عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Tens of Thousands of Pro-Palestinian Protesters March in London

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen in Whitehall during a national demonstration for Palestine, in London, Britain, 21 June 2025. (EPA)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen in Whitehall during a national demonstration for Palestine, in London, Britain, 21 June 2025. (EPA)
TT
TT

Tens of Thousands of Pro-Palestinian Protesters March in London

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen in Whitehall during a national demonstration for Palestine, in London, Britain, 21 June 2025. (EPA)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen in Whitehall during a national demonstration for Palestine, in London, Britain, 21 June 2025. (EPA)

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London on Saturday calling for an end to the war in Gaza, amid concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could spark wider regional devastation.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags, donned keffiyeh scarves and carried signs including "Stop arming Israel" and "No war on Iran" as they marched in the sweltering heat in central London.

"It's important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now," said 34-year-old Harry Baker, attending his third pro-Palestinian protest.

"I don't have great love for the Iranian regime, but we are now in a dangerous situation," he added.

There have been monthly protests in the British capital since the start of the 20-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza.

Saturday's march comes amid heightened global tensions as the United States mulls joining Israel's strikes against Iran.

Cries of "Palestine will be free" rang out as protesters carried signs saying, "Hands off Gaza" or "Stop starving Gaza".

Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions according to UN agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade.

Gaza's civil defense agency has reported that hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites.

"People need to keep their eyes on Gaza. That's where the genocide is happening," said 60-year-old protester Nicky Marcus.

"I feel frustrated, angry because of what's happening in Gaza," said 31-year-old data analyst Jose Diaz.

"It's in everyone's eyes. It's still on after so many months," Diaz added.

The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached at least 55,637 people, according to the health ministry.

Israel has denied it is carrying out a genocide and says it aims to wipe out Hamas after 1,219 people were killed in Israel by the group's October 7, 2023, attack.

A 31-year-old Iranian student who did not want to share her name, told AFP she had family in Iran and was "scared".

"I'm worried about my country. I know the regime is not good, but it's still my country. I'm scared," she said.

Tehran said over 400 people have been killed in Iran since Israel launched strikes last week claiming its arch-foe was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies.

Some 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to official figures.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Russia Strikes Power Plant, Kills Four in Ukraine Barrage

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area a day before, in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 03 January 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area a day before, in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 03 January 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
TT
TT

Russia Strikes Power Plant, Kills Four in Ukraine Barrage

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area a day before, in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 03 January 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area a day before, in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 03 January 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV

Russia battered Ukraine with more than two dozen missiles and hundreds of drones early Tuesday, killing four people and pummelling another power plant, piling more pressure on Ukraine's brittle energy system.

An AFP journalist in the eastern Kharkiv region, where four people were killed, saw firefighters battling a fire at a postal hub and rescue workers helping survivors by lamp light in freezing temperatures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "several hundred thousand" households near Kyiv were without power after the strikes, and again called on allies to bolster his country's air defense systems.

"The world can respond to this Russian terror with new assistance packages for Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.

"Russia must come to learn that cold will not help it win the war," he added.

Authorities in Kyiv and the surrounding region rolled out emergency power cuts in the hours after the attack, saying freezing temperatures were complicating their work.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest energy provider, said Russian forces had struck one of its power plants, saying it was the eighth such attack since October.

The operator did not reveal which of its plants was struck, but said Russia had attacked its power plants over 220 times since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Moscow has pummelled Ukraine with daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and cutting power and heating in the frigid height of winter.

The Ukrainian air force said that Tuesday's bombardment included 25 missiles and 247 drones.

The Kharkiv governor gave the death toll and added that six people were wounded in the overnight hit outside the region's main city, also called Kharkiv.

White helmeted emergency workers could be seen clambering through the still-smoking wreckage of a building occupied by postal company Nova Poshta, in a video posted by the regional prosecutor's office.

Within Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said a Russian long-range drone struck a medical facility for children, causing a fire. No casualties were reported.

The overnight strikes hit other regions as well, including the southern city of Odesa.

Residential buildings, a hospital and a kindergarten were damaged, with at least five people wounded in two waves of attacks, regional governor Sergiy Lysak said.

Russia's use last week of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile on Ukraine sparked condemnation from Kyiv's allies, including Washington, which called it a "dangerous and inexplicable escalation of this war".

Moscow on Monday said the missile hit an aviation repair factory in the Lviv region and that it was fired in response to Ukraine's attempt to strike one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residences -- a claim Kyiv denies and that Washington has said it does not believe happened.

World

Israel Says It Remains on Alert Because of Iran Protests

A member of the Iranian police attends a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A member of the Iranian police attends a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
TT
TT

Israel Says It Remains on Alert Because of Iran Protests

A member of the Iranian police attends a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A member of the Iranian police attends a pro-government rally in Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it continues to be “on alert for surprise scenarios” due to the ongoing protests in Iran, but has not made any changes to guidelines for civilians, as it does prior to a concrete threat.

“The protests in Iran are an internal matter,” Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin wrote on X.

Also on Tuesday, Iranian security forces arrested what a state television report described as terrorist groups linked to Israel in the southeastern city of Zahedan.

The report, without providing additional details, said the group entered through Iran’s eastern borders and carried US-made guns and explosives that the group had planned to use in assassinations and acts of sabotage.

Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear program over the summer, resulting in a 12-day war that killed nearly 1,200 Iranians and almost 30 Israelis. Over the past week, Iran has threatened to attack Israel if Israel or the US attacks.

World

Iran’s Leadership Is in Its ‘Final Days and Weeks’, Germany’s Merz Says

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
TT
TT

Iran’s Leadership Is in Its ‘Final Days and Weeks’, Germany’s Merz Says

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday he assumes Iran's leadership is in its "final days and weeks" as it ​faces widespread protests.

Demonstrations in Iran have evolved from complaints about dire economic hardships to calls for the fall of the clerical establishment in the country.

"I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this ‌regime," Merz said ‌during a trip ‌to ⁠India, questioning ​the Iranian ‌leadership's legitimacy.

"When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime."

Merz said Germany was in close contact with the United States ⁠and fellow European governments on the situation in ‌Iran, and urged Tehran to end ‍its deadly crackdown ‍on protesters.

He did not comment on ‍Germany's trade ties with Iran.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff ​rate of 25% on trade with the United States.

Germany maintains limited trade ⁠relations with Iran despite significant restrictions, making Berlin Tehran's most important trading partner in the European Union.

German exports to Iran fell 25% to just under 871 million euros ($1.02 billion) in the first 11 months of 2025, representing less than 0.1% of total German exports, according to federal statistics office data seen by Reuters on Tuesday.