Political and civil unrest news and stories by mail.com

Political and civil unrest

Vietnam sentences 2 songwriters to prison terms
Two musicians in Vietnam whose topical songs are popular among overseas Vietnamese were sentenced to prison Tuesday, prompting criticism from the ...
Indigenous vs. multinationals in Mexico wind power
Mexico is putting up wind power turbines at a breakneck pace and the expansion is pitting energy companies against the Indians who live in one of the ...
Protesters delay vote on new Libyan Cabinet
Libya's new prime minister on Tuesday put forward a Cabinet for parliamentary approval, but protesters stormed the building during the session, ...
Correction: Oil Pipeline-Texas Landowners story
In a story on Oct. 17 about TransCanada Corp.'s effort to build a pipeline in Texas, The Associated Press erroneously reported that landowners are ...
Moscow rally urges release of opposition activists
Several hundred demonstrators rallied in Moscow on Tuesday to press for the release of opposition activists on the same day that Russia commemorated ...
Nationalists perform strongly in Ukraine vote
A right-wing party has promised to fight for greater democracy and a pro-Western course for Ukraine and to defend the Ukrainian culture and language.
Police clash with Kurds in Turkey
Kurdish protesters clashed with police on Tuesday near a prison in southeastern Turkey where some inmates are on a hunger strike, witnesses said.
Bahrain bans all protest gatherings amid violence
Bahrain imposed emergency-style rules Tuesday banning all protest gatherings and threating legal action against groups considered backing escalating ...
Syrian regime launches nationwide airstrikes
Syrian fighter jets pounded rebel areas across the country on Monday with scores of airstrikes that anti-regime activists called the most widespread ...
Protest party does well in Sicily election
A protest party candidate made a strong showing in Sicilian elections seen as a test before Italy-wide elections in the spring to replace the ...
Guinea police fire tear gas at students
Residents of the northern town of Labe say that riot police fired tear gas at hundreds who gathered to protest the firing of a teacher who allegedly ...
Turkish police use tear gas against demonstration
Police used tear gas and water cannons against a demonstration by tens of thousands of pro-secular protesters, but Monday's march to mark the founding ...
China steps carefully with protesting middle class
A victory by protesters against the expansion of a chemical plant proves the new rule in China: The authoritarian government is scared of middle-class ...
Chinese protest factory even after official pledge
After three days of protests by thousands of citizens over pollution fears, a local Chinese government relented and agreed that a petrochemical ...
India's Cabinet rejigged, but no place for Rahul
A major reshuffle of India's Cabinet left one question dangling: Where is Rahul Gandhi? The scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is not among the new ...
Tensions mount as police grab protesters in China
Thousands of protesters marched through an eastern Chinese city on Sunday, shouting for fellow citizens to join them in demanding that the government ...
Municipal votes test for Chile's national parties
Millions of Chileans are voting Sunday for the first time in their lives in nationwide municipal elections that could set the stage for next year's ...
Spain anti-austerity protests draw thousands
Several thousand people marched to Spain's parliament in an anti-austerity protest Saturday, but were held back from surrounding the building by metal ...
Russian opposition leaders detained in Moscow
Moscow police on Saturday briefly detained several opposition leaders as well as a dozen other activists while they were protesting against the ...
Al-Qaida leader urges kidnapping of Westerners
The leader of al-Qaida has urged Muslims to kidnap Westerners to exchange for imprisoned jihadists, including a blind cleric serving a life sentence ...
Kuwait's turmoil brings rare protest partnership
For Kuwait's embattled rulers, clashes earlier this week with anti-government protesters were more than just a sign tensions may be mounting.
Panama to drop plans for land sales amid protests
Panama's government said Friday it will cancel plans to sell state-owned land in a duty-free zone on the Panama Canal following a week of sometimes ...
Cuban dissident Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo dies at 77
Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, who went from rebel commander fighting alongside Fidel Castro to a foe launching commando raids against the island before ...
Car bombs, violence mar Syria's shaky truce
Two deadly car bombs and sporadic fighting marred a shaky holiday truce Friday in Syria, although thousands of protesters used the brief respite in ...
Syria commits to 4-day truce, but prospects dim
The embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad promised Thursday to observe a U.N.-proposed truce during a four-day Muslim holiday, while ...