In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, protests demanding food and electricity subsidies led to the killing of several people. Police said protesters were armed and violent, while protesters claimed they were shot by police.
Published On 3 Oct 2025
Four people were reported killed by the US’s “trafficking narcotics” when the US released a video that it claims shows its military striking a boat close to Venezuela’s coast. President Donald Trump stated that the US was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with cartels following the strike.
Published On 3 Oct 2025
As part of a general strike in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intercepted this week as it attempted to aid Palestinians in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Italy.
More than two million people showed up for the protests on Friday after trade unions called the strike “in defense of the flotilla” carrying 40 Italians in total and to “stop the genocide,” according to the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) on X.
The public and private sectors, according to the Turin-based newspaper La Stampa, “were the ones who were affected by the mobilization, including schools, healthcare, and rail, air, metro, and bus transportation.” Protesters reportedly blocked roads near Pisa, Pescara, Bologna, and Milan and blocked access to the port of Livorno among the numerous acts of dissent, according to the newspaper.
More than 80, 000 people marched in Milan, according to police reports to the news agency AFP, carrying a massive banner that read “Free Palestine, Stop the War Machine” as they made their way through the streets.
This is not just any strike, they say. We’re here today to fight for brotherhood among people, people, to put humanity back at center, to reject genocide, to support a rearmament policy, according to CGIL leader Maurizio Landini, who was quoted by the Reuters news agency.
According to Milena Veselinovic, a reporter from Rome, “there were” many people from all walks of life in the turnout.” You have students, retired people, and many people who have young children who are also emigrating.
Massive protests are scheduled for tomorrow in Rome, where the CGIL reported 300,000 people on Friday. At 2: 30 p.m. (12: 30 GMT), crowds are expected to leave the town square, Piazzale Ostiense.
We were hundreds of thousands today. According to Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica, Maya Issa, the leader of the Palestinian Student Movement, “tomorrow for Palestine we must be a million.”
The Italian government has been “caught on its back foot,” according to Andrea Dessi, an assistant professor of international relations and global politics at the American University of Rome.
Protesters argued that Meloni’s support for a Palestinian state should have been unconditional despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s announcement this week that Italy would grant it if Hamas was barred from a future government.
“I think the pressure will keep mounting,” Dessi said. We anticipate a significant, significant march from all over Italy on Saturday, with activists, members, and citizens from Rome, he said.
According to him, their demands include the release of the remaining Italians from the Sumud Flotilla, unconditional support for a Palestinian state, and “more serious sanctions” on Israel for its use of force against Gaza.
Veselinovic for Al Jazeera predicted that the right-wing Italian government would not succumb to pressure. Given that Italy is a significant ally of Israel in the European Union, that is probably unlikely to occur. The government has since adopted a slightly harsher stance toward Israeli officials, in particular because of things like this protest, she said.
Meloni alleged that people were using the protests as an excuse for a longer weekend break, despite the government’s criticism of the strike.
Out of the 40 Italians who were detained from the flotilla, the foreign ministry of Italy announced that Israel had released four of the country’s parliamentarians as a result of the protests. According to the ministry, the two parliamentarians and two members of the European Parliament were scheduled to return to Rome on Friday.
On Thursday, protests in solidarity with the humanitarian convoy, which included prominent people like Greta Thunberg and a number of politicians, spread from Europe to Australia and South America.
About 15, 000 demonstrators marched in Barcelona, where the flotilla’s journey began, chanting “Freiheit for Palestine” and “Gaza, you are not alone.” Ada Colau, a former mayor of Barcelona, was among those who were detained at sea, and he is currently facing deportation along with other activists, including Nelson Mandela’s grandchild.
The flotilla organizers claimed on Friday that Israeli naval forces had “illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels, each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to end Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.” According to them, Marianette, the last boat still standing, was taken at 10:29 am (07:29 GMT) that morning.
More than 470 flotilla participants were “taken into custody by the military police, subjected to rigorous screening, and transferred to the prison administration,” according to Israeli police, according to AFP.
More than 20 journalists were detained from the flotilla, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which includes Al Jazeera, El Pais, and RAI, an Italian public broadcaster.
Israel’s military praised its naval forces’ ability to intercept the flotilla, claiming that the humanitarian mission had violated Israel’s “mere maritime security blockade.”
According to the military statement, Israeli Navy personnel “survived a large-scale incursion attempt by hundreds of individuals aboard 42 naval vessels during Yom Kippur during an operation that lasted for approximately 12 hours”
Israel’s interception of the flotilla’s boats was alleged to be against the law by rights groups, politicians, and UN representative Francesca Albanese.
Protesters in Israel on Friday staged a sit-in demanding that the flotilla’s aid be allowed into Palestinian territory. Additionally, hundreds of protesters attempted to stop Israeli soldiers from entering the Strip while holding banners calling for the end of the genocide and the imposition of sanctions against Israel.
Hamdah Salhut, a reporter for Al Jazeera, quoted as saying, “These are Israeli peace activists who claim to be members of various organizations from all walks of life in solidarity with the flotilla.” Salhut, who was speaking from Amman.
Salhut reported that the Israeli Navy had seized more than 40 vessels in the port of Ashdod, which is located just north of the Gaza Strip.
Published On 3 Oct 2025
Following Thursday’s deadly synagogue attack, UK police are pressing organizers to halt a pro-Palestine protest in London this weekend. According to activists, the attack shouldn’t be confused with Israeli genocidal protests.
Published On 3 Oct 2025
Following pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, the technology giant Apple has confirmed that ICEBlock, a crowdsourcing app that tracks the sightings of US immigration officers, and other similar software from its App Store.
Users no longer had access to ICEBlock’s App Store, which is where they could download software, as of Friday.
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The app’s social media team announced in a post on the platform BlueSky that “we just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to “objective content.” The Trump Administration is undermining this only if we can only speculate. We have responded, and we will fight this.”
The move raises questions about the pressure on private companies and restrictions on free speech, which is unusual for apps to be removed due to demands from the US government.
A free iPhone app called ICEBlock, which enables users to track and report illegal immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) activity, is available for free.
In response to President Trump’s hardline immigration policy and recent escalating ICE arrests, it was created in April.
Since taking office for a second term, ICE has been a key component of Trump’s campaign for mass deportation. In the government’s deportation drive, rights advocates claim that free speech and due process are frequently violated in workplaces, homes, and courthouses.
The growing ties between major tech companies and the Trump administration have also been clarified by Apple’s decision to remove the ICEBlock app from its platform. Numerous businesses, including the maker of the iPhone, have fought back against potential conflicts with the White House, which has been forthcoming about issuing threats, particularly relating to tariffs, against particular businesses.
According to information law enforcement has gathered about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, Apple has removed it and other similar apps from the App Store.
According to a statement from US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who claimed the department of justice reached Apple and that the company followed its request to remove the app, Fox Business first reported the removal of the app on Thursday.
Violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed, Bondi told Fox Business, adding that “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just because they do their jobs.”
Joshua Aaron, the Texas-based author of ICEBlock, criticized Apple’s decision and refuted that description.
“Apple’s actions today have left me utterly disappointed. According to Aaron, it’s never the best idea to surrender to an authoritarian regime.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights organization, cited David Greene’s claim that the move demonstrates a pattern of government overreach.
According to Greene, “it is not surprising that they have been threatening this for a while and that we anticipate seeing more of this and other blatantly unconstitutional actions going forward.”
According to Greene, the Trump administration “shows little disregard” for the rule of law, noting that the app’s activities are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech.
He added that people should be aware of how their country’s government functions, particularly in sensitive areas like immigration. However, Greene continued, “the Trump administration never genuinely cared about the free flow of information.”
According to Greene, “publishing truthful information about matters of public interest is deserving of the highest level of First Amendment protection, and the government’s operations and the identities of the operators are a matter of high public interest.”
However, Bondi has previously claimed that Aaron is “not protected” by the Constitution and that a prosecutor is considering prosecuting him, urging him to “watch out.”
As activists try to protect their communities from ICE agents’ aggressive enforcement, civil surveillance of federal immigration agents has become more assertive in recent months.
ICE has increased its enforcement efforts since Trump took office, and a bill passed in July secured the organization with $ 75 billion in new funding through 2029.
Additionally, the agency has detained permanent US residents and visa holders due to pro-Palestinian advocacy.
In a high-profile case, rights groups called for Mahmoud Khalil, a US citizen of Palestinian descent, to be detained after speaking during the anti-war protests at Columbia University.
Khalil is still facing deportation proceedings even though he was freed from custody in June. Although Khalil has 30 days to appeal, an immigration judge in Louisiana in September issued an order for his deportation.
According to legal experts, the US Constitution allows for civilian surveillance of ICE as long as observers don’t attempt to obstruct law enforcement operations.
In response to government requests, Apple removed more than 1,700 apps from its App Store in 2024. However, China received the majority of those requests, or more than 1, 300, in 2024.
Russia submitted 171 demands, followed by South Korea, which submitted 79.
According to company transparency reports, the US hasn’t been one of the nations where apps have been removed due to government demands over the past three years.
Apple is particularly sensitive to tariff laws because the majority of its iPhones are produced in China.
The White House has been making noise in recent months about potential taxes that might apply to chips imported into Apple products like iPhones and Macs.