Violent protests erupt in Serbia after deadly train station canopy collapse

No Comment. Massive anti-government protests in Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) revealed Thursday that he contracted COVID-19 during the Senate's holiday break amid an increase in infections nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will again make four free COVID tests available through the mail for households.

Black Sabbath’s heavy metal bench used by global debt-climate protesters.

Although New Zealand is about as far — in miles, at least — as you can get from Minneapolis, protests have erupted there over the killing of George Floyd. The Indigenous Maori people in particular have pushed back against police use of force, which disproportionately affects them. At first glance, the context seems quite different. New Zealand police don't usually carry firearms. The reason goes back to the 19th century British aversion to creating a police force too much like a military. In general, if New Zealand police officers need to use a gun, there is one in a lockbox in their car that they can use with a supervisor's permission. But after a white nationalist gunned down 51 people in two mosques last March in Christchurch, New Zealand's police introduced a pilot program to send heavily armed police teams on patrol in three communities. One of these communities was around Christchurch. The other two were far away in counties near the city of Auckland. The police said it would

Since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, rage that had accumulated over centuries of racial violence spilled into the nation's streets. From Atlanta , Macon and Savannah to London , Amsterdam and Paris , protesters are flooding streets that, only weeks ago, stood nearly empty due to fears of COVID-19. The crowds are unprecedented in their size , diversity and condemnation of police brutality and systemic racial injustice. Despite early property damage , largely peaceful protests have gained momentum over the course of the last week.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14

so the semi-random tour of europe that i've been doing has gotten me to paris through the 5th and i'd love to hang out with metafilter people here, should there be metafilter people here who'd love to hang out

• ten points to anyone who wants to go to a protest or rally, because it feels
  1. wrong not to do so, given the historical juncture we're at
  2. fun to do so, given the place we're at
• at least two hundred points to anyone who knows of a good punk-adjacent or riot grrl-adjacent concert to go to. other genres considered too
• also probably there's something super fun and weird to do that i'm not thinking of and you're thinking of and in that case let's do that thing
• failing all else it's fun to play board games and consume substances

How protests in Iran threaten the country's regime; Chinese police have set up outposts in Canada; Kelly Clarkson's best Kellyoke covers; Becky Toyne reviews Iain Reid's new thriller, We Spread; The Linda Lindas drop by for an after-school hangout; and more.

As protests spread across China, citizens consider how far they can push Beijing; concerns of privatized healthcare as a virtual pediatric care service shuts down because of reduced government funding; meet Jeremy Brown, one of the real-life Cornish fishermen who inspired the musical Fisherman's Friends; Dr. Nasser Mohamed, an exiled gay physician from Qatar, campaigns for LGBTQ rights; Canadian super-Swifties throw celebratory Taylor Swift dance parties; and more.

President Bush declared on Saturday that the "bitter differences" between the U.S. and Europe were over, and that NATO had a responsibility to help Iraqis with their own security.

Demonstrators who held a "die-in" outside a Fort Collins-based defense contractor over the weekend were motivated by purported connections between Woodward and a component of a bomb dropped by Israel on a camp in Rafah in late May. Here's a look at those ties.

Watch "Preacher's Kid," then a new season of Sunday Best.

Kiwon Waldron participated in four races at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, consistently finishing mid-pack in a competitive evening of harness racing in Indiana. Waldron’s first race was in the pace class, where he drove Where’s Drogon to a sixth-place finish in a time of 1:53&3. In race 3, another pace class event, Waldron and Mary Jo […]

The announcement of the approval of five requests from companies to conduct seismic tests in the Atlantic Ocean could harm thousands of dolphins and whales, according to various international media reports. A story in the Los Angeles Times says, “The Trump administration is preparing to take an important step toward future oil and natural gas […]

COVID-19 antibodies have been found in blood samples as early as September, 2019. China knew about the virus' transmission to humans months before it announced such to the world. Why has the media and our government not investigated this gross negligence, if not mass murder? Continue reading →

The Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of Russia, but also the chargé d'affaires of Georgia, for comments by country's prime minister it said called into question the integrity of Moldova's polls.

A parasite that causes the most common form of malaria is evolving to be undetectable by current tests. Some scientists want to zero in on compounds in patients’ breath instead.

Soldiers and police were patrolling Mozambique's capital Maputo early on Thursday ahead of a planned protest against election results seen by the opposition as fraudulent.

Young Mozambicans from opposition parties have given Frelimo until midday to relinquish power or face more unrest, after days of violence and looting in the country.

Mozambique is on a knife's edge as young people continue to protest against the outcome of the October elections that extended 49 years of Frelimo rule.

Mozambican opposition presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane has called for gatherings at ports and borders, and in major cities from Wednesday for what he describes as a fourth round of demonstrations against a stolen election.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola threw diplomacy out the window on Tuesday and responded angrily when he was asked whether South Africa and the ANC were "protecting its friend" Frelimo in troubled Mozambique.

In his latest Rucking with Rob newsletter, Rob Houwing argues that for England to have any hopes of beating the Springboks, they'll have to be on the ball in the final stages.

Independent Thinking: Iran protests, Iraq's invasion legacy Audio NCapeling 17 November 2022

Episode five of our new weekly podcast has a Middle East focus with insights into what is driving the ongoing protests in Iran, and the progress of Iraq in the years since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Since September, Iran has been swept by thousands of women-led protests, demanding an end to the morality police and the even calling for the fall of the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile at Chatham House this week saw our Iraq Initiative conference 2022, which delved heavily into the multiple challenges facing Iraq two decades on from the invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein.

Joining Bronwen Maddox on the podcast this week are the Chatham House Middle East and North Africa programme deputy director Dr Sanam Vakil and senior research fellow Dr Renad Mansour, who is also project director of the Iraq Initiative. They are joined by Sanya Burgess, digital investigations journalist with Sky News.

Independent Thinking: China protests, North Korea missile tests Audio NCapeling 1 December 2022

Episode seven of our new weekly podcast examines the civil unrest in China and the ongoing development of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.

Anti-lockdown protests are sweeping the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. What does the unrest say about China’s response to COVID-19? How serious a challenge is it to Xi Jinping’s legitimacy so soon after the Party Congress?

Meanwhile, 2022 has been a record year for Pyongyang’s ballistic missile launches. How far has North Korea’s nuclear programme and its missile systems developed, and what does it mean for the country’s neighbours?

Joining Bronwen Maddox in the studio this week from the Chatham House Asia-Pacific programme are its director Ben Bland and senior research fellow Dr Yu Jie. Joining the panel is special guest Ankit Panda, the Stanton senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and editor-at-large for The Diplomat magazine.

About Independent Thinking

A weekly podcast hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, in conversation with leading policymakers, journalists, and Chatham House experts providing insight on the latest international issues.

Independent Thinking: UK Integrated Review, Georgia protests Audio NCapeling 16 March 2023

Episode 19 of our weekly podcast examines the AUKUS deal, UK defence priorities, and the state of Georgia’s democracy following anti-government protests.

The UK and Australia will soon be building nuclear submarines together, but is the UK’s tilt to the Indo-Pacific sustainable? Two years on from the last Integrated Review, has the UK finally clarified its foreign policy priorities on Russia, China, and on defence? And is the money there to do it all?

Also on the show, the panel discusses Georgia following recent anti-government protests in Tbilisi. Following the Rose revolution in 2003, Georgia seemed to be on a path towards closer ties with NATO and the European Union (EU). But the country’s government has recently moved closer to Russia and Vladimir Putin. What is the state of Georgia’s democracy and where is the country heading?

Joining Bronwen Maddox from Chatham House is Creon Butler, director of our Global Economy and Finance programme, Professor Andrew Dorman, editor of the International Affairs journal, and Alice Billon-Galland, research fellow in our Europe Programme.

They are joined by Natia Seskuria, associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and Arthur Snell, former diplomat and host of the podcast Doomsday Watch.

About Independent Thinking

A weekly podcast hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, in conversation with leading policymakers, journalists, and Chatham House experts providing insight on the latest international issues.

The 2020 Inner Mongolia Language Protests: Wider Meanings for China and the Region 24 November 2020 — 3:00PM TO 4:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 12 November 2020 Online

Speakers discuss the historical roots of the language issue, as well as the wider significance of the protests in China.

Please note this is an online event. Please register on Zoom using the link below to secure your registration.

In September thousands of people protested in Inner Mongolia in opposition to a government move to replace Mongolian language with Standard Mandarin in three school subjects – history, politics and Chinese language.

Announced less than a week before the start of the new school year, the policy also requires schools to use new national textbooks in Chinese, instead of regional textbooks. The mass protests and classroom walk-outs reflect ethnic Mongolian’s anxiety that their native language may be eliminated. What has the government’s response to the protests been?

Iran: Protests, politics and power 16 November 2022 — 6:00PM TO 7:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 18 October 2022 Online

Join Robert Macaire, UK ambassador to Iran (2018-21), and others to discuss what the protests mean for Iran’s domestic, regional and global power.

Protests in Iran, spurred after Masha Amini died in police custody, have drawn focus on how Iranians feel about state repression, a struggling economy and global isolation. Iran is facing the most adamant challenge to its power structure since the ‘green movement’ in 2009 with protests taking place in more than 50 cities and towns across the country. There is no sign that the government will back down but what will that decision mean for the power it can wield at home and abroad?

This conversation examines how the protests impact Iran’s domestic power, its regional relationships and its relations with the US.

• What do the protests demonstrate about Iran’s power domestically and regionally?

• How do the protests influence the JCPOA?

• What will the government gain if they hold a hard line on protesters?

• How do the protests impact Iran’s regional activities?

As with all members events, questions from the audience drive the conversation.

Read the transcript. 

The Army has successfully tested the MK-22 Precision Sniper Rifle to clear it for fielding.

New blood tests screen for colorectal cancer in a much less invasive way than colonoscopy, but deaths will increase if many people choose this alternative, a new study indicates.

NASA engineers fired the engines on the X-59 research aircraft in advance of planned test flights to determine if the aircraft can reduce sonic booms and make supersonic flight over land quieter.

Teachers in North Carolina and Oregon plan to walk out of their classrooms in protest in May.

North Dakota and Wyoming state superintendents said this week that they will soon hire new testing vendors.

Thousands of teachers will head to the state capital on Wednesday to call for a nearly $10,000 raise over four years and an increase to per-pupil spending.

Teachers in North Carolina and Oregon plan to walk out of their classrooms in protest in May.

With many students working remotely, there’s no point in administering assessments that ask students to come up with a single answer; it’s simply too easy to cheat.

Tennessee improved its teacher evaluation and training systems by integrating data and teacher voice, according to a new report. But value-added measures that evaluate teachers based on student test scores remain controversial.

Hawaii teachers have joined the Red for Ed movement: Last week, dozens of teachers across the state staged a "walk-in" protest to spread awareness about what they see as a lack of funding for public schools.

As Oklahoma teachers prepare for day four of their statewide walkout, here's a guide to the larger picture of teacher protests.

Getting the perfect shot requires great timing, the right equipment and nerves of steel

A Two-Day Festival in the historic Arts & Industries Building brings community, artists and scholars together for a “Culture Lab”

OM Panama team members struggle to continue ministry as the Gnöbe Buglé people protest and bring the country to a halt.