Human rights online too” and “Turn the shame... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347509/thousands-rally-berlin-against-online-sexual-violence-pornographic-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347509/thousands-rally-berlin-against-online-sexual-violence-pornographic-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:34:24 +0000 Agencies Agencies Most of Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region was ‌left without power on Saturday after a Russian drone attack, local governor Viacheslav Chaus said. He ⁠said repair works were under way ‌to fix the damage. The region, which ‌borders Russia and Belarus, ⁠had ⁠a pre-war population of nearly ‌a million. The regional capital, also called ‌Chernihiv, ‌was fully without power, ‌the city administration there ⁠said. Russia has conducted a vast ⁠bombardment campaign against Ukrainian energy facilities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347437/most-ukraines-chernihiv-region-has-no-power-after-russian-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347437/most-ukraines-chernihiv-region-has-no-power-after-russian-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:15:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A 19-year-old star wrestler and two other young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be under way as authorities facing relentless attacks from the US and Israel seek to squelch public dissent. The three men are the first to be executed from among the tens of thousands who were arrested during a January crackdown on nationwide protests. Rights groups say more than 100 others could face death sentences. The wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347426/iran-hangs-3-young-men-rights-groups-raise-alarm-multiple-executions-could-follow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347426/iran-hangs-3-young-men-rights-groups-raise-alarm-multiple-executions-could-follow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:40:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Friday against Harvard University, accusing the institution of allowing a “hostile environment” towards Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus from 2023 to 2025. President Donald Trump has launched an offensive against major American universities, accusing them of giving free rein on their campuses to pro-Palestinian movements in the face of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, action which he equates with... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347411/us-government-sues-harvard-over-anti-israel-protests-cites-hostile-environment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3347411/us-government-sues-harvard-over-anti-israel-protests-cites-hostile-environment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:27:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Anyone applying to become a minister in Madagascar’s new government will be subjected to lie detector tests to root out those who are corrupt, the country’s military leader said on Thursday. President Michael Randrianirina, who took power in a coup in the Indian Ocean island in October, said Madagascar had acquired a polygraph machine and a specialist to operate it to vet new government ministers. “We will know who is corrupt and who can help us,” Randrianirina said. “We are not looking for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347249/madagascars-leader-orders-lie-detector-tests-prospective-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347249/madagascars-leader-orders-lie-detector-tests-prospective-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:13:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of people turned out in London on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime”. Police said in a statement they had arrested 12 people and were investigating anti-Israeli chants allegedly made at the rally. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said earlier this week she had agreed to the ban to “prevent serious public disorder” in the context of the continuing conflict in the Middle East, where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:43:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two men on a motorbike threw acid in the face of an Indonesian rights activist, leaving him badly hurt and prompting calls on Friday for a thorough investigation amid concerns of democratic backsliding in the country. Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group, sustained serious injuries to his face, an eye, hands and chest in the attack in Jakarta late on Thursday. Andrie was riding a motorbike when he was approached by two men on a scooter, one of whom threw acid at him,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346574/acid-attack-indonesian-activist-raises-fears-democracy-under-prabowo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346574/acid-attack-indonesian-activist-raises-fears-democracy-under-prabowo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 02:20:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A home-made explosive thrown near anti-Islam protesters outside the New York mayor’s home was a viable device “that could have caused serious injury or death”, police said on Sunday. Two suspicious devices were thrown by a man identified by police as Emir Balat near the protest on Saturday led by a far-right influencer to oppose public Muslim prayer. An Agence France-Presse correspondent at the scene heard Balat shout “Allahu akbar” (“God is the greatest”) during the incident, which is under... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345909/new-york-police-say-device-thrown-near-anti-islam-protest-was-improvised-explosive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345909/new-york-police-say-device-thrown-near-anti-islam-protest-was-improvised-explosive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:45:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sixty-one years after state troopers attacked Civil Rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, thousands are gathering in the Alabama city this weekend, amid new concerns about the future of the Voting Rights Act. The March 7, 1965, violence that became known as Bloody Sunday shocked the nation and helped spur passage of the landmark legislation that dismantled barriers to voting for Black Americans in the Jim Crow South. But this year’s anniversary celebrations – events run all... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345904/us-activists-politicians-rally-anniversary-civil-rights-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345904/us-activists-politicians-rally-anniversary-civil-rights-march?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:28:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh began fuel rationing on Sunday as the war in the Middle East deepened an energy crunch, creating long queues at petrol stations and boiling over into anger. The country of 170 million people imports 95 per cent of its oil and gas needs. Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes throughout the Gulf, the national oil company, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), restricted fuel sales for most vehicles. Authorities capped fuel purchases for several... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345903/bangladesh-rations-fuel-us-iran-war-stresses-energy-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345903/bangladesh-rations-fuel-us-iran-war-stresses-energy-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 14:40:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Nepali political party led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide victory in the country’s first parliamentary election since Gen Z protests ousted the old leadership that has ruled the Himalayan nation for decades. The Rastriya Swatantra, or the National Independent Party (RSP), formed only four years ago, had already won 117 of 165 directly elected seats and led in eight other constituencies in the results published on Sunday morning by Nepal’s Election Commission. Other political parties... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345883/nepali-ex-rapper-will-form-government-after-landslide-election-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345883/nepali-ex-rapper-will-form-government-after-landslide-election-win?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 11:00:26 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari A 35-year-old rapper and engineer who entered politics just four years ago has beaten a former prime minister in Nepal’s crucial parliamentary election, in a contest widely seen as a referendum on a generational shift in leadership after last year’s youth uprising. Balendra Shah – the former Kathmandu mayor widely known as Balen – surged ahead of 74-year-old communist leader K.P. Sharma Oli in a race for a seat in Nepal’s House of Representatives in the eastern district of Jhapa, election... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345808/nepal-election-rapper-turned-politician-balen-shah-poised-become-next-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345808/nepal-election-rapper-turned-politician-balen-shah-poised-become-next-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:18:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters The United States has ordered non-emergency staff at two Pakistani consulates to leave the country and granted permission for staff to leave missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Oman as Iran retaliates over US-Israeli raids. The State Department ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members at the consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to “safety risks”, the US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement on Wednesday. It said there was no change to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345490/us-pulls-diplomatic-staff-karachi-lahore-amid-pro-iran-protests-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345490/us-pulls-diplomatic-staff-karachi-lahore-amid-pro-iran-protests-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:13:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pakistani authorities deployed troops and imposed a three-day curfew before dawn on Monday in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu after several people died and tens were injured in violent protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, officials said. Thousands of Shiite demonstrators on Sunday attacked the offices of the UN Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the UN... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345199/pakistan-cities-under-curfew-after-23-die-pro-iran-protests-over-khamenei-killing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345199/pakistan-cities-under-curfew-after-23-die-pro-iran-protests-over-khamenei-killing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:53:58 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari Sangharsh Bhusal returned to the spot outside Nepal’s parliament building where police shot him last year. The 28-year-old still bears scars on his head, hand and abdomen from the violence that engulfed Kathmandu during Nepal’s Gen Z uprising, when thousands took to the streets demanding good governance and an end to corruption. It was here, in front of the seat of power, where many young protesters believed their voices should have been heard when gunfire rang out. At least 77 people –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345168/young-nepalis-hope-post-uprising-election-candidates-shun-same-old-patterns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345168/young-nepalis-hope-post-uprising-election-candidates-shun-same-old-patterns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg At least 10 pro-Iranian protesters were killed in clashes with police as they tried to storm the gates of the US consulate in Pakistan’s main port city of Karachi on Sunday. Security forces opened fire at the consulate, resulting in the deaths of 10 protesters, with 34 injured, said Sukhdew Assardas Hamnani, a spokesman for the Sindh government. “The police reached the site and took the situation into control,” he said. Faisal Edhi, who runs Edhi Foundation, a rescue service, said several of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345061/10-killed-karachi-pro-iran-protests-erupt-across-pakistan-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345061/10-killed-karachi-pro-iran-protests-erupt-across-pakistan-india?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:12:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado said on Sunday that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in the South American country. Machado did not set a date for her return but said one of the objectives will be to prepare “for a new and gigantic electoral victory”. In a message shared on social media, the politician called on her supporters to “strengthen the unity of Venezuelans that began with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345059/venezuelas-opposition-leader-machado-will-return-country-coming-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345059/venezuelas-opposition-leader-machado-will-return-country-coming-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 22:44:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro demonstrated in cities across the South American nation on Sunday, as organisers hoped to build momentum for a right-wing victory in the coming presidential elections. Protesters draped in yellow and green – the colours of the national flag – took to the streets in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital Brasilia to voice their opposition to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who faces a tough re-election bid in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345058/supporters-ex-president-bolsonaro-rally-across-brazil-against-lula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345058/supporters-ex-president-bolsonaro-rally-across-brazil-against-lula?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:54:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press When targeted by nationwide protests early this year, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unleashed the bloodiest crackdown of his nearly four decades in power. But now a US or Israeli military strike has ended his rule. Iran’s state TV confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday, a day after after US President Donald Trump said the 86-year-old was dead. Israeli officials also told reporters earlier that he was killed in a major new attack by US and Israeli forces. Khamenei tried to avert such... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345002/what-know-about-irans-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345002/what-know-about-irans-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:30:55 +0000 dpa dpa At least 30 people in Iran are facing the death penalty in connection with the recent mass protests in the country, according to the human rights group Amnesty International. A death sentence had already been passed in eight cases, the organisation reported on Friday. Among the 22 other cases before the courts, two men were still minors, Amnesty said. The Iranian judiciary has not officially confirmed any of the death sentences. However, a week ago, the Misan news agency, which is linked to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344214/30-people-iran-face-death-penalty-after-protests-amnesty-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344214/30-people-iran-face-death-penalty-after-protests-amnesty-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:12:00 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US agencies are struggling to find the best method to fund additional software for millions of Iranian civilians to get around their government’s strict internet censors, amid a surge in demand over weeks of domestic unrest. The State Department, US senators from both parties, and other US agencies have advocated for funding virtual private networks and anticensorship technology programmes that would allow about a quarter of the people in Iran to access the internet without the Islamic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343760/us-lawmakers-push-vpn-funding-so-iranians-can-access-internet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343760/us-lawmakers-push-vpn-funding-so-iranians-can-access-internet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:20:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nepalese candidates launched their campaigns on Monday for next month’s parliamentary election, the first since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government last year. “This election will draw the future of the country,” Sushila Karki, who is serving as interim prime minister until the March 5 vote, said ahead of the launch. The youth-led protests were triggered by a brief social media ban but were fuelled by anger at economic stagnation and an ageing elite seen as out of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343687/campaigning-starts-nepals-first-election-deadly-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343687/campaigning-starts-nepals-first-election-deadly-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:16:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press White House border tsar Tom Homan said on Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge. A “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond “when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control”, Homan told CBS’ Face the Nation.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343653/trumps-border-tsar-homan-says-small-security-force-will-remain-minnesota?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343653/trumps-border-tsar-homan-says-small-security-force-will-remain-minnesota?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 19:00:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh’s prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman on Saturday dedicated his landslide election win to those who “sacrificed for democracy”, calling for unity after the first polls since a deadly 2024 uprising. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Rahman, 60, the scion of one of the most powerful political dynasties, is set to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people after sweeping elections on Thursday. “This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy,” he said, in his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343587/bangladesh-pm-be-celebrates-landslide-win-thanks-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343587/bangladesh-pm-be-celebrates-landslide-win-thanks-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 11:21:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen”, as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure on the Islamic republic. Trump’s comments were his most overt call yet for the toppling of Iran’s clerical establishment, and came as he pushes on Washington’s arch-foe Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear programme. At the same time, the exiled son of the Iranian shah toppled in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343549/trump-says-change-power-iran-would-be-best-thing-he-sends-second-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343549/trump-says-change-power-iran-would-be-best-thing-he-sends-second-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 23:44:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is due in federal court in Minnesota on Friday to enter a plea in a criminal case stemming from his coverage of a protest at a church against US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lemon, now an independent journalist, livestreamed a protest against Trump’s deployment of ‌thousands of armed immigration agents into Democratic-governed Minnesota’s biggest cities. The protest disrupted a January 18 service at Cities Church in St Paul. He was charged with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343520/us-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-enter-plea-minnesota-ice-protest-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343520/us-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-enter-plea-minnesota-ice-protest-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:24:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s point man on Thursday announced the end of an aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens. Thousands of federal agents including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343372/trump-end-minnesota-immigration-crackdown-border-tsar-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343372/trump-end-minnesota-immigration-crackdown-border-tsar-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:09:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country’s theocracy remains under pressure, both from US President Donald Trump who suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and a public angrily denouncing Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The commemoration represented a split-screen view of life in Iran, with state television showing hundreds of thousands of people across the country attending pro-government rallies,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343207/irans-revolution-anniversary-marred-protests-nuclear-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343207/irans-revolution-anniversary-marred-protests-nuclear-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:30:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Draped in burnt-orange robes, two dozen Buddhist monks arrived in Washington on Tuesday on a 3,700km (2,300-mile) “Walk for Peace”, a ‌self-described spiritual journey across nine states that has been cheered on by crowds of thousands. “I feel like in our ‍country and in our world right now that you have to show your support for peace in every possible way you can,” said Bob Anderson, 74, of Gloucester County, Virginia, during a stop by the monks in Richmond on February 3. “And so this is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343110/walk-peace-buddhist-monks-arrive-washington-after-3700km-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343110/walk-peace-buddhist-monks-arrive-washington-after-3700km-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:14:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh’s election campaign entered its final day on Monday before this week’s vote, with rival parties invoking the 2024 uprising that ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina. Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters attended a succession of rival rallies across the sprawling capital Dhaka, as parties sought to harness the legacy of the mass uprising and pitch competing visions of change for the country of 170 million in Thursday’s election. The South Asian nation will elect a 350-seat... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342969/bangladeshs-political-parties-campaign-over-revolutions-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342969/bangladeshs-political-parties-campaign-over-revolutions-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:32:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to over seven more years in prison after she began a hunger strike, supporters said on Sunday, as Tehran cracks down on all dissent following nationwide protests and the deaths of thousands at the hands of security forces. The new convictions against Mohammadi come as Iran tries to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear programme to avert a threatened military strike by US President Donald Trump. Iran’s top diplomat insisted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342852/iran-sentences-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi-over-7-more-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342852/iran-sentences-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi-over-7-more-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 17:40:53 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg President Donald Trump sent a fresh warning to Iran’s leaders as US military forces amassed in the region, even as diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran were set for later this week. “I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, when asked about Iran’s supreme leader. “As you know, they are negotiating with us.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post on Wednesday that talks with the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342432/trump-says-iran-leaders-should-be-very-worried-talks-flail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342432/trump-says-iran-leaders-should-be-very-worried-talks-flail?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:07:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border tsar Tom Homan said on Wednesday. About 700 federal officers – roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota – will be withdrawn immediately after state and local officials agreed over the past week to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, Homan said. But he did not provide a timeline... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342419/trump-border-tsar-says-700-immigration-officers-leave-minnesota-immediately?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342419/trump-border-tsar-says-700-immigration-officers-leave-minnesota-immediately?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:49:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Women in Iran can now formally obtain a licence to ride a motorcycle, local media reported on Wednesday, ending years of legal ambiguity surrounding two-wheelers. Previously, the law did not explicitly prohibit women from riding motorbikes and scooters, but in practice authorities refused to issue licences. Due to the grey area, women have been held legally responsible for accidents even when they are victims. Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref signed a resolution on Tuesday aimed at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342402/iran-formally-allows-women-ride-motorcycles-historic-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342402/iran-formally-allows-women-ride-motorcycles-historic-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:26:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command said on Tuesday, threatening to ramp up tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to get Iran to the negotiating table. The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and kept flying towards it “despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters,” Central... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342291/us-shoots-down-iranian-drone-aggressively-approaching-aircraft-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342291/us-shoots-down-iranian-drone-aggressively-approaching-aircraft-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:16:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Monday his administration would seek US$1 billion in damages from Harvard University after a New York Times report said the college had won some concessions in ongoing settlement negotiations with the government. “We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump officials have accused Harvard and other colleges of promoting so-called... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342201/trump-says-seeking-us1-billion-harvard-damages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342201/trump-says-seeking-us1-billion-harvard-damages?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:40:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp defended the firm’s surveillance technology as it reported a big jump in sales on Monday, ‍saying it has safeguards to prevent government overreach, without mentioning US immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota that have drawn widespread protests. The data analytics company said revenue derived from the US government spiked 66 per cent in the fourth quarter from the year-ago period to US$570 million. Total sales of US$1.41 billion exceeded analysts’... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342195/palantir-defends-surveillance-tech-us-government-contracts-boost-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342195/palantir-defends-surveillance-tech-us-government-contracts-boost-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:04:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was hopeful of agreeing a deal with Iran after the country’s supreme leader warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday likened the recent protests to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342025/trump-hopeful-iran-deal-after-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-warns-regional-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342025/trump-hopeful-iran-deal-after-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-warns-regional-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:03:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have returned to their home in a Minneapolis suburb after ‍being detained by US immigration officers and held at a detention facility in Texas, a lawmaker said on Sunday. A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his son, whom immigration officers detained during a Minnesota raid. US Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, wrote in ⁠a social media post that he picked them up on Saturday night at the detention... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342022/5-year-old-liam-conejo-ramos-and-father-return-minnesota-texas-ice-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342022/5-year-old-liam-conejo-ramos-and-father-return-minnesota-texas-ice-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:11:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters French IT company Capgemini will sell its US ‌subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions, it said on Sunday, after coming ‍under pressure to explain a contract the latter signed with US immigration enforcement agency ICE. French lawmakers, including Finance Minister Roland Lescure, had asked the company to shed light on the contract amid concern over the tactics used by ICE agents following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minnesota last month. “Capgemini considered that the usual legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342006/frances-capgemini-sell-us-subsidiary-under-pressure-ice-contract?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342006/frances-capgemini-sell-us-subsidiary-under-pressure-ice-contract?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:52:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A five-year-old boy and his father must be released by Tuesday from the Texas centre where they have been held after being detained by immigration officers in Minnesota, a federal judge ordered Saturday in a ruling that harshly criticised US President Donald Trump’s administration’s approach to enforcement. Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack being surrounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights on January... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341971/us-must-release-5-year-old-bunny-hat-boy-detained-ice-judge-orders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341971/us-must-release-5-year-old-bunny-hat-boy-detained-ice-judge-orders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 22:44:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed by Border Patrol officers on January 24, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday. “We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Blanche said during a news conference. Blanche did not explain why the DOJ decided to open an investigation into Pretti’s killing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341904/us-justice-department-opens-civil-rights-probe-killing-alex-pretti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341904/us-justice-department-opens-civil-rights-probe-killing-alex-pretti?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:38:32 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and recorded anti-immigration enforcement protesters who disrupted a service in an incident that increased tensions between residents and the Trump administration, his lawyer said on Friday. Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, Abbe Lowell said. It is unclear what charge or charges Lemon is facing in the January 18 protest. The arrest came... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341887/trump-doj-arrests-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-after-judge-initially-rejected-church-protest-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341887/trump-doj-arrests-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-after-judge-initially-rejected-church-protest-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:30:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Plain clothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests after crushing the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sources told Reuters. Modest ‍protests that began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship unleashed long-suppressed wider grievances and swiftly escalated into the gravest existential threat to Iran’s Shiite theocracy in nearly five decades, with protesters... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341787/iran-said-be-rounding-thousands-after-crushing-bloodiest-unrest-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341787/iran-said-be-rounding-thousands-after-crushing-bloodiest-unrest-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 05:46:40 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man claiming to be an FBI agent showed up to a federal jail in New York City on Wednesday night and told officers he had a court order to release Luigi Mangione, authorities said. He is now locked up there too. Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old Minnesota native who has a history of drug and other arrests and disclosed last year in court papers that he suffered from mental illness, was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal officer in a foiled bid to free Mangione from the Metropolitan... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341746/man-posing-fbi-agent-tried-free-luigi-mangione?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341746/man-posing-fbi-agent-tried-free-luigi-mangione?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:16:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota could be reduced, but only if state and local officials cooperate, US President Donald Trump’s border tsar said on Thursday, noting he had “zero tolerance” for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing operation in the Twin Cities. Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend’s fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti. The news conference comes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341736/trumps-border-tsar-links-minnesota-ice-drawdown-state-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341736/trumps-border-tsar-links-minnesota-ice-drawdown-state-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:17:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse American singer-songwriters are taking up the protest torch like their forebears Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, releasing tracks featuring searing criticism of Donald Trump and paying homage to Minneapolis residents killed this month by federal immigration agents. More than 80 years after folk icon Guthrie scrawled “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar, his musical heirs are savaging President Donald Trump on his immigration crackdown, his renamed Department of War, the United... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341677/how-ice-agents-are-facing-musical-backlash-new-generation-protest-singers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341677/how-ice-agents-are-facing-musical-backlash-new-generation-protest-singers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:15:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Thursday she is running for governor of Minnesota, promising to take on US President Donald Trump while unifying a state that has endured a series of challenges even before the federal government’s immigration crackdown. Klobuchar’s decision gives Democrats a high-profile candidate and proven statewide winner as their party tries to hold onto the office occupied by Governor Tim Walz. The 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Walz abandoned his campaign for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341729/trump-critic-klobuchar-enters-minnesota-governor-race-amid-ice-crackdown-fraud-scandals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341729/trump-critic-klobuchar-enters-minnesota-governor-race-amid-ice-crackdown-fraud-scandals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:57:01 +0000