Iran protests: Violence on third day of demonstrations

Some anti-establishment protests happening in Iranian cities have turned violent, video footage shows.
They began three days ago - initially in protest at falling living standards - and are the biggest show of dissent since huge pro-reform rallies in 2009.
Demonstrators have ignored a warning by Iran's interior minister to avoid "illegal gatherings".
Two demonstrators are reported dead in Dorud after sustaining gunshot wounds in a video posted on social media.
Videos filmed elsewhere in the country show protesters setting fire to a police vehicles and there are reports of attacks on government buildings.

What started the protests?

The current protests began in Mashhad on Thursday over living standards and rising food prices, and by Friday had spread to several major cities.
The Iranian authorities are blaming anti-revolutionaries and agents of foreign powers for the outbreak.
Overall, the numbers said to be taking part in demonstrations range from hundreds in some places to thousands in others - but demonstrations do not appear to be taking place on a massive scale.
Slogans have been chanted against both Mr Rouhani and Mr Khamenei, and clerical rule in general.
Demonstrators were reportedly heard on Friday yelling slogans like "The people are begging, the clerics act like God".
There is also anger at Iran's interventions abroad. In Mashhad, some chanted "not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran", a reference to what protesters say is the administration's focus on foreign rather than domestic issues.

What's happening now?

Much of the information about what is occurring is emerging on social media, making it difficult to confirm anything.
In the town of Abhar in northern Iran, demonstrators have set fire to large banners bearing the picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Meanwhile in Arak in central Iran, protesters have reportedly set fire to the local headquarters of the pro-government Basij militia.
In the capital Tehran, large numbers of protesters gathered at Azadi square, BBC Persian reports. A senior Revolutionary Guards' figure in Tehran said the situation in the city was under control.
Demonstrators would be met with "the nation's iron fist" if they continued, Brigadier-General Esmail Kowsari told student news agency ISNA.
In Mashhad, in the north-east, protesters burned police motorcycles in a confrontation caught on video.
There are also numerous reports of people losing internet access on their mobile phones.
In Kermanshah, western Iran, a demonstrator called Makan told BBC Persian that protesters were beaten up "but we couldn't tell if it was the police or the Basij militia".
"I'm not protesting against President Rouhani - and yes he needs to improve the economy - but it's the system that is rotten," he said. "It's the Islamic Republic and its institutions that need reform."
Earlier, protesters at Tehran University called for Ayatollah Khamenei to step down and there were clashes with police.
Thousands of pro-government demonstrators turned out earlier on Saturday for big rallies across the country, organised in advance to mark the eighth anniversary of the suppression of the 2009 street protests.

'An eye-opening three days'

By BBC Persian correspondent Kasra Naji
Although small, the anti-government protests on Saturday took on a much greater importance than the government-sponsored rallies.
It's not every day that there are thousands of people voicing opposition to the government.
As night fell, reports were still coming of protests in at least nine cities. There have been clashes with the police in some places.
The common factor in all of them has been protesters' demand for an end to clerical rule in Iran.
Widespread discontent is not limited to complaints about rising prices or widespread unemployment.
It has been an eye-opening three days for the government, which has been careful not to provoke the protesters too much.

What has the reaction been?

The CEO of popular mobile messaging app Telegram said an Iranian account had been suspended for calling for attacks on police, after a complaint by Iran's communications minister.
In the US, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching!"
Iran's foreign ministry called earlier comments from Mr Trump and other US officials "opportunistic and deceitful".


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North Korea: New UN sanctions an act of war

North Korea has described the latest UN sanctions imposed on the country as an "act of war".
A foreign ministry statement said the measures were tantamount to a total economic blockade, the official KCNA news agency reported.
It added that strengthening North Korea's deterrence was the only way to frustrate the US.
The UN Security Council imposed the new sanctions on Friday in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests.
The US-drafted resolution - unanimously backed by all 15 Security Council members - includes measures to slash North Korea's petrol imports by up to 90%.
North Korea is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU.

What did the North Korean statement say?

Characteristically bellicose, it described the latest UN sanctions "as a violent breach of our republic's sovereignty and an act of war that destroys the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and a wide region.
"The United States, completely terrified at our accomplishment of the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, is getting more and more frenzied in the moves to impose the harshest-ever sanctions and pressure on our country.
"We will further consolidate our self-defensive nuclear deterrence aimed at fundamentally eradicating the US nuclear threats, blackmail and hostile moves by establishing the practical balance of force with the US."
The US said it was seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue and drafted this new set of sanctions:
  • Deliveries of petrol products will be capped at 500,000 barrels a year, and crude oil at four million barrels a year
  • All North Korean nationals working abroad will have to return home within 24 months under the proposals, restricting a vital source of foreign currency
  • There will also be a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment
The UN sanctions came in response to Pyongyang's 28 November firing of a ballistic missile, which the US said was its highest yet.

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Catalonia election: Spain PM Rajoy rejects Puigdemont talks call


Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has rebuffed calls by Catalonia's ousted leader, Carles Puigdemont, to meet for new talks outside the country.
Mr Rajoy said he would negotiate with whoever became the new head of the Catalan government but they would have to take up their post in Catalonia.
Mr Puigdemont earlier called for talks to take place in Brussels, where he is living in self-imposed exile.
Separatist parties won a majority in a Thursday's snap regional election.
Mr Rajoy avoided naming Mr Puigdemont during a press conference on Friday but said he was prepared to hold talks with whoever took control of the Catalan regional government "in a realistic way and inside the law".
"I offer Catalonia this because I care about the people," he said.
Mr Rajoy said the winner of Thursday's election was Inés Arrimadas, the leader of the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain.
The Citizens party is now the region's biggest party, although pro-independence parties are best placed to form a government.
"It is evident that something is broken, and it will take time to repair it," Mr Rajoy added.
Speaking in Belgium earlier on Friday, Mr Puigdemont said Catalonia wanted to be an independent state.
"This is the wish of the Catalan people," he said, adding: "I think the plan of [Spanish Prime Minister] Mariano Rajoy is not working, so we have to find new ways to tackle this crisis."
Mr Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) recorded its worst ever result in Thursday's vote.
The Spanish government imposed direct rule on Catalonia and called the election after declaring an October independence referendum illegal.

What were the results?

With nearly all votes counted, the pro-independence parties Mr Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia (JxCat), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats in total, giving them a majority in the new parliament.
Citizens (Cs) had 25.3% of the vote, winning 37 seats in the 135-seat chamber.

Its leader told the BBC her party had been "victorious". Ms Inés Arrimadas said forming a coalition would be "difficult - but we will try".

Analysis: What the papers say

By BBC Monitoring
Leading Spanish newspapers say the result has strengthened the government's position.
"Nationalism can no longer claim that it exclusively represents Catalonia," says Madrid-based La Razón. ABC newspaper thinks Madrid should now settle the Catalan crisis. "If Spain wants to win this fight in the long term and prevent Catalonia from leaving one day, it should draft a serious plan for strengthening the state."
The result seems to have split Catalan papers between those who want the independence project to continue, and those who accept the realpolitik of the election result.
"The independence movement has humiliated the Spanish prime minister," El Nacional says. "The decisions that affect Catalonia are not made in Madrid."
But Barcelona's El Periódico says the result means a "divided Catalonia". "The election that Mariano Rajoy called has shown that Catalonia is firmly divided in two blocs and there is hardly any space for intermediaries."
La Vanguardia writes: "Major forces supporting independence should look back, confess to mistakes and avoid making them again,"
Presentational grey line

Why did the election take place?

Separatists who dominated the previous Catalan parliament declared independence on 27 October after a referendum that was declared illegal by Spain.
In an attempt to stop that referendum, Spanish police stormed some polling stations. However many voters defied the Spanish courts and riot police to cast their ballots.
The move led to violent clashes with hundreds of people reported injured.
According to referendum organisers, 90% of voters were in favour of independence, but fewer than half the region's electorate took part.

What has been the reaction?

The European Commission said that its stance towards Catalonia remained the same, despite Thursday's election result.
The executive arm of the EU has previously stated that events in Catalonia were an internal issue for Spain.
"Our position on the question of Catalonia is well known and has been regularly restated, at all levels. It will not change," commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein told AFP news agency.
"In relation to a regional election, we have no comment to make," he added.


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The Indian teenagers who were expelled from school for hugging


A hug between two teenagers in southern India has snowballed into a national controversy after their school expelled them for a "public display of affection". The BBC's Ashraf Padanna spoke to them.
After she had sung on stage in a competition at St Thomas Central School in Kerala, the 15-year-old asked her friend, a boy of 16, how she had done. He hugged her, congratulating her on the performance.
"It [the hug] lasted only for a second or two," the girl, who did not want to be photographed for this article, told the BBC.
"There were a lot of students and teachers around, and I didn't feel [I had done] anything wrong."
But one of the teachers reportedly complained to the principal and, in the girl's words, "all hell broke loose".
The following day, on 22 July, the pair were suspended indefinitely. Then, four months later, on 22 November, the boy was expelled. Neither has been named in the media.
"Schooling is also about the reformation of the child," principal Sebastian T Joseph told the BBC. "We have given him a chance to apologise, but he and his parents had absolutely no remorse."
But the boy said he had apologised "immediately".
The girl never rejoined school because according to the school's records, she was not even enrolled yet.
She had recently moved from Dubai, where her father had been working, and joined St Thomas school in June. The paperwork related to her admission was still incomplete when the hug sparked a furore.
Both students were however asked to appear before a disciplinary committee that the school formed to investigate the "charges".
The BBC has a copy of the so-called charge sheet drafted by the school - it accused the two students of engaging in an "indecent, immoral and undisciplined public display of affection" in front of other students and teachers.
It also alleges that their personal blogs and Instagram accounts included "conversations and photographs" that were "intimate, explicit, vulgar, obscene and objectionable".
"My Instagram account is private and only my followers can see my stories," the boy told the BBC. "There's nothing vulgar or obscene as mentioned in the charge sheet."
He said that he had responded to the allegations by explaining that the hug was meant to be congratulatory and there was no other motive behind it.
The girl alleges that committee members had copies of photos they had posted on Instagram and called them abusive names.
"An official on the panel called me a bitch in heat," she said.
By the time the committee found them "guilty", they had already missed more than four months of school.
During that time, the boy's parents had appealed to the Kerala child rights commission, which ordered the school to revoke the suspension.
But the school petitioned the Kerala high court, which upheld the order expelling the boy on the grounds that the school had the right to protects its "standard and reputation".
His parents are now waiting for the court to reopen after the annual Christmas vacation so they can appeal.
"We are pinning our hopes on the judiciary," said the boy's father, who has not been working since his son was suspended so he could be home to sort out the problem and support his son.
He said school officials were not among his son's or the girl's followers on Instagram - yet, he alleged, they somehow saw their photos, made copies of them and even submitted them in court.
"Were they snooping on them?" he asked, adding that they would raise the issue of privacy in court.
His wife and he are also concerned that their son will miss the exam at the end of the year, which would affect his chances at gaining admission into college since this is his final year of schooling.
School authorities told the BBC that they had allowed the boy to transfer to another school and that it's up to the central education board - which is an independent body - to decide if he can appear for the exam.
Meanwhile, the school has drawn criticism for what is being seen by many as a peculiar and harsh response.
And, on Thursday, the boy's received a letter from the principal inviting them to a meeting on 3 January so they can re-examine the "issue".
But the girl's situation is still unclear. Her parents are not sure if they will also approach the court.
Although she doesn't want to continue studying at St Thomas school, she said she hopes they will allow her to appear for the annual exam so that she doesn't lose a whole year.
"I want to study on a better campus in a safer environment, where they won't treat you in a demeaning manner," she added.
She said she has already applied to another school but was denied admission because of the "incident".
"They [St Thomas school] have violated my right to education and my right to privacy," she said.


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Rohingya crisis: Myanmar general hit by US sanctions


The US has sanctioned a Myanmar general accused of leading an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya people.
Maung Maung Soe is among a host of world figures blacklisted by the US over human rights and corruption allegations.
The crisis in Myanmar has seen more than 650,000 Rohingya flee for neighbouring Bangladesh since August.
Myanmar's military says it is fighting Rohingya militants and denies targeting civilians.
The exodus began earlier this year when Myanmar's army launched a counter-insurgency operation in northern Rakhine state after militants attacked police posts and killed members of the security forces.
Many who reached Bangladesh - some with bullet or other wounds - said Burmese troops backed by local Buddhist mobs had burned their villages and attacked and killed civilians.
The UN has described the military offensive in Rakhine as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
In its statement, the US Treasury said Maung Maung Soe "oversaw the military operation in Burma's Rakhine State responsible for widespread human rights abuse against Rohingya civilians".
Last month he was transferred from his post, but Myanmar's Ministry of Defence gave no reason for the move.
This week, the UN's investigator into human rights in Myanmar was barred from entering the country.
The government said they barred Yanghee Lee because she was "not impartial and objective", but Ms Lee said the decision suggested "something terribly awful" was happening in Rakhine.

The Rohingya people are predominantly Muslim. The Myanmar government considers them to be immigrants from Bangladesh and does not recognise them as citizens, despite their generations-long presence in the country.

Who else is the US targeting?

The Trump administration said it was sanctioning 52 individuals and entities. They include:
  • Pakistani surgeon Mukhtar Hamid Shah, who is accused of kidnapping and removing the organs of impoverished labourers
  • Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who stepped down in January after 22 years in power
  • Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the late Uzbek strongman president, who the US said "headed a powerful organised crime syndicate". She is currently in detention.
  • Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, who the US accused of amassing a fortune through "opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".
The sanctions freezes any of the individuals and entities' assets and bans US citizens from doing business with them.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said it sent the message that there was "a steep price to pay for their misdeeds".

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