[Onthebarricades] Protests - health, welfare, benefits - December 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* INDIA - Haryana - Villagers blockade road and fight back against 
police after canal death
* ZIMBABWE/IRELAND: Dublin protest highlights cholera crisis
* SERBIA: Army veterans clash with police over pensions
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Police injured in clashes over doctor
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Sit-in over unpaid benefits
* INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - Protest at hospital over building worker's death
* TRINIDAD: Protest over refusal to recognise dengue outbreak
* UK: Health workers hold national day of action
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Salem doctors stage demonstration
* INDIA: Puducherry - Rain-affected benefits protest
* INDONESIA: Protest commemorates AIDS day
* US: Massachusetts - Boston residents protest against toll hikes
* AUSTRALIA: Single mothers hold bikini protest
* UK: Protest at fire station closure
* CANADA: Hundreds protest against Ottawa arts cuts
* AUSTRALIA: Local health cuts protest
* UK: Protesters deliver petition over baby abuse case
* UK: War veteran takes protest to parliament
* CHINA: Mule protest over fuel prices
* INDIA: Kerala - Airport users protest neglect, delays
* INDIA: Karnataka - Protest over link road delays
* US: Milwaukee - Foster care death sparks protest
* INDIA: Karnataka - Protest against toll road
* INDONESIA - ACEH: Tsunami victims protest neglect
* RUSSIA: Pensioners protest for bus passes
* US: Yonkers - Locals protest fire service cuts
* SCOTLAND: Protest at council meeting over cuts
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Flash protests over road closure cause shutdown
* INDIA: New Delhi - Missing children, police inaction protested






http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/35-injured-in-haryana-as-villagers-clash-with-police_100132642.html

35 injured in Haryana as villagers clash with police
December 18th, 2008 - 11:35 pm ICT by IANS -
Bhiwani (Haryana), Dec 18 (IANS) At least 35 people, including 15 
policemen, were injured Thursday after villagers in this south-west 
Haryana district clashed with the police.Violence erupted at Khadak 
village in Bhiwani district, 300 km from Chandigarh, when the bodies of 
two youth from the village were recovered from an irrigation canal.
Angry villagers blocked the Bhiwani-Delhi highway and resorted to 
stone-pelting and violence against the police. They also damaged a State 
Roadways bus and set two police vehicles on fire.
Police officials said they had to resort to cane charge to control the mob.
Earlier, the police recovered the bodies of two youth, Shiv Kumar and 
Chhotu Ram, from the canal. Both were missing since Dec 14 when they 
went to attend a marriage function.






http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/protests-in-dublin-to-highlight-zimbabwes-cholera-crisis-14107075.html

Protests in Dublin to highlight Zimbabwe's cholera crisis
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Protestors have gathered in Dublin to highlight the humanitarian crisis 
in Zimbabwe.
"Friends of Zimbabwe in Ireland" were walking through the city centre to 
Government buildings to voice their concerns over the cholera epidemic 
in the country, which has killed almost 800 people so far.
The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 60,000 people could 
be hit by the disease unless immediate action is taken.
There are also concerns over the disappearance of a humanitarian worker 
in the country ten days ago.
Jestina Mukoko was abducted outside her home in Harare on 3rd December.





http://www.b92.net//eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=21&nav_id=55884

Several hurt as Gendarmes, army vets clash 21 December 2008 | 11:53 -> 
19:39 | Source: B92, FoNet, Beta Prokuplje -- Protesting army veterans 
clashed with MUP Žandarmerija (Gendarmerie) on the Niš-Priština road 
near Kuršumlija on Sunday, reports say.

Police and protesters clash on Sunday (Beta)
Initial reports said that three former soldiers and six policemen, two 
of them Gendarmes, were lightly injured, while four protesters were 
arrested.

Later in the day, FoNet news agency said that 15 policemen and ten 
demonstrators were hurt in the violence.

MUP confirmed that "several of its members and several demonstrators" 
were injured.

More than a thousand protesters from 20 towns, on their way to the 
administrative line with Kosovo, were stopped on the bridge over the 
Toplica River by a quadruple cordon of some 300 Gendarmes and riot 
police in full riot gear.

As the veterans tried to break through the cordon, several people were 
injured.

The worst clashes occurred when the protesters managed to break through 
the cordon with a car.

Gendarmes proceeded to beat them, arresting several people, while two 
vehicles sustained heavy damage.

Veterans say that the police attacked them unprovoked, and accuse the 
officers of brutality, calling on Interior Minister Ivica Dačić to resign.

They say they planned to go to Merdare to demand the war wages owed them 
by the state, but also to raise their voices against the forming of the 
Kosovo security forces, and to offer their support to the Serbs in Kosovo.

The tension on the bridge diffused after two hours, when police and the 
veterans agreed that if four of their members arrested earlier were 
released, they would unblock the road. Photos from today's unrest in our 
Gallery

Earlier today, it was announced that the military veterans from southern 
Serbia were headed in 40 cars and several buses to the Merdare 
administrative line with Kosovo.

They planned to continue months of protests over unpaid war wages by 
blocking the traffic at that checkpoint.

The former Yugoslav Army (VJ) reserve soldiers, called up during the war 
in Kosovo in 1999, come from some 20 towns in southern Serbia, and wish 
to draw the government's attention to their demands.

Dejan Milošević, who heads one of their associations, said that they 
expect the government to adopt an urgent decree that will allow all 
veterans to receive the same amount of money.

"Everyone should get what some individuals have gotten through courts, 
and that is from RSD 500,000 to one million," he said.

Earlier, Milošević told B92 that the Iron Regiment association will 
demand the same sum for each of their members. He also said that several 
thousand protesters were expected today.

"Unless our state takes this problem seriously we will be forced to go 
to the government and seek justice in the street," Milošević announced.

He reminded that all the previous protests went without incidents, and 
that their desire is to "solve the problems in a dignified manner".






http://www.b92.net//eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=24&nav_id=55952

Veterans to protest outside govt. HQ 24 December 2008 | 09:41 | Source: 
B92 BELGRADE -- Kosovo war veterans from the former Third Army District 
will protest in front of government HQ today, demanding reimbursement of 
their wages.

Strike leader Velimir Milošević said that veterans from 22 
municipalities would be heading for Belgrade.

“I hope that the government will understand that it’s time for the 
talking to stop because the soldiers are genuinely unhappy. The Toplica 
soldiers got their money, but no-one else from the Third Army has,” he 
said.

The veterans expect to meet with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, 
Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim 
Ljajić.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/22/stories/2008122253230300.htm

Tamil Nadu

SI and policemen injured in group clash
Staff Reporter
Pollachi: A sub-inspector of police, two constables and two home guards 
sustained injuries in a clash that took place between two groups at 
Vettaikaranpudur near Animalai in Pollachi area on Sunday evening.
It is learnt that members of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi placed 
stones on the main road and staged a road blockade to protest against 
the absence of doctor at the Primary Health Centre at Vettaikaranpudur.
They said it caused a lot of hardship to the residents of 
Vettaikaranpudur as they couldn’t get the pulse polio immunisation 
vaccine for their children.
While the protest was going on, Ganesh (48), owing affiliation to Kongu 
Velala Gounder association asked the protestors to clear the way for 
taking his child to Pollachi for administering vaccine.
The protestors objected and a wordy duel followed which ended in 
exchange of blows and showering of abuses at each other.
Hearing this, the supporters of Ganesh also came in large numbers and 
the clash worsened with pelting of stones.
In the clash, Sub-Inspector Saravanan, two constables and two home 
guards sustained injuries. Reinforcements and officials from the revenue 
and police department rushed to Vettaikaranpudur and brought the 
situation under control. Superintendent of Police and District Revenue 
Officer rushed to Vettaikaranpudur and police reinforcements have been 
deployed.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120359040300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Sit-in protest staged
Staff Reporter
Tirupur: Ministerial and subordinate staff of Tamilnadu Khadi and 
Village Industries Board staged a ‘sit-in’ protest at their office here 
on Tuesday.
They urged the State Government to clear the entire dearness allowance 
arrears pending from July 1, 2007, without any delay.
The workforce criticized the government for non-disbursal of festival 
bonus to them, despite making repeated representations to the 
authorities concerned.
The staff should be given a proportional salary increase in order to 
commensurate with the increase that had been awarded to the wages of 
Central Government employees following recommendations of the pay 
commission.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120555770800.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Building worker’s death triggers protest
Staff Reporter
Victim’s kin attack hospital seeking ex gratia
ELURU: The death of a building worker, M. Balaji (18) while undergoing 
treatment, triggered protest on Thursday. It led to an attack on a 
teaching hospital by the friends and relatives of the victim. A large 
gathering of protesters turned furious and threw stones at the hospital 
and damaged wind panes and flower vases. The police swung into action 
and restored order.
According to information, Balaji, who sustained critical injuries when 
he fell off a multi-storied structure while working, was shifted to the 
hospital for treatment last night. He succumbed to injuries on Thursday 
morning. B. Satyanarayana, victim’s father, alleged that his son died 
due to alleged negligence by the doctors attended on him. He said his 
son was completely left to the mercy of house surgeons in spite of his 
critical condition even as the specialists concerned allegedly turned a 
deaf year to their pleas for timely treatment. On hearing news of 
Balaji’s death, a huge gathering of his friends and relatives from his 
native Madepalli village in Eluru rural mandal assembled at the hospital 
and resorted to protest, demanding ex gratia to his bereaved family 
members.
Charge denied
The hospital management, however, denied the charge and expressed 
serious regrets over the attack by the mob on the hospital.







http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161416718

Two UNC MPs join protests
Dengue in Caroni...
Aabida Allaham

Wednesday, December 24th 2008

FED UP: Residents of Frederick Settlement, Caroni, display placards for 
passing motorists during their protest yesterday at Southern Main Road, 
Caroni. - Photo: Roberto Codallo
UNTIL Government and seniors members of the Insect Vector Control 
Division (IVCD) spend actual time in Frederick Settlement, Caroni, they 
cannot say there is no dengue outbreak in the area, residents say.
"The drains are still dirty and the stench is unbearable and if we get 
30 minutes of rainfall then the whole place will be flooded and we have 
more mosquitoes breeding," resident and activist, Mohammed Sulaiman, 
said yesterday.
Sulaiman, along with Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, Jack 
Warner, and Opposition Chief Whip, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, led the 
residents in an early morning protest yesterday, to highlight 
Government's lack of concern regarding the eradication of the deadly 
aedes aegypti and their claim that the area was safe.
"The Insect Vector Control and Dr Rohit Doon had no right to say that we 
are creating this problem because we have always cleaned our 
surroundings; they on the other hand have not been cleaning the drains 
or cutting the grass," Sulaiman said as residents created a human 
barrier on the Southern Main Road, Caroni.
On Monday, Dr Doon, adviser to the Ministry of Health, and Dr Clive 
Tilluckdharry, specialist medical officer at the IVCD, told members of 
the media all the elements that constituted good vector control 
management were carried out in Frederick Settlement.
Warner, who personally funded the printing and distribution of 6000 
leaflets advising residents of proper household hygiene, agreed with the 
enraged residents, who called on Health Minister Jerry Narace to resign 
because he did not know how to deal with the dengue situation in this 
country.
Warner said until the Government admitted there was an outbreak and 
dealt with it accordingly, the problem would not go away.
"There is a dengue outbreak in this area, the only person who does not 
admit that is the Government...Dr Tilluckdharry said there were 23 homes 
in this settlement where they found the dengue virus was prevalent and 
therefore if you have 23 homes, that is an outbreak," Warner said.
However, as the Insect Vector sprayed the area yesterday, Maharaj said 
there was no doubt that the Government was taking action, but he doubted 
it was sufficient. Maharaj added that at the end of the day, Narace had 
to look beyond the legal definition of what constitutes an outbreak 
because people were dying.






http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161414658

'Admit dengue outbreak'
...Caroni residents protest latest death
Rohandra John rohjohn at trinidadexpress.com

Thursday, December 18th 2008

in mourning: Freddy Ramcharan displays his daughter's death certificate 
yesterday at Frederick Settlement in Caroni. -Photo: DEXTER PHILIP
RESIDENTS of Frederick Settlement in Caroni want the Health Ministry to 
admit that there is a dengue outbreak in the country, and vow that they 
are willing to do whatever it takes to make their case.
They erected several banners at the entrance to their community, off the 
Southern Main Road, to highlight the latest dengue fatality, Camille 
Ramcharan, a promising 22-year-old engineering student who died last week.
Her father, Freddy Ramcharan, says his family would spend the Christmas 
holidays mourning the death of his daughter, who died after losing the 
battle with dengue haemorrhagic fever. But that loss is not all he has 
to bear, as his wife, Shakera Mohammed, is now in hospital also stricken 
with the illness.
Now, Ramcharan and other residents say they are prepared to go to 
whatever lengths in order to get the authorities to tackle what they 
describe as a "deadly dengue outbreak" in their community.
The residents also charged that Health Minister Jerry Narace should not 
keep denying that there was a dengue outbreak in the country when, in 
reality, scores of persons in the community and neighbouring areas, and 
others around the country, were being admitted to hospitals for 
treatment of the disease almost on a daily basis.
The residents also cast blame on the authorities for the situation, 
saying that they have failed to clean the drains in and around their 
communities for several years now and, as a result, they have now become 
the breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Residents said most of the drains in the area were filled with silt and 
stagnant water due to years of neglect, and claimed the Insect Vector 
Control Unit of the Ministry of Health has not responded to their 
requests to spray the area.
Following the death of the UWI student, the residents say they have 
decided that "enough is enough", and were now determined to get the 
authorities to do something about the situation. One banner at the 
entrance leading into Frederick Settlement stated: "Help, dengue killing 
meh family". Another read: "Who's next in line for dengue?".
Ramcharan said his wife had also tested positive for dengue and is now 
warded at the Mt Hope Hospital where she is being treated. "I am hoping 
she pulls through. She was in hospital when my daughter took in, so I 
had both of them in the hospital at one time."
He also said that there were more that 50 persons in the village who 
have tested positive for dengue for the year.
Ramcharan said his daughter, who up to the time of death was a student 
at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus, had 
initially been misdiagnosed by doctors at a private health institution. 
He described his daughter as a vibrant, promising, young woman who had a 
bright future ahead of her.
"Right now, our hearts mash up like cabbage because of what happened 
with her. We want the authorities to deal with this situation," he said.
Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at UWI St Augustine, John 
Agard, said recently there was an increase in dengue fever throughout 
the region because of climate change.








http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Health-workers-in-pay-protest.4755259.jp

Health workers in pay protest

Published Date: 03 December 2008
HEALTH workers were holding a day of action across the UK today in 
protest at a "derisory" three year pay deal.
Union Unite said the work to rule included a ban on non-essential 
emails, paperwork, meetings and phone calls.


The full article contains 45 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News 
newspaper.

• Last Updated: 03 December 2008 9:52 AM
• Source: Edinburgh Evening News
• Location: Edinburgh




http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1203/northhealth.html

NI health workers stage protest
Wednesday, 3 December 2008 16:17
Members of the Unite union who work in the health service in Northern 
Ireland and Britain are staging a day of industrial action over pay.
The work-to-rule protest will include a ban on non-essential paperwork, 
email exchanges, attendance and meetings and telephone calls.
Health service staff are protesting over what they say is a derisory 
three-year pay deal imposed by the British government.
Advertisement
The union said the deal would work out at a 2.5% increase per year.
Demonstrations will be held outside hospitals where staff will hold a 
work-to-rule protest.
However, emergency cover will be maintained.
Unite's Senior Regional Industrial Organiser Albert Mills said their 
members were 'furious' at the deal.
'Unite members in Northern Ireland have voted for strike action. But 
they feel they need to put a warning shot across the bows of Health 
Minister's Michael McGimpsey department. We are willing to talk, but he 
seems unable or unwilling to do so,' he said.







http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122855050600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Salem

Doctors stage demonstration in Salem
Special Correspondent
They were seeking arrest of those responsible for the attack on December 21
Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

Raising voice: Members of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association 
staging a demonstration in Salem on Saturday in support of their demands. —
SALEM: Doctors and paramedical staff, working in Government Medical 
College Hospital here and primary health centres (PHC) in Salem 
district, boycotted out-patient treatment for two hours in the morning 
on Saturday demanding the arrest of those who attacked doctors and 
paramedical staff following the rumour-triggered violence during the 
first phase of pulse polio campaign on December 21.
They also staged a demonstration. The doctors demanded the arrest of 
those who were responsible for spreading rumours about pulse polio drops 
and those who manhandled the doctors on duty.
They also insisted on the arrest of anti-socials who assaulted the 
pharmacist in the Kannankurichi PHC and a doctor at K.R. Thoppur PHC on 
the same day.
Complaint
They wanted the police to act on the complaint filed by the Chief 
Medical Officer of the hospital against those who caused damage in the 
hospital and manhandled the doctors on duty then.
These anti-socials, they pointed out, should be booked under the 
Hospital Protection Act immediately.
Members of the Salem branch of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors 
Association, who organised the stir, demanded police protection to the 
doctors and other paramedical staff on duty in such extraordinary 
circumstances.
They claimed that a few persons owing allegiance to a particular 
political party had threatened the medical staff on duty on December 21 
when anxious parents carrying their children, who were administered 
polio drops, thronged the hospitals in the district following rumours 
that a child died in the neighbouring Erode district.
The doctors also threatened to boycott the second phase of the pulse 
polio campaign in the district if they were not given proper protection.
The members of the Salem unit of the Tamil Nadu Village Health Nurses 
Association also staged a demonstration in the city demanding the arrest 
of those who spread rumours about pulse polio drops and also indulged in 
violence on December 21.
Meanwhile, Salem city police arrested one person for manhandling a 
pharmacist at the Kannankurichi PHC.







http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/07/stories/2008120753290300.htm

Other States - Puducherry

PMC plans demonstration
Staff Reporter
PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Munnetra Congress will hold demonstrations at 
several places in Puducherry and Karaikal to protest the delay in 
providing assistance to rain-affected families.
Senior leader of the PMC K. Lakshminarayan said that compensation given 
to persons affected was inadequate. The government should provide a 
compensation of Rs. 3000 and 30 kg of rice to all card holders, he said.
The party would stage demonstration at Puducherry, Oulgaret, Ariankupam, 
Villianur, Bahour, Mannadipet and Karaikal.






Activists commemorate World AIDS day in Solo



Solo -- Around 150 activists in the Central Java

city of Solo held an action to commemorate World

AIDS Day on December 1 in which they called for and

end to the negative stigma attached to AIDS

sufferers.



The protesters, who came from a number of different

elements including the Justice and Prosperity Party

(PKS), transsexuals, students and non-government

organisations concerned with issues related to women

and children, started the action at the Gladag

roundabout then moved of to the Surakarta city hall

some 200 metres away.



During the protest, they called for additional

funding to combat HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, for the

government and society as a whole to change its

views about HIV/AIDS sufferers and for people to

give serious attention to the disease but without

stigmatising sufferers.



In addition to giving speeches, the protesters also

handed leaflets out to pedestrians and demanded that

the government provide more intensive information

about the spread of HIV/AIDS. (Detik.com, 1/12/2008)






http://media.www.jsons.org/media/storage/paper139/news/2009/01/31/Neighborhoods/East-Bostonians.Brace.For.Fight.Against.Toll.Hike-3663827.shtml

East Bostonians brace for, fight against toll hike
Marilia Gordinho
03/15/09

With just 10 days remaining for a legislative escue, East Boston 
residents are furious. Outraged.

Last month the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority voted to pass a 
two-stage hike in the Boston area tolls. By March 29, tunnel tolls to 
Boston could jump from $2 to $5.50. And by July 1, they would go up 
again to $7.

The plan would also eliminate a discount currently given to the 
neighborhood's residents. For someone who today pays $0.40 to take the 
tunnel, it could mean a spike in costs of $1,500 for the year.

"I'll just make a point not to come in to Boston to do things," said 
East Boston resident Justina White. I'll probably go to Revere or 
something like that instead."

James Bowen, an attorney in East Boston and leader of the Eagle Hills 
Civic Association, said the toll hike would also affect people's social 
life. "It would limit any of my friends or family to come and visit me," 
he said. "I would feel guilty of having them to pay $7 every time they 
want to visit me."

Professionals who drive to work in the area and don't have a residents' 
discount could also be affected.

"We could have problems getting doctors, nurses and social workers over 
here," Bowen said. "We could have a problem getting good teachers. It 
could be a major issue."

But the impact could be even stronger on the many businesses and 
restaurants in the area. Vehicles with a commercial plate would have to 
pay $9 in tolls each time they need to drive downtown.

"And they go back and forth, back and forth. They would be lucky if they 
make a profit," Clark Moulaison, director of East Boston Main Streets, 
said. "A toll hike takes money out of the local economy."

Since the proposal was first announced, three months ago, the 
neighborhood has been making as much noise as possible to protest.

"This is an issue that has brought together the Latinos, newer residents 
and older Italian families in the neighborhood," Bowen said. "We are 
just trying to do everything that we can to stop that as neighbors."

Two months ago more than 200 people attended a protest rally. Community 
leaders have also been sending e-mails through social networks to 
promote awareness of the problem.

The neighbors have even created a Web site, stopthehikepike.org, to 
centralize their efforts.

City Councilor Sal LaMattina has rented a bus to take all the residents 
to the turnpike meetings downtown. "One of my main concerns is that 
people will have to pay a fare to travel through their community. That's 
not fair," Lamattina said.

Moulaison, who attended some of the hearings, said the efforts have been 
in vain so far. "They just ignored us," he said. "They were just not 
getting it. They are just looking into getting revenue, that's it."

Lamattina said he has been working closely to state Reps. Anthony 
Petruccelli and Carlo Basile to oppose the proposal.

"Let's just not forget that there are 160 representatives that couldn't 
care less about an East Boston discount," Lamattina said. "But they need 
to understand that we serve as a central hub for the transportation 
infrastructure in the city with the tunnels and the airport."

But the neighborhood is not ready to settle down.

"I can see some serious civil disobedience over here if it goes through 
totally," Moulaison said. "If it is necessary we will work with the 
police and we are going to block the tunnel. This isn't going to go away."

The proposed increases would be canceled if the legislature approves 
Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to increase the state's gasoline tax, which 
could go up by 19 cents per gallon. But time is running out.

State Rep. Anthony Petruccelli said he believes a toll hike would be "an 
assault on the economic opportunity of people and the quality of life of 
the neighborhood." He supports a gas tax increase instead.

"A gas tax for an average person driving would represent less than $200 
a year," he said. "The toll increase as proposed would represent 1,500 a 
year. It is not right and it should not happen."

He also said that as powerful as the toll issue is for toll-paying 
legislators, the gas tax issue is equally powerful legislators in other 
parts of the Commonwealth.

"It has been very frustrating and a lot of us has been battling with 
some of our colleagues every day," he said. "But I feel pretty confident 
that we will have an end result that will be good for the people all 
over East Boston."

But the anger will remain until another solution is found.

"Forget about toll or gas increase, we are getting them all," Moulaison 
said. "It is like free smorgasbord. Let's tax as much as possible. It is 
crazy."

Ten days and counting.






http://www.dailynewstribune.com/news/x1720690638/Anti-toll-activists-to-take-to-backstreets

Toll protesters hope to clog Newton roads Tuesday
________________________________________
• Photos

________________________________________
________________________________________
Staff Photo by Jim Walker
Traffic moves along the Massachusetts Turnpike in Newton during the 
summer 2008.

By Jim O’Sullivan/State House News Service
GateHouse News Service
Posted Dec 11, 2008 @ 01:40 PM
Last update Dec 11, 2008 @ 04:05 PM
________________________________________
Newton —
Traffic might be worse through Newton on Tuesday, as protesters of the 
planned Mass Turnpike toll hike skirt the tolls by traveling along city 
streets.
Anti-toll activists, upset with planned toll increases on the Mass Pike, 
are asking drivers to avoid the state highway, as part of the “Boston 
Toll Party,” intended to show policymakers the types of problems that 
would ensue if drivers use alternative routes.
The East Boston-based organization, StopThePikeHike.Org, wants drivers 
statewide to avoid Interstate 90, and posted directions for alternate 
routes across the Commonwealth on its Web site, including roads to get 
through Newton and Brighton.
Organizers said they are unsure how many drivers would participate.
"I wish I could give you an estimate of how many people will be out 
there," said Spencer Kimball, director of StopThePikeHike.org. "Over 
6,000 people have registered on our site so far, but not all of them 
will be participating."
Here is the route advertised through Newton.
Planning on participating? Let us know.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who prefers a higher gas tax to elevated 
tolls, disapproved of the protest.
“I think what they’re doing is creating a public safety issue,” Menino 
said in a telephone interview. “There’s ways of making yourself known on 
this issue, but to have city blocks impassable to do things that border 
on unrest, that’s not the way you do it.”
The spokesman for the Newton mayor called the plan innovative.
“People have a right to voice their concerns,” said Jeremy Solomon. “I 
would suspect that many, many of our Newton residents are concerned 
about toll hikes.”
Under toll increases given preliminary approval by the turnpike board 
and marked to take effect early next year, Allston-Brighton and Weston 
tolls would climb from $1.25 to $2 for drivers paying in cash. Sumner 
and Ted Williams tunnel tolls would double, to $7, for cash customers.
Michael Kelleher, founder of the StopThePikeHike.Org, said the purpose 
of the demonstration is to illustrate what could happen if 15 percent of 
Pike drivers defect, as some estimates predict. During November, the 
Pike logged 15.1 million toll transactions, according to agency records.
“We’re just trying to show the cause and effect of what’s going to 
happen here,” Kelleher said. “I mean, this is a community that’s being 
railroaded.”
Gov. Deval Patrick has pushed toll hikes, estimated to generate $100 
million, as a necessary step to close some of the transportation 
financing gap facing the state, estimated at up to $20 billion over 20 
years.
“We sympathize with state leaders who are grappling with shortfall,” 
said Solomon. “But there’s an inherent inequity in funding the Big Dig, 
which benefits a North-South thoroughfare, from tolls on an East-West road.”
Lawmakers have proposed a handful of alternatives to the steep toll 
hikes, including a higher gas tax and privatization of Pike property. 
They have also clamored for Patrick to deliver a long-promised package 
restructuring the transportation system, which Patrick says he will file 
early next year. Many legislators insist that the tolls should not 
increase without an accompanying reform.
Next Tuesday is the 235th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, when 
colonists protested British taxes levied while the colonies were not 
receiving satisfactory representation in Parliament, by dumping crates 
of tea into Boston Harbor. The group’s website claims that “little has 
changed in 235 years when a group of unelected people have the ability 
to raise taxes on the working people of Massachusetts.”
Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth), who spoke at a StopThePikeHike.Org 
rally last week, said the “Toll Party,” despite the inconveniences it 
would cause, would be a worthwhile protest.
“I don’t think it hurts for them to demonstrate that that’s one aspect 
of this debate, that it may be a byproduct of the toll hike,” said 
Hedlund. “And, certainly, anything to help their cause is not a bad thing.”
“One day of pain to prove a point to try to prevent that permanent pain 
from happening is a good thing, I would think,” Hedlund said.
The Newton Police Department was not aware of the planned protest when 
the Newton TAB called on Thursday.

Chrissie Long contributed to this report.





http://www.wbz.com/pages/3478004.php?contentType=4&contentId=3197466

Posted: Thursday, 11 December 2008 12:59PM

Pike protest planned for Tuesday canceled

M.L.


Boston (WBZ Newsroom) -- After listening to the safety concerns from 
various communities related to drivers taking alternate routes in 
protest of proposed toll hikes, StopThePikeHike.org has canceled the 
protest, which was scheduled for Tuesday.

Boston city officials said the potentially dangerous impact the protest 
would have on traffic and city streets should all commuters avoid the 
highway.

Under toll increases given preliminary approval by the turnpike board 
and marked to take effect early next year, Allston-Brighton and Weston 
tolls would climb from $1.25 to $2 for drivers paying in cash. Sumner 
and Ted Williams tunnel tolls would double, to $7, for cash customers.

Angry tollpayers met with members of the turnpike authority Wednesday 
night to voice their oppinions about the toll hike. It was the first in 
a series of public meetings to let people vent which is what they did. 
Representatvie Carlo Basile called on the board members to re-think the 
plan. The governor has said there is no other way to raise money quickly.








http://news.www23.ninemsn.com.au/national/702739/mums-protest-against-welfare-to-work/?rss=yes

Bikini mums stage welfare rules protest
14:19 AEST Mon Dec 22 2008
108 days 3 hours 7 minutes ago

Single mums, protesting in bikinis, claim Welfare to Work conditions 
introduced in 2006 are onerous.

Single mothers in bikinis, wetsuits and snorkels have spread their beach 
towels outside a Melbourne Centrelink office to protest against welfare 
conditions forcing them to spend school holidays looking for work.
The women claim Welfare to Work conditions introduced by the Howard 
government in 2006 are onerous because they require single mothers to 
fulfil participation requirements 52 weeks of the year until their child 
is 16.
Single mother Lillian Hope said the requirements meant children can't 
spend holidays with their mum.
"Most Australians at this time of the year would be expecting to have a 
nice summer holiday with their families. But single families are not 
allowed summer holidays so we're here having our party at Centrelink," 
she said outside the South Melbourne Centrelink branch.
Ms Hope said she worked part-time as a court interpreter and was 
studying a PhD in international relations but neither of these were 
recognised as participation under Welfare to Work.
"I work in a highly skilled profession but under Welfare to Work I'm not 
allowed to keep that job.
"I have to leave that job and do a Work for the Dole program to satisfy 
participation requirements," she said.
"Welfare to Work is not benefiting the Australian economy, it is not 
benefiting single mothers and it is not benefiting our children," she said.
Under the Welfare to Work reforms introduced two years ago, single 
mothers are required to complete participation requirements once their 
youngest child turns seven and until the age of 16 to receive their 
benefits.
The requirements include looking or undertaking work for at least 15 
hours a week.
The federal government is currently considering a report recommending 
changes to the Welfare to Work scheme, prepared by the Participation 
Taskforce.
Comment was being sought from Employment Participation Minister Brendan 
O'Connor.








http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7762263.stm

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Protest at fire station axe plan
Lives will be put at risk if plans went ahead to close a Leicestershire 
town's fire station, some residents say.
The proposals would see all retained firefighters at Shepshed laid off 
in plans to cut the county's fire budget.
Campaigners, who were due to protest at County Hall, claimed that losing 
the station would mean longer response times to the town and also on the 
M1.
The fire service said it was carrying out a review to improve efficiency 
but no decisions had been made yet.
Potential disaster
Kevin Parker, county councillor for Shepshed, said any cuts in the town 
would be a dangerous gamble.
He said: "This is not just about Shepshed, it is much wider than that. 
Our fire staff are first-line response to any accident on the M1.
"But also if anything happens at East Midlands Airport these 
firefighters are the ones that get out there.
"So it is the thousands of people using the M1 and the many thousands of 
passengers at the airport."
The fire service said the government wanted the fire service to provide 
value for money as the funding will be reducing in real terms over the 
next two years, so, the service needs to utilise its resources in the 
most effective manner possible.






http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008/12/01/ot-081201-081201.html?ref=rss

Councillor to move against Ottawa arts cuts after hundreds protest
Last Updated: Monday, December 1, 2008 | 5:06 PM ET Comments22Recommend27
CBC News
Arts supporters held a rally outside Ottawa City Hall on Monday 
afternoon shortly after hearing from speakers such as Francis Beaulieu, 
foreground, head of Muséoparc Vanier and spokesman for a coalition of 
francophone cultural groups. (Kate Porter/CBC)
An Ottawa councillor says he will move to take $4.1 million in arts and 
culture cuts off the table for the 2009 city budget after hundreds of 
arts supporters turned out to protest the proposed cuts.
Clive Doucet, councillor for capital ward, was unable to move the 
proposal Monday during the first day of budget hearings for public 
delegations, but is expected to do so on Thursday once council begins 
formally debating the budget. In addition to the $4.1 million in cuts, 
staff have recommended hundreds of thousands more in deferrals to new 
arts programs.
About 300 people of all ages packed the council chambers at Ottawa City 
Hall on Monday, carrying signs that read "Stop the cuts: My city still 
includes culture" and "My Ottawa includes festivals."
Those who got up to speak said it was irresponsible for the city to put 
arts and culture groups in the position of having to beg for funding 
year after year.
About 300 arts supporters packed into the council chambers for the first 
day of budget hearings for public delegations. (Kate Porter/CBC)
"Others understand the economic value of culture but in Ottawa, there's 
a perception problem evident in the draft budget," said John Reid, chair 
for the city's arts, culture and heritage advisory committee. "We need 
to break out of this annual cycle of destructive debate and threats to 
long-term plan commitments which are a matter of trust."
The cultural community is ready for constructive dialogue, but "never 
again do they want to feel so victimized," he added, bringing all 300 
arts supporters to their feet in applause.
Doucet's announcement, which followed, drew even louder applause.
Shortly after noon, the arts supporters exited the council chambers for 
a rally outside City Hall.
Richard Lebel, general manager of La Nouvelle Scène, a francophone 
theatre centre on King Edward Avenue, said it's good that many groups, 
francophone and anglophone alike, have united to fight the cuts as they 
did successfully in 2004 and 2007.
But he added that they would prefer to work together on concrete 
projects rather than protests.
Linda Balduzzi, head of the Ottawa Arts Court Foundation, said Ottawa 
won't be able to hang on to its artists if the cycle of cuts continues.
"When you keep this kind of threat up over years and decades, people 
start to lose faith that they can actually make a living in Ottawa," she 
said.





http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/01/2434052.htm

Protests staged over planned health job cuts
Posted Mon Dec 1, 2008 11:25am AEDT
• Map: Coffs Harbour 2450
Community anger over plans for massive jobs cuts within the North Coast 
Area Health Service is reaching 'boiling point'.
Across the region, hundreds of people turned out for protest rallies on 
Saturday at Coffs Harbour, Maclean, Casino, Lismore and Tweed Heads.
They are furious about a proposal to shed 400 jobs so the area health 
service can save $200 million over the next four years.
Dr Jay Ruthnam from the Coffs Base hospital medical staff council says 
the proposed job cuts are senseless.
"Because of the downturn in economy a lot of people are going to find 
it's hard times," Dr Ruthnam said.
"They can't go to private practices, they're going to go then to the 
public hospital and if the public hospital then turns their back to 
them, we are going to have a Third World health service."
Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser says he is taking the concerns of local 
people to State Parliament tomorrow.
Mr Fraser says people have had enough of cuts, enough of underfunding 
and they want a health service they can rely on.
"I think the turnout of the people here sends a very clear message to Mr 
Rees, Mr Roozendaal and Mr Della Bosca that their intended health cuts 
are not welcome, will not be accepted and they want equity in service to 
what the seats in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong get, and equity in 
funding," he said.





http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhsnaueyauey/rss2/

Baby P protesters deliver petition to Downing Street
Print Email+ Share+

13/12/2008 - 14:53:02
The Justice March For Baby P delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street 
in London today calling for “urgent far reaching changes to the child 
protection system”.

The campaigners – estimated by police at around 300 – marched through 
the capital to demand that no other children should suffer the same fate 
as Baby P.

Organisers said the petition contained 20,000 signatures.

Baby P, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died in a 
blood-splattered cot in August last year.

Stacey Crisp, 21, from Harlow, Essex, England said: “We are handing in a 
petition calling for a public inquiry into the system and for tougher 
sentences for child abusers.

“We have asked for all professionals involved to be sacked without pay 
and urgent far reaching changes to the child protection system.

“We want justice for this baby and for all the children out there that 
are being let down by these professionals.

“It’s also about remembering this poor child who suffered so 
horrifically. He is truly loved now. He’s the nation’s baby.”

Another organiser, Antonia Price, 34, from Basildon, Essex, added: “I 
think Ed Balls has started the process but there are still lots of 
unanswered questions.

“I think there is a lot more to this case than we have been allowed to 
know and there are still a lot more people that need to answer for what 
happened to Baby P.”

Crowds gathered at Millbank in central London wearing Baby P T-shirts 
and carrying banners which said: “The Nation’s Angel” and “March For 
Baby P. Don’t forget Babies A-Z”.

Baby P suffered more than 50 injuries at the hands of his abusive 
mother, 27, her 32-year-old boyfriend, and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, 
despite 60 contacts with the authorities in Haringey, north London, over 
eight months.

Inspectors were sent into Haringey by the British government after the 
trial of those responsible for Baby P’s brutal death.

A seven-strong team – from Ofsted, the Health Care Commission and the 
Chief Inspector of Constabulary – identified a number of “serious 
concerns” about the safe guarding of children in the north London borough.

In a 16-page report, they condemned everything from poor record-keeping 
to a failure to identify children at an immediate risk of harm.

Britiain's children’s secretary Ed Balls removed the council’s head of 
children’s services from her post earlier this month after the report 
was published.

Sharon Shoesmith, 55, remained on full pay while the council considered 
her case until she was sacked on Monday.

Mr Balls announced yesterday that her replacement will be Peter Lewis, a 
senior council manager currently at Enfield.

The three people convicted over Baby P’s death will be sentenced at the 
Old Bailey next month for causing or allowing the death of a child.

The Justice March For Baby P gathered pace after 11 mothers and other 
women from all over the UK teamed up to set up a group on social 
networking site Facebook.






http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/veteran-to-take-mod-protest-to-parliament-1066419.html

Veteran to take MoD protest to Parliament
By Dave Higgens, PA
Sunday, 14 December 2008
A 91-year-old war veteran was today preparing to take his long-running 
pension battle against the Ministry of Defence to Westminster.
Major Richard Perkins said he has been given permission for a protest 
outside Parliament on Wednesday.
The decorated former soldier believes he is due tens of thousands of 
pounds from the ministry as compensation following a long-running 
dispute about the taxing of the military pension he had been drawing 
since the 1950s.
Maj Perkins saw service behind Japanese lines in Burma in 1944 as part 
of the special unit known as the Chindits and was mentioned in dispatches.
He later served during the Malayan emergency in the late 1950s, where 
his problems began.
In the mid 1990s the Government discovered of hundreds of veterans who 
had been medically discharged from the Army had been wrongly taxed on 
their pensions and eventually paid out millions of pounds in rebates and 
compensation.
Maj Perkins appeared to be one of those due to benefit but problems 
arose when the ministry claimed he had not been discharged on medical 
grounds when he left The Royal Leicestershire Regiment in 1959 and was, 
therefore, not eligible.
The father-of-four argued for five years that his mental breakdown in 
Malaya did constitute a medical discharge and was eventually given a 
£20,000 rebate payment following an appeal tribunal hearing.
But Maj Perkins, who lives in Lastingham, near Pickering, North 
Yorkshire, believes he is also entitled to compensation which could 
total more than £70,000 for the loss of use of this money over the past 
half-decade.
Now the former soldier is hoping other veterans will join him in Old 
Palace Yard, outside the Houses of Parliament.
He said: "I'm going to stand up there and wave my placard," he said.
"Hopefully there will be a few of us there to let them know what we 
really think."





http://english.eviewweek.com/Mule-riding-fuel-price-protester-wins-support.shtml

Mule-riding fuel price protester wins support
Submitted by admin on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 01:47
• Culture
Source:
China Daily

The video "Going to work on a mule" has attracted many viewers and 
supporters after recently surfacing on the Internet.
The video shows a man riding a mule on the fifth ring road of Beijing 
with a banner emblazoned "To protest high oil price" last month.
The man in a neat black business suit was riding a mule that had a "BMW" 
logo on its forehead and an A8888 lucky number license plate hanging on 
its neck.
Behind him were slow-moving cars driven by infuriated drivers.
"Cars bring too much pollution," the man smirked. "Riding a mule is 
environmentally friendly."
Many netizens gave his protest two thumbs up.
(Information Times)





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/07/stories/2008120754480500.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Protest at airport against neglect of State, says MP
Thiruvananthapuram: Defending the protest staged at Delhi airport 
against the “inordinate delay” in departure of a Kerala-bound Air India 
flight, K.S. Manoj, MP, on Saturday said it was a reaction against the 
“callous” attitude of the airline and civil aviation authorities against 
Kerala.
“This is not the first time the New Delhi-Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram bound 
flight was getting delayed. Despite it being the longest domestic flight 
and booking always full, the officials never bothered to stick to 
schedule or put good aircraft for the service,” said the CPI(M) MP from 
Alappuzha, who joined the protest with his senior party colleague 
Varkala Radhakrishnan, MP, last night.
Focus the hardship
“Our intention was not to cause inconvenience to passengers. Actually, 
we wanted to bring to focus the hardship being silently suffered for 
long by Keralites,” Mr. Manoj said.
Total neglect
“The flight was scheduled to take off at 5.30 p.m. and the passengers 
had boarded it in time. But it was delayed without any clear explanation 
coming from the airline officials. It was nearly after two hours that 
the airline staff informed the passengers that the aircraft had some 
technical snag, and later a new aircraft was arranged for the journey. 
They did not even bother to provide tea or snacks to the passengers 
during this time,” he said.
Mr. Manoj said it was after the MPs insisted on calling Civil Aviation 
Secretary and Air India Chairman that the airline officials bothered to 
take some steps.
Perhaps, the Meghalaya Governor being a passenger would have prompted 
the authorities to hurriedly arrange a new plane, he said. — PTI





http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/MPs-delay-flight-say-they-protested-AI-apathy/395066/

MPs delay flight, say they protested AI apathy

Agencies
Posted: Dec 06, 2008 at 1453 hrs IST

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Thiruvananthapuram Defending the protest staged at Delhi airport against 
the "inordinate delay" in departure of a Kerala-bound Air India flight, 
Lok Sabha member K S Manoj said on Saturday that it was a reaction 
against the "callous" attitude of the airline and civil aviation 
authorities against Kerala.
"This is not the first time the New Delhi-Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram-bound 
flight was getting delayed. Despite it being the longest domestic flight 
and booking always full, the officials have never bothered to stick to 
schedule or put good aircraft for the service," said the CPI(M) MP from 
Alappuzha, who joined the protest with his senior party and parliament 
colleague Varkala Radhakrishnan on Friday night.
"Our intention was not to cause inconvenience to passengers. Actually, 
we wanted to bring to focus the hardship being silently suffered for 
long by Keralites," said Manoj.
"The flight was scheduled to take off at 5:30 pm and the passengers had 
boarded it in time. But it was delayed without any clear explanation 
coming from the airline officials. It was nearly after two hours that 
the airline staff informed the passengers that the aircraft had some 
technical snag, and later a new aircraft was arranged for the journey. 
They did not even bother to provide tea or snacks to the passengers 
during this time," he said.
Manoj said it was after the MPs insisted on calling Civil Aviation 
Secretary and Air India Chairman that the airline officials bothered to 
take some steps. Perhaps, the Meghalaya Governor being a passenger would 
have prompted the authorities to hurriedly arrange a new plane, he added.
"It was around 2200 hrs that the flight finally took off from the 
airport...You can imagine the anxiety of the passengers and the 
difficulties most of them would face by landing in Kochi and 
Thiruvananthapuram quite late in the night," the MP said.
The flight also had several businessmen and executives who would never 
be able to make up the precious time they lost in waiting, he said.
Manoj alleged that Kerala-bound flights quite often failed to stick to 
schedule and the issue had repeatedly been brought to the notice of the 
authorities but there were no corrective steps from their side.
It was unfortunate that a section of the media had sought to project as 
if the protest by MPs was the cause for the delay and the hardships 
suffered by the passengers, he said.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/06/stories/2008120653490300.htm

Karnataka - Mysore

Protest against delay in link road project
Staff Correspondent
. — PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Commuters troubled: Members of various organisations staging a dharna 
demanding immediate completion of the 
Kuvempunagar-Ashokapuram-Vidyaranyapuram link road, in Mysore on Friday
MYSORE: Members of various organisations on Friday staged a 
demonstration here protesting against the delay in the completion of the 
Kuvempunagar-Ashokapuram-Vidyaranyapuram link road, which is causing 
much inconvenience to commuters.
The activists of Krishnadevaraya Kannada Sangha, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Dalit 
Sangha, Pourakarmikas Sangha, Nagarika Hitarakshana Horata Samiti and 
various progressive organisations, led by former MLA M.K. Somashekar, 
said the works had been “deliberately delayed” due to “political 
reasons”, and urged the Deputy Commissioner to issue directions to the 
Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) which is carrying out the 
work, to complete the project immediately.
Though the MUDA had announced that it would complete the work by 
December 2007, the works are still under way and is causing 
inconvenience to the public, they said.
The members warned of holding an agitation in front of the MUDA office 
if the work was not completed in the next 15 days.
They also demanded immediate completion of Manadawadi-Nanjangud Link 
Road, work on which was also taken up long ago by the MUDA. “If this 
road was completed, the traffic congestion on Nanjangud Road up to Gun 
House would reduce,” they stated in a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.
They also demanded that the Kuvempunagar-Ashokapuram-Vidyaranyapuram 
Link Road should be named after NSG commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who 
died during the recent Mumbai attacks.






http://www.wisn.com/news/18196384/detail.html

People Protest Over Death Of 1-Year-Old In Foster Care
Christopher Thomas'
POSTED: 1:14 pm CST December 3, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- The beating death of a 1-year-old Milwaukee boy while he 
was in foster care has outraged many. One group is demanding changes in 
the foster system, and it hit the streets Wednesday morning to get the 
message out.
"I am emotional about it. I saw that picture of that child. It could 
have been my granddaughter, you know," protester Hank Fanning said.
Protestors rallied outside the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare. They 
feel the system is broken.
"Children are being harmed and being put back into homes where they 
don't belong. It's not safe," protester Kathleen said.
"Being a child shouldn't have to hurt," said Becky Welk, who organized 
the protest.
Welk's adopted daughter was abused by her biological parents, and like 
many others, Welk was deeply touched by the beating death of Christopher 
Thomas and the abuse of his 2-year-old sister while they were in foster 
care.
"The saddest thing I've ever seen in my life," Welk said.
Welk and the others are questioning why a social worker didn't remove 
them from the home.
"There's some who work around the clock 24/7. Then you get some who come 
in, and they're not doing their job," Welk said.
The protestors want more funding, more accountability and more training 
for social workers.
Several people are taking petitions around and collecting signatures, 
saying they want change in the system. Then they plan on taking the 
petition to Madison.
"I think any message is a good message at this point," Kathleen said.
The Department of Children and Families issued this statement on Wednesday:
"The public has a right to make their opinions known. We will listen to 
those opinions. There's no higher priority than making sure our children 
are safe and protected in loving homes."
The Thomas case is still under investigation.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122159770300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Protests against toll collection continue
Staff Reporter
Government urged to direct NICE to withdraw decision
________________________________________
‘Toll collection before project completion unfair’
NICE accused of taking land-losers for a ride
________________________________________
BANGALORE: Protests against toll collection for use of Bangalore-Mysore 
Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) roads continued on Saturday.
Meanwhile, there has been a demand from several quarters, including 
parties, for withdrawal of the toll.
Members of CPI (M) staged a demonstration on the peripheral road of the 
BMIC near Mysore Road toll-gate and sought the State Government’s 
intervention.
NICE has been cheating the land-losers from the beginning.
Earlier, it promised sites and employment to the land-losers, but the 
promised was not kept, the protesters alleged.
“It is unfair to collect toll on BMIC before the completion of the 
project. Instead of collecting toll, the company should construct 
service roads to all villages,” they said. The protesters blocked the 
road for a while and demanded that NICE stop collecting toll till the 
completion of the project. They also demanded that the highway be made 
toll-free for local people across peripheral roads and across the project.
CPI (M) secretary N. Venkatachala led the protest.
Activists of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha took out a two-wheeler 
protest rally from Vidhana Soudha against the toll collection. Led by 
party president Vatal Nagaraj, activists on around 100 motorcycles 
reached the peripheral ring road near Kanakapura Road as a part of the 
rally.
The CPI has also expressed unhappiness over the toll collection. Party 
secretary M.D. Harigovinda, in a release, said that the company had 
started collecting toll without completing the project. The State 
Government should direct the company withdraw its decision, the release 
said.
No arrests
Meanwhile, the police have not made any arrests in connection with the 
attack on the toll collection booths of NICE on Friday. Around 150 men 
had attacked the booths near Chikkammanahalli and Electronic City.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/27/stories/2008122760560600.htm

Karnataka

Vedike activists protest against NICE
Staff Reporter
________________________________________
‘Company should stop collecting toll till the completion of the project’
________________________________________
BANGALORE: Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists staged a demonstration on 
the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) near Madavara 
toll-gate and urged the State Government to take action against Nandi 
Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE).
The protesters blocked the road for some time saying local people should 
not be charged any toll to use the road and that NICE should stop 
collecting toll from others till the completion of the project.
They accused the company of cheating those who lost their land for the 
project by not fulfilling its commitment to provide alternative sites 
and employment to them.
V.S. Shridhar, a vedike leader, demanded that NICE construct service 
roads to all adjacent villages.
Several protests have been held against NICE since the company started 
collecting toll from road users.





http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5400737.ece

December 27, 2008
Tsunami victims are remembered with art, prayers and protests

Chennai Indian art students pay homage to victims of the tsunami that 
killed around 220,000 people on December 26, 2004, by creating sand art 
at Marina Beach in Tamil Nadu, southern India. Prayers and memorial 
services were held in the state, where an estimated 6,500 people died.
In the Indonesian province of Aceh, the heaviest-hit region where at 
least 168,000 people were killed, crowds massed in the remains of a 
military base in the coastal town of Meulaboh for a sombre Islamic 
prayer ceremony. Around 50 homeless tsunami survivors protested after 
the ceremony, demanding housing and accusing authorities of failing to 
look after victims.
Indonesia also held tsunami drills at the northern end of the island of 
Sulawesi and on Java. (AFP)







http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20081222_Protest_over_Russia_s_car_tariffs_intensifies.html

The Kremlin has sidelined political opponents and put tight controls on 
civil society and the media, rolling back many post-Soviet freedoms.
But in recent weeks, migrant workers in the Ural Mountains city of 
Yekaterinburg protested wage arrears and pensioners in the Siberian town 
of Barnaul took to the streets to protest the withdrawal of discounted 
fares on public transport.





http://m.lohud.com/news.jsp?key=185058

Firefighters, residents protest cuts to Yonkers Fire Department
Hannan Adely The Journal News
December 22, 2008 12:39 PM

YONKERS - Marge Del Bene's gratitude to Fire Station 12 runs deep. She 
and her family were rescued by station firefighters during a 1969 fire 
and were helped several more times in later years during medical 
emergencies.

"We're only one family and one house in the area, for what this 
firehouse has done for us," she said.

Del Bene and other residents fear that help won't arrive soon enough if 
proposed cuts to the firehouse are enacted. City officials decided to 
remove a ladder truck and its crew of 17 firefighters and five officers 
from the station as part of a plan to close a $16 million budget gap.

Residents and firefighters rallied in front of the the Fortfield Avenue 
station yesterday to protest the measure and the cuts to the Yonkers 
Fire Department at large. The city's budget plan includes a total of 
seven layoffs from the fire department and the elimination of 22 vacant 
positions. Hugh Fox, president of Yonkers Firefighters Local 628, said 
the cuts would also lead to the demotion of 19 fire lieutenants to the 
rank of firefighter.

The ladder company is one of six throughout the city. Without it, Fire 
Station 12 would be left with just an engine company and its crew.

Fox said the removal of the ladder company would delay response time in 
emergencies throughout the city, leaving citizens more at risk of losing 
their lives and their property. The nearest fire station, he said, was 
Fire Station 14, about four miles away.

Fire Capt. Ray Dezendorf, house commander of Fire Station 12 and captain 
of the ladder crew that would be cut, said his station was the busiest 
in the city in the past three years and Yonkers residents depended on 
the service of the company.

"The next company is going to be many more minutes out and minutes is 
what counts in this industry," he said. "The key to rescue is getting 
there quickly and getting people out."






http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415835.html

Protest against Edinburgh City Council's funding cuts
ab | 20.12.2008 08:54 | Repression | Social Struggles
About seventy people attended the Edinburgh City Council meeting on 
Thursday 18th Dec 2008 in protest of the unfair distribution of the 
”Fairer Scotland Fund", which would hit Edinburgh's most deprived area 
hardest, relative to previous regeneration funding. A banner was dropped 
and calls were made for Elaine Morris, the incompetent representative 
for the Forth area and chair of the finance meeting, to resign.
Amongst the groups and initiatives threatened with closure are new 
buildings costing millions - which are now left with no funding to staff 
and open the resources to the public.
However, 1.8m of the money allocated to Edinburgh under the grant scheme 
is still unaccounted for. Yet seventeen projects in the North Edinburgh 
area from Youth Groups to Elderly Project to Anti-racist initiatives and 
support networks for abused women are now threatened with closure.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122159700300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Flash protests in city disrupt traffic
Staff Reporter
Residents oppose closure of road; students complain of poor maintenance 
and low quality food
Photos: M. Periasamy and K. Ananthan

Airing their grievances: Residents of Lakshmipuram at Ganapathy in the 
city staging a road blockade on Saturday urging the highway authorities 
to stop closing the bylanes under the upcoming rail overbridge on 
Sathyamangalam Road, near Textool. (Right) Students of Dr. Ambedkar 
Government College Boys Hostel staging a demonstration on Dr. 
Balasundaram Road in protest against the poor quality of food in the 
hostel. —

Coimbatore: Flash protests by residents and students in various parts of 
the city disrupted traffic on Saturday.
Irate residents of Lakshmipuram in Ganapathy area off Sathyamangalam 
Road on Saturday blocked the road protesting over the closure of 
approach ways to residential areas on either side of Sathyamangalam Road 
below the upcoming railway over bridge. ’
The residents said that the flyover plan should include way to the 
residential areas on the left of the upcoming flyover.
Even during the construction of the flyover residents alleged that they 
had been put to untold hardship. Revenue, police, highways and 
corporation officials held talks with the agitators and following 
assurances to hammer out a solution, the road blockade was lifted.
This led to disruption of traffic on the busy National Highway for a few 
hours. Student inmates of the Government Hostel on Dr. Balasundaram Road 
in the City also resorted to a flash protest by blocking the road 
condemning the poor quality and unhygienic condition of the food served 
to them as well as the maintenance of the hostel.
Withdrawn
The Collectorate officials, police and revenue authorities held talks 
with the students and promised to sort out the problem, following which 
the road blockade was withdrawn.
The Joint Action Committee of Public Sector General Insurance Employees 
staged a demonstration in front of the United India Insurance Company 
Limited office on Dr. Nanjappa Road in protest against the decision of 
the Centre to hike the foreign direct investment in the Insurance Sector.
The demonstrators condemned the decision to hike the FDI in insurance 
sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent and also opposed the plans to 
amend the Insurance Act of 1938.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/19/stories/2008121961120300.htm

New Delhi

Protest against missing children
NEW DELHI: A large number of people staged a dharna outside the Welcome 
police station here on Thursday protesting against growing number of 
complaints of missing children in the area and alleged inaction of the 
police.
“Several children have gone missing from the area in the past few 
months, but the police do not seem to be interested in looking for them. 
Most of these children are suspected to have been kidnapped and sold off 
to eunuchs. Even the police know this, but they are reluctant to take 
any action,” said Deepchand, whose teenaged son went missing on his way 
to school on December 8.