Chaos and color in May Day rallies across the globe

PARIS - Traditional May Day rallies turned violent in some parts of the world on Tuesday, as workers gathered to defend labor rights. There was looting in Paris and dozens of arrests in Turkey, in contrast to Cuba with its colorful celebrations and new leader.

Here is a round-up of some of the biggest events on the annual workers' holiday.

PARIS RIOTS, LOOTING

A march against French President Emmanuel Macron's public sector reforms descended in to riots in central Paris.

On the sidelines of the May Day union-led demonstration for workers' rights, chaos erupted when a group of protesters began torching a McDonald's restaurant and vehicles at a car dealership.

Around 1,200 people in black jackets and face masks shouted slogans such as "Rise up, Paris" and "Everyone hates the police".

Police, who had warned of the risk of extremist groups using the march to spark fresh clashes, used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators.

The scenes of looting and destruction overshadowed the May Day march, which drew between 20,000 and 55,000 peaceful protesters, according to police and union estimates.

BURNING EFFIGY IN PHILIPPINES

A giant demon in the role of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was burned by protesters near the presidential palace in a lively Labor Day rally.

Thousands of workers marched in Manila to voice anger over what they said was the president's failure to scrap short-term employment contracts.

Police said some 5,500 people attended the marches and that the events were "generally peaceful".

TENSE CRACKDOWN IN TURKEY

Key protest areas were closed off in Istanbul, with the annual workers' holiday often the occasion for confrontation between demonstrators and police in Turkey.

Protesters who sought to defy the ban in central Taksim Square were taken away by police, supported by helicopters, armoured cars and water canon vehicles.

Police said they arrested 84 people in Istanbul.

Thousands of people took part in officially-sanctioned May 1 events in the Istanbul district of Maltepe, and in other cities, at a time when political tensions are running high ahead of snap parliamentary and presidential elections in June.

SHOW OF HOPE IN CUBA

In Havana, the first May Day march of the post-Castro era drew a colorful crowd of close to a million people.

Cubans carried posters of the Castro brothers and fellow revolutionary Che Guevara and unfurled huge copies of the country's flag, while children dressed as soldiers bounced on their parents shoulders.

The annual Workers' Day march at the capital's Revolution Square was the first major appearance for new president Miguel Diaz-Canel, who was accompanied by his predecessor Raul Castro.

FLOWERS AND STONES

Riot police were deployed to control crowds in Medillin, Colombia, where protesters threw stones at officers during clashes.

In Berlin, police officers looked on as demonstrators dressed in black from the "Revolutionary 1st of May Demonstration" lit flares. According to unions, some 500 events were planned nationwide, with many held under the slogan of "solidarity, diversity and justice".

But in Athens demonstrators carried red carnations in union marches through the Greek capital. One of the largest demonstrations of the Greek Communist Labour Union attracted at least 11,000 people.

Supporters of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption, gathered in front of the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba where he is being held. Wearing red, the color of the Workers' Party, and holding aloft signs calling for his release, they marked May Day by staging a "Good Morning Lula" event.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Federer cuts down Isner to reach US Open quarters

NEW YORK -- Persistence finally paid off for Kevin Anderson as the towering South African prevailed in a slugfest with Andy Murray to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open on Monday while another tennis giant John Isner was slain by Roger Federer.

Two David v Goliath matchups, however, ended all too predictably as 97th ranked British qualifier Johanna Konta saw her Flushing Meadows joy ride ended 7-5 6-3 by fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova and 68th ranked American Donald Young ran out of comeback magic in a 6-4 1-6 6-3 6-4 loss to fifth-seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.

Tomas Berdych's time in Flushing Meadows also came to an end with the sixth-seeded Czech falling 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-1 to 12th seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Seven times before the 6-foot-8 Anderson had progressed to the fourth round of a grand slam but never beyond until his 7-6(5) 6-3 6-7(2) 7-6(0) victory over third seeded Scot Murray.

Murray had battled his way back from two sets down in the second round against France's Adrian Mannarino, but could not work another miracle against the 14th-ranked, 29-year-old, who swept the final tiebreak 7-0.

"That's obviously something that is disappointing to lose," said Murray after watching his run of reaching 18 consecutive grand slam quarter-finals come to an end. "That's many years' work that's gone into building that sort of consistency.

"Also to lose a match like that, that was over four hours, tough obviously after a couple of tough matches earlier in the tournament, as well. It's a hard one to lose, for sure."

Second-seed Federer also came face-to-face with one of the ATP Tour's biggest hitters and coolly defused 6-foot-10 Isner's booming serve to claim a 7-6(0) 7-6(6) 7-5 victory.

Federer held his own from the service line to thwart Isner, never losing his serve, and used his returning skills to derail a pair of long streaks enjoyed by the American.

The 34-year-old Federer closed out the two hour, 39 minute fourth-round match by breaking Isner's serve, ending the American's string of 108 consecutive service holds at the U.S. Open.

His perfect scoreline in the opening set tiebreak snapped an even longer Isner streak. In 429 tiebreakers played by Isner, he had never dropped one 7-0.

"Seven-love obviously is a pretty good score against John," said Federer.

Second-seed Simona Halep overcame a thigh injury, baking heat and finally big-hitting German Sabine Lisicki to also reach the U.S. Open quarters for the first time.

It was Labor Day in the United States but it was certainly no holiday for Halep who had to work for her spot in the last eight, needing two hours and 38 minutes under a broiling sun to dispatch Lisicki 6-7(6) 7-5 6-2 and reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals for the first time.

Waiting for the Romanian in the last eight is two-time U.S. Open finalist Victoria Azarenka, who advanced with a comfortable 6-3 6-4 win over American Varvara Lepchenko.

After a couple of days of relief, the heat returned to Flushing Meadows turning the fourth round clash between Halep and Lisicki into a test of survival.

After dropping the opening set Halep called out the trainer to have treatment on her left thigh and at the end of the second the players left the court when the heat rule came into effect, but through it all the exhausted Romanian was able to gut out a victory.

Her left leg heavily strapped, a wounded Halep sensed her opportunity when Lisicki began to cramp in the third set and stretch between every point.

Halep, who converted 10 of 11 break chances, claimed the most crucial one to go ahead 4-2 and then held serve to break her 24th seeded opponent again and clinch a spot in the last eight.

Italy's Flavia Pennetta returned to the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive year easing past 2011 U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-4 6-4.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Thousands of Asian workers take to streets on Labor Day

JAKARTA -- Colorful protests organized by trades unions and left-wing parties across Asia shared on Tuesday the theme of better wages and conditions, and denunciations of government policy, as living costs spike in fast-growing economies as they commemorated International Labor Day.

In Manila, about 3,000 workers and activists marched to the presidential palace, bearing a giant effigy of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, which depicted him as a dog obedient to foreign capitalists.

They carried banners saying "raise our pay now" and "fight for socialism."

But in a Labor Day speech, Aquino thumbed down labor’s demands for a P125 across-the-board wage hike, saying: "If our wages go even higher, what foreign investor will put his money here? Our economy could fall even further behind."

Thousands of Indonesian workers held Asia's biggest May Day rally on Tuesday, demanding better pay and protection of job security, watched warily by a heavy police and army contingent.

Carrying banners saying "raise our salaries" and "stop outsourcing contracts," more than 9,000 workers gathered at Jakarta's main roundabout before marching to the state palace.

Around 16,000 police and soldiers were deployed to guard the protest, Jakarta police spokesman Rikwanto told reporters.

"Living costs have gone up but our salaries remain unchanged. We only make enough to eat but there is no money in the bank, no money for our children's education," protest leader Muhamad Rusdi told AFP.

"There's also no job security. Jobs like telemarketing and production of goods such as electronics are outsourced (to contractors)," he complained. "We always live in fear of losing our jobs."

Indonesia's parliament in March rejected a plan to hike the country's heavily subsidized fuel price by a third, after protests in Jakarta that saw demonstrators hurl stones and police retaliate with tear gas and water cannon.

A rash of workers' strikes that began late last year across the nation of 240 million people saw several provinces hike their minimum wages.

Factory workers on the outskirts of Jakarta blocked major roads and disrupted the international airport early this year, winning an increase from 1.29 million rupiah ($141) a month to 1.49 million rupiah ($162).

Raising the minimum wage was the main demand also for about 5,000 workers, domestic helpers and activists who held a noisy procession through central Hong Kong, clashing cymbals and chanting demands on the city's incoming government.

"The problem with Hong Kong is that the wealth is concentrated on a small number of people, many people are still living in poverty," university professor Fernando Cheung, who teaches social work, said at the rally.

"That's why Hong Kong has one of the world's highest income gaps between rich and poor. We urgently need a redistribution of wealth," he said.

The government in Taiwan is also fretting about its competitiveness in the face of rising global energy prices.

Last month it announced that electricity prices would rise by up to 37 percent from mid-May, following a recent 10 percent increase in petrol prices.

Denouncing the increases, more than 1,000 workers took to the streets in downtown Taipei for a Labor Day rally that also condemned workplace exploitation.

"Oppose exploitation" and "oppose double hikes," the protesters shouted, waving matching placards.

In East Timor, Asia's poorest nation which this month celebrates a decade of formal independence from Indonesia, police fired warning shots and arrested 84 people to disperse some 500 protesters calling for higher wages.

Police said they were forced to intervene to break up the "illegal demonstration" after protesters began hurling stones and marching to a hotel in Dili where some staff had recently been laid off.

source: interaksyon.com