Tens of thousands on Monday defied coronavirus restrictions, gathering worldwide on International Women's Day to denounce gender violence and inequalities.Women took to the streets in peaceful democracies and in countries gripped by conflict, though in far smaller numbers than last year, when the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic had yet to hit the world.Thousands marched in Mexico City, bringing with them photos with the names of alleged rapists, murderers and harassers of women.&quot

Hundreds of peaceful anti-coup protesters were "barricaded" by Myanmar security forces in apartment buildings in Yangon on Monday, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general said, calling for their release "without violence or arrests".The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since a 1 February coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered mass protests against the new military junta.The police and military have responded with an increasingly brutal crac

Shirley Shi has received three offers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 - through her hometown, her Beijing residential area and her office area - but the human resources manager is in no rush."I'd like to keep an eye out for any adverse effects first," said Shi, who like many Chinese seems happy to take a wait-and-see approach.Through aggressive lockdowns and mass testing of millions, China has had success controlling the virus that first surfaced on its soil in late 2019.But

Hein Yar Zar grimaced as a tattoo artist etched onto his chest the features of his first love, a young protester whose death has become a symbol of resistance against Myanmar's junta.Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was shot in the head during a demonstration in the capital Naypyidaw, becoming one of the coup's first fatalities on 19 February after 10 days in the hospital.Her image has since become synonymous with the bloody fight to wrest power from the military, which toppled Myanmar&#039

A number of people have begun escaping the turmoil in Myanmar into India, some of them police refusing to take part in the violent crackdown on protests against a military coup there, officials and reports said.Myanmar's junta ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February, triggering a mass uprising that the military has responded to with increasingly lethal force.

Hundreds marched in Bangkok and lit ceremonial fires in front of a courthouse on Saturday to protest Thailand's draconian royal defamation law and the jailing of several prominent pro-democracy activists.The protesters are part of a youth-led movement that kicked off last July calling for an overhaul to Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha's government and a scrapping of the country's military-scripted constitution.They are also demanding the abolition of a lese majeste law which shields

China moved Friday to grant itself veto powers over selecting Hong Kong's lawmakers, part of a campaign to eliminate dissent and ensure a "patriotic" government in the city following huge democracy rallies in 2019.Legislation to allow China's communist rulers to vet all election candidates in Hong Kong was tabled at the opening of the nation's rubber-stamp parliament in Beijing.It came a day after dozens of democracy campaigners in the financial hub – including former

Another anti-coup protester was shot dead in Myanmar on Friday as a United Nations (UN) envoy urged the Security Council to hear the nation's "desperate pleas" and take swift action to restore democracy.Despite an increasingly brutal crackdown by the military authorities that has seen more than 50 people killed, protesters took to the streets again in towns around the country to denounce the 1 February coup.In Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, hundreds of engineers

Kyal Sin always let her clothes do the talking - at one Myanmar anti-coup rally, she taped a sign onto the back of her black jacket: "We need democracy. Justice for Myanmar.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will address his nation on Friday, kicking off an annual legislative session that is expected to further tighten Beijing's grip on Hong Kong.China has ushered in a sweeping crackdown against critics in the semi-autonomous financial hub after huge and often violent pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2019.As thousands of delegates gathered for China's week-long National People's Congress (NPC), official news agency Xinhua said late Thursday the a