BERLIN (Dispatches) – The German capital has seen thousands of people taking to the streets to join a massive demonstration called by some 340 organizations in the name of ‘solidarity’ and ‘social justice’. Around 10,000 demonstrators marched through Berlin’s streets, the police told the German media. The organizers of the event announced that up to 30,000 people registered for the event held under the slogan ‘Indivisible! For a just and caring society’. The march was organized by a host of various NGOs, civic movements and trade unions, ranging from the German Children’s Fund, Amnesty International and Fridays for Future to the German federation of trade unions and the Berlin tenants’ association. “We have been on the street with 30,000 [demonstrators] and have set a clear signal for change and for a society that is based on solidarity, justice and anti-racism,” said the ‘Indivisible’ initiative’s spokeswoman, Rebecca Rahe. “Amid the crises of our time: the COVID-19 crisis, the [situation in] Afghanistan and the climate crisis, we have shown that we are indivisible and have made it clear to many thousands of people that we stand for real change,” she added. The procession that spanned over several kilometers walked through Berlin’s Tiergarten park and the Brandenburg Gate as the demonstrators marched through the city center. The participants of the march demanded a real democracy, “which guarantees real participation for everyone and which everyone can help shape”, as one of the event organizers, Anna Spangenberg, stated.

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WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Three individuals were killed in Northwest Washington, DC, late Saturday, local police said, adding three others remain in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. DC Police Chief Robert Contee told reporters that the shooting unfolded near the corner of 7th Street and Longfellow Street in Brighwood Park just before 8 pm local time, Sputnik reported. Investigators have determined that fatal encounter had involved at least two shooters who had exited a vehicle, and had begun firing at a group of people on Longfellow. One DC local told WUSA’s Kolbie Saterfield that the shooting incident sounded like fireworks were being ignited. It’s believed that all the victims are adults. The identities of those deceased have not yet been publicly released. “It’s very frustrating. And we’ve been talking about gun violence for a long time,” Contee remarked during a briefing.

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LONDON (AP) – Britain’s Brexit minister has warned of a long-term chill in relations between the UK and the European Union if agreed-upon trading arrangements governing Northern Ireland are not resolved. David Frost said in a speech at the British-Irish Association in Oxford that the Northern Ireland Protocol needed “substantial and significant change.” The post-Brexit trading arrangement between the British government and the 27-nation EU has seen customs and border checks imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. As well as seeking to respect the rules governing the EU’s single market for goods, the regulations seek to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, a key pillar of Northern Ireland’s peace process. However, they have angered Northern Ireland’s unionist community, who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Ireland’s ties with the rest of the U.K. “The stakes are high, the arguments can be bitter,” Frost said. “And I worry this process is capable of generating a sort of cold mistrust between us and the EU which could spread across the relationship.”

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) – A top Venezuelan official has signaled that talks between the government and the opposition aimed at resolving the country’s long-standing political crisis have yielded “partial agreements”. The opposition is hoping to use the talks being held in Mexico City to secure guarantees of ‘free and fair’ regional elections to be held in the fall, while the government of Nicholas Maduro wants to ease international sanctions on his economically crippled nation. “We have been working mainly on partial agreements, especially those related to serving the people of Venezuela,” parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez, who was leading the government delegation, told reporters. But officials provided no information on the nature of the agreements and a source in the opposition delegation told AFP that “so far nothing has been agreed.” The talks, mediated by Norway and hosted by Mexico, aim to resolve the impasse.

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QUETTA (AP) – A bomber has detonated his explosives near a security checkpoint in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing at least three paramilitary personnel and wounding 15 others. The attacker walked towards the checkpoint manned by the paramilitary Frontier Corps on Quetta-Mastung Road, 25km (15 miles) south of Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, senior police officer Azhar Akram said on Sunday. A bomber on a motorcycle packed with 6kg of explosives rammed one of the vehicles in a convoy, Akram said. He said some of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise, adding body parts were found at a distance from the security post after the bombing. Banned armed group Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the first time TTP claimed an attack on Pakistani security forces since the Taliban took control of neighboring Afghanistan.

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TOKYO (Sputnik) – As many as 31.9% of the Japanese are ready to vote for Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership election in autumn, the poll conducted by the Kyodo news agency showed on Sunday. The election, which will also determine the new prime minister, is to take place on 29 September. The poll also showed that 26.6% would vote for former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and 18.8% chose former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. More than a half of the population supported the intention of incumbent Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to step down over the fall of his approval ratings caused by his response to the COVID-19 challenges. The survey was conducted from September 4-5 by randomly dialing 1,071 eligible voters. Only Kishida has officially announced his campaign bid so far.