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☆ Several killed in Chad after attack on intelligence agency foiled, government says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi CNN —Tensions were high in the Central African country of Chad on Wednesday after several people were killed following an alleged attack on the country’s intelligence services was foiled overnight, the government said. CNN has reached out to the leader of the party, Yaya Dillo, about the accusations. Dillo said in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning that the military had surrounded him and others at the party’s headquarters. It’s not clear if it was a separate incident or the court president was in the security agency’s office during the attack. “It is important to highlight that every person searching to disrupt the democratic process underway in the country will be taken to court,” the government warned.

Persons: ”, Yaya Dillo, Dillo, It’s, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Netblocks Organizations: Nairobi CNN —, Socialist, National State Security Agency, CNN Locations: Nairobi, Central, Chad

☆ Sudan: Internet blackout nationwide as UN appeals for $4.1 billion to ease ‘epic suffering’ caused by war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Ingrid Formanek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Internet connectivity was shut down in Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have left thousands killed and millions displaced in nearly 10 months of fighting. Internet monitoring firm, Netblocks confirmed the outage Wednesday, saying that all three of the major network operators in the warring North African nation were out of service. The RSF has yet to publicly deny responsibility for the blackout. The UN appealed for $4.1 billion to meet the “most urgent humanitarian needs” amidst “epic suffering” in Sudan, adding that half of its population - some 25 million people need support and protection, with millions hungry and displaced by the war. Some 19 million children not attending school, continued widespread human rights violations, and gender-based violence are among the challenges cited in the UN’s funding appeal.

Persons: Netblocks, ”, Martin Griffiths, RSF Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, UN, Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Sudan’s Locations: Sudan, “, Sudan’s, Darfur

☆ Sudanese RSF Brings Down Telecoms Networks Across Sudan - Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The RSF did not comment, while an RSF source said the paramilitary had nothing to do with the outages. The two telecoms sector sources said the RSF was able to shut down the networks without causing permanent damage. The RSF has also forced Sudan's third main provider, Kuwaiti-owned Zain Sudan, to stop service in River Nile state and Port Sudan city, both controlled by the army, the sources and SUNA said. "MTN Sudan is actively engaging with relevant stakeholders to minimise the duration of this interruption," it said. The war has made Sudan the world's biggest internal displacement crisis and both sides have been accused of war crimes.

Persons: Nafisa Eltahir, SUNA, Sudani, Sudan's, Zain, Aidan Lewis, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Communications, Rapid Support Forces, MTN Sudan, MTN, Facebook, MTN Group, Reuters, Medical Locations: Nafisa Eltahir CAIRO, Darfur, Khartoum, Kuwaiti, Zain Sudan, Nile, Port Sudan, Sudan, Zamzam

CNN —A near-total communications blackout in Gaza, the longest of the war, has now lasted one week with no signs of abating, preventing humanitarian and emergency services from operating effectively in the territory. Israel has in the past faced accusations of deliberately severing Gaza’s communications – charges on which it has not commented. The IDF told CNN that it was aware of the allegation, and that the incident was under review. This is where it becomes dangerous.”Al Rozzi, who is executive director of the National Society for Rehabilitation, told CNN that he struggles to get even a trickle of a connection. A senior American official has in the past told CNN that the U.S. applied pressure on Israel to restore connectivity in Gaza when it was severed.

Persons: ” Juliette Touma, “, ”, ” Jamal al Rozzi, Khan Younis, Alp Toker, Netblocks, Oredoo, Israel, Abed Zagou, ” Hisham Mhanna, Al Rozzi, ” al Rozzi, ” Toker Organizations: CNN, UNRWA, UN, IDF, Anadolu Agency, Getty, International Committee, Red, National Society for Rehabilitation, of Health, American Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Jerusalem, Rafah

☆ The UN stops delivery of food and supplies to Gaza as a communications blackout hinders coordination
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) convoy of trucks carrying medical aid arrives at the Al-Shifa medical hospital in Gaza City, Gaza, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Israel announced that it will allow two tanker trucks of fuel into Gaza each day for the U.N. and communication systems. It has also blocked food, water and other supplies except for a trickle of aid from Egypt that aid workers say falls far short of what's needed. The communications blackout largely cut off Gaza's 2.3 million people from one another and the outside world. "An extended blackout means an extended suspension of our humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip," Touma told The Associated Press.

Persons: Cross, couldn't, Juliette Touma, Touma Organizations: Committee, ICRC, United Nations, Israel, Associated Press, Troops Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, DEIR, Israel, Egypt

Israeli strikes hit near hospitals in Gaza City as the military pushed deeper into dense urban neighborhoods in its battle with Hamas militants. The number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen to over 10,800, including more than 4,400 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said. In the occupied West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the violence and Israeli raids. Basel Zalabani, Mohammed’s father, said that Israeli forces had arrested him and his other 18-year-old son Yazan ahead of the demolition. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, at least five Romanian citizens have been confirmed killed.

Persons: Gaza’s, Marine Le, JERUSALEM, Mohammed’s, Yazan, ”, Australia — Francesca Albanese, Israel, ” Albanese, “, they'll, ” CloudFlare, NETANYAHU, ISRAEL, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “ Writers Bloc ” Organizations: Hamas, Nations, Ministry, West Bank, —, United States Office, Palestinian Affairs, Bank, Basel, UN, won’t, Romania — Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates, UNITED, . Development, Social Commission, West, Fox News, The New York Times, “ Writers Bloc, New York Times, The Associated Press, of Liberty and Grand Locations: Gaza City, Gaza’s, Israel, Gaza, Hungary, israel, ISRAEL, Jerusalem, West, Jenin, ADELAIDE, Australia, Adelaide, GAZA BUCHAREST, Romania, Egypt, Rafah, Cairo, Bucharest, YEMEN, DUBAI, United Arab, Yemen, YemenNet, Saudi, Red City, Hodeida, Syria, Ukraine, West Asia, Palestinian, GAZA Israeli, deradicalized, Manhattan, New York

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Internet access across the war-torn nation of Yemen collapsed early Friday without explanation, web monitors said. The outage began early Friday around 0000 GMT and affected the YemenNet, which is now controlled by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Both NetBlocks, a group tracking internet outages, and the internet services company CloudFlare reported the outage. Political Cartoons View All 1239 ImagesThe undersea FALCON cable carries internet into Yemen through the Hodeida port along the Red Sea for TeleYemen. The outage came after a series of recent drone and missile attacks by the Houthis targeting Israel amid its campaign of airstrikes and a ground offensive targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Organizations: United Arab Emirates, U.S Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Yemen, Saudi, Red City, Hodeida, Yemen’s, Ghaydah, Israel, Gaza, Eilat, Sanaa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, U.S

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops early Monday had surrounded Gaza City and cut off the northern part of the besieged territory as communications lost for several hours across Gaza overnight were gradually being restored. Some 800,000 people have heeded Israeli military orders to flee to southern Gaza, even though Israel had continued airstrikes in the area. Strikes in central and southern Gaza — the purported safe zone — killed at least 53 people on Sunday. The Israeli military said late Sunday that it had severed northern Gaza from the south, calling it a “significant stage” in the war. The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah targets in response to anti-tank fire that killed an Israeli civilian.

Persons: King Abdullah II, Israel, ”, Paltel, ___ Magdy, Najib Jobain, Khan Younis, Amy Teibel, Kareem Chehayeb Organizations: Troops, Health Ministry, Hamas, Communications, Palestinian, Paltel, Grad, Associated Press Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, U.S, Jordan, Egypt, Jordanian, Lebanon, Northern Gaza, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, israel

Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing scores of people, health officials said. The strikes came as the U.S. keeps urging Israel to take a humanitarian pause from its relentless bombardment of Gaza and rising civilian deaths. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank for a previously unannounced meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesCurrently:— Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City. — A U.N. official says the average Palestinian in Gaza is living on two pieces of bread a day.

Persons: Israel, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, evacuee Sara El, Masry, –, JORDAN, Jordan, King Abdullah II, ”, Michael Hertzog, ” Hertzog, OBAMA, Barack Obama, “, he’s, ” Obama, I’ve, Alp Toker, Juliette Touma, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, IRNA, Khamenei, Haniyeh, JERUSALEM —, Jacob Lew, Biden, ” Lew, Isaac Herzog, Lew, Antony Blinken’s Organizations: West Bank, Iraqi, Hamas, Ministry, WHO, GAZA, SYDNEY AIRPORT SYDNEY, Nine, Sydney Airport, Australian, United Arab Emirates, Mideast, Central Command, FIRE, NATIONS, Inter, Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, Jordanian, Twitter, ISRAEL, CBS, JERUSALEM, Paltel, Associated Press, Hezbollah, U.S, Israel, Embassy, . Riot Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Baghdad, Jordan, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza City, —, U.S, Berlin, israel, Sydney, Rafah, DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, ., Ohio, America's, Iran, UN, Palestinian Territory, GAZA AMMAN, Jordanian, GAZA, Palestinian, IRAN, TEHRAN, Lebanon, GAZA JERUSALEM, Beit Hanoun, TURKEY, ISTANBUL –, Ankara, Turkish

☆ Israel-Hamas War Israel Announces ‘Large Attack’ as Communications Blackout Cuts Off Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“Essentially today there is a northern Gaza and a southern Gaza,” Admiral Hagari said. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military had accused Hamas of using two hospitals in northern Gaza, Sheikh Hamad and Indonesian hospitals, as cover for its operational centers. The Israeli military had earlier made similar accusations about Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, and on Friday the Israeli military confirmed an airstrike near that facility. The communications blackout hit Gaza after sunset, around 6:20 p.m. local time, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring service. The first blackout on Oct. 27, which began around sunset, lasted nearly 36 hours and spread fear and panic across Gaza as Israel began a ground invasion.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Israel, Admiral Hagari, ’, Sheikh Hamad, Al Shifa, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, NetBlocks, Alp Toker, “, ” Mr, Toker Organizations: BBC, West Bank, Al, Gaza’s, Palestine Red Crescent Society, UNRWA, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Indonesian, Al Shifa, Palestine, Israel, United States

☆ Third Communications Blackout Hits Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Anushka Patil | More About Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Gaza was plunged into a communications blackout on Sunday for the third time in 10 days, again leaving its people without access to internet or phone services as night fell and Israel’s heavy bombardment of the enclave continued. The widespread blackout began shortly before sunset, around 4:20 p.m. local time, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring service. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on social media that the blackout affected more than two million civilians, cutting off access to emergency medical services as the bombings continued, and that, as during the previous blackouts, it had lost contact with its teams in Gaza. UNRWA, the U.N. agency that aids Palestinians, also said it was unable to reach “the vast majority” of its team in the enclave. “Without connectivity, people who need immediate medical attention cannot contact hospitals and ambulances,” he said on social media.

Persons: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ”, NetBlocks, Alp Toker, “, ” Mr, Toker, Israel Organizations: Palestine Red Crescent Society, UNRWA, World Health Organization, Gaza’s Locations: Gaza, Palestine, Israel, United States

☆ Israel Announces ‘Large Attack’ as Communications Blackout Cuts Off Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The Hamas-run government said airstrikes killed and wounded many people, but the exact toll was not yet known. The toll from Tuesday's strikes was also unknown, though the director of a nearby hospital said hundreds were killed or wounded. Dozens of people could be seen entering the Rafah crossing — the only one currently operating — and ambulances carrying wounded Palestinians exited on the Egyptian side. Egypt had earlier said that more than 80 Palestinians — out of many thousands wounded in the war — would also be brought in for treatment. Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ initial attack, also an unprecedented figure.

Persons: Israel, Ayman al, Israel “, Wael Abu Omar, Mohamed Zaqout, Paltel, ” Alp Toker, Cross, ”, Jessica Moussan, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Daniel Hagari, “, ___ Magdy, Wafaa Shurafa, Amy Teibel Organizations: Hamas, Wednesday, Palestinian, Authority, Health Ministry, Associated Press, POWER, COMMUNICATIONS, Committee, ICRC, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, U.S Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Gaza City, Jordan, Israel, U.S, Egypt, GAZA, Rafah, Palestinian, Turkish, Gaza’s, Syria, Iran, Eilat, Red Sea, Yemen, Cairo, Deir al, Jerusalem, israel

Israel has said Gaza's militant Hamas rulers have a command post under the hospital, without providing much evidence. The Israeli military had no immediate comment when asked about reports of strikes near Shifa. Casualties on both sides are expected to rise sharply as Israeli forces and Palestinian militants battle in dense residential areas. Despite the Israeli offensive, Palestinian militants have continued firing rockets into Israel, with the constant sirens in southern Israel a reminder of the threat. Israel says its strikes target Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants operate among civilians, putting them in danger.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, —, ” Mahmoud, Abdallah Sayed, Netanyahu, Yehia Sinwar, Daniel Hagari, ” Netanyahu, ”, ” Hagari, ___ Magdy Organizations: Hamas, Tanks, Communications, Residents, Shifa, Palestinian, Gaza Health Ministry, Health Ministry, U.S, West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Gaza's, Israel, Gaza City, Shifa, ”, gunning, Palestinian, U.N, Egypt, Syria, Iran, The U.S, Iraq, Cairo, ___, israel

☆ As internet connectivity plummets in Gaza, ordinary Palestinians struggle to compete with Israel's narrative of the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Internet connectivity in Gaza is plummeting. AdvertisementAdvertisementGaza's already flimsy internet connectivity has been severely impacted by Israel's strikes, according to several outage-detection models. Last Friday, NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors the governance of the internet, noted a steep decline in Gaza's internet connectivity. Fatafta said ordinary Palestinians were able to use social media to challenge some of the messaging coming from the Israel side. But, now, he fears that the fall in internet connectivity is creating a blindspot.

Persons: —, David, Gaza's influencers, Doug Madory, Amanda Meng, Meng, OCHA, Paltel, It's, Liz Throssell, Throssell, Fatafta, Jalal Abukhater, Abukhater, 7amleh, Sims Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Health Ministry, Georgia Tech, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Palestinian Telecommunications Company, IDF, UN, United Nations Human Rights, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CNN, Hamas, Al, Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, Gaza Locations: Gaza, MENA, Israel, Ahli, Palestinian

☆ The deteriorating situation in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Map of Gaza Strip access restrictions since 2005. The international airport in the south of the Gaza Strip was destroyed in 2002. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Note: Gaza Strip population in 2023: 2,226,544 inhabitants. Source: Gaza Electricity Distribution Company via UN OCHAFurther energy cuts mean residents cannot recharge phones, so are cut off from news of each other and events.

Persons: Israel, Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Mohammad Brais Organizations: United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, West Bank, Israel, CIA, Gaza Electricity, Company, UN, NetBlocks, Israeli Air Force Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, London, England, Deir, Khan Yunis, Rafah

☆ Iran protesters mark anniversary of bloody crackdown in southeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Protesters faced off with security forces in Iran's restive southeast on Friday to mark the anniversary of a Sept. 30, 2022, crackdown by security forces known as "Bloody Friday", according to rights groups and social media videos. IHR and the Baluch rights group Hal Vash said at least 23 people had been injured. The semi-official news agency Tasnim said police had used tear gas to disperse "a few people who had gathered and were throwing rocks at security forces". In the Sept. 30 crackdown, security forces killed at least 66 people, according to Amnesty International. Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric and a long-time critic of Tehran's Shi'ite leaders, demanded justice for the victims of the Sept. 30 crackdown.

Persons: Hal Vash, IRNA, Tasnim, Abdolhamid, Zahedan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Protesters, Iran Human, Baluch, Reuters, Amnesty International, Authorities, Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran's restive, Iran, Zahedan, Sistan, Baluchistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kurdish, Islamic Republic

☆ Mahsa Amini death anniversary sees heavy security in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. Over 500 people including 71 minors were killed in the protests, hundreds injured and thousands arrested in unrest that was eventually crushed by security forces, rights groups said. In Amini’s birthplace in Iran's western province of Kurdistan, a rights activist said there was a "heavy presence of security forces". Social media postings said weekly protests were held in Zahedan on Friday with slogans including "Death or freedom". Authorities have accused the United States and Israel and their local agents of fomenting the unrest to destabilise Iran.

Persons: Mahsa, Hengaw, BIDEN, Joe Biden, Biden, Nasser Kanaani, Amini's, Safa Aeli, Saleh Nikbakht, Parisa Hafezi, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean Kevin Liffey, Alistair Bell Organizations: West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Social, Reuters, Iran's Foreign Ministry, Amnesty International, Security, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, WANA, Rights DUBAI, Mahsa, Iran's, Kurdistan, Norway, Saqez, Zahedan, United States, Israel, Britain, Dubai

☆ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The officers said on television channel Gabon 24 that they represented all Gabonese security and defence forces. They said the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Bongo, 64, succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009 and was re-elected in a disputed election in 2016.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Elisabeth Borne, insurgencies, Josep Borrell, Albert Ondo Ossa, Omar, Eramet, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nellie Peyton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Central African, OPEC, French, Military, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gabonese, Centre, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, LIBREVILLE, Libreville, France, West, Central Africa, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad . Niger

☆ Fact Check-Fictional New Mexico emergency broadcast circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video circulating online that purports to show an Emergency Alert System broadcast warning of an emergency at a New Mexico research facility is fabricated, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security said. A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said in an email that no such broadcast was made. No such statement was released via the New Mexico government official website (www.nm.gov/news/) nor through the New Mexico Department of Public Safety site (here). There is no evidence that a “Black Mesa” research facility exists in New Mexico. No such broadcast was aired, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said.

Persons: Alp Toker, Read Organizations: New, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Reuters, New Mexico Department of Public, Valve Software Locations: Mexico, New Mexico

☆ Google News Blocked in Russia as Feud With Mercenary Leader Intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Several Russian internet service providers are preventing users inside the country from accessing Google News after Russian generals accused a mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, of attempting a coup. At least five telecommunications companies — including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplus — have blocked Google News, which aggregates news from various sources, according to an analysis from NetBlocks, an internet observatory. Several other internet service providers have begun reducing access as well, according to the analysis. Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for a comment. Late Friday, Russian officials accused Mr. Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization, of trying to mount a coup against President Vladimir V. Putin, with Russian authorities opening an investigation into Mr. Prigozhin for “organizing an armed rebellion.”Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in March 2022 that it would block Google News from the country’s internet users after the company paused advertising in Russia and took steps to block online content that spread false information to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Google didn’t, Mr, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Google, Wagner Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Senegal: Death toll from deadly protests rises to 16 amid internet cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Many protesters also sustained injuries amid clashes for a third day with security forces, following Sonko’s sentencing. Security forces look at supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko during clashes after Sonko was sentenced to prison, in Dakar, Senegal, June 3, 2023. ArrestsMore than 500 people have been arrested, Senegalese Director of Public Security, Ibrahima Diop, in said a televised address late Sunday. People walk past a bus shelter shattered during clashes between supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and security forces, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. Supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clash with security forces after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 2, 2023.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Zohra Bensemra, Reuters Sonko, Macky, Ibrahima Diop, “, ” Diop, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Netblocks, Edward McAllister Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Public Security, Patriots, Senegalese, Amnesty Locations: Senegal, Dakar, Senegalese

DAKAR, June 1 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Senegal on Thursday in clashes between riot police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko after a court sentenced him to two years in jail, casting serious doubt on his chances of running for president next year. The justice ministry said the opposition leader could now be taken to prison at any time. Police remained stationed around his home Dakar as unrest flared in the capital and elsewhere after the verdict. But Sall's second term has been particularly turbulent for a country usually viewed as one of West Africa's strongest democracies. Separately, Sonko is appealing against a six-month suspended prison sentence for libel - an offence he also denies.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Bamba Ciss, Sonko's, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Abdou Karim Fofana, Ndiack Fall, Macky Sall, Sall, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, Diadie Ba, Edward McAllister, Sofia Christensen, Alessandra Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Andrew Heavens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Police, REUTERS, University, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Dakar, Dakar Senegal, West, Lincoln

☆ Cuban police crackdown on demonstrators protesting widespread shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Videos posted to social media show a crowd protesting in front of government buildings, before riot police arrived and forcibly arrested several demonstrators. Netblocks, an organization that tracks internet activity, said it appeared the Cuban government had taken down the internet across the entire island as news of the protests spread. Pro-Cuban government bloggers blamed the protesters uploading videos of the protests for the internet disruptions. However, the Cuban government has a history of taking down the state-provided internet during previous protests, sometimes for several days. Internet connectivity appeared to be largely restored on Sunday, and Cuban state media Cubadebate said no more protests had occurred.

☆ Isolated protest in eastern Cuba sparks dueling versions on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But state-run radio journalist Mabel Pozo said on social media that the protest began when "various citizens, some in a state of drunkenness, yelled statements against the Cuban social process and regarding their dissatisfactions." Reuters could not independently verify the reports or video on social media or the official media version of events. Dissidents have accused the Cuban government of blocking internet traffic countrywide when protests flare in a bid to contain anti-government sentiment. Global web watchdog Netblocks showed a sharp drop in web traffic in Cuba on Saturday shortly after the protest was first reported. The state-run media version of events appeared to blame the lack of internet access on a spike in web traffic.

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