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Protest in Berlin over Arming Ukraine against Russia Draws Thousands

25 February 2023, Berlin: A woman holds an umbrella with the inscription "Stop War" during a rally at the Brandenburg Gate, in favor of negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war. (dpa)
25 February 2023, Berlin: A woman holds an umbrella with the inscription "Stop War" during a rally at the Brandenburg Gate, in favor of negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war. (dpa)
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Protest in Berlin over Arming Ukraine against Russia Draws Thousands

25 February 2023, Berlin: A woman holds an umbrella with the inscription "Stop War" during a rally at the Brandenburg Gate, in favor of negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war. (dpa)
25 February 2023, Berlin: A woman holds an umbrella with the inscription "Stop War" during a rally at the Brandenburg Gate, in favor of negotiations with Russia in the Ukraine war. (dpa)

A demonstration against supplying Ukraine with weapons for war with Russia attracted 10,000 people on Saturday, drawing criticism from top German government officials and a large police presence to maintain order.

Organized by a prominent left-wing German politician, the protest comes a day after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which drew promises of more weapons from western allies, fresh sanctions against Russia and shows of support for Kyiv across the globe.

"We call on the German chancellor to stop the escalation of arms deliveries. Now!...Because every day lost costs up to 1,000 more lives - and brings us closer to a 3rd world war," the protest's organizers said on their website.

The "Uprising for Peace" was organized in part by Sahra Wagenknecht, a member of Germany's left-wing Die Linke party.

Germany, along with the United States, has been one of the biggest suppliers of weapons for Ukraine.

"Negotiate, not escalate" one sign held by a demonstrator said, while a banner in the crowd read "Not our war".

A police spokesperson said 10,000 people gathered around Germany's symbolic Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin.

Police mobilized 1,400 officials to keep the peace and to enforce bans on military uniforms, Russian and Soviet flags, Russian military songs and right-wing symbols.

The police spokesperson said there was no sign of right-wing groups attending and that the protest, which German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said must be "clearly opposed", was peaceful.

"Whoever does not stand by Ukraine is on the wrong side of history," Lindner said on Twitter.

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World

Iranian Official Says Verified Deaths in Iran Protests Reaches at Least 5,000

10 January 2026, Iran, Tehran: A police station is set on fire during protests in Tehran in response to worsening economic conditions. ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
10 January 2026, Iran, Tehran: A police station is set on fire during protests in Tehran in response to worsening economic conditions. ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Iranian Official Says Verified Deaths in Iran Protests Reaches at Least 5,000

10 January 2026, Iran, Tehran: A police station is set on fire during protests in Tehran in response to worsening economic conditions. ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
10 January 2026, Iran, Tehran: A police station is set on fire during protests in Tehran in response to worsening economic conditions. ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

An Iranian official in the region said on Sunday the authorities had verified at least 5,000 people had been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, blaming "terrorists and armed rioters" for killing "innocent Iranians".

The official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, also told Reuters ‌some of ‌the heaviest clashes and ‌highest ⁠number of ‌deaths were in the Iranian Kurdish areas in northwest Iran, a region where Kurdish separatists have been active and where flare-ups have been among the most violent in past periods of unrest.

"The final ⁠toll is not expected to increase sharply," ‌the official said, adding that "Israel ‍and armed ‍groups abroad" had supported and equipped those ‍taking to the streets.

The Iranians authorities regularly blame unrest on foreign enemies, including Israel, an arch foe of the country which launched military strikes on Iran in June.

The US-based HRANA ⁠rights group said on Saturday the death toll had reached 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under review. The group said it had confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.

The Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw, based in Norway, has said some of the heaviest clashes during protests that erupted in late December were ‌in Kurdish areas in the northwest.

World

Pakistan Security Forces Kill 12 Militants, Thwarting Attempted Hostage-taking in Southwest

File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
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Pakistan Security Forces Kill 12 Militants, Thwarting Attempted Hostage-taking in Southwest

File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD

Pakistani security forces killed at least 12 militants and thwarted an attempted hostage-taking in southwestern Pakistan after assailants attacked a police station, the military said Friday.

In a statement, it said the attackers also targeted two banks and looted millions of rupees (dollars) during the assault in Kharan district of Balochistan province a day earlier. The militants attempted to seize hostages at the police station, but a swift response by security forces forced them to retreat, it said.

The military identified the assailants as “Fitna al-Hindustan,” a phrase the government uses for the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and other separatist groups. It claimed the attackers, including those killed in the shootouts with security forces, were backed by India, though it provided no evidence. India has repeatedly denied Pakistan’s accusations that it supports separatists in Balochistan or Pakistani Taliban fighters.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement praised the security forces for killing the militants and foiling the attacks by the insurgents in Kharan, reported The Associated Press.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has long been the scene of insurgency by separatist groups, along with attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The BLA, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has been behind numerous attacks targeting security forces and civilians across the province in recent years.

World

Massive Fire at a Shopping Mall in Southern Pakistan, Kills 3 People

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
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Massive Fire at a Shopping Mall in Southern Pakistan, Kills 3 People

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

A massive fire swept through a multistory shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest southern city of Karachi late Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring about a dozen others, police and rescue officials said.

Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the Gul Plaza shortly after 10 p.m. local time following reports of the blaze, police and rescuer officials said. According to the local media, most shop owners were closing their stores or had already left when the fire broke out and spread quickly, The Associated Press said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation would be launched once the blaze was extinguished. However, most structures in Karachi, and other parts of the country, lack fire prevention and firefighting systems, which often results in damages and casualties.

TV footage showed firefighters in protective gear battling the flames. Several fire trucks used ladders, water cannons and hoses to douse the building’s floors, where flames shot out of windows and balconies. Thick black smoke billowed into the night sky and was visible from several blocks away, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

Authorities said the fire spread rapidly after erupting in an area of the mall where shopkeepers had stored imported garments, clothing and plastic household goods, which helped fuel the flames.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where such incidents are common. In November 2023, a fire tore through a shopping mall in the city, killing 10 people and injuring 22 others.