Tens of thousands

NILAKKAL: Tens of thousands of women formed a human chain across a southern Indian state on Tuesday, in support of a court order overturning a partial ban on women entering one of Hinduism's holiest temples, witnesses said. The 'Women's Wall' rally was backed by the communist government in Kerala state where the court order on Sabarimala temple has triggered weeks of protests by opponents and supporters of the ban. Media reports and supporters of the initiative claimed hundreds of thousands of women formed a human…

MADRID: Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Spain on Saturday to protest against the acquittal of five men of gang raping an 18-year-old woman at Pamplona's bull-running festival. Protesters have filled streets across the country since the court ruling on Thursday, leading Spain's conservative government to say it will consider changing rape laws. In Pamplona itself, police said that "between 32,000 and 35,000 people" took part in a demonstration on Saturday, rallying under the slogan "it's not sexual…

GAZA: Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza on Saturday to commemorate the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in the first such memorial in the Hamas-run territory since 2007. The anniversary event was billed as a show of national unity after Hamas struck a reconciliation agreement last month with the rival Fatah movement founded and led by Arafat until his death in 2004. The deal, which is supposed to see Hamas cede civil control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority led by current Fatah leader Mahmud…