Headline

FULL LIST: From Nigeria To UK, Protesters Demanding Better Deals From Govts

Published

1 year ago

August 5, 2024

The second quarter of 2024 has been greeted by protests in many countries worldwide. The peculiarity of peaceful protests becoming violent is usually affiliated with Africa, but it has taken an upturn in recent months, extending to Europe and Asia.

The recent protests broke out in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Bangladesh, and India.

It first broke out in Kenya when youths in the country began demonstrations that turned violent over the prospect of increased levies on essential foodstuffs. The protest claimed more than 20 lives. This led the country’s president, William Ruto, to withdraw his finance bill and dissolve his cabinet.

Aside from Kenya, protesters in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, and India have followed suit in what they believe to be a revolutionary protest that would solve the myriads of problems ranging from the high cost of living, anti-immigration, anti-labour policies and quota system for government jobs.

In this report, The PUNCH highlights the countries where protests are ongoing, causes, and the demands by the protesters in the identified countries.

2. Nigeria

Protesters hit the streets across the country over the high cost of living and soaring prices of foodstuffs on August 1. The protest scheduled to hold for 10 days was tagged ‘Days of Rage’ and organised by a group called the “Take It Back” Movement in collaboration with Concerned Nigerians, Nigerians Against Hunger, Initiative for Change, Human Rights Co-Advocacy Group, Nigerians Against Corruption Initiative, Citizens for Change Advocacy Initiative, Timely Intervention, Active Citizens Group, Students for Change, We Coalition, Total Intervention, Refurbished Nigeria, Tomorrow Today, Our Future in Our Own Hands Initiative, Youths Against Tyranny, and Call a Spade a Spade Movement, among others, to put a stop to what they described as ‘bad governance’ by the country’s leaders.

Their demands include an end to anti-people’s policies, a reversal of fuel price, an increase in the national minimum wage to N300,000, a reversal of the hike in tertiary education fees, transparency and accountability in governance, electoral reforms, including the autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission, reforms in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, transition to a unicameral legislature, and reform security agencies to stop human rights violations.

The protest has reached day five despite President Bola Tinubu calling on the protesters to quell their action because of infiltrators who were noticed waving the Russian flag in FCT, Kano, Kaduna, and Zamfara.

2. India

The Indian National Trade Union Congress has called for sit-in protests at all district collectorate offices across Kerala State on August 5 to denounce the state government’s labour policies.

It first started in February when police used tear gas and barricades to stop thousands of farmers from marching to the capital, New Delhi, to press their demands that the government set a minimum price for all their produce to ensure they could sustain their livelihood. This demonstration has lingered, and others who are not in the Agricultural sector have supported it.

Earlier talks with the Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai failed to secure a government commitment to provide support prices, which spurred the farmers to go ahead with their “Delhi Chalo”, or “Let’s go to Delhi”, march.

Their demand is that the Ministry of Agriculture should increase prices for their crops to ensure they can sustain their livelihood.

3. Bangladesh

Bangladesh is on the boil again, with close to 100 people killed on Sunday as protesters, calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, clashed with security forces and supporters of the ruling party.

Last month, at least 150 people were killed and thousands injured in violence touched off by student groups protesting against reserved quotas in government jobs. The ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group, which was at the forefront of last month’s job quota protests, is leading the latest demonstrations.

Demonstrations started at university campuses in June after the High Court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, overturning a 2018 decision by Hasina’s government to scrap it.

The Supreme Court suspended the high court order after the government’s appeal and then dismissed the lower court order last month, directing that 93% of jobs should be open to candidates on merit.

REAS ALSO: JUST IN: Tinubu, Security Chiefs In Closed-door Meeting Amid Protests

The protests to reform the quota system paused after the Supreme Court scrapped most quotas on July 21. Protesters, however, returned last week demanding a public apology from the country’s Prime Minister Hasina for the violence, restoration of internet connections, reopening of college and university campuses, and release of those arrested.

Their demand is that the job quota in the country be reversed and that PM Hasina resign. Although the resignation call has been fulfilled, the country’s PM was seen today in a video that went viral on social media, fleeing her palace to seek a place in India until the unrest subsided.

4. United Kingdom

Violent protests have erupted in towns and cities across Britain after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport in northwest England last week.

The murders were seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. Police have said the suspect was born in Britain and are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

The protests have spread through cities across the country, including in Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester on Saturday, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalised and looted, and several police officers were injured.

On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel near Rotherham, northern England, which Britain’s interior minister said was housing asylum seekers.
Although the country’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, condemned what he described as “far-right thuggery” and said perpetrators would face the full force of the law after days of violent anti-immigration protests culminated in hotels being targeted.

Some Britons are demanding the return of immigrants to their countries as they believe that they are the ones causing unrest in the UK.

5. Kenya

A wave of protests swept through Kenya. Triggered by controversial proposed tax hikes, the movement has evolved into a wider campaign for more accountable governance in the country. Some demand the entire government’s resignation. The demonstrations started on June 18 and, for a week, were overwhelmingly peaceful, but in the early afternoon of June 25, they took a violent turn.

A number of demonstrators breached police barricades and stormed the precincts of parliament. They set parts of the building on fire, destroyed legislators’ offices, and carted away property, including the speaker’s mace.

Their demand is that the bill be reversed and President Ruto’s resignation be announced. So far, only the finance bill has been reversed; the President remains.

Headline

Four Places In The World Without Traffic Lights

Published

13 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

In a world where traffic lights are an essential part of road management, a few countries and regions stand out for functioning without them. These places rely on alternative systems ranging from police officers and roundabouts to cultural driving habits to manage traffic. Here’s a closer look at the nations and areas where traffic lights are absent.

Bhutan

Bhutan is famously known as the only country in the world that operates entirely without traffic lights. Even in its capital city, Thimphu, which has witnessed growing traffic due to urbanisation, automated signals have never been adopted. Instead, traffic management is handled by police officers who stand at major intersections, directing vehicles with hand signals.

In 1995, when a set of traffic lights was briefly installed in Thimphu, public complaints led to their swift removal, as locals felt the system clashed with the country’s traditions and culture of cooperation. Bhutan’s reliance on human-directed traffic reflects both its small population and strong sense of civic responsibility.

Vatican City

Vatican City, the world’s smallest sovereign nation, also operates without any traffic lights. With an area of just 44 hectares and a population of around 800 people, the city-state does not require traffic signals to regulate movement. Roads inside the Vatican are short and few, and traffic is mostly managed by signage and the Vatican’s own police force. However, just outside the Vatican’s walls, in Rome, traffic lights are abundant, highlighting the contrast between the bustling Italian capital and the tranquil governance of the Holy See.

Niue

In the South Pacific, Niue, one of the world’s smallest island nations, also has no traffic lights. With a population of less than 2,000 people and very limited vehicle traffic, there is little need for automated signals. Roads are quiet, and driving is relaxed, with motorists often waving to one another as they pass.

The absence of traffic lights in Niue is less a necessity than a reflection of the island’s lifestyle, where community trust and minimal congestion make formal traffic control unnecessary.

Tekesi County, China

A unique example of urban planning without traffic lights can be found in Tekesi County, Xinjiang, China. The county town was designed based on the ancient Bagua (Eight Trigrams) symbol from Taoist philosophy. Its distinctive circular and radiating street layout relies on roundabouts to direct vehicles.

In 1996, authorities cancelled the installation of traffic lights in order to preserve the Bagua system, making Tekesi a rare modern settlement that manages traffic without signals. The design has since become both a cultural attraction and a point of pride for residents, who see it as a symbol of harmony and balance.

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Nigerian Student Wins ‘Top In World’ Cambridge IGCSE English Award

Published

14 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

A Nigerian student, Kenechukwu Oluwanifemi Uba, has emerged the “Top in World” candidate in the November 2024 Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (Speaking Endorsement).

Uba, a pupil of Caleb International College, Magodo, Lagos, received the Outstanding Cambridge Learners Award for her performance, which was recognised by Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Spokesperson to the Proprietor and Founder, Caleb Group of Schools and University, Prof. Elvis Otobo, and made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

The certificate, signed by the Group Managing Director of International Education at Cambridge, Rod Smith, was presented during a ceremony organised by the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment at the Civic Centre, Lagos.

Speaking on the achievement, the Proprietor/CEO of Caleb Group of Schools and University, Dr. Oladega Adebogun, said the recognition reflected the school’s values of integrity, perseverance and innovation.

“We are overjoyed by Kenechukwu’s outstanding performance.

“Her success embodies our core values of integrity, perseverance, and innovation. We invest heavily in cutting-edge teaching methods—from flipped classrooms to AI-driven language labs—so that every student can discover their potential and lead with confidence,” Adebogun said.

Uba expressed gratitude to her teachers, classmates and family, noting that preparing in the school’s language lab helped build her confidence.

“From the moment I joined Caleb, I felt inspired by teachers who challenged me to think deeply and by peers who encouraged me to persevere. Preparing for the speaking endorsement in our state-of-the-art lab sharpened my confidence. This recognition belongs to everyone—my mentors, my classmates, and my family,” she said.

Caleb International College described the award as proof of its commitment to raising globally competitive students through advanced learning facilities and strong character development programmes.

Headline

Iran Has Executed At Least 841 People This Year — UN

Published

14 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

At least 841 people have been executed in Iran since the start of the year, the UN said Friday, decrying “a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of state intimidation”.

The United Nations’ human rights office said there had been a “major increase in executions” by Tehran during the first half of 2025.

“Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people since the beginning of the year,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

“The real situation might be different,” she added. “It might be worse, given the lack of transparency.”

In July alone, she said, Iran had executed at least 110 individuals — twice the number of people executed in July 2024.

“The high number of executions indicates a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of state intimidation, with disproportionate targeting of ethnic minorities and migrants,” Shamdasani added.

She cited the executions of Afghan nationals, and of Baluch, Kurdish, and Arab citizens.

In the first six months of the year, at least 289 people were executed for drug-related offences.

Shamdasani said the pattern witnessed across multiple countries showed that when their governments perceive threats to their grip on public order, they become increasingly repressive and less tolerant of dissent.

– Hangings before children –

The spokeswoman in particular criticised the staging of public executions in Iran. The rights office documented seven such cases since the beginning of the year — some reportedly in front of children.

“Public executions add an extra layer of outrage upon human dignity… not only on the dignity of the people concerned — the people who are executed — but also on all those who have to bear witness,” she said.

“The psychological trauma of bearing witness to somebody being hanged in public, particularly for children, is unacceptable.”

The UN human rights office said there were serious concerns over due process in capital punishment cases.

“What we are particularly worried about is that a lot of these death sentences are imposed based on vague laws,” the spokeswoman said, such as charges of enmity against God.

Shamdasani said that 11 individuals were currently facing “imminent execution” in Iran, including six charged with “armed rebellion” due to alleged membership of the exiled opposition People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (MEK).

The other five had been sentenced to death over their participation in large-scale protests in 2022, she said. Iran’s supreme court last week confirmed the death sentence against workers’ rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi, she added.

The UN rights office was urging Iran’s government “not to implement the death penalty against these and other individuals on death row”, Shamdasani said.

“The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity,” she added.

“It creates an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people. It should never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law.”

UN human rights chief Volker Turk is calling on Tehran to impose a moratorium on the application of capital punishment, as a step towards abolition.
AFP