Pro-Palestinian banners. Blazing Olympic rings. Workers’ May Day rallies confront turbulent times

Pro-Palestinian banners. Blazing Olympic rings. Workers’ May Day rallies confront turbulent times
People demonstrate during May Day in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 02 May 2024
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Pro-Palestinian banners. Blazing Olympic rings. Workers’ May Day rallies confront turbulent times

Pro-Palestinian banners. Blazing Olympic rings. Workers’ May Day rallies confront turbulent times

ISTANBUL: Workers and activists around the world marked May Day with largely peaceful protests Wednesday over rising prices, low wages and calls for greater labor rights. Pro- Palestinian sentiments were also on display.
Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people who tried to break through a barricade and reach the main Taksim square in defiance of a ban. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 210 people were detained.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long declared Taksim off-limits for demonstrations on security grounds. In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration there, causing a stampede and killing 34 people. On Wednesday, a small group of trade union representatives lay a wreath at a monument to victims.
May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed to celebrate workers’ rights. It’s also an opportunity to air economic grievances or political demands. “Tax the rich,” one banner in Germany read. “Don’t touch the eight-hour workday!” another read in Sri Lanka.
In Paris, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters marched through the French capital, seeking better pay and working conditions. Police said 12 officers were hospitalized after a homemade explosive was set off on the sidelines of the march and at least 45 people were detained after instances of scattered violence
A group of protesters set makeshift Olympic rings on fire to show discontent with the Summer Games that start in less than three months. France’s unions have warned of a strike during the Games if the government does not adequately compensate people forced to work during summer holidays.
Pro-Palestinian groups joined the Paris rally, chanting slogans in support for people in Gaza. There were similar scenes in other parts of the world. In Greece, pro-Palestinian protesters joined May Day rallies, waving a giant Palestinian flag as they marched past the Greek parliament. Others displayed banners in support of pro-Palestinian protesting students in the United States.
“We want to express our solidarity with students in the United States, who are facing great repression of their rights and their just demands,” said Nikos Mavrokefalos at the march. “We want to send a message that workers say no to exploitation, no to poverty, no to high prices,” he added.
Several thousand protesters joined the Athens marches as labor strikes disrupted public transport across Greece. The largest union demands a return to collective bargaining after labor rights were scrapped during the 2010-18 financial crisis.
In the German capital, around 11,600 people marched through the immigrant neighborhoods of Kreuzberg and Neukoelln, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners that read “No weapons for Israel” or “Free Palestine,” German news agency dpa reported.
Throughout Latin America, workers marched to protest austerity measures and demand higher wages. In Argentina, unions galvanized crowds to vent their rage over libertarian President Javier Milei’s economic policies, which they say benefit the wealthy while inflicting pain on the poor and middle class.
“Paying rent is difficult, buying rice is difficult, everything under this guy (Milei) is difficult,” said 40-year-old garbage collector Leandro Rosas, trailing protesters down the street with a broom because this May Day, he said he couldn’t even surrender a shift’s pay.
Meanwhile, Bolivian President Luis Arce joined the workers’ march and decreed a 5.8 percent increase in the national minimum wage, a bid to mobilize support as a worsening economic crisis raises the specter of social unrest. The thousands-strong protests in Santiago, Chile, turned violent in some areas as security forces unleashed water cannons and tear gas on corwds, drenching and dispersing protesters who vandalized shops and government buildings.
In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ratified a law that extends income tax exemptions to those earning up to two minimum wages per month, or about $544.
“In our country there will be no tax breaks to favor the richest, but to favor those who work and live off their wages,” Lula told a crowd sweltering in the sun at a soccer stadium in São Paulo.
In Nigeria, where inflation is the highest in 28 years, at over 33 percent, unions demanded bigger salary increases. In South Africa, pro-Palestinian demonstrators joined May Day events and in Kenya, President William Ruto called for an increase in the country’s minimum wage.
In Lebanon, pro-Palestinian marchers mingled with workers demanding an end to a miserable economic crisis. “Politicians do not feel the pain of the worker or the economic conditions,” said one demonstrator, Abed Tabbaa. In Iraq, protesters demanded better wages, the reopening of closed factories and the end to privatization of certain businesses.
Tens of thousands Sri Lankans paraded through the capital as the country struggles through its worst economic crisis, two years after declaring bankruptcy. Discontent has grown over efforts to increase revenue by raising the price of electricity and imposing taxes on professionals and small businesses.
In South Korea’s capital, thousands of protesters shouted pro-labor slogans at a rally that organizers said was meant to step up criticism of what they call anti-labor policies pursued by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative government.
“In the past two years under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the lives of our laborers have plunged into despair,” Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said in a speech. Union members criticized Yoon’s recent veto of a bill aimed at limiting companies’ rights to seek compensation for damages caused by union strikes.
In Japan, more than 10,000 people gathered in Tokyo, demanding salary increases to set off price increases.
Indonesian workers demanded protections for migrant workers abroad and a minimum wage raise. They gathered amid a tight police presence, chanting slogans against the new Job Creation Law and loosened outsourcing rules.
In the Philippines, hundreds of workers and left-wing activists marched to demand wage increases and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. Riot police stopped them from getting close to the presidential palace.


Thailand mulls wall at Cambodia border as scam center crackdown widens

Thailand mulls wall at Cambodia border as scam center crackdown widens
Updated 59 min 23 sec ago
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Thailand mulls wall at Cambodia border as scam center crackdown widens

Thailand mulls wall at Cambodia border as scam center crackdown widens
  • Multi-national effort to dismantle a sprawling network of illicit scam centers mounts
  • Thailand and Cambodia share a border of 817 kilometers

BANGKOK: Thailand is studying the idea of building a wall on part of its border with Cambodia to prevent illegal crossings, its government said on Monday, as a multi-national effort to dismantle a sprawling network of illicit scam centers mounts. The crackdown is widening against scam centers responsible for carrying out massive financial fraud out of Southeast Asia, especially those on Thailand’s porous borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs in recent years, according to the United Nations. At the weekend, Thai police received 119 Thai nationals from Cambodian authorities after a raid in the town of Poipet pulled out over 215 people from a scam compound.
“If it is done, how will it be done? What results and how will it solve problems? This is a study,” Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said of the wall proposal, without specifying its length.
Cambodia’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the wall proposal.
Thailand and Cambodia share a border of 817km. The Thai defense ministry has previously proposed a wall to block off a 55 km natural crossing between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Poipet, which at present is only protected by razor wire.
Telecom fraud centers have been operating for years in Southeast Asia, ensnaring people of multiple countries as far away as West Africa. They have faced heightened scrutiny after the rescue in January of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job before being abducted and taken to a scam center in Myanmar. In Myanmar’s Myawaddy, more than 7,000 foreigners – mostly from China – are waiting to cross from into Thailand, which is coordinating with embassies to try to streamline their repatriations. Hundreds of foreigners pulled out of the compounds are in limbo in squalid conditions in a militia camp and struggling to secure a route home, according to some detainees, while a top Thai lawmaker last week said the crackdown is insufficient, estimating 300,000 people have been operating in compounds in Myawaddy alone.


India trade minister heads to US for talks as Trump tariffs loom, officials say

India trade minister heads to US for talks as Trump tariffs loom, officials say
Updated 03 March 2025
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India trade minister heads to US for talks as Trump tariffs loom, officials say

India trade minister heads to US for talks as Trump tariffs loom, officials say
  • Goyal’s visit was sudden, as he departed after canceling previously scheduled meetings until March 8, the officials said

NEW DELHI: India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal started on a trip to the United States on Monday to pursue trade talks, two government officials said, with weeks to go for President Donald Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs.
Goyal’s visit was sudden, as he departed after canceling previously scheduled meetings until March 8, the officials said. He is also the minister for industry.
India’s trade ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last month, both nations agreed to work on the first segment of a trade deal by the fall of 2025, aiming for bilateral trade worth $500 billion by 2030.
Trump’s proposal to impose reciprocal tariffs from early April on trading partners including India is worrying Indian exporters in sectors ranging autos to agriculture, with Citi Research analysts estimating potential losses at about $7 billion a year.


Satellite launcher set for blastoff in boost for Europe space ambitions

Satellite launcher set for blastoff in boost for Europe space ambitions
Updated 03 March 2025
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Satellite launcher set for blastoff in boost for Europe space ambitions

Satellite launcher set for blastoff in boost for Europe space ambitions
  • Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, is to carry out Monday its first commercial mission as European nations seek to secure independent access to space

KOUROU: Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, is to carry out Monday its first commercial mission as European nations seek to secure independent access to space amid a shock rapprochement between Moscow and Washington.
The high-profile mission comes as French President Emmanuel Macron calls for Europe to reduce its security reliance on the United States and the European space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of Elon Musk’s Space X.
Following several postponements, the Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to blast off from a spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana at 13:24 (16:24 GMT) Monday.
The launcher will carry a French military satellite, which will be placed in orbit at an altitude of around 800 kilometers (500 miles).
The CSO-3 satellite is expected to strengthen France’s military autonomy and improve its army’s intelligence capabilities.
Europe has not been able to use Russia’s Soyuz rocket for satellite launches after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, while Ariane 5 was retired in 2023.
“The whole world is watching us,” David Cavailloles, chief executive of French aerospace company Arianespace, told AFP in February.
Initially planned for December, the mission was put back until February 26 and then March 3 because of problems getting the satellite to the Kourou launchpad, according to Arianespace.
It will be the second launch for Ariane 6, after its inaugural flight last July.
CSO-3 will complete a network of three French military imaging satellites, with the first two launched in 2018 and 2020 by Soyuz.
“It’s always better to have your own launcher and to fire it from home,” General Philippe Steininger, a consultant for the French Space Agency (CNES), told AFP.
Given the military role of the satellite being put into space, strict security precautions were being taken to limit access at the spaceport on the northern coast of South America while three Rafale fighter jets were set to patrol the surrounding skies.
“The satellite has to be protected,” said Carine Leveau, CNES director of space transport. “It has special instruments that must not be seen by just anybody.”
The satellites will enable the French army to receive extremely high-resolution images.
“It is very important for the armed forces to conduct their operations and for our political authorities to make decisions in a completely sovereign manner, with first-hand information that does not depend on anyone else,” said Steininger, the author of “Space Revolutions.”
“This satellite makes it possible to produce very accurate military maps thanks to 3D imaging,” he added.
Europe’s other launcher, Vega-C, did not resume flights until December 2024 after being grounded for two years following an accident that resulted in the loss of two satellites.
The mishap left Europe without spacecraft to launch satellites into orbit for a year, following delays to the Ariane 6 rocket and lack of cooperation with Russia.
“It was very important for France and for Europe to regain this autonomous access to space because we cannot have a space policy today without having the means to send our satellites into space independently,” Lionel Suchet, CNES acting head, told AFP.
“What counts in these cases is to be sure that everything is secure. Like all launches, it is a risky launch,” he added.
Some of the images taken by the CSO-3 satellite will be shared with Germany, Belgium and Sweden.


Japan deploys nearly 1,700 firefighters to tackle forest blaze

Japan deploys nearly 1,700 firefighters to tackle forest blaze
Updated 03 March 2025
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Japan deploys nearly 1,700 firefighters to tackle forest blaze

Japan deploys nearly 1,700 firefighters to tackle forest blaze
  • Fire near the city of Ofunato has burned through some 2,100 hectares since Thursday
  • Firefighters from 14 regions now tackling the blaze, with 16 helicopters trying to douse the flames

TOKYO: Nearly 1,700 firefighters are battling Japan’s biggest forest fire in three decades, officials said Monday, as some 4,600 residents remain under an evacuation advisory.
One person died last week in the blaze in the northern region of Iwate, which follows record low rainfall in the area and last year’s hottest summer on record across Japan.
The fire near the city of Ofunato has burned through some 2,100 hectares (5,200 acres) since Thursday, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Monday.
Firefighters from 14 Japanese regions, including units from Tokyo, were now tackling the blaze, with 16 helicopters – including from the military – trying to douse the flames.
It is estimated to have damaged 84 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said.
Around 2,000 people have left the area to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 evacuated to shelters, according to officials.
Early morning footage from Ofunato on national broadcaster NHK showed orange flames close to buildings and white smoke billowing into the air.
The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data.
But there were about 1,300 across the country in 2023, concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries and winds pick up.
Ofunato saw just 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February, breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimeters in 1967 and below the usual average of 41 millimeters.


Zelensky: ‘Will not be simple’ to replace me as Ukraine leader

Zelensky: ‘Will not be simple’ to replace me as Ukraine leader
Updated 03 March 2025
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Zelensky: ‘Will not be simple’ to replace me as Ukraine leader

Zelensky: ‘Will not be simple’ to replace me as Ukraine leader
  • Ukraine leader also tells UK media Kyiv is ready to sign a minerals deal with the US

LONDON: Volodymyr Zelensky told British media Sunday it would not be easy to replace him as Ukraine’s president, but repeated his offer to step down in exchange for NATO membership for his war-torn country.

US Republicans had suggested he may have to resign after US President Donald Trump dramatically turned against him during a contentious Oval Office meeting about the war with Russia on Friday.

“If they replace me, given what is going on, given the support, simply replacing me will not be simple,” Zelensky told British media.

“It’s not enough to just hold an election. You need to also not let me run. This will be a bit more difficult. Looks like you will have to negotiate with me,” he added.

“And I said that I am exchanging for NATO. Then I fulfilled my mission.”

The unprecedented public spat at the Oval Office resulted in Zelensky leaving the White House without the anticipated signing of a preliminary pact on sharing Ukrainian mineral rights.

While European leaders rallied around Ukraine, Republican officials appeared Sunday on news programs questioning whether any deal could be reached with Russia so long as Zelensky remains.

“We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CNN.

“And if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in this country, then I think we have a real issue.”

Republican Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, also questioned whether Zelensky was fit for the job.

“Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country.”

Senior Democrats have angrily pushed back since the debacle Friday, saying Trump has come dangerously close to an all-out embrace of Russia.

Zelensky has been calling for Ukraine to be given NATO membership as part of any deal to end the war, but the Washington-led alliance has been reluctant to make a pledge.

Trump said in February that Ukraine can “forget about” joining NATO in any settlement, explaining: “I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”

Russia cited potential Ukrainian membership in NATO as a reason for its invasion three years ago.

Zelensky also told UK media that Ukraine is ready to sign a minerals deal with the United States.

“The agreement that’s on the table will be signed if the parties are ready.”

The deal, which was supposed to be a step toward helping to end the conflict in Ukraine, fell through the public clash at the Oval Office with Trump.