Thousands stage anti-govt. protests in Afghanistan

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Afghan authorities have put security forces on alert as thousands of people stage an anti-government rally in Kabul. People from the Hazara community are protesting against a multi-million-dollar power line project. Overnight, police blocked the main roads into the center of Kabul with shipping containers to stop the protesters.
• Russia has accused foreign-backed militants in Syria of breaching the current truce several times over the past 24 hours. The Defense Ministry says the terrorists violated the regime of calm twice in Aleppo and five times in the suburbs of Damascus.
• The Colombian government has reached a deal with rebels to remove child soldiers from their ranks. The government called on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, to deliver all necessary information to identify and locate children who are still in camps.
• Supporters of Brazil's now-suspended president Dilma Rousseff have taken to the streets of the capital Brasilia to express their opposition to acting president Michel Temer. The protesters say they don’t feel represented in Temer’s government, because his cabinet doesn't include any women or members from the indigenous community.
• Activists have rallied in Italy's northern city of Venti-miglia to express their solidarity with asylum seekers arriving in the country. The protesters denounced police actions against refugees and urged them to change their behavior towards people fleeing conflict-ridden zones in the Middle East and Africa.
• Turkish police have prevented members of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party, the MHP, from holding a party congress in Ankara. Thousands of angry MHP members and supporters gathered near the venue. Riot police used barricades and water cannon to seal off the road.
• Hundreds of protesters have marched in the Greek capital to express their outrage over the government’s austerity measures. The demonstrators called on the government to end cuts to public spending. Athens is trying to overhaul the pension system by increasing social security contributions.
• US police have arrested 52 climate activists in northwest Washington. The protesters had set up camps on railroad tracks near two refineries. Those arrested were cited for trespassing. The protesters called for action on climate change policies and transitioning away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

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