Protests continue; death toll mounts

Hundreds rally over police proposal

Hundreds of people marched Saturday through central London and other cities across England and Wales to protest the British government’s plan to hand the police new powers to tackle demonstrations.

Protesters, including many who carried anti-sexism placards, passed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office at No. 10 Downing St.

The demonstrators were upset at the Conservative government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament. Under the terms of the bill, which covers England and Wales, police will be able to ban or shut down protests.

Iran urged to avoid nuclear escalation

France’s top diplomat spoke with his Iranian counterpart Saturday and urged Iran to be “constructive” and avoid further nuclear escalation ahead of talks this week aimed at trying to salvage a global accord curbing Iran’s nuclear program.

The United States and Iran said Friday they will begin indirect negotiations next week, one of the first signs of progress in efforts to try to get both countries back into compliance with the 2015 accord. Then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2018, and Iran has been steadily violating its restrictions ever since.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif.

Security forces in central Myanmar opened fire on anti-coup protesters on Saturday, killing at least two people, according to local media. A human rights group said mounting violence since the Feb. 1 military takeover has killed at least 550 civilians.

Threats of lethal violence and arrests of protesters have failed to suppress daily demonstrations across Myanmar demanding the military step down and reinstate the democratically elected government.

Plot alleged to unseat king

Jordanian authorities detained the kingdom’s former crown prince and arrested nearly 20 other people Saturday after what officials called a “threat to the country’s stability.”

Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the oldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born wife, Queen Noor, was placed under restriction at his Amman palace, amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to unseat his half-brother King Abdullah II, according to a senior Middle East intelligence official briefed on the events.

Police: Disney guest broke virus rules

Kelly Sills paid a small fortune for an enchanting trip to “the most magical place on Earth.”

Instead, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident — like several other Disney World guests who have defied coronavirus restrictions — visited the Orange County, Florida, jail.

Sills, 47, skipped the temperature-screening required of guests, authorities said. He was confronted by security about it at a Disney Springs restaurant, when he yelled and refused to leave. When deputies insisted that he would be charged with trespassing, he noted how much he had spent on his vacation.

“I paid $15,000,” said Sills, in handcuffs.

Demonstrators protest in Birmingham, England, on Saturday against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is moving through Parliament and would give police stronger powers to restrict protests.