police crackdown

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Cop in Chicken Suit Nabs 31 Drivers

As part of a crackdown on those who don't yield to pedestrians

(Newser) - Police made use of a, er, unique tactic to nail drivers who failed to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks in Lake Elsinore, California, this week: They employed a strategically-placed chicken decoy. A member of the force donned a chicken suit and walked through crosswalks as officers monitored drivers, the Lake...

China Busts 10K in Internet Crackdown

Activists worry busts just part of attack on dissidents

(Newser) - Pornographers, gun dealers, counterfeiters, and information thieves—those are just some of the cybercriminals Chinese authorities say they've caught in a four-month crackdown on Internet crimes, reports USA Today . All told, an incredible 10,000 people were arrested and 600 gangs broken up. Oh, and 3.2 million messages...

India Raids Bootleggers Amid Toxic Booze Deaths

Death toll hits 170, a dozen arrested

(Newser) - Police raided dozens of liquor dens and illegal distilleries in eastern India today, arresting a dozen people, as more and more people fell ill thanks to illegal methanol-tainted booze . Police are still searching for the mastermind behind the operation, a district magistrate tells the AP . So far 170 people have...

Libyan Military Kills 24 Protesters

Meanwhile Gadhafi holds his own demonstration

(Newser) - The Libyan military launched a brutal campaign against protesters yesterday, killing at least 24, according to Human Rights Watch. “According to multiple witnesses, Libyan security forces shot and killed demonstrators in efforts to disperse the protests,” the group said. The worst violence appeared to be in the eastern...

Egypt Cracks Down on Foreign Journalists

Two 'New York Times' reporters briefly detained

(Newser) - Egyptian authorities launched a systematic crackdown on the press today, rounding up journalists and sending armed gangs through the streets to attack anyone with camera equipment. Two New York Times journalists were detained overnight, and then released this morning, the paper reports . In addition to the gangs, the government has...

New Iranian Protests Turn Violent

Journalists banned, phones blocked, university locked down

(Newser) - A state-run rally devolved into chaos in Tehran today, as police clashed with opposition supporters renewing their post-election discontent. Police fired tear gas at the protesters in various squares throughout the city, while plainclothes Basij militia beat demonstrators with batons, witnesses told Reuters and the AP . Elsewhere, protesters and the...

As Riot Death Toll Mounts, China Blames Uighur Exiles

Uighur activists claim police opened fire on peaceful demonstration

(Newser) - Chinese state media are reporting that 156 people are dead and at least 828 injured and in the western city where clashes broke out between paramilitary police and Uighur demonstrators, Al Jazeera eports. Though the protests in Urumqi, Xinjian province, seemed to have died down, police are said to be...

Mousavi's Options Shrink as Crackdown Hardens

Battle for Iran moves from the streets to corridors of power

(Newser) - Two weeks after Iran's allegedly rigged presidential election, the regime's clampdown has hardened and left opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with few avenues for protest. The New York Times reports that shouts of "God is great" and "Death to the dictator" continue to echo at...

Pakistan Bans Protest, Arrests Opposition Workers

(Newser) - Pakistan’s government began cracking down on the opposition today in ways reminiscent of deposed dictator Pervez Musharraf, the New York Times reports. Police arrested hundreds of political workers today, and the government banned a protest national march scheduled for tomorrow, declaring that demonstrators wouldn’t be allowed into Islamabad....

Chinese Police Kill 8 Protesters

Clash in Sichaun province comes as officials try to search Tibetan monastery

(Newser) - Chinese police killed eight protesters and wounded dozens more overnight in Sichuan province when they opened fire on a demonstration led by Tibetan monks, the Times of London reports. The altercation started when police searched a Tibetan monastery, confiscating phones and images of the Dalai Lama. After arresting two, the...

Armenia Attacks Protesters
Armenia Attacks Protesters 

Armenia Attacks Protesters

Country declares emergency rule, kills 1 as rallies rage for 2nd week

(Newser) - Armenian cops fired on a crowd of protesters today and killed at least one as the country declared emergency rule, Reuters reports. Protests have raged daily since a Feb. 19 presidential election that opponents say was rigged for ex-premier Serzh Sarksyan. Police are holding opposition hopeful Levon Ter-Petrosian under house...

Chinese Man Killed Over Cellphone Video

City inspectors beat 'citizen journalist' to death; official fired

(Newser) - More than 50 municipal inspectors beat to death an onlooker filming a confrontation between government officials and villagers in central China, CNN reports, sparking renewed criticism of China's press-freedom record. The head of the city administration bureau was fired today, reports the state news agency Xinhua, as authorities reacted quickly...

Russian Crackdown Draws Fire
Russian Crackdown Draws Fire

Russian Crackdown Draws Fire

US, Council of Europe condemn police violence and arrests of opposition leaders

(Newser) - Authorities detained Russian opposition leaders yesterday and broke up a St. Petersburg rally and march in the second day of aggressive crackdowns on dissent, the Washington Post reports. Several candidates in Sunday's parliamentary elections were among the 200 held. "They have forbidden us from discussing Putin," one candidate...

World's Oldest Profession Goes Digital

Prostitutes use Craigslist to meet clients from across the country

(Newser) - The women of the night have taken to the virtual streets of Craigslist.org, the Times reports, sometimes flying across the country to meet clients and trade money for sex. On Long Island, Nassau County authorities have made over 70 arrests since last year, part of a nationwide crackdown using...

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