Topic: Civil Unrest

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Zetas break out of prison in Mexico. Who are they?

According to Mexican authorities, the Zetas have become the biggest drug trafficking organization in Mexico. On Feb. 19 Zeta members allegedly instigated a prison riot, killing members of the opposing Gulf Cartel, and covering up their escape. Here are four questions about the Zetas, answered.
Black History Month: Five major events and figures

Black History Month is the annual celebration of the struggles, achievements and overall contribution African-Americans have made to the US.
Upheaval in the Maldives: 4 things you should know

The Maldives, an archipelago nation best known for its beaches and resorts, is suddenly making headlines after its president stepped down amid protests. What's going on in the Maldives?
Myanmar's about-face: 5 recent reforms

Since 1962, Myanmar's dictatorship has jailed the opposition, beat up monks, denied aid to disaster victims, and run scorched-earth campaigns against ethnic minorities. That may be changing, however. Here are five key changes the regime has made in just a matter of months.
5 countries with the longest ongoing US sanctions

Sanctions are once again leading the news with trade embargoes tightening around Iran and debates over whether to loosen US restrictions on Cuba and Myanmar.

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Israel, land of Jewish refugees, riled by influx of Africans

Violent riots broke out in Tel Aviv last night as a growing tide of African migrants strains Israel's ideal as a land for refugees.
Palestinians mark Nakba Day with slingshots, despite calls for calm

Nakba Day, translated to 'catastrophe day,' marks the day the state of Israel was created and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced.
On eve of Putin's inauguration, protest and reaction bigger than expected (+video)

Russian police cracked down with tear gas and hundreds of arrests after anti-Putin protesters in Moscow tried to cross a barricaded bridge.
Occupy 2012: Day 1 of protests yields a mixed review (+video)

Turnout for the Occupy movement's May Day protests was respectable in New York and Chicago. In some West Coast cities, police resorted to tear gas or pepper spray. Did the movement do itself any favors during its relaunch on Tuesday?
May Day: Around the world, anger and fear

Continuing economic turmoil around the globe gave this year's May Day rallies an undertone of angry class conflict.
May Day: Tear gas in Oakland, broken windows in Seattle (+video)

Most of the May Day protests were peaceful, but violence reared its head in some cities. The Occupy Wall Street movement was at the forefront of many rallies.
Backchannels
In Malaysia, a May Day pay raise, but no victory for democratic reformers

The protesters of the Malaysia's Bersih democracy reform movement appear to have pushed Malaysia into announcing its first ever minimum wage. Electoral reform is something else again.
Chapter & Verse
12 days of disaster that changed Chicago forever

Author Gary Krist looks back at 1919 and the blimp crash, murder, and race riot that made the Chicago the metropolis we know today.
$1 felony: Florida man charged over soda bill at McDonald's

$1 felony: Local authorities in Florida say a man faces felony charges after refusing to pay for a cup of soda at a McDonald's restaurant.
A weakened Putin is questioned abroad, under siege at home

Russia's President-elect Vladimir Putin may have won the presidential election, but he lost Moscow. And he faces an engaged, active generation that did not grow up as Soviets. Political legitimacy is more than an official election result; it requires trust.
Backchannels
Weapons flowing from Iraqi Sunnis to Syria's rebels?

So says a fairly credible CNN report.
Indonesia backs off plans to hike price of gas after protests

But pressure continues to mount to increase prices from their current, government-subsidized $2 per gallon, as the subsidies sap resources from education, health care, and other programs.
Gaza man killed by soldiers as thousands protest Israel policy

Security forces in riot gear deployed in high numbers along the frontiers of Israel and the Palestinian territories in anticipation of a repeat of last year's violence, in which at least 38 people died near the borders with Lebanon and Syria.
Lessons from the Afghanistan shooting

The Afghanistan shooting of 16 civilians by an American soldier shows the Pentagon must better screen, train, and track its people who fight in war zones.
Syria protests must stick to nonviolence

Saudi Arabia may be arming Syrian protesters as more of them turn to violence against Assad's brutality. They must not lose the moral force of peaceful tactics used in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen.
Elections may go to runoff in Senegal, West Africa's stablest democracy (+video)

Initial results suggest that Senegal's President Wade may be forced to go for a runoff against his own protege, Macky Sall. Observers appealed for peaceful elections.
Terrorism & Security
Kabul embroiled in day 4 of Quran burning protests (+video)

Afghan President Karzai accepted US President Obama's apology after US soldiers burned several Qurans, sparking days of protest and the killing of two US soldiers. 
Zetas break out of prison in Mexico. Who are they?

According to Mexican authorities, the Zetas have become the biggest drug trafficking organization in Mexico. On Feb. 19 Zeta members allegedly instigated a prison riot, killing members of the opposing Gulf Cartel, and covering up their escape. Here are four questions about the Zetas, answered.
At least 40 die in Mexico prison riot

The deadly prison riot in northern Mexico started early Sunday morning in a high-security cell block.
Will 2012 be the Year of the African Despot, again?

Senegal's Wade plans to run for president, despite a constitutional ban. Zimbabwe's Mugabe is banning NGOs ahead of presidential polls in 2013.
Unrest in US ally Bahrain takes a more violent turn

Shiite protesters in Bahrain have begun using Molotov cocktails, while Sunni hard-liners also are urging more extreme measures.
Black History Month: Five major events and figures

Black History Month is the annual celebration of the struggles, achievements and overall contribution African-Americans have made to the US.
Despite riots, Greece pushes ahead with austerity (+video)

The Greek Parliament voted last night to slash the minimum wage and public sector jobs in exchange for a bailout, despite public fury that led to Molotov cocktails and tear gas.
Rioting, fires break out in Athens amid protests against Greek austerity

Rioting broke out in Athens, with fires engulfing multiple buildings, as Greek citizens protested against a government plan to slash wages and eliminate government jobs in exchange for an international bailout.
Upheaval in the Maldives: 4 things you should know

The Maldives, an archipelago nation best known for its beaches and resorts, is suddenly making headlines after its president stepped down amid protests. What's going on in the Maldives?