Throughout its tumultuous four decades of rule, the Islamic Republic has shown remarkable longevity, despite regular predictions of its im- pending demise. However, the fact that it has largely failed to deliver on the promises of the 1979 revolution, above all democracy and social justice, continues to haunt its present and future. Iran’s post-revolutionary history…

In April 2019, Algerians ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, becoming the fifth Arab country to topple a president since 2011. Though successfully deposing the head of state, the protests continue today, with citizens taking to the streets to call for systemic regime change. The military begrudgingly endorsed the protesters’ demands to oust Bouteflika, but has since…

Regardless of the outcome of high profile public debate--viz Waterkeeper Bobby Kennedy Jr v. Dirty Coal Don Blankenship smackdown tomorrow night at the University of Charleston--or vehement protest from the likes of youth

"This is not concrete, this is nature!"

Nature and the environment are still a big part of this protest.

On the same day that protesters delivered petitions for better working conditions at Apple suppliers to Apple stores, hackers breached Foxconn security.

After Pakistan's extensive hydroelectric power resources dried up in 2008, Australian coal was marketed to satisfy the growing power consumption

This week, Anishinaabe tribal members began riding horseback along the proposed route of a what could possibly become the largest tar sands pipeline in the United States.

The Conga mine, which is majority owned by Newmont Mining Corp, would produce gold as well as copper and silver. Protesters are concerned the mine will contaminate their water and affect a major aquifer.

Polar bears re-brand a Shell refinery in Denmark.

He's not exactly treating it like a crisis. But at least he's doing something...

London Fashion Week was disrupted by protesters who want the industry to declare a climate emergency.

Activists risk arrest in an effort to prevent slow oil drilling exploration in the Arctic.

"'If you give people more places to hide, more naughty things will be done"

The Indignados (or "Outraged") have been camping in over 60 Spanish cities for almost 10 days now. What started on the 15th of May (hence the tag #15-M) via social networks has become some of the biggest and most peaceful

The green activist group's stunt seeks to draw attention to the devastation wrought by coal.

Amazon requested the injunction after alleging that bias from Donald Trump caused the contract to be awarded to Microsoft

A federal court has ordered a temporary halt in Microsoft’s work on a $10bn military cloud contract that Amazon was initially expected to win. Amazon sued in December to revisit that decision, alleging that Donald Trump’s bias against the company hurt its chances to win the project.

Amazon requested the court injunction last month. The documents requesting the block and the judge’s decision to issue the temporary injunction are sealed by the court.

Related: From books to bullets: inside Amazon's push to 'defend' America

On Thursday in Puerto Rico, activists in dozens of cars held a "Caravan Por La Vida," or "Caravan for Life," through San Juan to demand the government provide more COVID-19 tests and sufficient resources for people to stay at home during the pandemic. At least 92 people have died from COVID-19 in Puerto Rico, and last week the island was reporting a testing rate lower than any U.S. state, at an abysmal average of 15 tests a day for every 100,000 people. No one in Puerto Rico has received $1,200 checks from the government, according to San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Police stopped the caravan and said their sound trucks were illegal. When organizer Giovanni Roberto demanded that police describe the laws they were breaking, he was arrested. Roberto was released later in the night, and his charges of obstruction of justice were dropped. We hear voices from the protest. Special thanks to _Democracy Now!_ correspondent Juan Carlos Dávila.

Protests against growing economic hardship erupted in Tripoli and spread to other Lebanese cities on Tuesday, with banks set ablaze and violence boiling over into a second night.

Hundreds of Lebanese rallied Friday outside the central bank in Beirut and elsewhere in the country, a day after the prime minister said he would seek a rescue plan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with a spiraling economic and financial crisis.

Lebanon’s coronavirus lockdown has sent an economy already in deep trouble into freefall, and many are struggling to survive. Gino Raidy is an activist who was prominent during the October 2019 anti-government corruption protests. Now, with many fearing hunger and believing there is nothing left to lose, he is helping to keep demonstrators safe as they demand real and lasting change

• You think we care about masks?': anger and poverty grip Lebanese city

Thousands accused PM Janez Jansa of using the coronavirus crisis as a pretext to restrict freedoms.

Over 200 residents of Owe Camp village (Those rehabilitated due to the Koyna dam construction in 1960) at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, protested on Thursday from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm, because of several problems they are facing due to the alleged illegal mining in the area for years. They blocked the road for vehicles going towards the mining sites.

They say they have complained to and requested several senior officers from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to act against those involved and stop it, but claim no one helped them. One of the residents, Ramchandra Jadhav said, "For past five to six years we have been facing many issues. Our houses have developed several cracks because of the mining.

Also, when we asked the project manager to show us permission for it, we found none had it. We are facing health issues due to the air pollution." He added, "We have sent letters requesting the mining be stopped, to the PCMC commissioner, tehsildar, collector of Raigad district and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board."

PCMC chief Sudhakar Shinde said, "I haven't seen the letters. But we will look into the matter soon." CIDCO PRO Mohan Ninave did not respond to calls and messages.

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Walls smeared with graffiti, posters bearing slogans and placards hanging outside university campus canteens demanding justice — these are not purely incidental or dispensable instances of various protest movements, but as much a part of history as the engravings inside an old and forgotten cave. If activism is a reaction to society, then the art that comes out of it is a tangible reflection of those movements. And it is the casual redundancy of this art that Professor Shivaji Panikker hopes to reverse with his talk this Saturday.

Murals on the walls of Jawaharlal Nehru University campus

Titled Art-Activism Versus Art in Political Propaganda, the public lecture has been organised in association with the Dr Bhau Daji Lad City Museum and is an extension of an eight-year-old PG diploma course in Modern and Contemporary Indian Art and Curatorial Studies. "Indian art practice has developed through engagement with the political, social and other important issues that have influenced all important cultural practitioners from various periods. Artists and thinkers have also engaged with international practices and this needs to be understood to gain better insight into the importance of art," says Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, museum director, explaining the larger conversation that they are hoping to foment with this talk.

Shivaji Panikker and Tasneem Mehta

Adding to that, Panikker, who is an art historian and faculty at Delhi's Ambedkar University, says, "I taught an MA elective course titled Art and Public Response: Censorship, Dissent, Protest and Resistance in Contemporary Practices for the winter semester in my university in 2017. This lecture was the last component in the course, for which I did fresh documentation and reading. So, it is an extension of such learning and teaching processes."
For the talk, Panikker hopes to bring out the difference between art that is produced as propaganda material including posters murals and performance in actual activist protest locations like universities and public protest like the queer pride march or Not in my Name.

He intends to juxtapose incidental art of this kind with art that is produced in relation to socio-political issues so as to understand and highlight the contrast between the two. "The art produced in the context of protest and propaganda is not treated as art with throw value and hence art history and museums should find a way to collect, write, and preserve such art," he argues, summarising what to look forward to at the lecture. The session is open to all including college graduates and those interested in learning about art interpretation, art history and curatorial practices.

ON February 16, 6 pm onwards
AT Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Education Centre, Byculla East 
Email ccardoza@bdlmuseum.org to RSVP

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A group of protesters in Nalasopara blocked the railway tracks on Saturday morning to protest and rage out against the Pulwama terrorist attack in Kashmir that took lives of many CRPF soldiers.

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team


Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

The protesters went on to block the tracks at Nalasopara which obstructed the movement of plying trains in the area. Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) are in the process of evacuating the protesters from the tracks to ensure smooth commuting again. The protest has affected the train services on the Western line.

Pic courtesy/Vinod Kumar Menon

Pic courtesy/Vinod Kumar Menon

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

Pic courtesy/mid-day Photo team

The protesters along with some office-goers gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against the terrorists. Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019 was one of the deadliest terror attacks on security forces in the valley in over a decade. Over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in Awantipora area of Kashmir on Thursday. The incident took place when a convoy of 2,547 CRPF personnel were travelling in 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar. 

Also Read: Maharashtra ticket collector suspended for raising pro-Pakistan slogan

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Controversy and fracas is heating up over sugar imported from Pakistan. Reports have emerged about an NCP MLA from Thane district and party activists tearing sugar bags stored in a godown in Navi Mumbai. The MLA, who represents Kalwa-Mumbra constituency, said hundreds of NCP activists raided the godown, located in Dahisar Mori area of the satellite town of Mumbai, and tore the bags containing the imported sugar.

This comes on the heels of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which had already opposed the sale and distribution of imported sugar. MNS leaders from Navi Mumbai visited wholesale traders in the Vashi agriculture produce market committee (APMC), and warned them against the distribution of sugar.

While sentiment and belief is one thing, we hope that these sugar raids will not disrupt the ordinary person's life or schedule. Every political party has a right to credo and action, but it should not come at the cost of citizens.

The relevant party and its workers can hold a peaceful protest outside these godowns if they so desire, to raise awareness. They could also put up their resistance on social media and create awareness about why they oppose the Pakistani sugar. Do voice your opposition, do give vent to your anger or ire and do reinstate your stand. That is your right as citizens of a democracy.

Yet, one must always do so with a respect for people and violence should play no part in these protests. Beware of political shenanigans, which aim to capture eyeballs, rather than espouse the party line or philosophy. Actions like this must not snowball into confrontations with innocent people caught in the crosshairs.

Say no to Pakistani sugar if you wish, but do not disrupt daily life. Respect the law and the people, otherwise you fear losing sight of your cause in a spiral of violence and hooliganism.

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The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called off its proposed 'White Alert' and 'Black Day' protests scheduled on April 22 and 23 following a meeting with Home Minister, Amit Shah through video conference on Wednesday.

The doctors' body has been demanding that the Centre bring a law to protect healthcare workers from rising attacks at a time when they are battling COVID-19. According to a statement by the IMA, the home minister lauded the medical community for their work. He said the safety and security of doctors and other health care workers was his great concern, the doctors' body said.

"He (Union home minister) also assured IMA of a Central Law against violence. He appealed on behalf of the PM to defer the symbolic protest. In view of the assurances given from the highest authorities of the government, the IMA calls of the protest. White Alert on April 22 and Black Day on April 23 stand cancelled. We thank all our members for their unprecedented solidarity and support," the doctors' body said in a statement.

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For the past five years more than 16 lakh speech and hearing-impaired people from across the state have been fighting for their basic rights, but the government seems to be completely oblivious of their concerns. So much so, that when thousands of them gathered outside the state social welfare department on Monday to get a response on their 16-point charter of demands, cops resorted to lathi-charge, which they claim was a 'mild' one.

Manoj Patwari, president of the State Level Association for the Deaf, which had organised the protest, said, "We have been demanding our rights for the past five years. There are schools only till Std VII for deaf and mute people, limiting the scope of education. They do not have designated colleges either. Even job opportunities are limited as compared to those for the visually impaired and other physically disabled people. The certificates given are also bogus."

Speaking through interpreter Atiya Hajee, some of the injured protesters said, "We arrived at the spot around 9 am, and had given time to the department till 2 pm to respond. The cops had barricaded us the way animals are kept in a zoo. When one of us tried to get up, he fell on a barricade and accidentally hurt a police officer. Without even understanding the situation, the cops started beating us with rods."

Senior Inspector M M Mujawar of Bund Garden police station said, "One of them had climbed onto a platform of the administration building and was trying to provoke the agitators through sign language. We were just hitting on the ground with lathis to scare them away. We didn't hurt anyone." He added, "One of the protesters asked the others to go towards the cops. Suddenly about 2,000 of them came forward. That is when we resorted to mild lathi-charge. To bring the situation under control, we had detained some of them, but they were later released." MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, who rushed to Pune, said, "I condemn the incident. The cops who provoked other officers and ordered such action should be punished. It's bad that no one from the government visited the spot."

Member of parliament and NCP leader Supriya Sule, who also visited the spot, said, "This is highly condemnable. The protesters should get their basic rights under the Constitution." Meanwhile, Minister of State for Social Justice Dilip Kamble spoke to the protesters over phone and asked them to withdraw the agitation. He asked five of them to go to Mumbai. However, the agitators have decided to continue with the protest till their demands are met.

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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said that France should prioritize tax cuts following the conclusion of a three-month national consultation on the Government's economic and tax policies.

Medical workers all over Russia have been voicing their concerns over shortages of protective equipment and have questioned the infection-control procedures that turned dozens of hospitals into virus hotbeds.

Divisions in regional group show how Venezuelan crisis is stoking tensions in the Americas

Marches come as discontent grows over labour reform, pensions and corruption

The country’s banking system is in hock to an insolvent state

Alberto Fernández seeks to bolster state coffers with tax raid on country’s most powerful industry

In this special episode from Hong Kong, Gideon Rachman talks to Regina Ip, a member of the territory's Executive Council and Legislative Council, and to student activist Joshua Wong about the continuing protests and what happens next.

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Patrick Jenkins and guests discuss why protesters in Hong Kong are targeting HSBC, whether Société Générale is in a position to merge with other banks and the challenges facing banking in 2020. With special guest John Garvey, Global Head of Financial Services at PWC.

Contributors: Patrick Jenkins, financial editor, David Crow, banking editor, George Hammond, finance reporter, Stephen Morris, European banking correspondent, Robert Armstrong, US finance editor and John Garvey, Global Head of Financial Services at PWC. Producer: Persis Love

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Nightlife, resilient to war and terrorism, has been paralysed by coronavirus

Conservative activists vow to step up street demonstrations against business closings

Hong Kong protests against a proposed extradition law that would allow criminal suspects to be handed over to China are continuing, despite a concession by the Hong Kong chief executive to suspend the proposed law. Naomi Rovnick discusses discusses what’s at stake for China and what the protesters are seeking to achieve, with Tom Mitchell in Beijing and Sue-Lin Wong in Hong Kong.

Contributors: Suzanne Blumsom, executive editor, Naomi Rovnick FT Live reporter, Sue-Lin Wong, South China correspondent and Tom Mitchell, Beijing bureau chief. Producer: Fiona Symon

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Last weekend thousands of people took to the streets of Chile in an outburst of anger at a rise in the price of the metro fare. But as Benedict Mander tells Michael Stott, the roots of the unrest go much deeper.

Contributors: Michael Stott, Latin America bureau chief and Benedict Mander, Chile and Argentina correspondent. Producer: Persis Love.

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The FT's Sue-Lin Wong spent several months with members of Hong Kong's youthful pro-democracy movement and their supporters. She tells Andreas Paleit what she learnt about their hopes and fears for the future.

Read Sue-Lin's magazine story here

Contributors: Andreas Paleit, companies desk editor, and Sue-Lin Wong, South China correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

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A new flurry of tweets from President Trump is pushing the limits of social platform policies designed explicitly to keep users safe from the spread of the novel coronavirus, both online and off. In a series of rapid-fire messages on Friday morning, Trump issued a call to “LIBERATE” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan, all states led […]

Sam Sododeh, 59, and Barzeen Soroudi, 25, were arrested and charged with trespassing after they stormed the stage in protest against Lochte during the show's season premiere on Monday.

Two men rushed the Dancing with the Stars stage in protest against disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte after he made his debut on the show with partner Cheryl Burke.

The protesters who stormed the stage of Dancing with the Stars while Olympian Ryan Lochte was performing say the swimmer is to blame for the arrest of relative, Justin McNeil, in Brazil.

Shamed Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte welled up on Monday as he recalled getting bum-rushed by protesters on his first night on Dancing With The Stars.

A Greenpeace activist managed to fly a microlight trolling Donald Trump right over Turnberry on Friday night, minutes after the U.S. president and his wife Melania arrived at the coastal golf resort.

At Donald Trump's personal playground, Turnberry in Ayrshire, the most expensive round of golf in history is about to start, at a cost to the British taxpayer of £5 million and counting.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Edinburgh to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump (bottom right). Meanwhile the US President (inset) has started playing golf