Angola's fuel price protests leave 4 dead and leads to hundreds of arrests
The protests erupted Monday over the government's decision earlier this month to raise the price of diesel by more than 30%, which resulted in large price hikes by minibus taxis that are the preferred method of transport for many Angolans.
A police statement said hundreds of arrests were made in connection with rioting, vandalism and looting of shops. Cars and buses were damaged and roads were blocked.
Four people were killed in the unrest, police spokesperson Mateus de Lemos Rodrigues said Tuesday. The police statement said order had now been restored in most parts of the city.
Similar protests against the fuel hikes were held earlier this month, when Human Rights Watch accused the police of excessive force against what was a largely peaceful demonstration.
Security forces have often been accused of clamping down on protests in Angola, where the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola party has been in power for 50 years since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump tells Sen. Chuck Grassley to ‘step up,' get rid of ‘ridiculous custom' holding up judicial appointments
President Trump urged Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday to 'step up' and end a 'ridiculous custom' that allows senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. 'Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the US Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,' Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. The president argued that under the 'blue slip' tradition, blue state Democratic senators 'have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates.' Advertisement 3 President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to call on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to allow senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. AP 'Put simply, the President of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably Unconstitutional, 'CUSTOM,'' Trump fumed. Since at least 1917, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has traditionally sent blue-colored forms to the two senators representing the home state of US attorney, circuit or district court nominees selected by the president. Advertisement Under the so-called 'blue slip' tradition, which has been applied inconsistently over the years, if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by committee. For example, New Jersey Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim recently withheld their 'blue slips' to block the Senate Judiciary Committee from considering Trump's onetime personal attorney, Alina Habba, for the top prosecutor spot in the Garden State. Since she hasn't been confirmed, Habba is currently serving as acting New Jersey US attorney. 'The only way to beat this Hoax is to appoint a Democrat or, a weak and ineffective Republican,' Trump argued. Advertisement 3 Trump's lengthy post mentioned Grassley could solve this problem, 'with a mere flick of the pen.' Trump Truth Social 'Therefore, I would never be able to appoint Great Judges or U.S. Attorneys in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, and other places, where there is, coincidentally, the highest level of crime and corruption — The places where fantastic people are most needed!' 'Senator Grassley must step up,' the president demanded, claiming that under former President Joe Biden the Senate Judiciary Committee 'openly broke' tradition 'at least two times.' Trump called on Grassley to scrap the 'blue slip' tradition 'IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective.' 3 President Trump wants Grassley to end the 'blue slip' tradition, which is the notion that if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by the committee. AP Advertisement 'The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it's time that we break it on them,' Trump reasoned. 'Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!' A spokesperson for Grassley did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Australian court dismisses bid to imprison ex-police officer who killed 95-year-old with Taser
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A former police officer who killed a 95-year-old nursing home resident with a stun gun remains free after an Australian appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a prosecutor's bid to have him imprisoned. Three judges of the New South Wales state Court of Criminal Appeal unanimously dismissed the prosecution case that the non-custodial sentence imposed on Kristian White, 35, was 'manifestly inadequate.' White fired a Taser at Clare Nowland in the nursing home where she lived in Cooma on May 17, 2023. She fell and hit her head on the floor. She died in hospital a week later from an inoperable brain bleed. The great-grandmother suffered dementia and nursing home staff called police because she was wandering around the building with a walker and holding a steak knife. White was convicted of her manslaughter and sentenced in March to 450 hours of community service. He had faced a potential maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The sentence disappointed Nowland's family and Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling lodged an appeal. The three judges found that although the sentence was lenient, it was not manifestly inadequate given the sentencing judge's broad discretion. White did not attend the Sydney court on Wednesday and his lawyers did not comment to the media. Nowland's family did not immediately make a media statement. Prosecutors could potentially appeal the decision to Australia's High Court.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Los Angeles County seeks ordinance preventing law enforcement from concealing their identities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County leaders want to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty, a response to recent immigration raids during which some federal agents refused to identify themselves or covered their faces. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4—0, with one abstention, to direct county counsel to draft an ordinance that bars officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks, with limited exceptions such as for medical protection or during undercover operations. Officers would also be required to visibly display identification and agency affiliation while out in public. Since early June, immigration agents have swarmed Southern California, arresting hundreds of people and prompting protests against the federal raids and the subsequent deployment of the National Guard and Marines. About half the Guard troops and all the Marines were pulled out of LA in recent weeks. Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the motion, said the raids carried out by the Trump administration have sparked fear and residents have a right to know who is stopping, questioning or detaining them. 'Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names," Hahn said. 'That's not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate.' Hahn conceded that it is unclear if the county will be able to enforce the law when it comes to actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. 'Ultimately, it might have to be decided by a court,' she said. Legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky said Tuesday that a court could have to decide if the ordinance is interfering with the ability of officers to carry out their duties. 'They key is that it has to apply to all law enforcement. It can't just apply to federal law enforcement,' said Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. Administration officials have defended the practice of officers wearing masks, saying immigration agents have faced harassment as they have gone about their enforcement. Officials said agents are hiding their identities for their safety to avoid things like death threats and doxing, where someone's personal information is released without their permission on the internet. 'I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is,' ICE acting director Todd Lyons said last month. In the state legislature, a pending measure would ban local, state, and federal police from covering their faces while conducting operations in California. And a similar bill has been introduced into the U.S. Congress by Democratic senators Alex Padilla, of California, and Cory Booker, of New Jersey. Chemerinsky said the advantage of federal legislation is that it would 'clearly be constitutional' because Congress has the power to regulate how federal law enforcement operates. County counsel has 60 days to submit the draft ordinance to the board for approval. Supervisor Hilda Solis, the measure's other co-author, said local officials must set expectations about how law enforcement should conduct themselves while in the county. 'The use of masks, tactical gear, and refusal to show identification is not only alarming and confusing, but erodes public trust and raises serious safety concerns,' Solis said. Solve the daily Crossword
