TheRepublic.com - Political and civil unrest News

Protesters arrested at coal firm Alpha's HQ in Va

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:05:31 -0400

BRISTOL, Virginia - Several environmental activists were arrested Friday after blocking the road leading to the headquarters for Alpha Natural Resources to protest the coal producer's mining practices.

Tunisian feminist faces 6 months in prison

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:29:10 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia - Amina Tyler, the 19-year-old Tunisian woman who scandalized many in the country by posting topless photos of herself online as a protest, could face six months in prison for her latest arrest, her lawyer said Friday.

Berlusconi looms large in Rome mayor election

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:10:26 -0400

ROME - Silvio Berlusconi's figure looms large over Rome's mayoral elections this weekend, even though the former premier isn't among the 19 candidates running.

This Week in the Civil War

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:05:15 -0400

This Week in The Civil War, for week of Sunday, May 26: Fighting for control of the lower Mississippi River.

NC NAACP calls for June 3 rally for next protest

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:14 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is calling for a mass rally June 3 to continue its series of weekly protests.

Obama balances threats against Americans' rights

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:41:50 -0400

WASHINGTON - Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says "America is at a crossroads." And so, too, is his presidency's counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to balance protecting the nation from terror attacks while upholding Americans' rights.

Milestones for Guantanamo Bay detention center

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:25 -0400

President Barack Obama on Thursday reaffirmed his 2008 campaign promise to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terror suspects have been held since 2002, and begin the transfer of some prisoners to other countries. A look the facility's history:

Dissidents find 'Cuba outside Cuba' in Miami

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:54:59 -0400

MIAMI - When Cuban hunger striker Guillermo Farinas arrived in Miami, he said he was prepared to face rejection from radical members of the Cuban-American community who do not believe in pacific opposition.

Anti-war protester shouts at Obama during speech

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:37:00 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama was interrupted three times by a woman who shouted about drones and detainees in Cuba as he delivered a speech on national security.

Sweden's riots raise questions about inequality

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:36:24 -0400

HUSBY, Sweden - Sweden has long been a bastion of generous social welfare and an egalitarian political culture. So many people were shocked when scores of youths hurled rocks at police and set cars ablaze during rioting in several largely immigrant areas near Stockholm this week.

Greeks to see no tax relief until budget improves

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:05:18 -0400

ATHENS, Greece - Greece's conservative-led government can't lower taxes before the public deficit falls further, the prime minister said Thursday, but he pledged to eventually slash the corporate tax rate to a flat 15 percent.

AP PHOTOS: Egypt's languishing Islamic antiquities

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:10 -0400

CAIRO - Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets.

15 injured in clash with security forces in Guinea

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:43:29 -0400

CONAKRY, Guinea - A government spokesman says at least 15 people were injured, four of them by bullet wounds, during a protest in Guinea's capital between opposition parties and security forces. The clashes are the latest iteration in the ongoing fight between the country's opposition and the ruling party over the details of a much-delayed parliamentary election.

Court cancels Ukraine's first gay pride rally

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:55:05 -0400

KIEV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian court on Thursday banned what would have been Ukraine's first-ever gay pride demonstration, upholding a suit by city authorities, who argued the rally would disturb annual Kiev Day celebrations and could spark violence.

Togo police fire tear gas at protesters

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:25:04 -0400

LOME, Togo - Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the latest confrontation between the ruling party and Togo's increasingly active opposition. Demonstrators were gathering to protest the death of an opposition member, who died in jail.

Malaysian charged with sedition, 3 more arrested

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:13:24 -0400

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian authorities detained three anti-government figures, charged a student activist with sedition and seized hundreds of opposition newspapers Thursday, raising political tensions after recent national elections triggered claims of fraud.

Restaurant torched in 4th night of Sweden riots

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:01:20 -0400

STOCKHOLM - Groups of youths have burnt down a restaurant, torched more than 30 cars and injured three police in a fourth night of riots in suburbs of the Swedish capital that started following a fatal police shooting.

Russian court denies Pussy Riot's Alekhina parole

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:49:37 -0400

MOSCOW - A Russian court has denied parole to a member of the Pussy Riot punk group.

Gulf Coast remembers 'wade-ins'

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:38:14 -0400

BILOXI, Mississippi - Fifty years ago, civil rights protesters held sit-ins at lunch counters or in waiting rooms or bus stations across the South.

Heat wave causes power outages, anger in India

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:16:06 -0400

LUCKNOW, India - A blistering heat wave has swept across most parts of north and western India, causing massive electricity cuts and leading angry residents to protest and even attack power company officials and property.

2011 jail breaks become political issue in Egypt

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:40:39 -0400

CAIRO - It was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt's revolution: orchestrated attacks on prisons around the country that broke out more than 20,000 inmates while police were tied down with the massive popular protests that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power.

Occupy Easton protesters ordered to leave Thursday

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:26:05 -0400

EASTON, Pennsylvania - Officials in the eastern Pennsylvania city of Easton have told Occupy protesters to leave by noon Thursday or be cited for trespassing.

Afghan students protest women's rights decree

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:38:35 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan - Hard-line Islamist students protested in the Afghan capital demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women's rights that they say is un-Islamic. It was the latest sign of a backlash against the legal protections passed in the 12 years since the toppling of the Taliban regime known for its harsh treatment of women.

After steady heckling, Perry meets with protesters

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:56:16 -0400

AUSTIN, Texas - Hecklers demanding that Texas expand the Medicaid program under the White House-backed health care law repeatedly interrupted a speech by Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday, then descended on his office for a meeting to keep pressing their case.

BP protester settles suit alleging retaliation

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:39:03 -0400

JACKSON, Mississippi - A woman has reached a lawsuit settlement with a south Mississippi city where she says police arrested her for protesting the BP oil spill then arrested her again in retaliation for suing, according to court records.