Thai Red Shirts 'reach deal to end protests'

Bangkok, Thailand (News Terupdate) - Anti-government protesters who have been blocking off central Bangkok appear to have reached a deal with the government, their leaders told demonstrators Tuesday.

Leaders of the protest movement told supporters they are prepared to accept a five-point deal being offered by the government, including a call for new elections in November.

But they will not end their demonstrations until the prime minister announces when he will dissolve parliament, they said.

The crowd erupted in a roar of approval when their leaders told them of the deal, which seems to remove the threat of a violent crackdown on the protesters.

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Thousands of anti-government protesters have brought the center of Thailand's capital to a standstill for weeks as they seek to unseat Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, which they say is illegitimate and undemocratic -- accusations Abhisit has called "unfounded."

iReport: Behind Red Shirt lines

The demonstrators -- known as "Red Shirts" because of their clothing -- support Thaksin Shinawatra, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, before he was ousted in a bloodless coup.

Explainer: What are the protests about?

More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died since protesters began occupying key tourism and shopping areas in Thailand's capital.

Thai security forces fired on crowds of anti-government protesters just outside Bangkok last week as tensions flared in the latest round of confrontations between the two groups.

The Erawan rescue agency said eight protesters were injured in the clashes. One soldier was killed by friendly fire, police said.

Riot police and government troops had massed along a major highway to stop the progress of an anti-government convoy headed toward a location where demonstrators have gathered in the past.

The British and United States governments have issued warnings to their citizens about travel to Thailand in light of the protests.

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Protests against Arizona immigration law go nationwide

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of protesters in cities across the United States waved American flags as they rallied Saturday against Arizona's tough new immigration law and pushed for national immigration reform.

"Si se puede," "Yes we can" and "Boycott Arizona" were common refrains for groups protesting from Los Angeles, California, to New York City.

May 1 is traditionally a rallying day for supporters of immigration reform. But protesters across the country said they were galvanized by Arizona's recent passage of a law cracking down on illegal immigration.

The new Arizona law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they are in the United States illegally. Critics say it will lead to discrimination and racial profiling.

But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said the law is necessary because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to move into the state. She said changes to the law she approved Friday, which clarify that police could only stop suspected illegal immigrants while enforcing some other law or ordinance, should eliminate concerns about racial profiling.

But criticism of the law was clear among tens of thousands of protesters flooding the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday, where organizers said they hoped to send a strong message with the number of people turning out.

"Does my face look illegal?" one sign read.

Karen Rayner, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said 50,000 people marched at the demonstration's peak. Rayner said the rally was "very peaceful" and no one was arrested.

Police arrested about 20 protesters -- including a U.S. congressman -- at Saturday's rally in Washington.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, was among a group of protesters who were arrested for blocking the sidewalk outside the White House in what they said was a planned act of civil disobedience. The protesters wore T-shirts that read "ARREST ME NOT MY FAMILY" and "ARREST ME NOT MY FRIENDS."

A smaller group of about 200 people rallied outside the State Capitol in Phoenix, protesting the new law and asking the federal government to step in to stop it.

About 1,000 people gathered in New York City's Union Square on Saturday afternoon.

Cesar Mack, an international studies student at City College of New York, told CNN he was an undocumented immigrant from Peru.

"I've been living in this country six years and I'm still fighting for immigration reform," he said.

CNN iReporter Julio Ortiz-Teissonniere said he saw signs in Arabic, French, Spanish and English at the New York rally. One sign in the crowd particularly caught his eye: "Todos somos Arizona" -- "We are all Arizona."

"They were trying to convey that message that it's a city and nation based on immigration. Everybody came from somewhere else," he said.

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Thousands across the globe stage marches, protests on May Day

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of people across the globe took to the streets on Saturday in annual demonstrations for May Day, the annual event marked by demonstrations demanding better working conditions.

Known as International Workers' Day, the holiday draws thousands to peacefully protest. Others, as in Athens, Greece, clashed with police amid growing anger over the government's stiff plans to grapple with the country's debt.

About 12,000 people in Athens were on the streets, waving red flags and at times surging toward a line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. Those disturbances led to injuries and arrests. A satellite truck was torched and two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank and a car were damaged.

In Russia, more than 2.5 million people participated in traditional May Day celebrations in 900 cities and towns, the country's trade union federation said. The largest gatherings took place in Krasnodar, Yakutsk, Vladivostok, Izhevsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The people spoke out in favor of decent salaries and stable employment.

Watch May Day demonstration in Paris, France.

According to CNN sources and state-run news reports, there were many demonstrations.

Turkey:

For this first time in 30 years, tens of thousands of union members and leftist political activists gathered for the first legally sanctioned May Day celebration in Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

Germany:

Several protesters were detained after clashes with police in Hamburg. Seventeen police officers were reportedly injured when confronting demonstrators who they said were throwing rocks and setting garbage cans on fire.

Cuba:

A throng marched through Revolution Plaza in Havana. Crowds are usually big in Cuba on International Workers' Day but government officials said the turnout was a signal to Washington that the country is unified and supports its leaders.

United States:

Several dozen cities braced for protests against Arizona's controversial new immigration law.

Asia:

Thousands gathered in several Asian cities for its annual May Day demonstrations. They demanded improved working conditions and wage increases. Clashes between police and protesters were seen on TV.

Iran:

Protests popped up at the Labor Ministry, where demonstrators clashed with police and shouted "Death to the dictator."

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Greeks protest austerity cuts at May Day rally

Athens, Greece (News Terupdate) - Greek protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas during the annual May Day rally on Saturday in Athens, where thousands of people gathering for the event seethed over government belt-tightening plans to deal with the country's debt problems.

Waving red flags, the crowd at times surged toward the line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. The police pushed them back each time.

Protesters threw objects toward police, and scattered fires were burning on the streets. A van belonging to state broadcaster ERT was set on fire, and 19 people were taken in for questioning, a spokesman for the Greek national police told CNN.

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About 12,000 people were protesting in Athens, and rallies were also taking place in the northern city of Thessaloniki, the spokesman said. Protesters there smashed two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank, and a car, but no one was arrested or being questioned, the spokesman said.

The annual May Day rally has taken on an angry tone this year as the Greek government prepares to enact austerity measures to cap its large deficit and massive debt.

The package of measures was expected to be revealed Sunday. It is likely to include cuts in civil servants' salaries, pay freezes, reductions in pension payments, changes to tax rates, and increases in the value-added tax consumers pay on purchases, Ilias Iliopoulos, the general secretary of the public sector union ADEDY said Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund and the European Union are discussing a bailout for Greece, whose economic problems threaten the stability of the common European currency, the euro.

The amount of the aid package being negotiated was not clear, but the IMF and EU are likely to demand the austerity measures as a price for a bailout.

May Day observed around the world

Greece's national debt of 300 billion euros ($394 billion) is bigger than the country's economy, and some estimates predict it will reach 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010.

Standard & Poor's this week downgraded Greece's sovereign credit rating to junk status, making Greece the first European country to fall below investment grade.

The downgrade makes it harder and more expensive for Greece to borrow money to pay back its debts. That makes the prospect of a bailout more crucial for Athens.

Also this week, Moody's Investors Service downgraded nine Greek banks, including the National Bank of Greece, citing their weakened financial strength and the country's "challenged" economic prospects.

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Cubans take to the polls amid criticism and protest

Havana, Cuba (News Terupdate) - Cubans hit the polls across the country Sunday, voting in municipal assembly elections that the government hopes will soften criticism about democracy -- or lack thereof -- in the communist nation.

The nationwide vote will fill 169 assembly seats and is expected to draw millions to the polls. The vote will determine municipal representation on such local issues as waste removal and electricity, as opposed to the larger political questions facing Cuba such as the near half-century-old U.S. trade embargo.

Candidates in municipalities across the country are selected by a show of hands by local monitoring groups called Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, who are also responsible for reporting suspicious neighborhood activity.

Electoral campaigning is strictly prohibited, an aspect that Cuba touts as at least one reason it considers its elections to be more democratic than in neighboring countries.

There were no reports of disruptions at polling stations by midday.

At one election site in Havana's Vedado district, polling official Jose Caesar Munez said 211 voters had shown up to cast their ballots, many arriving early to beat the sweltering Caribbean heat.

"There is no political party difference between these two (local) candidates," Munez said, hunched over a paper tally sheet used to process voters. "But there is an opportunity to change (unpopular local representatives). ... That's democracy," he said.

Others aren't so sure.

"We have these kinds of elections every two years but nothing ever changes," said Eduardo, an engineer who lives in central Havana who asked not to be fully identified. "All you have to do is walk these streets and listen to people to hear what they're saying."

Election results are expected Monday.

Meanwhile, Cuba continued to blame international media for coverage of a small group of female protesters called the Ladies in White -- the friends and relatives of jailed dissidents -- who Cuba says are "mercenaries" paid by Washington.

It says recent protests are meant to disrupt Sunday's election and officials have demanded the group seek a permit before marching.

The group has refused, continuing to march every Sunday and drawing the ire of pro-government demonstrators who often surround them during protests, waving Cuban flags and chanting such slogans as "This street belongs to Fidel."

Election day was no different.

A handful of female protesters began their march down Fifth Avenue in Havana's affluent Miramar district on Sunday and were again shouted down by a group of pro-government demonstrators who encircled them for hours in a nearby park.

Earlier Sunday at a polling station in Havana, National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon challenged the United States and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to lift the near half-century-old trade embargo against Cuba for a year and see what happens.

"Mrs. Clinton is a very intelligent woman, and I don't want to be rude with her," said Alarcon to news agencies in Cuba. "If she really believes the continuation of the embargo is in the benefit of our government, it's very simple for her: ask Congress to lift the embargo."

Alarcon's comments come less than one month after Clinton said it was her "personal belief that the Castros do not want to see an end to the embargo and do not want to see normalization with the United States because they would lose all of their excuses for what hasn't happened in Cuba in the last 50 years."

Sunday's municipal elections were expected to focus on far more local issues.

Source : CNN

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