Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili said authorities monitored 120 protest marches on Tuesday, of which 108 remained peaceful while police intervened in 12 demonstrations following outbreaks of unrest.

According to Mosikili, those arrested included undocumented migrants accused of violating immigration laws as well as individuals detained on charges including public violence, harboring undocumented migrants and robbery.

Police reinforced security operations overnight by deploying additional personnel to five of South Africa’s nine provinces to respond to isolated incidents of looting and other criminal activity linked to the demonstrations.

The South African National Defence Force also deployed soldiers to Johannesburg’s Hillbrow district to assist police in maintaining public order.

The nationwide protests were organized by an anti-immigration movement that had declared Tuesday as a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa.

The demonstrations followed months of growing tensions that have drawn international criticism after foreign nationals were forced from their homes and businesses, with reports of vandalism and attacks targeting migrant-owned properties.

Authorities have not reported widespread disruption beyond the isolated incidents, and police said security operations remain in place to prevent further unrest.

The explosion, which occurred in the town of Pomezia about 20 km (12 miles) south of Rome, destroyed two vehicles belonging to Ranucci, a prominent investigative reporter known for exposing corruption and organized crime. No injuries were reported in the attack.

In a statement, the Carabinieri said the four suspects, detained near Naples, were strongly suspected of possessing, transporting and using explosive devices in a public place, issuing threats and causing damage under aggravating circumstances linked to acting as part of a group using mafia-style methods.

Three of the suspects were placed in pre-trial detention, while a fourth was ordered under house arrest, police said.

Ranucci, host of the investigative television programme “Report” on public broadcaster Rai 3, has lived under police protection for several years because of repeated death threats linked to his reporting.

Speaking to Italy’s ANSA news agency following the bombing, Ranucci said he had received “an endless list of threats.”

The investigation, led by the Rome Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office, involved extensive analysis of surveillance camera footage, telephone records and forensic examinations of the explosive device, according to the Carabinieri.

Investigators believe the individuals who carried out the bombing acted on behalf of unidentified third parties who allegedly organized logistical support, including financial assistance, dedicated mobile phone cards, legal support and contingency plans to facilitate the suspects’ escape abroad if necessary.

Authorities said efforts to identify those believed to have ordered the attack remain ongoing.

State-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday that 178 of the 225 suspects detained during coordinated operations this week were remanded in custody pending trial. Prosecutors said another 34 suspects were released under judicial supervision, while legal proceedings involving the remaining detainees were continuing.

The arrests come ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, which is expected to bring together leaders from the alliance’s 32 member states, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a Turkish legal rights organization, said those detained included journalists, academics, lawyers, trade unionists, teachers, students and representatives of civil society organizations.

According to MLSA, those placed in pre-trial detention included Yildiz Tar, editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ-focused publication Kaos GL, Ankara University academic Emel Memis, and Nevzat Ozer of the TEMA Foundation, one of Türkiye’s leading environmental organizations, along with several volunteers associated with the group.

MLSA said environmental activists were questioned by police about alleged links to the banned Communist Party of Türkiye/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML), including whether they used code names or had received armed training.

Turkish authorities have not publicly detailed the evidence supporting the terrorism-related allegations against the detainees. The security operations follow broader counterterrorism efforts launched in the run-up to the high-profile NATO meeting, as Ankara tightens security before hosting alliance leaders.

The violence erupted after supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a movement advocating economic and governance reforms, pressed ahead with planned demonstrations despite being outlawed by authorities under anti-terrorism legislation.

Sardar Waheed, the top civilian official in Rawalakot, said three civilians were killed and about 40 others wounded during the clashes.

Police said four officers were also killed and 23 injured, bringing the overall death toll to seven.

Authorities moved against the organization over the weekend, sealing its central office and imposing restrictions on large public gatherings in Muzaffarabad, the largest city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Police confirmed that more than 70 JAAC members were arrested during operations carried out ahead of the planned protests.

Despite fears of wider unrest, markets in Muzaffarabad reopened on Monday under a heavy security presence. Residents had earlier rushed to stockpile supplies amid concerns that demonstrations and possible shutdowns would disrupt daily life.

JAAC leaders rejected the government’s decision to classify the group as a terrorist organization, describing the move as political repression and insisting their campaign is focused on legitimate demands for economic relief, political accountability and governance reforms.

The latest confrontation follows a similar wave of unrest in September, when protests led by the group triggered days of clashes that left nine people dead.

Pakistan-administered Kashmir has witnessed periodic demonstrations in recent years over inflation, electricity costs, governance issues and demands for greater political representation.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir remains one of South Asia’s most sensitive territorial disputes. Both India and Pakistan claim the region in full but administer separate portions following their partition and independence from British rule in 1947.

Police said hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj was taken into custody late Wednesday, hours after the blaze engulfed the Flourish Stay hotel in the capital’s Malviya Nagar area.

Authorities said at least 21 people died in the fire, including several foreign nationals. Two victims have been identified as citizens of Liberia and Mozambique.

Witnesses said some trapped guests jumped from upper floors onto mattresses placed below as flames spread through the building. Several survivors were hospitalized with severe burns and injuries sustained while escaping.

The incident has renewed concerns over fire safety standards in India, where deadly building fires are frequently linked to inadequate safety measures and poor enforcement of regulations.

In a separate incident on Thursday, four people were killed in a fire that broke out in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Muzaffarpur, in the eastern state of Bihar, local officials said.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said state police took control of the area following confrontations between protesters and federal immigration agents. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka also imposed a nightly curfew around the facility.

The 1,000-bed detention center, operated by GEO Group on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has become a flashpoint in the debate over immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. State police arrested three protesters on Saturday after six arrests the previous night.

Democratic leaders, including Hakeem Jeffries, renewed calls for the facility’s closure, citing concerns over detention conditions, while federal authorities said operations would continue as normal.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said in a statement that the operation stemmed from ongoing investigations into espionage activities and alleged cooperation with foreign entities.“In accordance with previous investigations carried out by the prosecutor’s office in cases of espionage on behalf of foreign entities and sympathy for Iranian aggression, the security services dismantled an organization linked to the Revolutionary Guards,” the ministry said.

The statement added that 41 individuals had been detained but provided no further details regarding their identities, nationalities or the specific accusations against them.The arrests come during a period of intensified security measures across Gulf states after Iranian attacks targeting regional infrastructure and military facilities in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and remains one of Washington’s closest security partners in the Gulf, making it strategically significant in the wider regional confrontation.Authorities in Manama have increasingly tightened restrictions on expressions of support for Tehran since the conflict escalated earlier this year.

Last month, Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people accused of publicly supporting Iran.The alleged group was accused of links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces that oversees the country’s missile programs and regional security operations.

Bahrain has long accused Iran of backing unrest and militant activity within the kingdom, allegations Tehran has repeatedly denied.The latest arrests are likely to deepen already strained relations between Gulf Arab states and Iran as diplomatic efforts continue to seek a broader regional de-escalation agreement.

State-run Anadolu Agency⁠ reported that prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 30 suspects linked to alleged corruption involving municipal subsidiaries and public tenders. Twenty-nine suspects were detained, while one individual was reported to be abroad.

According to a statement cited by prosecutors, the investigation concerns the alleged “activities of a criminal organization established under the leadership of Ekrem Imamoglu.”Authorities accuse the suspects of manipulating public procurement processes through companies affiliated with the Istanbul municipality.

Imamoglu, who has been imprisoned for more than a year, is currently standing trial alongside 413 co-defendants. Prosecutors allege he directed a large criminal network operating within the municipality. If convicted on all charges, he could face cumulative prison sentences totaling 2,430 years under Turkish law.

The Istanbul mayor and his political allies deny the accusations and argue the investigation is politically motivated, accusing Erdogan’s government of attempting to sideline one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

Imamoglu emerged as a major national challenger to Erdogan after securing repeated election victories in Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city and economic hub. Opposition parties have increasingly described the legal proceedings against him as part of broader pressure on dissenting political voices and municipal administrations controlled by the opposition.

The Turkish government has repeatedly denied accusations of political interference in the judiciary, maintaining that courts operate independently and investigations are conducted according to the law.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said at least nine of those executed were linked to protests that shook Iran in January 2026, while 10 others were put to death for alleged membership in opposition groups and two were executed on spying charges.

The agency said many of those detained had been subjected to enforced disappearances, torture and what it described as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including forced confessions, some of which were later broadcast publicly, as well as mock executions.

“I am appalled that on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in harsh and brutal ways,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement.

“In times of war, threats to human rights increase exponentially. Yet even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate,” he said.Turk called on Iranian authorities to halt further executions, establish a moratorium on the death penalty, ensure due process and fair trial guarantees, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.

OHCHR said many people, including minors, remain at risk of capital punishment because of Iran’s broad interpretation of national security offenses. It said judicial proceedings were often accelerated and some death sentences, including those of at least nine executed protesters, were reportedly based on coerced confessions.

The agency also raised concerns over the transfer of dozens of prisoners, including prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, to undisclosed locations.Iran remains one of the world’s leading users of capital punishment and executes more people annually than any country except China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

Turk also criticized prison conditions across Iran, describing them as dire, with overcrowding and severe shortages of food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine and access to medical care.In Chabahar prison on March 18, detainees protesting the prolonged suspension of food distribution were reportedly met with lethal force.

OHCHR said security forces killed at least five prisoners and injured 21 others after confronting demonstrators inside the prison.The agency further said internet access in Iran had been almost completely shut down for 61 consecutive days, describing it as one of the longest nationwide shutdowns ever recorded.

“This is denying people across the country access to vital information, silencing independent voices, and inflicting enormous social and economic harm,” Turk said.He said the restrictions were worsening an already fragile humanitarian and economic situation and urged authorities to restore access immediately.

The Interior Ministry said the arrests were carried out by the State Security Agency, which “apprehended 24 citizens, one of whom had his citizenship revoked,” and seized funds linked to illicit activities. It described the case as an organized effort to collect money under religious pretexts for transfer abroad.

Officials said the operation had “thwarted a plot targeting the undermining of the homeland’s security and the financing of terrorist entities and organizations,” without naming specific groups or countries involved.

The Kuwait Interior Ministry said the funds were gathered in coordination with external actors, indicating cross-border links in the alleged network.In a subsequent move, the Kuwait Foreign Ministry placed the suspects on the country’s domestic counterterrorism designation list, freezing their assets and imposing travel restrictions.

A security source confirmed that five former members of Kuwait’s parliament were among those detained, though their identities were not disclosed in the official statement.The arrests come amid increased security vigilance in the Gulf following escalating conflict in the region.

Authorities have stepped up actions against individuals suspected of supporting groups aligned with Hezbollah or other Iran-linked entities.

In March, Kuwait detained six people accused of ties to Hezbollah and of planning assassinations, according to officials.